Anna Blake Riding can be a form of meditation in the best sense- a release from day to day drama and worry. It’s amazing how much better the air is just a few feet above the ground, and moving through the air at a trot really does give you the feeling that sheets get- blowing dry on … Read more
When I was younger, I always carried sugar in my pocket because it felt so great to have my horse come to me. It was cheap vanity- until the inevitable day that I forgot to fill my pocket. My gelding stood on my 5 year old foot, begging for a treat I didn’t have. I … Read more
Let’s start at the beginning; loving horses is fine, but they don’t care about that. Horses will choose respect over love every time.
It’s the movie National Velvet-and a 12 yr. old Elizabeth Taylor lied. The Man from Snowy River came a bit closer, but still fell short. Don’t even start with me about The Horse Whisperer. These are beloved horse movies, watched by horse-crazy girls and boys of all ages. By definition, movies require a suspension of belief from the audience.
It is a vintage parade saddle, the kind the Lone Ranger rode Silver in. I am a dressage rider, we are famous for NOT being flamboyant dressers.
First- thanks for reading past the title- you are fearless. But on that other hand, can someone tell me what is scary about fecal matter in the first place? My farm has leavings from 8 different species and fear of it is an urban luxury we can’t afford.
Riders can be like surfers looking for the perfect wave. We want a ride with Losgelassenheit- a dressage word that describes a feeling of relaxed forward movement that is effortlessly rhythmic.
Lots of us struggle to balance horses and money. There is an assumption that owning horses is a rich person’s game, and especially in a sport like Dressage. But not all of us have imported horses, or trailers worth more than a small home. Some of us have more passion than money, more try than … Read more
That is what I called my first truck- the perfect purse. It could carry all I needed for work and barn, and if folks didn’t like the dogs in front, it had a shell on back they could ride in- along with assorted saddles and art supplies, boots and feed. My trucks are always bought … Read more
It was time to take my proud and extremely green Arabian gelding out of the arena for the first time. We were wandering about the barn yard and I was confident in my negative thinking -certain bad things were waiting to happen. Then my gelding spooked big, staring at a spot on the ground in … Read more