Relaxed & Forward Blog

Contact: Holding hands with horses.

What is the world’s speed record for learning to ride on happy contact? 18 years? Maybe 23? It’s a joke...
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WPC: Between.

  Between our heads and their hearts, between our feet and their flanks, between our hands and their mouth, let there...
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An Argument Against the Whip.

There is a time-worn adage about whips. Just like bits or spurs, whips are only as cruel or kind as...
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Work of Art

This is an odd photo for my blog. It's a work of art, unusual gemstones in a unique pendant, hand...
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Getting Happy About What You Don’t Know.

Most of us started as back yard riders. No shame, we were kids, we climbed up and rode. When we...
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It’s a Riding Lesson- What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Photo: J.J. Fierro. It starts innocently enough, just like every other thing that happens around horses....
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Calming Signals: Are You Listening?

If you are standing next to your horse and he looks away, do you think he's distracted or even disrespectful?...
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Training Confidence and Trust.

There's a way that a mare can pin her ears back so hard that they make almond-shaped divots on her...
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Dressage on a Rescue: Doing More with Less

Andante, ex-PMU, casts a giant shadow. I have a confession. I shop-lifted when I was in...
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Subtle Abuse: When Aids Become Weapons.

My client's mare is lovely; a very well-bred athletic horse. When my client bought her, the previous owner suggested my...
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