Forward Strides

23/10/2026

Forward Strides is seeking a reliable, experienced individual to work Saturday and Sunday mornings. Duties include feeding and bringing in, meal prep, and some other odds and ends. We are a private, organized, professional, and quiet Dressage training facility.

Please email Ali at [email protected] for more information.

Mount Airy, MD

05/10/2026

We are home safe and sound after a wonderful, long, fun, and a bit wet week at Regionals! I can’t say enough about how amazing the horses were. There were a lot of “firsts” on this trip.
This was the first regional championship for Tigger and I as a team. First time Tigger’s mama could see her show in a year. First FEI championship for me - and how lucky I am to have this special mare to experience it on! First away show and Championship for Diva. Diva’s first ride in a coliseum. And while test bobbles pushed us out of the top of the pack, we still came out with some solid scores and some of the best tests we have ever ridden in terms of strength, balance, confidence, and consistency. So that’s a lot of personal wins for us!
I am so proud of Jen and Tye, not only for qualifying for this caliber of show with their highest career scores to date, but for always pushing to be better each ride and each show, and that shined through this week!
THANK YOU, to my village at home for holding down the fort. To my husband, for supporting me, rooting for me, and always being my number 1 fan. To Tigger’s owner, Chloe, for trusting me and supporting Tigger and I through the development of this very special mare. And to my coach and the extended barn family of CB Dressage, for the coaching and cheering for us!
That’s a wrap for the 2026 show season. On to 2027! ❤️

30/09/2026

Home away from home for a few days! The horses have settled in well at the Virginia Horse Center for the Region 1 Championships. 😊

11/09/2026

Position filled!
📣Forward Strides is seeking a Saturday groom!
We are in need of a reliable individual to assist FEI trainer Ali Calkins with grooming on Saturdays from late morning to mid-late afternoon. Responsibilities include thorough grooming, tacking, cooling down, tack cleaning, and some other odds and ends.
Please email Ali at [email protected] for more information.

03/09/2026

A little late in sharing because I needed a ribbon picture 😆 but congratulations to Jen and Tye on a first place finish in 1-3 at Waredaca last weekend!!! They achieved a 6% score jump in one day!!! Next stop, Regionals 😁

30/08/2026

The 2026 show season is a wrap!
I am so proud of Diva today. When I started showing her this year I discovered some unexpected apprehension from her in the show environment. So the goal I set for this year was to get her out and give her the best experiences possible to build her confidence.
With only a handful of shows under our belt, we come out stronger and more confident each time. Today, despite the empty extra judge boxes being scary on one long side, 😂🤦🏼‍♀️ and lots of careless distractions happening around the ring, my girl put on her show panties and we secured another Regionals score and a win! 🥇

02/08/2026

Loch Moy Summer Dressage Festival 3!

Tigger is officially qualified for Regionals at I1 and PSG 🎉👏🏻❤️. Grateful for this mare who always goes to work for me, even when we’re swimming through the humidity 🥵. Once again another judge commented “lovely mare who tries really hard.” 🥹 Yes sir she does!!

I opted to scratch Diva because her time was so much earlier than Tigger’s and I wanted her to have as much time as she needed to explore a new big venue. So we did just that, and she was even braver than the last show. 🖤

Jen and Tye knocked it out of the park in First Level achieving their highest scores together at a recognized show! We’ve been working on being a little braver and taking some risks and it presented beautifully. I’m so proud of this team! 🥹🧡

17/07/2026

We have opted to close for riding and lessons today to protect the health of our horses and riders. All horses are doing well and being closely monitored. Stay safe everyone!

Please monitor your horses carefully while the air quality is affected by the wildfire smoke, particularly if they have any respiratory concerns.

Current AQI - Air Quality Index here in Boyds MD is 238.

Link in comments for UC Davis information about wildfire smoke & horses.

We're all hoping this clears out quickly, but as always, call the office if you need us - (301)-607-4025

05/07/2026

We are heading home from a very successful first time at the National Dressage Pony Cup! Yesterday’s Championship was another large competitive class and Jen and Tye rode a beautiful test putting them in the middle of the pack yet again! They finished the day coming in second place in First 2!
Overall this was such a fantastic experience for everyone. We achieved many goals and set many more 😁😁

04/07/2026

We are in Ohio at the National Dressage Pony Cup and Small Horse Championship with Jen and Tye and my other barn family at Christine Betz Dressage!
Despite the heat this has been a wonderful show thus far and I couldn’t be more proud of Jen and Tye for their first time here. They delivered two beautiful tests today and tied for 5th out of 14 rides in First 3, and came in middle of the pack in a huge competitive class of 22 riders in First 2! I’m so proud of how far these two have come in the last year! 👏🏻
Hoping for slightly cooler temps tomorrow! 🥵