My confession.

   So, remember how my raw-vegan diet was supposed to last for 2 weeks?  Well, it didn't.  I've never dieted before so it was really hard for me.  :)  Yesterday, I gave in at two parties and absolutely stuffed myself on nachos, ice cream, and soda.  Then I felt quite blah after going from extremely healthy food to junk food.  It showed me that diets don't work well for me personally.  Whats the point of being really healthy for a little while if I am just going to shock my body with even worse junk as soon as I'm done?   I learned from the experience though.  I've personally experienced the difference I feel when eating healthy food and junk food.  I definitely plan on eating healthier from now on!  I want my breakfasts to be primarily fruit and to have at least one large salad per day.  Aside from that I will try to avoid the really junky food.   But, only God knows how I will do at that.

How to make kale edible raw.

So kale is technically edible raw but it is too chewy to enjoy easily.  Here is how to make kale soft and delicious while totally raw.  This also work with collards and other greens that are traditionally cooked.

Rinse and remove stems.

Then you will rub each leaf thoroughly with olive oil.  This is easier if you pour some oil into a bowl and you can dip the leaves and your fingers in the oil.

Then put a small amount of vinegar in the bottom of a container, seal, and let sit overnight.  (Don't get too much vinegar.  I did and it was WAY to sour.  You just need a small amount.)  Here it is finished.

Enjoy!

My first guava!!

Today my mom found guavas at our local discount store.  It was the first time either of us had had fresh guava and it was really yummy!

    Guava is really sweet.  The center is the consistency of custard, its is AMAZING!  The seeds however, are extremely hard.   They are considered edible but I had to spit all of them out.  After you are done with the custard like center there is a firm layer around the outside.  It is the consistency of a pear.  The entire guava is sweet.  It has a slight pear, kiwi, and strawberry flavor.

Raw-vegan chocolate pudding.

Raw vegan chocolate pudding.
1 Avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into chunks.
1 banana peeled.
1 C Almond milk.  (Or other milk substitute)
1/4 C Raw cocoa powder.
2 T Agave.
1 t Lemon juice.
1/4 C Shredded coconut.  (opt)

Blend all ingredients in blender.  Chill for 1 hr in fridge.

Photo is courtesy of my best friend who did the diet with me and sent me the recipe.

Friday Fashion Tip Number 3. Wear some jewelry.

So, I know its not exactly practical to wear jewelry.  But it makes a big difference.  

Now was the perfect time to take a artistic photo of my earring holder.

I like to wear the short ones to the horse farm.  (Mostly in the top left of the photo.)

Also, some short necklaces.  I usually wear horse themed ones or crosses.

Also, cute stud earrings are fairly practical and can be pretty cute.

Its not exactly jewelry but cute headbands also add flair.  I only wear them if my hair is in a bun or ponytail.

Have fun!

Raw-vegan cashew date balls.

    My mom made these for me the other day.  They were really great, after she made them she ate a lot of them because she liked them so much.  :)

Raw-vegan cashew date balls.

Dates  (Or date rolls.  They work just as well and are sometimes cheaper.)

Cashews  (This can be substituted with almost any other nut.)

(opt)  Shredded coconut.

   Grind all the ingredients together.  This can be done in a grinder or food processor.  Roll the mixture into balls.

For those of you wishing to post comments.

    Blogger (blogspot) has a very annoying comment procedure.  I don't know why.  I thought I should post this to help those of you who may be trying to post comments and having difficulty.  When you click publish to post a comment the FIRST time it will delete your comment and not post it.  (Thats the annoying part.)  When I post a comment I type it out, highlight and copy it, click publish, paste it back in, and click publish again.  The second time you attempt to post a comment in the comment box it should post just fine.
   Reminder!  I still need requests for my Tuesday Training Tips.  You don't have to own an animal for this, feel free to request if you are curious about something.  Also, I would love to hear feedback on any of my other posts.

Thursday Inspirations Number 3. Failure, or more truthfully, the fear of failure.

