Relaxed & Forward Blog

Freak Riding Accident? Hardly. (Helmets, Please)

The horse world has lost some good riders in the last few weeks. Sadly, it happens all too often. Horses...
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Abstract

Abstract, overlap, and the sun of the parts. I mean sum.   Anna Blake, Infinity Farm. (WordPress Photo Challenge is...
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Is That Horse Hot or Fearful? The Importance of Relaxation

It's a question I've asked groups lately, "How can you tell the difference between a hot horse and a fearful...
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Release: Giving Your Horse Dignity

Do you remember the very first time you heard the term Natural Horsemanship? I loved the sound of those words...
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Pony Smart and Carrot Shy

Last week I wrote about loitering in the sun with horses and not feeding carrots. People who train with treats...
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Carrots Aren't Enough.

We've had a lot of company at the farm lately. Sometimes I take them into the family pen. The Grandfather...
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Weekly Photo Challenge: State of Mind

  State of mind: Here's the last snow photo, it's leap day, and we're calling it lucky. The light is...
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What's the True Value of Riding?

There's a meme that travels around Facebook that states, "Most people don't need a $35,000 horse. They need a $1,000...
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Energy Without Emotion.

Some of us originally learned to ride by watching Westerns. Cowboys held both reins in one hand and jerked the...
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A Reminder about Horse Memory.

The temps were mild. No one was shedding but the geldings were sunbathing flat and I was able to chip...
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How to Stop Feeling the Rub of Judgment.

On a good day, a judgment is simply a carefully considered decision or opinion, but on a bad day, it's...
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Starting Back After a Winter's Rest.

It happened last Tuesday afternoon. I was finishing up midday chores and I braced as I came around the side...
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Alphabet

  Alphabet? I'll give you alphabet--thousands of times over! My second book, Relaxed & Forward: Relationship Advice from Your Horse...
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Enough with the Bliss-Ninny Platitudes!

Your horse is escalating. His prance is coming apart into a full-blown Flamenco dance with a furious stomp to his...
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New Eyes on the Same Ordinary Stuff

I'll tell you about how the first follow happened. She was a young barn-rat of a girl. You know the...
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Looking for a Better Ride?

Let's say you're a middle sort of rider. You aren't a rank beginner; you're comfortable in the saddle but it...
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Transition

Transition Imposition.   Anna Blake, Infinity Farm. (WordPress Photo Challenge is a weekly prompt to share a photo–I enjoy twisting...
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Anthropomorphism. It's a Not Bad Thing.

This week I saw a comment on a great story about a mustang that credited the horse and rider's success,...
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