Relaxed & Forward Blog

Let the Real Treat be You.

When I was younger, I always carried sugar in my pocket because it felt so great to have my horse...
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From a Whisper to a Scream.

  "Stop nagging him!” If I am not yelling, I am certainly speaking in a loud, firm voice. How did...
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On Horse Movies: Velvet Brown Lied!

It's the movie National Velvet-and a 12 yr. old Elizabeth Taylor lied. The Man from Snowy River came a bit...
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Dressage Queen in a Parade Saddle

It is a vintage parade saddle, the kind the Lone Ranger rode Silver in.  I am a dressage rider, we...
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Fecal Sample Anyone?

First- thanks for reading past the title- you are fearless. But on the other hand, can someone tell me what...
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Ask Not…!

Some horse owners have simple expectations of their horses. Standing in the pasture about covers it- and a couple of...
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Wealth That Money Can't Buy.

Lots of us struggle to balance horses and money. There is an assumption that owning horses is a rich person's...
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The Perfect Purse.

That is what I called my first truck- the perfect purse. It could carry all I needed for work and...
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Who's Spookin' Who?

It was time to take my proud and extremely green Arabian gelding out of the arena for the first time....
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The Barn Rat Release.

First, lets get our terminology straight. A barn rat is a child who might answer an ad with the headline...
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Learning to Ride

“No one can teach riding so well as a horse.” C.S. Lewis While it is true that horses like a...
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Women's Work, and Dads.

Lloyd Blake was a farmer and even now it isn’t an easy life to romanticize. I worked outside with him...
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The Problem with Perfection

  Lots of us riders are perfectionists. It isn’t a bad thing to want to get things right.  We want...
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A Tweet for my Barn.

I want to say this upfront- I do not tweet. I have to draw the line somewhere. I admit I...
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Life is Good, Especially Compared to the Alternative!

The horse show last weekend was the challenge we expected, meaning surprises didn’t surprise us.  One rider with a young...
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"The more I know about people, the better I like my dog." – Mark Twain

“Add to that- horse, donkey, and llama–okay, even the goats.” –Me This was a week of sharp-edged experiences. The world...
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Hard Hats and Hard Heads.

The helmet debate continues for riders, especially of my generation. It flares up when well-known competitors or local friends get...
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A Different Kind of Trail Ride

 “I only trail ride.” Every time I hear someone say this, I am impressed.  To be prepared for every eventuality...
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