Two Strides Forward Equestrian

08/27/2025

I see more ' problem horses" that are the result of conventional " wisdom" than I ever see from abuse.

That's not to say that the conventional "wisdom" isn't sometimes abusive. It is just widely accepted in the industry that it is fair.
At the start of my career I mainly worked with troubled horses. The buckers, bolsters, spookers, and horses that wouldn't trailer load.
If people weren't sure of a horses history, they would often comment that the horse must have been abused, but when there was a known history, they were usually confused. In fact, they often didn't think their horse was displyaing these behaviors due to anxiety. They were only convinced once we worked on relaxation, and the behaviors no longer presented.

Abuse, or at least the overt form of abuse, with handlers beating horses, is actually rare. Most horse people genuinely love horses.
The trouble is our indistry wide understanding of fair practice.
The number of horses with aggressive and/or anxiety driven behaviors that are the direct results of isolation is staggering. Even with the push for education on species appropriate needs, it is still accepted practice to keep horses in isolation. I still have a social media feed full of adverts for livery with " individual turn out'.
When it gets to handling, people are taught to tightly restrain horses, whether just leading on a short lead, or to perform management tasks. Restraining a prey animal causes anxiety, and they fight to get away. We ignore their natural behavior, and cause undesirable behavior.

As for riding, I could fill a book with reasons conventional riding "wisdom" causes behavioral issues, but a simple example is that horses are started under saddle with contact, which from a physics point of view prevents forward motion, then they are driven forward from legs, spurs or crops. Very conflicting cues for a young horse, already worried about a predator climbing on their back.

Horses being lunged in draw-reins, or tied to patiance poles, or halter trained by being tied to donkeys... These are all things I come across that cause major behavioral issues, but the industry as a whole often deems perfectly normal practices.
Before you declare that your horse must have faced abuse, make sure your industry sanctioned training and management isn't to blame.

08/23/2025

We had a great time kicking off the Cowichan Valley Pony Club summer camp with a vaulting/safe falling lesson.
A huge thank you to my coaching bestie Dani, and to my husband Kyle for being our muscle for set-up and tear-down. And most of all thanks to all the kids for participating, we had a blast! It’s always extra special working with the club I was a part of 25+ years ago!

08/22/2025

Progress pics: January 2021 vs August 2025

Edit: 🎥 Ive added a short video clip in the comments of each screenshot for movement comparison for anyone interested

While at first glance the left picture might appear better, due to Keagan’s overall fitness level/muscling being stronger, here’s why I’m far happier with the photo on the right:
In the left photo, when you look more closely, you can see a great deal of tension overall. You can see that the whole front end looks “jammed up”, with a heavy forehand (despite his poll being higher in this pic), less range of motion in the forelimbs, an overdeveloped under-neck, and a heavy contact and behind the vertical outline. You can see some of that tension being echoed in my riding posture. Riding that horse felt like riding a freight train, and he was so tense I didn’t realize the extent of his hyper mobility.
In the second picture, while he is less muscled overall, I am thrilled with how relaxed we both are. You can see I have a whole lot more horse out in front of me, and how much more lifted he is in the thoracic region. His stride length in the front is more matched to the hind now, and he isn’t braced through his under neck. He is softly reaching forward into a soft contact. His croup angle is also less steep. We are slowly continuing to build strength and stability without compromising suppleness. He is also receiving ongoing bodywork to continue to help his body function at its best, so that we aren’t just strengthening old compensation patterns. (Shoutout to )
Considering we ride for maybe 20 minutes once a week, with a little groundwork in between, I couldn’t be more proud of how far he’s come! Here’s to progress that honours the whole horse, I can’t wait to see where we go from here! 💪💪

08/09/2025

Actual footage of what the naysayers think will happen if we offer horses some autonomy in the training process: it’s all fun and games until the horse starts holding the flag! 😂

08/06/2025

This would be an incredible resource for the BC horse community!

It’s my birthday today. And I want to share my dream.

At 46, I’m deeply aware that I may have already lived half my life. That’s not a morbid thought—it’s a clarifying one. Because there are still some big things I want to do. And I believe that when you carry a dream in your bones for long enough, at some point, you must give it shape, voice, and wings.

So today, I’m putting it out into the universe. Not just because it’s my birthday, but because I believe that when you speak your dream aloud, you start to breathe it into form.

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞.

I dream of creating a center for horses and humans alike. One that is mine. A place where every moving part of my life's work comes together in one integrated, powerful educational space.

It begins with a home base. A property where I can host full equine anatomy dissections—something I’ve dreamt of for over two decades. I was first introduced to dissection during my human therapy training, and it changed everything. No textbook could match the depth, clarity, and awe of seeing the body in three dimensions. To touch the tissues, to feel how one layer blends into another, to witness the truth beneath the skin—this is knowledge that changes how you treat, how you train, and how you care.

That visceral experience took on even greater meaning when I began equine dissections. Because horses cannot speak. And yet their bodies hold the stories of everything they’ve endured. By opening their bodies, we make space to listen—to elevate the standard of care, to validate what so many of us feel but can’t always explain. It’s sacred work. It’s long overdue. And it’s not just for therapists—it’s for anyone who wants to understand the horse on a deeper level.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.

Ethical, environmentally-responsible, and profoundly reverent. Many horses pass without ever having had access to proper diagnostics. But in death, their bones can reveal what scans never could. Composting allows us to recover those bones and give them new purpose: to teach, to enlighten, to tell the story that was hidden in life.

I envision a Bone Lab—a place where real horse skeletons and specimens are on display, not as sterile museum pieces, but as storytellers. Alongside each one, photos and videos of the horse in life—showing how they moved, how they struggled, how they compensated. This kind of integrated visual learning is transformative. It’s the horse saying, “Here’s what was happening under the surface.” It’s one of the deepest ways I know to teach people to listen.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥.

I dream of housing my equine therapy certification programs on this same land. A living, breathing educational hub where students have direct access to the Bone Lab and dissections. Where science meets soul. Where we study not just biomechanics and pathology, but also the sentience of the horse and what it means to be in relationship with them.

This is the next chapter of my life.

It’s vulnerable to share it so openly. But I believe dreams grow stronger when they are witnessed.

𝐒𝐨 𝐈’𝐦 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠:

If this vision moves you—if you believe in deeper education, in ethical legacy, in giving voice to the voiceless—I invite you to walk with me. Share this post. Introduce me to someone who might help. Send good thoughts. Help me find the right land. Every ripple matters.

I’m building something that will outlive me.

For the horses.
For the students.
For the future.

This is my dream. And today, I’m giving it wings 💫