Wanneroo Therapeutic Riding & Horsemanship

22/03/2025

Makes you think

20/03/2025

Everything about your horse tells you a story

Tails tell a story

I thought I would add a little more in

Often tails are forgotten when we look at the horse we may pull them, or use them as an access point for other parts of the horse but often tails and how they sit in line with the rest of the body can indicate other things which may be happening

Anatomy

The tailbones are called the COCCYGEAL and on average there are 15-18 bones which begin at the end of the sacral bone, the first two are located internally and often the little triangle above the tail will indicate where these are or by moving the tail up and down you can usually feel where the sacrum begins as this is not as mobile as the tailbones
The tail can move up and down and side to side, it has muscles which can help with posture (slow twitch) and movement (fast twitch).
Even though there is no spinal cord here it still contains many nerves and also many soft tissue connections which reach further forward along the horse
Tails are great for communication we can tell alot by the tails movement and not just when riding, fly swatting and balance
If we look at the connection between the big ligaments that are effective between the tail and sacroiliac joints then we often find restriction in either will have an effect on the other and also a more global effect

A tail should feel like there is some resistance then relax when we work on it a bit like goldilocks and the three bears it should not feel to rigid nor to relaxed it should be just right 😁

I think of the tail as a rudder of the ship its used for balance, can indicate how your horse is feeling and we often only think of diagonals with a compensation pattern a straight line from right to left or vice versa when often when we look its usually a zig zag pattern as the horse tries to find a more normal pattern throughout the body sort of trying to right itself at each junction and more often than not if we have a tail off to one side the zig zag pattern of compensation will end up with the head favouring the same side that the tail is sat

Tail off to one side

Often this usually happens way before your therapist comes to work with your horse and its already a deep established pattern throughout your horses body, remember the tail and sacrum are interlinked so usually I come across this if the horse has had some strain around the pelvic area, maybe the horse had a slip or a fall as a youngster and that is why it is so hard to correct it as its usually been a long standing issue and a pattern is ingrained into the body, it's now the horses normal crooked tails are still not well documented as to the whys
So it's important if you see your youngster slip in the field to get it checked, often the bony landmarks hit the ground and you can see its all connected and mostly what I see is the Tuber Coxae that is most affected is the nearside and most tails I see are always favouring to the left side

Tail rigid and stiff

Again for me this may be an indicator that the horse is trying not to move things too much in this area think of the rudder of the ship if it is stuck in one position often intricate movements are hard, the horse is usually ok in straight lines but may struggle with schooling moves, again do not just think of the tail as a single entity you have to think of the connections and muscles in the tail can have connections further up the back

Clamped down tail

This is usually the polar opposite of the rigid tail but again is the horse trying to keep the area as still as possible often the engine is switched off in these horses so they often struggle to power their hind end as the easiest way I explain it to clients is pull your knickers up your bum and then try to run, it's not so easy

Different breeds will have different tail carriages, and different personalities will have different tail carriages as well but we must remember the tail is an indicator of the mobility of your horses spine, and the health of the soft tissue, a non-moving tail is trying to protect an area and like I say we come in much later so there may be no pain but a restriction and it's important we do the work in small parts to allow the horse to adjust and reset

We also have to think of the huge fascial sheets across the horse and the effects of fascial restrictions and patterns throughout the body remember we have to work on the whole horse even if we think it’s a hind end or front end or middle part of the horse for the connections of the tail go much further than the tail bones, think of the top of the tail in a little fascial pop sock

We often only think of steering is a front-end issue but if the rudder fails then the steering will never be right the tail should be able to move with the body counterbalancing the body and we have to work with what we have in front of us, often the owners have done all the vet checks and we are just trying to bring more balance to the body without it having to work so hard

15/02/2025

Worth reading and considering next time you ride.

Our exercise physiologist can asssit you isolate muscles and improve your riding

05/11/2024

Love this post it’s so true

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

*thank you to whoever wrote this! Not my words, but certainly a shared sentiment!