1.   Don't fear failure.  Not failure, but low aim, is the crime.  In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.  -  Bruce Lee

2.  “The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” - Henry Ford

    Failure hurts.  The thing that is worse than failure is missing all of your opportunities because you were too afraid of failure to even try.  Failure is only temporary, and after we fail we can experience the joy of success.  Let your failures guide you, do not let them intimidate you.  And remember that you wouldn't know how great success feels if you never failed.

Wednesday Comedy Number 3. Dog Jokes.

#1     A burglar breaks into a house. He starts shining his light around looking for valuables. Some nice things catch his eye, and as he reaches for them, he hears, “Jesus is watching you.” Startled, the burglar looks for the speaker. Seeing no one, he keeps putting things in his bag, again, he hears, “Jesus is watching you.” This time, he sees a parrot.

“Who are you?” the burglar asks.

“Moses,” the bird replied.

“Who the heck would name a bird Moses?” the man laughed.

“I dunno,” Moses answered, “I guess the same kind of people that would name a Rottweiler Jesus.”

#2  How many dogs does it take to change a light bulb?

Golden Retriever: The sun is shining, the day is young, we've got our whole lives ahead of us, and you're inside worrying about a stupid burned out bulb?

Border Collie: Just one. And then I'll replace any wiring that's not up to code.

Dachshund: You know I can't reach that stupid lamp!

Rottweiler: Make me!

Boxer: Who cares? I can still play with my squeaky toys in the dark.

Lab: Oh, me, me!!!!! Pleeeeeeeeeze let me change the light bulb! Can I? Can I? Huh? Huh? Huh? Can I? Pleeeeeeeeeze, please, please, please!

German Shepherd: I'll change it as soon as I've led these people from the dark, check to make sure I haven't missed any, and make just one more perimeter patrol to see that no one has tried to take advantage of the situation.

My first day RawTill4 Vegan.

Today I went RawTill4 Vegan.  But don't worry, its just for two weeks!  With this diet I eat only fruits, nuts, and vegetables and they all have to be raw until 4:00 in the afternoon.  After 4:00 I can have cooked vegetables.
So here is what I ate today!

Breakfast

Fruit salad.

Mid-morning snack.

Banana Strawberry smothie.

Lunch.

I was going to make a salad but then we went out and I forgot.  So this is what I had.

2/3 of a cucumber.

1 larabar.

A couple pieces of dried banana.

Dinner.

Spaghetti squash.  I had some of this with fresh raw homemade spaghetti sauce and some with coconut butter.

Bedtime Snack.

Rasins.

    Its only been a day but I'm starting to feel some differences already.  I've lost some water weight today, and I don't feel bloated and groggy like I do with bread or dairy.  However, I do feel a little bit fatigued and I've been fairly hungry feeling all day.

Tuesday Training Tip Number 3. Barking. Understanding why dogs do it, and how to help them stop.

    There is going to be a small addition to my Tuesday Training Tips from now on.   I'm doing this so I can post tips that I know are helpful to my readers.  Anytime I post a TTT you can leave a comment requesting next weeks TTT.  These can be about broad training subjects, or a specific issue you need resolved.  Dog and horse training only please.  PLEASE MAKE REQUESTS!  I will run out of ideas if I don't have requests.  These could also just be questions about how I do a certain thing if you would like it explained.

Todays TTT is from my friend Bethie with her rough collie puppy Lillian Rose.  She asked if I could do a post on how to keep your dog quiet.  This is going more in depth because to keep your dog quiet I believe you must understand why they are barking in the first place.

  I am going to start by explaining why dogs bark, then I will discuss how to give your dog less reasons to bark, lastly, I will give tips for how to train your dog not to bark once you understand why they are barking and have taken away temptations to bark.

  We must explore two types of barking.  Triggered barking and boredom barking.   

Understanding and stopping triggered barking.

Understanding triggered barking.

