Pioneer Equestrian Coaching

15/02/2025

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝘾𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙨: 𝙊𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙨 & 𝙍𝙮𝙚 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙨,

It’s time to talk about a welfare crisis that too many horse owners in the UK and Ireland ignore plus world wide : obesity. Overweight horses aren’t just a cosmetic issue,they’re suffering. And the worst part? It’s preventable.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝘆𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺

Our fields weren’t designed for horses. The UK and Ireland’s and other countries lush, ryegrass-heavy pastures were created for dairy and beef cattle, not native ponies or sport horses. This high-sugar grass is fueling a surge in obesity, insulin resistance, and laminitis. Yet, many owners still allow unrestricted grazing, unaware of the serious damage they’re causing.

𝗔𝗜𝗕 𝗛𝗮𝘆: 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗕𝗮𝗱

Taking a horse off ryegrass doesn’t solve the problem if they’re still being fed the wrong forage. Artificially improved (AIB) hay, grown from the same high-sugar grasses, is just as dangerous. Many owners think all hay is “safe,” but unless it’s tested, it could be packing just as much sugar as fresh spring grass.

Soaking hay can help, but it’s not a magic fix. The best approach? Source native, low-sugar meadow hay or consider barley preferably oat straw as a forage alternative mixed in with hay, like 30% straw, 70% hay for overweight horses

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗱-𝗟𝗶𝗯 𝗛𝗮𝘆 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵

There’s a damaging myth that all horses should have ad-lib hay. While free access to low-energy forage works for some, it’s a disaster for native breeds, cobs, and other easy keepers—many of which are already too fat.

Too many people believe:
❌ “𝐀𝐝-𝐥𝐢𝐛 𝐡𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭.” (𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫!)
❌ “𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐥.” (𝐍𝐨, 𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐥.)
❌ “𝐇𝐞’𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐫.” (𝐍𝐨, 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.)

Forage should be available, but in a controlled way—small-holed nets, trickle feeding, and lower-energy forage help keep the gut healthy without fueling obesity.

𝗘𝘅𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

We see it constantly:

❌ “𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙.” (𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙨.)
❌ “𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙢!” (𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜.)
❌ “𝙃𝙚’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙚, 𝙨𝙤 𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚.” (𝙇𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙗𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨.)

The truth? Horses are designed to survive on sparse grazing and constant movement—not to stand in a lush field 24/7, gorging on ryegrass and AIB hay. Yet, too many owners ignore the problem until their horse is crippled with laminitis or metabolic disease.

𝗗𝗼 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿—𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺

✔️ 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒕 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 (𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒔𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒔, 𝒎𝒖𝒛𝒛𝒍𝒆𝒔, 𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒐𝒄𝒌𝒔—𝒐𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕!)
✔️ 𝑭𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒘-𝒔𝒖𝒈𝒂𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒚, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝑨𝑰𝑩 𝒉𝒂𝒚
✔️ 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆—𝒂𝒅-𝒍𝒊𝒃 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓 (unless they are on track system)
✔️ 𝑴𝑶𝑽𝑬 𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑴! (𝑬𝒙𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒐𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍)
✔️ 𝑬𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇—𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚

Horses don’t choose their diet, their workload, or their management. We do. And too many people are failing them. It’s time to stop making excuses and start taking responsibility. Their health is in our hands.

𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲: This was Storm and me in 2011. See the overweight neck, stomach, rump? This was all from living on ryegrass on a dairy farm.

Yes, I have a bungee on her. Back then, I thought this was correct. It disgusts me that I used to think this was okay.

𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝘄𝗼: This is five years later. See the difference? The right management,restricted grazing, correct forage, controlled hay intake, and movement, transformed her health.

I know better now. So should you.

And no it’s not just cause she is a Connemara that she should look like the first picture, that’s a sterotype.

15/02/2025

Breeding Practices - A Cautionary Tale

In the equine world, prioritizing appearance over functionality for the sake of winning has become widespread, and the judging is certainly the biggest factor that has influenced these distortions to a horse's ability to function effectively.

From the Arabian world and quarter horse world to the racing thoroughbreds and warmbloods, the motivations for breeding for horse welfare and function seem to have all but been abandoned in favor of winning at all costs.