12/10/2024

It’s ok to just be you

https://www.facebook.com/cowboyup213 🇺🇸🇨🇦

10/10/2024

It always comes down to the basics no matter what level of rider you are

BASICS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT

I can’t stress enough the importance of training the basics for every horse.

By basics, I mean tasks like leading, being relaxed for the farrier, not crowding the feed bucket, transitioning through the different gaits, being relaxed to mount, being okay to be separated from their paddock mates, being relaxed to ride alone or in a group, loading comfortably and traveling well in a trailer, etc. The list is almost endless.

But it is in the basic training that we establish our relationship with our horse. It is in the basics that we confirm a partnership or a master/slave relationship. The quality of basic education training sets up the quality of training at the more advanced levels.

That’s why so much of what I see under the label of “training” is a mystery to me.

At clinics, I sometimes meet horses that can perform difficult and complex tasks, but they cannot stand relaxed to be brushed or saddled. I know horses that can offer shoulder in and haunches in and lead changes yet can’t be ridden calmly out of an arena. I know horses that can be competitive around a jump course, but they are unable to stop a few strides after a fence without having the bit ripped through their mouth. I know horses that can work at liberty, but they lead like they are on a death march.

We love to see a horse perform high-level movements. We see that as a mark of excellent training. Then we ignore the fact that the horse cannot stand next to its rider quietly and relaxed. At horse events like Equitana, many trainers display their skills with a demonstration of standing on a horse’s back while cracking a stock whip or riding collected movements. But where is the trainer who can show a troubled horse offer a quiet relaxed trot? That’s the trainer I want to talk to.

A few years ago a dressage trainer approached me for help to teach her horse to trailer load. It should never happen that a professional, a so-called expert, does not understand such basic training.

People are in such a hurry to get to the top that they lack an appreciation of the basics. We trainers are the worst because our business depends on wowing an audience and our clientele with what we can get horses to do.

Most people dismiss the importance of “brilliance “in the basic training of their horse because they can get away with it. So instead they focus on “brilliants” at the more advanced tasks because that’s what wins medals, that’s what impresses our friends, and that’s what puts the biggest smile on our faces. But we are setting up our horse for failure if we do not strive for “brilliance” in their basic education. We will fail both as a friend and a teacher to our horse.

We revere the people who are at the top of the performance scale. We don’t care if their horse can’t stand relaxed to be mounted. But we should. We should revere the people who can help a horse relax when mounted. We should praise the trainers who spend enough time teaching horses to lead brilliantly. We should admire those who appreciate the importance of excellent basics and not just ‘good enough’ basics. Without those excellent basics, the training that comes later is often just tricks.

So much of what we train is teaching horses things because we can. And so little of what we train is teaching horses things because we should.

Photo: Six, me and Riley going together. Brilliant basics.

07/10/2024

So true and applies to everything we do in life

“I was scared today.

I was scared to get on, scared to walk out the yard because I had a bad ride the day before. One bad ride, and it made me scared.

I didn’t know why. I’ve had 1000 bad rides. I’ve had 1000 falls. I’ve broken bones and bruised my pride on countless occasions, but today I was scared.

Why? Because confidence is fragile. It takes months and years to build and seconds to lose and yet we are so careless with it.

When we get on a horse, we wear a hat to protect our head. We wear body protectors, gloves, boots...

We pay so much attention to protecting ourselves physically, we forget that our minds are not invincible, and our confidence certainly is not.

Your bank of confidence needs regular deposits, not just from others... but from you. Self confidence is the most valuable currency in life.

When you go to get on, and you hesitate, you falter and you start to ask yourself “can I do this?”, chances are, your account is almost empty.

Every time you laugh and say “oh no, I’m no good” or “so and so is 10x better than me”, you make a withdrawal from that account, and before you know it, your account is empty and you’re scared to get on.

