Most days I visit Mara at the stable, we have become zen together. We always vary our daily activities, between ground work, trails and road riding, grooming and walks around the stable. Consistent contact is so powerful. I'm grateful for Mara each day.

As a mother of three (and grandmother, too) I know how important it is to build strength and confidence in your children. When my kids grew up in Germany, there were no ipods or tablets, and 'playing' meant running outside and getting knocked around a bit.

Today, my kids are strong and confident adults, who learned to ride a bike, swim, climb a tree, build sand castles, balance on climbing beams, build wood huts on 'adventure playgrounds', spend a (scary) night sleeping in their tree…

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My special mare Mara B and I practice our own unique form of equine therapy. Mara has been a strong healing presence for me since the death of our youngest son Benjamin. We trail ride, enjoy our barn friends, the barn critters plus grooming and horse care then post a daily update on MaraMomentshorsetime blog. Please ride along and meet our delightful stable pals, the paddock horses Mara is with, enjoy watching the changing seasons, weather and crop conditions, the simple beauty of nature we… Continue

Have you ever gotten out onto the trails, only to discover you left something important back in the horse barn? Here’s a list of items to make sure you have in your trail riding saddle bags the next time you head out.

First-Aid Kit

Hopefully you’ll…

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Out on the trail, bushwhacking through woods too thick to walk through on foot, we come across a fallen tree, branches everywhere, and pine trees on the other side. Vinnie is behind us, following. I ask Oakley to approach so I can see if there is a way around. While I'm looking around, he keeps walking up to the tree, looks down at the trunk as if to say "oh, this up to my chest. I can't step over this... I'll have to jump..." and…

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Oakley had a light July.

We aren't going anywhere for August, and probably not in Septermber, either.

We are going to concentrate on basic dressage work and  jumping skills over low jumps.

First, because he got kicked good and hard by a mare who wears…

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Finally!  A sunny weekend!  I rode on trail, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  It was awesome.

 

Friday was just a quick trail ride on Cruiser before sunset.  I then rode Cole in the arena.  I am so glad I am going to start feeding on Friday evenings next month.  We are supposed to feed at 8:00, and the feeder fed at 6:45.  It is just hay, so I let Cole eat while I cleaned our stalls.  When I was done, I took him in the arena.  Wow, was he crabby.  He kept trying to go to the gate,…

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The Big River

 

Before Cruiser and Ranger entered their senior years, every Saturday and Sunday, we took them on our favorite long ride.  It was fast paced and fun.  Usually, we would ride about two and a half hours or so.  Sometimes, we would go a little further, too. 

 

Due to their age, some years ago, we…

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What we do when we can’t Cross the River

 

My sister and I took a 4-day weekend off from work to get some trail riding in.  Just like the one we tried a few weeks previous, we couldn’t cross the river the first 3 days.  That meant doing the hill leading to the river with Cruiser and Ranger and working Cole in the arena. 

 

Having Ellen watch me and Cole during our rides was very helpful.  She gave me all kinds of good advice, and she took video with her…

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I was asked once, where I wanted to go with horses and what I wanted to learn. My reply was that I wanted to be able to work with horses and pay my bills that way. I dont care about getting rich, all I want to do is get by while doing what I love. Continue

Sitting in a tent when it's -5 outside in the middle of summer with friends vomitting around you from altitude sickness at 10,000 feet. Long way from home.





With Dell having a mini mid season break I got offered a place on a budget… Continue

Would you Relax? Let’s enjoy the trail!

**Lindsey Forkun Equestrian advocates for you to wear a helmet

 …

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Staying Safe – Plan ahead to keep trail riding a positive experience

**Lindsey Forkun Equestrian advocates for you to wear a helmet

Trail riding is an excellent way to mentally stimulate your horse, build physical fitness for both…

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Saturday, March 7, 2010

Well, I settled for free lunging and wind sprints today. Not enough hours in the day. Still, for the week, Belle got ridden 3 times and free lunged twice, and I can’t recall when she has had that consistent of work schedule! Still, I need to…

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Thursday, March 4th - Well, the concept of getting ‘two-fer’ work sessions isn’t looking quite as bright as it did this morning. I had decided to use ‘Sundance’ a 3 yr old welsh cross pony for her partner for the first outing. He is the Only equine on the property who is smaller than Belle is, he has been ponied before and he is calm and not prone to nip or bite. Seemed like a…

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Belle’s Blog

 

So, my friend Robin has a talented endurance horse. And a dream of going to Tevis. But she also bought a new business last year, and has Not been riding. So, my resolution for this year was to make…

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Hello everyone, my name is Paige and I'd like to welcome you to my blog! I am currently a Senior in college and am studying English and Music Performance. I was recently certified as an equine massage therapist, and three months ago I bought my first horse, a Thoroughbred mare.



Now on to my blog. Each Monday I will be posting a blog highlighting three horse-related events that occurred during that week in history. This week's events feature the first Great Santa Fe Trail Horse Race… Continue

"Even among experienced riders, fear or anxiety can seem like an insurmountable obstacle in riding or just being around horses. Your horse spooks and you get hurt, you experience pain and lose the ability to be relaxed and supple, you see someone else get thrown. All of these events can cause anxiety and excessive fearful responses. Because horses tune in to our emotional states, our anxiety can cause unwanted behavior like shying or what seems like disobedience. When we are calm and confident… Continue