Thoroughbred racehorses face challenges due to selective breeding for speed, which has inadvertently increased the prevalence of cardiac and musculoskeletal issues.

Halter Quarter Horses are often bred for pronounced musculature on delicate limbs, leading to soundness problems, again due to judging practices.

Should we not all be concerned that these practices not only compromise structural integrity but also raise ethical concerns regarding a horse's overall well being?

Warmbloods, commonly used in dressage and show jumping, are not immune to the pitfalls of selective breeding.

Should breeders and judges not be aware that emphasizing certain aesthetic traits can result in morphological imbalances, affecting performance and health?

Should breeders and judges be held to better standards when it comes to horse welfare aspects of conformation and performance?

What about the organizations that run these events?

What about the competitors who make a choice to do harm to their horses in order to win?

Let's hope the the overhaul that is badly needed is on the way - one where the focus shifts to protecting our horses - the evidence and research is there to guide us. We just have to join together and commit to better education, action and advocacy.

Join the evolution at www.equitopiacoursesonsale.com where you can learn more about all of these topics from some of the most respected professionals in the horse world.

10/02/2025

Yup…. Racing take note…

29/01/2025

Sorry… but this made me laugh!

An absolute genius is marketing £4 salt licks as a premium bath product to non horse folks for £35

Well played…..well bloody played 🤣🤣🤣

25/01/2025

25/01/2025

A few months ago I saw an online course about welfare for sport horses and I thought… “About bloody time! There are some people that need that... not me though.. cos my horses live in herds, have hay and don’t live in stables”

And off I went probably feeling quite smug.

But as I started questioning stuffy equestrian traditions, picked some fights and lobbed grenades at dicky influencers - I also started questioning my sanity.

And yeah...even though I might appear like a bolshy, argumentative arseclown.. I do spend A LOT of time questioning myself and why I post the things I do….

"Am I just a bitter old bitch, taking my pissy attitude out on others?"

"Have I reached that grumpy old person stage where I refuse to acknowledge others opinions?"

"Is it me that's the problem?"

If you've ever that kinda 'self chat' you'll know the deal..

Anyway, THANKFULLY again someone sent me a link to this ‘Sport Horse Welfare’ Course and I thought.. “F**k it… maybe these sciencey overlords can help me work out whether I’m being an opinionated do*****ag or not”

And so for the last few weeks, I’ve been learning some really cool s**t..

And while I’d love to be able to wheel out really smart sounding stuff right now - about the evidence and the science.. I dare not incase I sound like one of my ex-boyfriends who used to say the word ‘ridiculous’ as ‘ridick-lee-us’.. except he wasn’t trying to be funny, so it was kinda hard to take him seriously 😳

Especially when he’d make these impassioned speeches about “how ridikleeous” something was…

Anyhoo, he’s dead now - so. um… 🤷‍♀️

Anyway, moving along 😳

Right now I'm not dead.. and enjoying a GLORIOUS phase where I’m shoe-horning information into my brain and have become lowkey OBSESSED with the current evidence on equine welfare… and this course is fabulously more informative than the old school dogma about hay, herds and nosebands.

As always, there’s no incentive for me to post about this (FFS.. I haven’t even finished the course 😆) but if you’re interested you should do it.

Will post below...

📸 HOW FU***NG GREY IS MY HAIR??? Ft Norbert my Brumby.

21/01/2025

I’ve often thought this……

This is fairly self explanatory, but let me expand.

I see a lot of this on social media and I have to scroll on quickly.

I get that people want to do fun innocent things with their horses, but there's a really deep underlying current of discomfort for me when I see people asking how to train this and when I watch the training process and result.

Even if it was trained without force, fear or aversive pressure. Why?

There's hundreds of fun things we can do with our horses and train them to do.

Why do things that are disrespectful and demeaning to the horse and also physically demanding and potentially damaging to them.

Why not celebrate their timeless beauty, their majesty, dignity, magnificence, intelligence, personality and their individual qualities in ways that don't demean them.

I want to respect, uphold and celebrate what's unique about them and makes them special.

I don't want to turn them into circus clowns or performing animals.

I want their true self to shine bright.

I want them to show how smart and amazing they are to everyone.

I don't want to see them bowed down, straining, lying in the dirt on cue.

