Relaxed & Forward Blog

On The Road for Horses: Adventure, Drama, Dog Hair.

  Aftermarket radar. I hope you didn't worry I'd get lost. I installed radar and didn't...
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The Failure of Good Intentions

There was a time that I thought if I saw my horse curled to one side, itching his flank, I...
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Euthanizing and Herd Anxiety

"I’m wondering if you could address animals and grief in one of your columns. We’ve lost a horse and a...
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A Short List of Unfair Things to Ask a Horse

Old mares have a constant dilemma. They get stiff and stove-up. They're stoic so they don't whine about it, but...
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A Love Letter to Dirt.

It's the eve of Christmas Eve and I'm worried about my dirt. Maybe the world has bigger problems and maybe...
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Gray Mares, Time, and Priorities

Do you notice that it gets a little easier to be yourself every day? Public speaking wasn't the sort of...
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Why Don’t You Ride?

"Why don't you ride?" It's the question we dread. Sometimes the people who ask are neophytes who don't understand that...
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Calming Signals. You Can’t Save ‘Em All. Cat Version.

I walk in my pasture. Women of a certain over-thinking age do well to put a few miles in a...
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What Does Having a Connection With a Horse Mean?

What does it mean to have a connection with a horse? You just know I'm going to be a loudmouth...
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A Legacy of Homegrown Ingenuity and Bull-Headed Confidence

I am the great-granddaughter of pioneers. They traveled far, mixed their blood with those not like them, and built lives...
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Is She Still Going On About Helmets?

Riding Habit 1801 Yes. I've been writing in support of helmet use since the start. I...
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For the Fragility of a Horse…

"When we see horses galloping with ears sharp, tails flagged, and hooves churning up the soil, they are the epitome...
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Part of Your Horse Stays Behind

When it came time to say goodbye to my dressage mentor, a trainer that I'd ridden with several times a...
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Affirmative Training: A Cowboy Walks Into a Bar…

A cowboy walks into a bar. He's dusty, fresh from the barn. Shuffling his feet, keeping his eyes low, he...
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Learning to Herd: How Dogs Become Family

I was raised by people who didn’t let dogs in the house. The common opinion was that dogs should live...
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Life Happens: The Unplanned Dismount

"I owned horses for 20 years until divorce happened," the reader said, asking me to write about it. "I think...
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An Allergy, Spyglass Tunnel Vision, & a Valentine

    Most of us start with an allergy. Our noses get stuffy and our eyes are red and teary...
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The Word Inside an Exhale: EASE

It's January first. The calendar has flipped over and I'm happy with the new numbers. New Year's is an excellent...
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