Armed with only her trusty clippers and her ingenuity, (she uses no stencils whatsoever) Oskolkov-Schneider creates “designer” clips such as the giraffe, zebra, brick wall, checkerboard, and spiderweb. The astonishing thing is that this young equestrian doesn’t have considerable experience. She attempted her first clip on her own pony, “Cricket,” in August 2012.

The next time you start to grumble about how long and complicated a trail pattern is, or how you can never manage to find your way through a course without getting lost, imagine what it would be like to ride while blindfolded. Although novice amateur exhibitor Diane Stenborg can see shades of color and high levels of contrast, it’s a pretty good analogy for describing what it’s like to take a ride in her boots.