   This is when the dog responds to a certain thing or situation (trigger) by barking.  The following are  the most common examples of trigger related barking.

  1.  The dog needs something.  Your dog may be barking to alert you that he/she needs to go outside/inside, needs food, or needs water.

  2.  The dog is afraid.   Something may have happened that startled the dog and is causing them to be afraid.  Fear barking can be identified by the dogs ears being pulled back, tail between the legs and a cowering posture.
  3.  The dog is feeling territorial.  People or animals coming into his/her property can make a dog feel territorial and bark as a threat or warning.
  4.  The dog is exited.  The owner coming home or bringing food to the dog are both reasons a dog would get exited and bark to show his/her excitement.
  5.  The dog has a health problem.  This is not very common.  But a dog could be suffering from a health issue.  Deafness, mental distress, or underlying pain are all reasons a dog may bark.

   Pay attention to when your dog is barks so you can get to the root of why your dog is barking.  If the barking is not caused by reasons 1-4 you should continue down the page to explore boredom barking.  It may also be wise to have your dog checked out by a vet so you can rule out a health issue as the cause.

Stopping trigger related barking.
As an overall rule, ignore your dog when it is barking and reward them when they are quiet.  

  1.   The dog needs something.  Make sure your dog always has fresh water and shelter.   Feed your dog the same amount, at roughly the same time every day.  This way, your dog will not feel like he/she needs to bark for the essentials.  If your dog barks for food when it is not feeding time do not give them any food or treats.  This will reinforce the barking and can cause obesity if  your dog learns that barking always brings food.
   If your dog is barking to go outside or come inside you can hang bells from your doorknob and teach your dog to ring the bells instead of barking.  Ignore them when they bark (or show them the bells) only let them in or out after they ring the bells.  (The first few times you will ring the bells and then let the dog out, then they learn that the bells mean they will go out and can start ringing them on their own.)   If you have a dog that asks to go out, come in, go out again, and come in again don't oblige their every request.  If they ask a third request within 5 minutes, ignore them.  If they insist on barking while you ignore them try confining them to a crate or bedroom for about 15 minutes.  When you let them out they should have made up their mind about where they want to be.
  2.   The dog is afraid.  Allow the dog a place to retreat from whatever is scaring them.  A crate or bedroom works fine.  If something common within the house is routinely scaring them spend some time acclimating them to it.  Start from a distance and reward the dog for even looking at the thing they are afraid of.  Slowly bring the dog closer and continue rewarding them.  If they start barking, back them away and start again from further.  If they are still scared take away the trigger (or remove them from it) and try later.
  3.  The dog is feeling territorial.  Set up scenarios for people/animals to come to your house to help you train.  Right BEFORE they arrive give the dog a chew bone or something really yummy and exiting.  See if you can get the dog to see the person from a distance without barking.  Reward them for every moment that they are not barking and have the person slowly come closer.  If the dog starts barking have the person wait and distract the dog with something else.   When the dog gets distracted and stops barking, reward them.   Continue distracting and discouraging the dog from barking and rewarding them for being quiet as you have the person come closer and closer.  It may take a few sessions before the person comes all the way into your house without the dog barking.  When the person does come in the house have them bring something really special for your dog.  Through this, the dog will learn that people coming over are a pleasant thing and by being quiet he will get rewarded.
  4.  The dog is exited.  When the dog starts barking ignore them or even move away.  When they are quiet start approaching them again.  Same goes for feeding, if they bark then set the food on a counter or something until they are quiet, when they are quiet then you can try giving it to them again.  Through this the dog learns that if he barks because he wants something he wont get it.  But if he waits patiently he will be rewarded by getting what he wants.
  5.  The dog has health problems.  Take your dog to a veterinarian.  See if the vet can test for any health issues that might be causing barking.

