Dressage Queen in a Parade Saddle
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.
Anna Blake
Fecal Sample Anyone?
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.
Ask Not…!
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.
Wealth That Money Can't Buy.
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
The Perfect Purse.
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
Who's Spookin' Who?
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
The Barn Rat Release.
First, lets get our terminology straight. A barn rat is a child who might answer an ad with the headline Horse-Crazy Girls Wanted. (Yes, almost always a girl.) The Infinity Farm barn rat is 9 years old. Elana got here the usual way, begging and badgering parents who don’t ride. Through extended connections, she showed … Read more
Learning to Ride
“No one can teach riding so well as a horse.” C.S. Lewis While it is true that horses like a good leader- a good leader listens. The best quality of work comes from a partnership between a horse and rider that is more like a body language conversation between individuals. I think the best riders … Read more
Women's Work, and Dads.
Lloyd Blake was a farmer and even now it isn’t an easy life to romanticize. I worked outside with him from early on. Farms are no respecter of sex or age- work had to be done by those available to do it. Dad taught me to drive tractor during haying season- before I was tall … Read more
The Problem with Perfection
Lots of us riders are perfectionists. It isn’t a bad thing to want to get things right. We want the best for our horses- the best care they can have for their health and well being into old age. We want to be the best riders we can so that their work is easier … Read more