Let their magnificence shine bright.

“The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit, and freedom.”

(Sharon Ralls Lemon)

21/01/2025

Yes… this..

Release of Pressure is NOT a Reward!

I need to get this off my chest. I still read this so often everywhere, 2 days ago I even received an email from another horse trainer writing about how 82% of horse professionals say that release of pressure is the best reward for horses.

How can release of pressure be reward? Because it is NOT AT ALL a reward.

Yes, it lets the horse know he found the right response - but:
What is the definition of "reward"?

According to Merriam Webster Dictionary it is:

"a stimulus (such as food) that is administered to an organism and serves to reinforce a desired response"

Reward is if you GIVE something to your horse after a desired response.

Release of pressure means just that pressure is released, taken away.

Let's look at the scientific terms of equine learning theory:

Positive and negative reinforcement.

Both will cause a behaviour to be more likely to appear.

Positive and negative doesn't mean good or bad - it's to be seen in a mathematical sense. Taking away or adding something.

Positive reinforcement means to GIVE/ADD something the horse desires after the correct response. THIS is a reward.

Negative reinforcement means that you are TAKING away pressure/feel as soon as the horse gives the right answer. This is release of pressure. It's NOT reward.

Don't get me wrong. Using pressure/release does’t automatically mean to escalate pressure or to use it in ways that cause the horse to get scared.

Yet, release of pressure is a very important tool of training. It is crucial that we get the timing of release right so that the horse knows where to find the answer and can quickly learn the correct response.

But it isn't a reward. Only if you give your horse a treat, scratches, allow some grazing - then you are rewarding your horse.

Of course we have to release pressure/feel. This can be very subtle and you might not even be aware about it.

Releasing your leg cue when the horse steps forward. Releasing the leadrope when your horse follows you. Releasing the feel on your horse's side after you asked him to step over on the grooming place. And the list goes on.

And horses will learn to move away from pressure/feel and get pretty good at figuring out puzzles once they understand the principle of it. And honestly, any horse should know how to find the release.

If we work with pressure/release, the horse will learn to work AWAY from something.

If we start to work with reward, aka positive reinforcement, the horse will more and more start to work TOWARDS something he desires to have. And the motivation will kick in.

Horse training is mostly, if we want it or not, a combination of both.
Release of pressure/feel (aka negative reinforcement) and reward (aka positive reinforcement). Just be aware about what you are using and know the terms.

21/01/2025

Ok so need to update my worming knowledge again… though I have a couple of young horses and quite a few oldies so, just lost two in their late 20’s, one of whom had Cushings…I think I’ll read it again…

08/01/2025

Morning All
I’m not really sure the horse world really thinks enough about how much time and conscious thought it takes to change our habits…something I talk about to my clients most days.. and something I think about all the time! But the other day, whilst mucking out, my cheeky boy, who used to be pretty dangerous and will always be bright and single minded enough to have his strong opinions about what he wants to do, tried to get out under his stable chain while the wheel barrow was in the doorway.. he’s the only one of mine that has a stable chain as he still tries to barge out every few weeks, often because he thinks he should be out in the field - as background, he is on a pretty grass free diet, jumps any fence under 5 ft and only respects mains electric, with that and the weather, being in the field over the winter is tricky. As he stuck his head into the gap, I used the verbal commands No and Back up… which after about 30 seconds… he did-RESULT!! Apart from what did I say…. “Naughty boy” Arghhhhh!!! No sooner were the words ( only said quietly, more to myself than him) did I spot my mistake and praised him… but flipping eck… how much more time will it take for my mouth to catch up with my brain?!?! It got me thinking about why I said that… think had more to do with how I felt as a kid/teenager than anything to do with horses… if I’d been teaching a pupil, I wouldn’t have said it….
So …
Be kind to yourself when you get it wrong
Be kind to your horse as soon as you can
Be honest about getting it wrong
Mentally rehearse the correct response lots of times
Think about what image of yourself needs to change
Engage help from friends, write yourself a note ( or a FB post!!)
Keep noticing the good things you have changed as well as what still needs changing…and educate your pupils to do the correct response and listen to them when they correct you…
Might be a couple of famous professionals who could do with this advice…..😉
Be careful out there today… cold and icy!
Not great photos to accompany story- will try and do better..;)

07/12/2024

I always remind my pupils that liberty training is NOT the horse doing what it wants..it’s pretty much always doing what it’s told…..

