Blog - The Relatable Rider

Anger Management

the relatable rider, horse blog, equine blog, april d. ray horse blog, canadian horse journal blog, horsejournals blog

Posted:

August 9, 2018

Anger is an emotion I am not very familiar with. It’s not something I typically experience, and when I do it makes me genuinely uncomfortable. To be honest, I’ve been having a tough couple of weeks with Fire. She has been difficult, spooky, and entirely unreasonable. After feeling as if we were finally getting somewhere on the ground and under saddle, we seem to have taken a few giant leaps backward, and no matter how much I wrack my brain I can’t seem to make sense of it.

Field Trips

Posted:

July 16, 2018

As a kid who didn’t particularly enjoy school, field trips were always a welcome distraction. Even that day we went to the local dump, I enjoyed it more than I would have enjoyed a day spent in the classroom.

Trailer Woes

Posted:

June 14, 2018

Last year I bought a Brenderup Trailer. If you’re not familiar with them, they are a lightweight trailer that can be towed without a heavy-duty truck. The purchase was not in my plan, but the ability to be mobile without having to buy a truck and only having to beg, borrow, or steal my husband’s Jeep was very appealing. I did a lot of research.

Just Keep Smiling

Posted:

June 1, 2018

The long weekend in May marked the second horse show this year for Fire and me. The previous horse show hadn’t gone quite how we had planned (see my blog post about it: The C Word), but I was hoping for more success this time around. At this point in Fire’s training, success is getting on the trailer, getting to the horse show, and NOT parting ways while on the ground or on her back. Anything else is icing on the cake.

The C Word

Posted:

May 14, 2018

It’s something every horse owner dreads. The telltale signs are restlessness, pawing at the ground, faster breathing, kicking at the stomach, rolling. It’s the threat that’s always lurking behind the curtain. And it makes us careful. We feed small, frequent meals; provide access to clean, fresh water; avoid working our horse on a full stomach or an empty one; cool out well after a hard ride.

We Got This

Posted:

April 27, 2018

A week away from the first horse show of the year and I can’t help but feel a little panicky. I didn’t get out on any field trips this winter despite buying a trailer and making all sorts of plans to do so. That’s the thing about plans; they’re easy to make, but hard to keep.

My Horse Husband

Posted:

April 4, 2018

Many people around the world observed Valentine's Day in February, the celebration of love and affection. While I don’t particularly care for the day because I think that every day should be a celebration of love, I did want to take a moment to celebrate and thank my “horse husband.”

Castaway

Posted:

March 22, 2018

Nothing can increase your blood pressure quite like seeing missed calls, texts, and Facebook messages from the barn. A while back, I was at work when I looked at my phone, which is always on silent at the office, and saw several missed messages from the barn manager. Fire had gotten herself cast, which unfortunately is a regular occurrence, but this time they couldn’t get her up.

Help Me, I’m Four

Posted:

February 13, 2018

Having a support group when working with a young horse has been a lifesaver for me over the last year and a half. I am so fortunate to have my very own “young horse club” at the barn and we all happen to be bringing along four-year-old horses.

Nobody’s Perfect

Posted:

December 29, 2017

The idea of perfection is an elusive one. At least for me, it always has been. And yet my desire to be perfect is still present in all aspects of my life, especially when it comes to horses.