07/02/2026
Well said 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Don Stewart has trained hundreds of riders over his long and storied career—many of whom have gone on to dominate top hunter, jumper, and equitation rings. His longevity in the sport isn’t just about talent; it’s about his ability to evolve without abandoning the values that got him started.
“I think there’s a big difference in how we brought riders up 30 years ago,” Stewart said. “But I’m not here to say one way is better. I think we have to take the best of both.”
One of the biggest shifts Stewart has seen is in how young riders approach the barn and the sport as a whole.
“We used to be there all day, every day,” he recalled. “We cleaned stalls, we swept aisles, we watched every lesson whether we were riding or not. That’s how we learned.”
That “barn rat” mentality, Stewart believes, created a deeper level of horsemanship. “There’s something to be said for just being in the barn,” he said. “You can learn as much listening to a lesson as you can riding in one.”
Still, he understands that times have changed. “Kids today are busy. They’ve got school, they’ve got other responsibilities. I get it. But I do think we lose something when horses are just another activity on the schedule.”
📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/07/23/what-never-goes-out-of-style-don-stewarts-take-on-riding-respect-and-results/