A PERSPECTIVE ON LIBERTY TRAINING

Many people are attracted to liberty training because they perceive it as gentle and indicating a special relationship between horse and human. But let’s be clear about this. All liberty training began as non-liberty training. To get a horse to a stage of education that it can be worked to a reasonable degree of performance (not just hooking on) requires initially using non-liberty techniques.

I have seen many videos of horses being worked at liberty. They are either being ridden ba****ck and with no headgear or working on the ground without ropes or halters. Sometimes the trainer uses whips, flags, and food treats to direct the horses, but sometimes not. Some people work in small-ish yards and others work in large open spaces. Sometimes multiple horses are worked together while other times it is just one horse. The variety of maneuvers performed is almost limitless from flying changes every stride to several horses galloping side-by-side on a beach.

Nearly every time I see these videos or watch demonstrations at horse expositions, the overwhelming consensus of the general horse-loving public is “Wow”! People are amazed at the bond they presume exists between a horse and a human for the horse to perform such stunts without equipment to control them.

But in my view, there are pluses and minuses to training and working at liberty.

To begin with, let me say that the biggest positive to working a horse at liberty is that it reveals all our flaws. When we screw up in our liberty training, it’s obvious to the entire world. This is especially true in the early stages of training. In the later training, it may not be so obvious because most horses have learned enough about their job to fill in for our mistakes. But when a horse is still figuring out what is being asked, it doesn’t take much screwing up on our part for everything to unravel very quickly.

The second aspect of liberty work that I like is that it is fun. It’s lots of fun for us. I don’t think it is necessarily more fun for horses than non-liberty work, but it is fun for us. I think that’s an important reason for training at liberty because after all, working with horses is meant to be fun.

The only other plus of liberty work that I can think of is there is less wear and tear and expense on gear. But for somebody like me who has never owned good or expensive equipment, that’s not a big advantage.

But there are downsides to liberty work too – big ones. In my experience, it is rare to see horses working well or contented when performing liberty work. It’s rare enough to see when the gear is used, and almost unseen when the gear is not used.

I believe this is because most training (of any kind) concerns itself with obedience. Gear is designed to provide clarity to a horse. So when the gear is missing two things can go wrong. The first is that when we are training a horse intending to perform at liberty we tend to drill obedience at the expense of okay-ness. By its nature, liberty work requires a high degree of obedience (because the gear is not available to impose obedience), which means we often focus on the movement more than the emotions that accompany the movement.

The second issue relates to what I described above as the biggest positive of liberty work. Having no gear available when a horse makes a mistake does show our flaws, but it also makes the job of correcting a horse’s mistakes more difficult and often a lot less subtle.

One of the statements I hear a lot from people impressed with liberty training is “But the horse could run away if he didn’t like it.” But this is naive. Most horses would never volunteer to load into a trailer or stand quietly for a dentist, yet many do despite their troubled feelings.

It is tempting to put that sort of thinking down to people thinking like humans and not like horses. But in truth, it is not people thinking like people, it is people not thinking at all.

The reason why we can ride horses is because our training makes their mind so malleable that we can convince them of most things. This includes believing that at liberty they are trapped in their performance just as much as if we were using the harshest bits, the biggest spurs, the strongest ropes, and the highest fences. For some horses, this is how liberty training can feel.

I’m not suggesting that all liberty training is abusive, just like not all non-liberty training is abusive. But I do believe there is nothing so special about liberty training that it should be looked at with blind awe. Bad training or bad riding should not get a pass just because it is done at liberty. There is no point in liberty work if it is not held to the highest standard we would use for judging non-liberty training.

I am far more impressed by a trainer who can ask a horse to offer a relaxed and balanced trot whether or not the horse is wearing gear than I am by a trainer who has taught a horse fancy movements that are incorrect and accompanied by worry but with no gear.

I want to be clear that training and working horses at liberty can be great and indicate good work. But it can also be the opposite. It is not automatically true that being able to work with a horse at liberty is a sign of good training or a special relationship.

