Relaxed & Forward Blog

Does Your Horse “Respect” You?

I'm just the sort of old-fashioned cowgirl/dressage queen/dork that loves the concept of respect. Philosophically and in real life, I...
Read More about Does Your Horse “Respect” You?

Photo & Poem: Finding Voice

  “Curiosity is a sign of courage,” she said, hushing my correction. Bright praise for my colt chasing her dog...
Read More about Photo & Poem: Finding Voice

Calming Signals and Ambivalent Horses.

Humans are impatient worriers. On the high side, it means we care but we want to know everything immediately. Perhaps...
Read More about Calming Signals and Ambivalent Horses.

Photo & Poem: Her Return

  Lawn chairs got tossed, doors banged and windows rattled. She came back late, maybe even drunk. When I ventured...
Read More about Photo & Poem: Her Return

Change: A Virtual* Barn Raising!

No, I'm not building a real barn. That would be easy. I'm handy with tools and I've been known to...
Read More about Change: A Virtual* Barn Raising!

Barn Raising this Friday!

We're making some upgrades, remodeling the website, and adding on a new "Barn". We'll go dark for a few days...
Read More about Barn Raising this Friday!

Forward: Give Him His Head

Give him his head. You know what it means in the horse racing world and what it means in the...
Read More about Forward: Give Him His Head

Photo & Poem: Corgi Moon

The prairie rings with strange voices, this Wolf Moon is owned by coyotes, less visible by day in dry winter...
Read More about Photo & Poem: Corgi Moon

Ta-Da! Meet Me at the R&F Barn.

Ta-Da! Join Me at the Barn. Who knew I would love giving clinics this much? In the past, I’ve always...
Read More about Ta-Da! Meet Me at the R&F Barn.

Forward: Relaxed or Lazy?

Forward, having a ground-covering fluid gait, is the foundation of balance and comfort for a horse, mentally and physically. Horses...
Read More about Forward: Relaxed or Lazy?

Travelblog: Addressing the Vegetarian Haggis

And again, sorry if this is a repeat, but it was time for the blog to come home to roost......
Read More about Travelblog: Addressing the Vegetarian Haggis

Travelblog Photo &Poem: Dog Hair

Reviewing talking points, morning coffee cooling in a contemporary hotel room eight thousand miles from my prairie farm. Dressing for...
Read More about Travelblog Photo &Poem: Dog Hair

Photo & Poem: Snapshot

How did these things get so old, when I remember as if just a week has passed? This snapshot of...
Read More about Photo & Poem: Snapshot

Training Issue or Pain?

"My horse won't go forward," she says. Are you sure he isn't in pain? "No, he's fine. No signs of lameness."   Not going...
Read More about Training Issue or Pain?

Forward: Training Issue or Pain?

"My horse won't go forward," she says. Are you sure he isn't in pain? "No, he's fine. No signs of lameness."   Not going...
Read More about Forward: Training Issue or Pain?

Photo & Poem: Night Air

Told to fear the dark, my tiny legs bolted the breathless distance from the milking barn across to the house,...
Read More about Photo & Poem: Night Air

Writing and Riding

Happy New Year. It's my ninth year of writing this blog about riding. Thank you for reading along, and I...
Read More about Writing and Riding

Photo & Poem: After Snow

This night snow floats down, each flake so light that it doesn’t land so much as hover precariously over fence...
Read More about Photo & Poem: After Snow

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your name and email to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.