RELAXED AND FORWARD: Since 2010, an archive of weekly horse training essays. My dogs say it's their turn now. Happy to oblige, it's all affirmative. Including words from a gray mare on the fine art of aging cantankerously.
Running in Circles
I was asked to write about lunging and I assume this means with no swear words. I don't know why...
Photo Challenge: Delta
Walking the washout, high desert ground between pond silt and prairie pasture, I know to look for crushed cans, bits...
Teaching Your Horse to Relax
The rider said that her mare had an undeniable "rushiness" and was always tense. The mare is five years old...
Photo Challenge: Transient
A hand flattened to shade my brow, questioning the late-afternoon glare diced with shadow, not certain I should trust my...
Bit or Bitless? You Won’t Like the Answer.
Does anyone agree on bits? No. Is riding bitless the perfect solution? No. I've been asked for some bitless information,...
Photo Challenge: Focus
This willful mare will not be owned. She makes choices; her neck softens lower as she turns her ear...
Caring for the Lead Mare
It was a perfect day. There were just enough clouds to soften the heat. The front gate didn't open once all day...
Photo Challenge: Order
The passing hours of this hot-dry day spook and buck and bolt, swirling together and scattering apart in a a...
Learning to Love Negotiation
Rule number one about horses: There will be a high learning curve. Most of us are drawn to horses because...
Composing a Writer #12. What True Self-Publishing Means
I've lost count of the times I've been told I was destroying my life. It started in high school where...
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