Relaxed & Forward Blog

The Power of Yes

Ever noticed how easy it is to see the horse who's resistant? How easy it is to pick out the...
Read More about The Power of Yes

Photo & Poem: Dignity

If only she was more demure, that her words had come with a coy smile, eyes dropped to her sunken...
Read More about Photo & Poem: Dignity

The Big Picture, Thank You.

  Horse people can be a little intense. Come to think of it, I can't say I've ever met anyone who...
Read More about The Big Picture, Thank You.

Book Review:Horse Prayers by Anna Blake

Horse Prayers has landed! So grateful for this wonderful review from Anne, and she shared two of my favorite poems.
Read More about Book Review:Horse Prayers by Anna Blake

Photo & Poem: Sanctuary

Moving like a newborn, narrow body swaying on spindly legs, but stumbling on hooves so long that you must push...
Read More about Photo & Poem: Sanctuary

A Problem With Grazing.

From a reader: The ideas and thinking presented in your blog have been hugely helpful in improving the time my horse...
Read More about A Problem With Grazing.

Photo & Poem: Cold Front

A flannel barn shirt buttoned but resisting a jacket, feeling as uneasy as the horses, hay blown wide, flighty hooves...
Read More about Photo & Poem: Cold Front

Jack the Dog: Calming Signals and Anthropomorphism

Maybe there's a rule that if you have dogs long enough, you eventually end up with a terrier even if...
Read More about Jack the Dog: Calming Signals and Anthropomorphism

Photo & Poem: Counterfeit

  The herd stands close as the midday heat saturates the air, shadows black on the earth, their bodies held...
Read More about Photo & Poem: Counterfeit

Photo & Poem: Counterfeit

  The herd stands close as the midday heat saturates the air, shadows black on the earth, their bodies held...
Read More about Photo & Poem: Counterfeit

Riding From Behind

In my fantasy world, you've read about leading from behind and beyond, and tried it with your horse. It wasn't...
Read More about Riding From Behind

Photo & Poem: Beginnings

  Dream Horse He’s midnight black with steely eyes, on hooves so light they make no sound as he sails...
Read More about Photo & Poem: Beginnings

Leading from Behind, Part Two and Beyond

Leading from behind is an oxymoron like jumbo shrimp, but most things about working with horses are counter-intuitive for humans...
Read More about Leading from Behind, Part Two and Beyond

Photo & Poem: Calendar

Tufting the Corgi Do I need a sweater? The evening air has cooled thinner, the time on the clock doesn’t...
Read More about Photo & Poem: Calendar

Leading from Behind, Part One.

Here's Norman, the new kid at the barn. He's a young Percheron-TB cross with pretty wonderful gaits and a sweet...
Read More about Leading from Behind, Part One.

Photo & Poem: Beginning the Fall

  A heat so profound that horses were knocked back, sheltering all day in small shade, relief for the sparse...
Read More about Photo & Poem: Beginning the Fall

The Book Launch That Went Splat! And an Online Poetry Reading.

It was almost like the Olympic Ski Jump event. There were cameras rolling and tension in the air. Edgar Rice...
Read More about The Book Launch That Went Splat! And an Online Poetry Reading.

Riding: If We Can’t Feel It, We Can’t Fix It.

    After the last blog, a friend/trainer thought legs should have been mentioned. Or as she put it, "'The...
Read More about Riding: If We Can’t Feel It, We Can’t Fix It.

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.