Anna Blake Over the river and through the woods, To grandmother’s house we go. The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh Through white and drifted snow… It was a Thanksgiving song we learned in grade school. Do you remember? I knew, from the moment I saw my farm, that they wrote that song about … Read more
Happy Thanksgiving from Infinity Farm and The Gray Mare Podcast. … Relaxed and Forward Training by Anna Blake is no longer on Facebook because of repeated hacking. If you or your horse appreciate my writing, please share, subscribe to this blog, or join me at The Barn School. The Barn School, is a social and … Read more
I was taking the trash out to the dumpster in the alley. As I reached the back gate, I saw something moving frantically. I couldn’t make it out. It was pink and black and flapping about in a dusty pothole. It was the kind of thing you aren’t sure you should walk toward. Then it … Read more
It blurted out the end of my fingers before I knew it. “Eventually I learned how to keep hay out of my bra. Can’t imagine what took me so long.” I was writing last week’s essay and if I focus too much on what I’m trying to say, my fingers freeze up. So my writing … Read more
It started snowing the night before last and snowed all yesterday. The wind speed was higher than the temperature. That means snow drifts over a foot tall. Then it snowed all night (another five inches) and all today. But the real snow accumulation will be tomorrow. Am I boring you? Well, if you live in … Read more
It’s a special day here on Infinity Farm. I signed loan papers on this property on the last day of the month. Good for escrow. It was a full moon on Halloween, October 1999. It had been a rough few years, and I had lost so much that I thought I had nothing left to … Read more
I never thought I’d say this. Me, of all people. But do you ever think we might need some balance about the dog and cat thing as the world seems to come apart? I know I’ll get in trouble for even suggesting it. World politics and the extreme suffering of those caught up in war … Read more
The first video is of a Mustang, proud and breathtakingly beautiful. He’s a burnished smoky buckskin, with a massive neck and a straight face that shows more strength than refinement. He’s a horse’s horse. Standing in his pen, he is still, his lips tight and his eyes dark. The horse is waiting for … Read more
I’m coming up on the anniversary of moving to my farm twenty-five years ago. It coincides with my dysfunctional affair with technology. My first night here was a full-moon Halloween. I know this because I wrote important dates on my calendar. This means that at the end of one year, I hand-copied it all onto … Read more
“I am not sure why horse people are especially prone to doing things the most difficult way possible, but it’s a habit that dies hard,” she said. Agreed. I hope we’re the worst, but it is an addictive habit. Edgar Rice Burro thinks it’s just our normal condition. Actually, he puts it this way: you’re … Read more