In a world of specialists, Kirsten Moore brings mind, body and spirit together across disciplines—the knowledge to understand the horse, the physical skill to communicate clearly and the intuition to earn its trust.

At first glance, Kirsten Moore might seem like a throwback: a horsewoman shaped not by one discipline, but by many. Yet at 34, she represents something decidedly modern—a return to broad horsemanship grounded in curiosity, practiced skill and attention to the individual horse.

Moore is a trainer, performer, trick rider and farrier whose experience spans classical dressage, driving, liberty work, Roman riding, recreational vaulting, breeding, young-horse development, warmblood handling and showing, and farriery. She has driven Friesians, ridden Andalusians, managed a Gypsy Vanner breeding farm, started young warmbloods and shown foals as well as presenting them inspections. Alongside that work, she teaches, performs and maintains an equine art practice encompassing painting, sculpture, woodcarving, beadwork and horsehair braiding. The pursuits may seem disparate, but together they form the architecture of a modern equestrian renaissance. The range is unusual; the philosophy behind it is consistent. Her work draws on mind, body and spirit: the theory required to understand a horse, the physical skill to communicate clearly, and the intuition to recognize when a horse is ready to trust.

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Chincoteague’s 101st Pony Penning delivered new foals, dramatic rescues and $635,600 for the herd’s care.

Pony Penning 2026 began Saturday, July 25, as cowboys rounded up the southern bands of wild ponies on Assateague Island. Despite a rainy ride, the ponies and foals arrived at the pens in good condition.

Days earlier, a new foal had been spotted with Fancy Free, but by mid-afternoon the mare had abandoned it. Because she had also deserted her 2025 foal, the buckskin pinto was taken to the medical building and placed with EJ, a mare from the Leonard family’s Chincoteague Pony Farm. EJ had already adopted and raised Fancy Free’s previous foal and an orphan in 2024. After receiving a plasma transfusion and overnight monitoring, the foal was doing well with his experienced nurse mare.

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A Compassionate Introduction to First Saddle, First Ride

For My Horses Have Something to Say author and 1990 U.S. Grand Prix National Freestyle Dressage champion, David De Wispelaere, training has never been synonymous with breaking.

Ten years ago, the Happy Hoofers 4-H and Mendon (NY)Pony Club alum returned to the United States, after riding and training since the 1980s predominantly in Europe, where he gained a refreshingly compassionate and equitable approach to training horses: “I ask horses to dance with me. Not enter a boxing ring.”

David walks that talk, sharing the kind of enviably sympatico relationship with horses usually reserved for Walter Farley or Marguerite Henry novels. Especially with 2005 German Rheinlander stallion, Florentin, raised and trained by David since a colt, “He was born in a castle in Germany so he does think that he’s a prince.”

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We Asked The Experts at Quakertown Veterinary Clinic

Q: It’s late in the season, and I feel like I’m always behind on vaccinations. Can you provide a schedule and explain what I should know so I can do better next year?

A: A horse owner’s winter and spring to-do list is usually packed with shedding blades, mud management, and a million other jobs, so it is easy for vaccinations to slip. But near the top of that list should be a conversation with your veterinarian about your horse’s “biosecurity shield.” Vaccination protocols continue to evolve as veterinarians respond to changing climate patterns and regional disease threats. Understanding the difference between core and risk-based vaccines is more than good horsemanship—it can be lifesaving.

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U.S. Pony Racing gives young riders a fast, safe, skill-building showring alternative.

Not every equestrian dreams of showring ribbons. Some love speed. USPR builds confidence, horsemanship and athletic skill—and leaves no judge’s decision to interpret.

Founded in 2013 near Baltimore, MD, USPR gives children another way to enjoy horses. It has introduced hundreds of young riders to pony racing, emphasizing safety, sportsmanship and education.

Riders are eligible if under 16 on January 1 of the competition year. Ponies must measure under 14.4 hands and race in small, medium and large divisions. A USPR official screens every combination for suitability before entering the track.

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In a state shaped by open space and deep-rooted tradition, equestrian culture isn’t just preserved—it’s lived.

State Built for Horses

Virginia doesn’t just have an equestrian industry—it has an equestrian landscape. With more than 215,000 horses statewide and an estimated $2 billion-plus economic impact, horses remain central to the state’s agricultural and cultural identity. But those numbers only tell part of the story. What defines Virginia is not scale alone, but how deeply horses are woven into land use, community structure, and daily life. Unlike more condensed Northeast markets, Virginia horse country is expansive. In Loudoun, Fauquier, Clarke, and Orange counties, preserved farmland stretches for miles, protected by conservation easements that have safeguarded more than 500,000 acres of open space. This land is not ornamental—it is actively ridden, hunted, conditioned, and maintained as working horse country.

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