    All dogs are prone to trigger related barking just as all dogs are prone to boredom barking.  However, some breeds are more prone to boredom barking or just barking to hear themselves.  Some of these breeds are the Beagle, Basset Hound, Jack Russell Terrier, Keeshond, Maltese, Lhaso Apso, Boston Terrier, Miniature Pinscher, Samoyed, West Highland White Terrier, Sheltie, and Collie.

Understanding and stopping boredom barking.

Understanding boredom barking.

   Boredom barking is, as it sounds, the dog barking because it is bored.  It can be very difficult to control because some dogs tend to develop the habit until they bark almost constantly.  Simply punishing a dog for this behavior will usually not resolve it.

Stopping boredom barking.

    Below are steps (in order) to take towards eliminating boredom barking.  The most important thing is to always be consistent.  If you correct your dog sometimes, reward them sometimes, and let them bark sometimes they will not know exactly what you want.  Also, keep in mind that if your dog is on a specific schedule and they miss a session they will probably act up barking.

  1.  Make sure your dog is receiving plenty of exercise.  A tired dog is a good dog.  Below are guidelines for the amount of scheduled exercise your dog should receive per day.  Scheduled exercise means walks, or active games with you.  Your dog should have space to run around for a few more hours per day.  These are just guidelines, your dog may need more or less depending on their specific needs.  When I refer to a dog as a puppy I am speaking of the age range 4 months to 2 years.

         Small breed puppies.  1 hr.

         Small breed dogs.  30 min.

         Large breed puppies.  2 hr.

         Large breed dogs.  1hr.

  2.  Make sure your dog is receiving plenty of mental exercise.  This can be accomplished through training or brain games.

  3.  Give your dog plenty of attention.  (Not when they are barking, this will only reinforce the barking.)

  4.  Give your dog toys to keep them occupied.  Rawhide chews, or brain toys that release treats are great because they keep the dog busy and happy for extended periods of time.

  5.  Allow your dog a time when it is allowed to bark.  Dogs need to bark sometime.  You can do this by teaching them the speak command or letting them bark at the park or someplace so they can get their barking out.  Make it very clear when your dog is allowed to bark and when it is not.

You should take care of steps 1-5 before moving on to the following step.

  5.  Find a way of correcting your dog that does not cause pain.  There are many harmless products on the market.  Accompany the correction with a firm "no" or "quiet" each time.  Give your command once BEFORE administering the correction and then again with it.  Your dog should soon learn that if he stops when you command him he can avoid a correction.

 The first tool that I would recommend is canned air for pet correction.

    This corrects the dog by letting out an unpleasant sound.  This comes in a can or in bark collar form.  Some of the spray contains citronella scent.  Dogs usually dislike citronella so it adds effectiveness.  

  The second thing I would recommend is a bark collar that uses ultrasonic sound instead of shock to correct the dog.  This looks like a regular bark collar, but when the dog barks it lets out a high pitched  frequency that dogs dislike and is silent to humans.  These also come unattached with a button that you can operate manually.

   As a LAST DITCH EFFORT I would suggest a regular bark collar.  Sometimes, these can really help and other times the can even make the problem worse.  By taking care of your dogs needs and being consistent there is little reason that you should need a regular bark collar.

No more Sunday Stories. :(

   I'm having a hard time posting Sunday Stories.  My whole life is an interesting story, and condensing that is hard for me to do.   I'm pretty sure I'm gonna keep posting all my other weekly posts, they are fun and not so difficult for me.

The power of play.

  Many studies have appeared demonstrating the need for humans and animals to engage in play.  Most notably, dogs cannot mature and function healthily without the opportunity to engage in play behaviors.  Playing with your horse is a wonderful way to build a bond.  It also presents the owner with valuable time to observe the horses natural body language.  This carries over into training.  The better you understand your horse the better you can train it.  Today I didn't have a typical training session with Rio, we worked on some desensitization and also played together.  When I was introducing her to things I wanted to desensitize her to, she started playing with them.  I was able to turn the desensitization process into a game.  This made it more fun for her, also, after having an opportunity the handle the objects she wasn't so afraid of them.