But every time you say “I’m really pleased with how that went” or “I think I rode that really well”, your balance increases.

We need to learn to give ourselves a break, pat ourselves on the back and allow ourselves to feel proud of where we are - after all, most of the time we’ve worked bloody hard to get there!

Recognising your strengths is just as important as recognising your weaknesses. Never allow yourself or anyone else to empty that account.

Confidence is valuable, don’t bankrupt yourself.”

Author- cromwellandlucy

PC: Meadow Jean
📍 Canyon TX
Western Women’s Ranch Bronc School 2024
Those Guys Rodeo

24/09/2024

This is a really important subject. Horses know when we have underlying intentions. One of my horses I can kiss and cuddle and she will stand in paddock to be brushed all day not need for halter etc. yet if I went a got a halter she would sometimes decide to stay away.

She is happy to be with me when there is nothing requiem her, some days she will catch you, then other days she stays away.

The trick is learning to listen to them. Turn off your own needs and expectations and work to someone else’s needs

Warwick Schiller Attuned Horsemanship

16/09/2024

Motivation Monday

Well a horse may make you happy…..

15/09/2024

Always end the night with a positive thought. No matter how hard the day may have been, there is always a reason to be grateful. Let tomorrow be a fresh start."~Unknown

"𝘾𝒐𝙢𝒊𝙣𝒈 𝑰𝙣 𝘼𝒕 𝑺𝙪𝒏𝙙𝒐𝙬𝒏" 𝙥𝒂𝙞𝒏𝙩𝒆𝙙 𝙗𝒚 𝑻𝙞𝒎 𝑪𝙤𝒙

14/09/2024

Horses should have access to hay 24/7 as they don’t sleep at night for hours so require ongoing feed day and night

12/09/2024

Love this it is so true

SUCCESS DEMANDS THESE 6 THINGS:

1. HARD-WORK
Don't believe in luck, believe in hard work.
Stop trying to rush the process or searching for a shortcut. There is none.

2. PATIENCE
If you are losing the patience, you are losing the battle. First nothing happens, then it happens slowly and suddenly all at once. Most people give up at stage one.

3. SACRIFICE
If you don't sacrifice for what you want, then what you want becomes the sacrifice. Everything has its price. The question is: Are you ready to pay it for the life you desire? Are you willing to sacrifice the easy and the comfortable now for the results you want....the results you NEED?

4. CONSISTENCY
Consistency is what transforms average into excellence. Without consistency, you will never achieve greater success.

5. DISCIPLINE
Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing. There will be days when you don't “feel” like doing it. You have to push through those days regardless of how you feel.

6. SELF-CONFIDENCE
Confidence is, I'll be fine if they don't like me.
Love yourself is important. Take care of yourself. Learn to say NO. If it's a NO to you, it needs to be a NO to them. The right people will stick around and the wrong will disappear. Confidence comes from taking care of yourself and from being true to yourself.

YOU DESERVE THE LIFE OF YOUR DREAMS!

We only get one chance at this thing called life....
MAKE IT COUNT!

📸: Jared H Searcy

22/08/2024

Good warm up and cool down is essential for your horses health and wellbeing

Ridden session should be kept relatively short with a good mix of activities

Trails rides are great way to mix up training and build up stamina in a fun and interesting way

18/08/2024

We love this concept riding should be a harmonious partnership when both horse and rider work in partnership

The art of riding is being an easy weight to carry!

When the rider is in complete harmony with the movement of the horse, the inconvenience of the weight of the rider will be minimal for the horse. However if the rider is against the movement of the horse, ie. if he loses his balance often or if he falls backwards or forwards, then he asks a great deal of adjustment from the horse.

18/08/2024

Praise often.
Praise the smallest try.
A touch, a walk, a break, a gallop, a long rein.
A word filled with friendship and pride.
Nothing builds confidence in horses like the acknowledgement of their good will and efforts to please.

- Manolo Mendez