In 2015, The Blonde & The Bay was born from an idea to begin my own creative venture. Instead of bombarding my friends with photos of my mare, Leah, I made the decision to start a separate Instagram account solely for horse related content. Our journey began to to take shape as I posted our adventures on the regular, from successes to struggles and everything in between. The rest is history. 

 

My name is Madelyn, but you can call me Maddie. I began riding at the age of 3 and from the moment my foot slid into the stirrup, I never looked back... I am 28 years old now. My dressage career started in 2004 with my Welsh Pony, Brightwood. Since then, many things have changed, but one has remained the same: my fire for this sport. I am a United States Dressage Federation Bronze and Silver Medalist. My mare, Ulfilia DG "Leah" is a coming 20-year-old Dutch Warmblood. She is the true star of The Blonde & The Bay show.

 

As of December 2019, Leah fully retired from FEI competition and transitioned into living her most deserved best life without the rigors of a performance horse schedule. She'll be with me until the end of time, and happily enjoys her days in the paddock underneath the Texas sun. In April of 2021, my husband, family and I welcomed a new addition to our herd: Knight Ryde, a 2012 model AQHA gelding. Ryder, as he's affectionately called, is my western pleasure "reject" turned upcoming dressage superstar. My Instagram now mainly depicts his training progressions, and what a joy his new chapter has been.

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The blog is my passion project, and an extension of the supportive community I built through Instagram. You will see and read the content I'm most proud to highlight - transparency, honesty, and a look into what's next coupled with what's happening inside my horsey trajectory. It's been an honor and a privilege to be so candid with you all for the last seven years. Thanks for being here!