This is how it started out.

I started desensitizing her to the sound of a plastic water bottle that I rolled between my hands.  At first she really hated the noise but calmed down quickly.  Then I let her sniff it and she started biting it and crinkling it.  She thought it was lots of fun and after playing with it some wasn't scared of it any more.

    A lot of horses probably wouldn't have started playing with the bottle.  Especially older horses.  But I think that if your horse does start playing with something it is wise to let them play with it unless it is something they will damage.

Then I took half of an old feed bag and she grabbed it from me

and tried to hide it.

Then we played a gentle game of tug-of-war.

And she was totally fine with me putting it on her back.

Then we did the same thing with a whole feed bag.

   Through moving up from something small and crinkly, to medium and crinkly, to large and crinkly I got her over her fear of crinkly things.  And by letting her play with them she did more than just get over her fear.  She learned that they could be fun and exiting.

  After this we went unto the indoor arena and I let her loose to play.  She had lots of fun running around and bucking and I ran around with her some.  I have gotten her to play the chase game where I chase her and she chases me.  It is a lot of fun.  When we play there is one main rule.  She may not come within 5 feet of me unless she is walking or standing still.  This keeps me safer, and makes a clear difference between her chasing me playfully and charging at me.

Friday Fashion Tip Number 2. Do SOMETHING with your hair.

   Doing your hair communicates that you care about how you appear and you are trying.  Leaving your hair down makes it more prone to getting dirty and can impart an unfinished affect on your overall look.  When putting up your hair you have the option to go for a style the relies on being perfect or one of the "messy" styles.  I prefer going for a messy style, it doesn't look bad when it gets messed up.  :)  Also, contrary to the name, messy styles are sometimes very polished in appearance.

Lets see the difference putting your hair up makes.  :)  Cause its not just for special days anymore!

Heres doing nothing.

(Of course, this is before is has a chance to get messy.)

Here's with a messy bun.  Pretty simple.  Just put your hair up like a regular pony-tail but on the last time through the hair band just pull the hair halfway through.  Then squish that funny bump and bobby pin it down in a couple places.  To soften the look more, pull out some strands of hair around the hairline.

This is my personal favorite.  I wear it to nice events as well as work.  And with my hair curled first, its the best I can pull off.  They key to getting this to come out well is pulling out some hair right in front after you put up the sides.  And, for those of you wondering, no, I don't wear the flower in there when I'm going to work with horses.

Of course, the easiest thing to do is the classic pony-tail.  Its just a matter of opinion as to how it looks when the hair starts falling out after 5 hours of work.  Some people hate it with a passion (my best friend) and others think it's perfectly fine (me).

    So, wether you decide to do one of these hairstyles or something else my point is just to take some time to do something with your hair.  It will most likely be better than leaving it down.

Credit goes to my mom for all the pictures.

Thursday Inspirations Number 2. Rejection. Or is it?

   This is absolutely true!  I can't think of a single time that it wasn't.

   My friend Courtney said this to me in different words the other day.  We are in control of our lives (to a point) and if we can't take ownership of that we will never get anywhere.  Make a list of all the good things in your life.  Then ask yourself, "If I hadn't taken some responsibility would I have this now?"  Referring back to this can help you when you want to apply for that job, buy the dog, or talk to that person over there.  If you do it, you have nothing to loose, and potentially so much to gain!

Wednesday Comedy Number 2. Sexist jokes.

   I felt like picking on men and women today.  I know these aren't all that funny.  But all the funny ones seem to be explicit and I'm trying to keep things clean.

First for the men.

#1.  Why did God create man before woman?

  Because you're always supposed to have a rough draft before creating  your masterpiece.

And for the women.

#2.  Why do women wear make-up and perfume? 

Because they’re ugly and they stink. 

Tuesday Training Tip Number 2. Start slow when teaching your dog to stay.

