Welcome to the NEW BLOG!
Hey there blog viewer!! I'd like to WELCOME you to my brand new website and brand new blog!
I have really enjoyed social media blogging from Instagram, Facebook and Youtube (which I will continue to do), but I am SO excited to now have an official blog with its own home.
Now I can give you posts with more detail, better picture/video references, and include links to help you find what I'm talking about even easier!
If you don't know who I am yet, I invite you to check out the "About Me" section on this website, and also check out my Instagram, Facebook and YouTube pages to see what I've done in the past as far as social media. To introduce myself personally here - in a nutshell, my name is Grace Owsley (hi!) and I'm a horse trainer and riding coach, primarily in dressage. I'm an USDF "L" graduate (I can judge schooling shows) and a mom of two small awesome kids that keep me crazy busy all the time. I'm a Texan (USA), although I grew up in Idaho and I've lived in many different states as an adult. I'm super active and love fitness and most sports. I may have a saddle pad addiction, and I spend too much time on Instagram looking at equestrian products because I love looking at all the things! I have the pleasure of working with a handful of horses on the regular, but also get to ride and work with other interesting equines along the way! I have a hard time balancing my life but it sure makes life interesting while I try!!! Now that you have a quick glimpse into who I am, read on to see what this blog has in store!
What can you expect from this blog?
1) Equestrian Training Blog
Some of my most popular and in-demand social media posts have been about Training. I LOVE doing these posts and I especially love the feedback I get from people when they tell me how it has helped with their own horses and their own riding. This may include training tips, rider position, showing strategies, and other equestrian related training subjects. For example, I have posted about how to ride proper serpentines, the benefits and strategies of a walk warmup, the difference between bend and flexion, and I have shared my own training strategies and exercises with the specific horses I work with. These posts are not just for dressage riders/horses. Most of these posts will be relevant to most equestrian disciplines. These are just a few examples of what you will see from this blog.
2) Notes from Clinics & Events
When I audit or ride in clinics or when I attend educational events, I take really good notes. I've always been big on the note taking! I will write down little gems of information that stuck out to me, and then I will share these highlights with you. This could be training advice, interesting exercises, or something that stuck out to me as helpful. For example, I audited the Laura Graves clinic (one of the best in the world in dressage) and had shared some tips and exercises from that event. If I attended a seminar or some other educational event, I will share about the event and the info that I learn. For example, I attended a Horse & Rider Wellness Expo and shared interesting things about proper carrot stretches, different body work methods, leg wrapping and a Chinese medicine based horse temperament typing. Just a few examples of how I cover these awesome events, and I try to go to things like this several times a year!
3) Product Features & Reviews
Every once in a while I will talk about equestrian-related products that I think are worth sharing about, and I also give a detailed review including pictures/video and other helpful info so you can see what these products are like and decide for yourself if it's something you're interested in or not. When I'm shopping for products I'm not familiar with, it's SO NICE to read a detailed review from somebody that has actually tried them out and can give good advice. Products might include grooming items, saddle pads, riding gloves, breeches, lifestyle clothing, sun visors, etc etc. Mostly it will be tack & apparel, but every once in a while you might see something I find noteworthy to talk about. I may have discount codes to share for these products when I talk about them! Winning!
4) Other Equestrian Lifestyle Topics
Sometimes I might write a post about something that doesn't really fit in the above categories. Maybe something personal, heartfelt or something I feel is important to share. Life isn't perfect. I have challenges and I notice things and observe and share. If you're an equestrian, you understand how challenging our sport of choice really is. It's expensive. I might talk about that obstacle. Our teammate is a live, large, wonderful animal and that comes with its own challenges. Social media can give us a skewed outlook on what kind of equestrian we are supposed to be. That's a topic for another day (or another blog post)! I'm a mom of two, and that makes things especially complicated. A whole lot of priority shifting happens on my side. I may talk about that. These are just examples of some topics that might show up.
THANKS AGAIN for checking out my first blog post and my new website!!
I'm excited to share this with you and I would REALLY appreciate it if you follow my social media accounts so that you can see when I post a new blog post so you won't miss a thing. You should be able to find links to them here on this site, but I will paste links at the bottom of this post as well. Also I would SUPER APPRECIATE if you could share a link to my blog with your friends. Social media is an awesome way to spread the word. If you have friends you think would like this blog, please please please share it with them! You have my gratitude and it will only make this blog even better when I get more feedback from more readers. Lastly, if there is something you would like to see on this blog, please let me know! Maybe a particular subject or question or product you'd like me to post about? There is a "Contact Me" section on my website, or you can message me on social media or email. Feedback is SUPER important, because it lets me know what my viewers like/don't like and what they want to see. THANK YOU AGAIN everybody! This has been a goal for a very long time and I'm excited to finally get this going!!
Social Media Links:
Instagram:
Facebook:
YouTube: