Author Archives: RHD Ainsley

From First Flight to Hilltopper: Our First Hunter Pace

pulled shoe

Our first hunter pace was so much fun, until it wasn’t. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother making plans anymore, because the Universe so clearly does not want me to succeed. A few days ago, I checked the forecast for this weekend. I was all caught up on work from my day job, JJ […]

JJ’s Sunflower Session with Sweet Fresno

Horse in a sunflower field

I’ve always drooled over the pretty pictures my friends’ post on social media of them and their horses, beautifully posed and looking like magazine stars. Several years back, I met a local equestrian photographer here in Atlanta, Erin Wheeler of Sweet Fresno Photography, and her signature style quickly became a favorite of mine. I had […]

Know Your Horse & Trust Your… Gut!

Eventing at Chatt Hills

I make a shirt that says “Know Your Course & Trust Your Horse” but I’m also a huge believer that you should “know your horse & trust your gut.” Over the past year or so, I’ve noticed that JJ has slowed down a lot. It worried me, but wasn’t enough of an issue to really […]

Solving a 15 Year Mystery at the Lucinda Green MBE Clinic

Lucinda Green eventing clinic at Ashland Farm

When I was in college (about 15 years ago), my friends and I loved playing the Lucinda Green’s Equestrian Challenge eventing video game. During the cross country portion, she yells something that sounds like “Betsy!” and we’ve always wondered what she was actually saying. So, when I heard that Lucinda Green MBE was coming to […]

Shipping In For Scores

JJ Spot blue ribbon

Yep, I really am crazy enough that just six days after finishing 7th at the USEA American Eventing Championships, JJ and I were back at it for another Training CT. (I actually registered for this event while I was still in Kentucky – how’s that for dedicated?) Turns out, I suck at reading rules… I […]

AEC Recap Part 2: We Conquered Kentucky!

Ainsley Jacobs and JJ Spot at the USEA AEC in Kentucky

After a week at the Kentucky Horse Park in my Ride Heels Down vendor booth and hanging out with JJ, it was time for the real reason we came – competing in the USEA American Eventing Championships! We had qualified by accident (read the story behind that here) at Beginner Novice, and after we scored […]

AEC Recap Part 1 – The Lead Up

Ainsley Jacobs and JJ Spot at the USEA AEC in Kentucky

Once I found out we had qualified, I was torn making the decision of either vending at the USEA American Eventing Championships again (this is my third year sponsoring the event) OR competing at the legendary Kentucky Horse Park. After some encouraging from my friends, I decided to do both – I would vend AND […]

Jacobs And JJ Spot Paint Their Own Path To AEC

Ainsley Jacobs and JJ Spot at the USEA AEC in Kentucky

REPUBLISHED FROM OUR FRIENDS AT THE CHRONICLE OF THE HORSE. By: Kimberly Loushin JJ Spot didn’t exactly make the best impression when Ainsley Jacobs first started riding him in 2014. “He had real bad anxiety issues,” she said. “He was very nervous and very tense, and he would just grab the bit and run. He’d […]

Sharing is Caring – Another Training CT

Ainsley Jacobs and JJ Spot from Ride Heels Down

After learning that we had qualified for the American Eventing Championships, I wanted to get one last cross country schooling session in before JJ and I left for Kentucky, so we hopped on down to Chattahoochee Hills to do that and pop around a Training CT as well. A work trip the weekend before the […]