    One of the most common mistakes I have observed among owners training their dogs is the tendency to start big when teaching their dog to stay.  People seem to think that teaching their dog to stay is achieved by putting the dog into a sit, saying stay, and walking away.  The dog gets up, they try a few more times and then condemn the dog as "stubborn" or "stupid".  Fact is, when this is the approach the dog has absolutely no idea what is being asked of it and you will never get your dog to stay.

Step #1.  Show your dog what the word stay means.    Put your dog into a sit (or down), then command them stay.  After a few seconds release them and praise them lavishly.  Add a few seconds gradually until your dog will sit still for at least 20 seconds before you give the release command.

Once your dog will sit by your side until you give the release command you can start adding distance to your stay.

Note:  This is the number one most important thing to remember when teaching your dog to stay!  Whenever your dog gets up take them back to the place they were and put them back into a stay until you release them.  Your dog must always stay UNTIL YOU RELEASE THEM.  It is MUCH BETTER to have your dog stay for only a few seconds and then release them than to have your dog stay for a few minutes and then get up without a release command.  If you allow your dog to get up without giving them the release command then it teaches them that they don't have to obey you.  If your dog is only allowed to get up when given the release command every time then they will learn that obedience is mandatory.

Step #2.  Add distance and time to your sit stay.    When your dog has learned what stay means then you can start walking away from your dog and staying out for a little longer.  At first, just take 1 or 2 steps away from your dog and only stay away for a couple of seconds before returning, rewarding, and releasing your dog.  As time goes on you can gradually stay away for a minute or two from about 6' away.  You can move to 20' away and can eventually teach your dog to stay while you are out of sight for a few minutes.

  So start small and move slowly and your dog can master the stay.   Starting too big and moving too quickly will cause confusion, disobedience, and bad habits.

Sorry I don't have any photos.  It's STILL RAINING!  As things dry up and I get more into the swing of things I will try to put photos into my training posts and maybe even videos.

6 Ingredient Greek(ish) Salad.

    This was an effort to use the tomatoes and cucumbers that we had.  We didn't have any lettuce so I couldn't make a regular salad.  This ended up being really good and everybody loved it including me. Bear in mind that I am NOT a tomato lover.  Even though this was mostly tomatoes it was super 

delicious.

Ingredients:

1 Cucumber sliced

6 Roma Tomatoes diced

2 T Olive oil

4-6 T Apple Cider Vinegar

1 T Dill

1 T Dried Basil leaves

Directions:  Mix all ingredients.  :)

Sunday Story Number 2. (Late)

Okay.  So this Sunday story in actually a Monday story.  I couldn't think of a story to tell yesterday.  I've decided to tell a story from when I was four years old that left me with a 1 1/4" scar on my eyebrow.

    When I was young, one of my rules was always "No running in the house".  As much as I tried to obey, there is something about little feet that is hard to keep them at a walk.  One particular Sunday I was with my mom and she reminded me not to run in the house.  I ate a meal (don't remember if it was breakfast or lunch) with my mom, and as we were eating my friend who was at the house reminded me not to run in the house.  After we were done eating I helped my mom clear the table.  While I was cleaning I was reminded for yet a third time not to be running in the house.  Well, as you probably already guessed, I promptly ran straight to the table to get the hot sauce.  Right before I got to the table I slipped and smashed my eyebrow directly into the edge of the glass coffee table.  Since it was a head wound it bled way more than if it had been anywhere else.  Since I was only four it was pretty traumatizing to see all the blood.  I remember blood getting in my eye and making everything red for a while.  My mom sat with me for a while holding the skin together and comforting me.  My friend went out on his bike riding from store to store trying to find butterfly band-aids.  Since it was Sunday most stores were closed and it took him a while.

  So, this story has a moral.  Obey your parents.  And also, running in the house isn't the smartest idea especially when you are short.

Mud, mud, mud! AND Somebody did WHAT with duct tape?? :/

   Here in colorado we have received a huge amount of rain compared to what we usually get.  With our dry soil it doesn't soak in very fast so we get lots and lots of MUD!  Dry dirt that has been packed down by horses for years just escalates that problem.  Here is a picture of what I worked in this past week.

The mud makes work about 10x as hard for three reasons.

#1.  The deep mud is slippery and makes it hard to get traction to pull the wheelbarrow.

#2.  The wheels of the wheelbarrow get stuck and caked in mud.

#3.  The poop is all soggy.  This makes it about 3x as heavy in the already stuck wheelbarrow.  

    Its raining more this weekend, but we're all praying it dries out soon.  When it does, work will be a breeze!

  And moving on.  One of the most confusing things I have ever seen.  I'm just not sure what to say.  I want to give people the benefit of the doubt and say that there is a reasonable explanation.  At the same time I just can't come up with any reasonable explanation in my head.  So maybe I'm just not thinking hard enough, or somebody has a strange sense of humor.  

Duct tape.  We're all familiar with its uses around the house/shop/etc.  We also know that with all the new colors and techniques, people are making wallets, purses, and even clothes out of it.  What I was not prepared for was this.

Somebody TAPED THE DIRT DOWN?  They didn't tape anything to the dirt, and nothing was being covered up.  The dirt was simply, taped down to itself.  Regardless of why somebody did this I got a kick out of it.  And I've been speculating for the past few days about why somebody did this.  

My theory:  Somebody believed that gravity was not working well in this particular spot and was afraid that the dirt might float away leaving a hole that a horse might injure itself in.  They decided as a good samaritan to secure the dirt in this spot to the surrounding dirt with this worlds strongest magic.  DUCT TAPE.

Any opposing/supplementing theories are welcomed in the comments section.  :)

Friday Fashion Tip Number 1. Picking a flattering, yet practical work shirt.

I think a good shirt makes or breaks an outfit.  Which is why I am starting this series with how to pick a feminine work shirt.

The number one thing I consider when dressing for outdoor work is practicality.  Here are the points I go over when assessing a shirt for practicality.
#1.  Will it get stains while I'm working?  (Horse snot will stain just about anything light colored.  And some materials get stained by even just a little dirt.)
#2.  Is it comfortable?/Can I move in it for work?
#3.  Is it practical for the weather?
If it is something that will stain, I continue assessing.
#4.  Will I only wear it for work or will I want to wear it somewhere else and stains will ruin it?

After going over these points, what I usually have are ugly logo T-shirts that could be guys or girls shirts.  These look un-feminine and just take away from the overall look.

Try moving from those to T-shirts with a feminine flair.  These can still be dark in color because of stains.  

The shorter sleeves and slimmer cut already looks better.  Now take a look at the little flowers and the ruffled sleeves.  Totally practical, but cute.

The following two styles are even better than just picking cute T-shirts in my opinion.  They can reflect your english or western riding style even when you are not riding.

First for english riders.

Wear cute polo shirts.  Tuck them in and wear a nice belt.  These don't have to be just for riding, they can be used around the farm to reflect your femininity and riding style.  Don't forget that these can be dark colored as well if you have an exceptionally snotty horse.  :D

Once again, pay attention to the little details.  They add so much.  This polo shirt has small lace around the collar.

And on to western riders.  I ride mostly english but that doesn't mean I don't love my western shirts.  :)  Wear snap/button down western/plaid shirts.  I wasn't wearing these much for work because they are nice and I didn't want them to get ruined.  But then I realized that I wasn't really wearing them at all.  So, better to wear them to work and look nice than let them sit around.  TUCK THESE IN.  (Unless you like to tie the bottoms.)  I can't stress that enough, untucked shirts lie funny over your hips and can have a fattening effect.  Wear them with cute western belt buckles.  These are my shirts that apply to rule # 4.  They may get stained and not look so great eventually, but I have plenty of other nice clothes to wear other places.

I love the detail on this shirt.  The vintage snaps with the light stitching looks very elegant.  The handmade belt buckle with the cute horse adds a lot.