Photo: At a clinic Laura is working Tas at liberty to help create interest in her to improve his focus and give him clarity.

07/12/2024

My understanding is anything that has TB blood in it, has a risk of ECVM..so that includes part breds and any breed where, post world wars, TB blood was introduced….not mega common but if they don’t do more research and ban breeding from carriers……..:(

There has been so much going on around the topic of ECVM, this congenital malformation is one we are diagnosing, managing and studying at Denali Equine in partnership with Rexos Inc, under the guidance of the legendary Dr. Sharon May-Davis. We wanted to give you the top ten points on ECVM facts. (Sorry this is long- Well worth the full read!)

1. ECVM is a congenital condition, meaning they are born with it. We suspect it is a recessive genetic disorder because two unaffected adults can produce offspring with it. There are several groups racing to find the genetics behind this condition. More information on the horizon.

2. ECVM is not a fatal diagnosis. However, it can be. It depends on the severity of the malformation and how well the horse can functionally compensate.

3. Radiographs of the lower neck are necessary to diagnose the condition. These radiographs must be clear lateral and obliques of C6, C7 and ideally T1. These can be done in the field for most horses. However larger generators do get better images.

4. Variability: Horses can be either a bilateral or unilateral malformation of C6, which in 52% of C6 cases can transpose either bilaterally or unilaterally. To C7; T1 and the first ribs are variably affected.

5. Studies show horses with transposition of the ventral lamina to C7 are more likely to suffer from clinical neck pain than horses with normal anatomy. In our experience horses with rib malformations have more severe clinical signs than those with normal ribs (no clear studies yet).

6. The bones absolutely do not tell the whole story. However, bones do not lie. They often indicate the level of soft tissue malformations present. The more severe the boney changes- the more severe the soft tissue is altered around them.

7. Clinical picture: all horses are not lame, but they do all have subtle clinical signs. Most often the clinical signs are not limb related lameness (but can be). These horses can show signs of the pain ethogram, rearing, sporadic behavior, abnormal front limb flight patterns (especially with equipment), girthiness, resistance to go forward, doesn’t like physical touch (brushing, blanketing ex). The signs are so variable for every horse!

8. The common things heard from owners/trainers:
* The horse was always bad from the start (this is concerning for the more severe cases)
* The horse was fine until it wasn’t. We find this is from something changed in the program. i.e., was imported, switched barns, changed jobs.
* They don’t understand why the horse is failing quicker than usual as it gets older. As the horse ages the clinical signs become more apparent. The body can only manage for so long. Think of it this way- the foundation was built wrong from the beginning. Therefore, it takes time for the cracks in your walls or floors to show, it then takes those cracks a while before they become a structural problem in your house.
* A minor incident happened and now they’re not ok. Suspect an injury can cause the horse to spiral out of stabilization or have the ability to compensate. An example could be getting cast or trailering event then the horse was never the same. Example, you do not know your house wasn’t built well until the storm blows it over.

9. These horses have significant soft tissue pathology on necropsies. Therefore, no matter what the data is showing us: If the horse has ECVM, is clinical, and other differentials have been ruled out these horses are clinically affected by the ECVM.

10. On necropsies we have found:
* Missing, malformed and fractured ribs
* Abnormal nerve patterns, these nerves can be totally entrapped and compressed by abnormal muscle patterns. The dorsal scalene can trap the large nerves of the brachial plexus within its abnormal paths. The phrenic nerve can get pulled inappropriately and leave impressions within the ventral scalene.
* Abnormal muscles: dorsal scalene, ventral scalene, iliocostalis, longus coli, re**us abdominal, intercostal muscles, serratus ventails cervicis. All these muscles have critical roles in stability, proprioception, and biomechanics.
* Abnormal vascular patterns
* Trachea abnormalities
* Fascial changes

ECVM is currently a controversial and sensitive topic so we thought we would share a few known quick facts to help you understand this issue better. Please go to our website (www.DenaliEquine.com) to find more information and links to the current studies on this disease. We are researching and studying these horses! We are working on several angles of research right now throughout Non-Profit Rexos Inc. If you would like more information on how you can help, please reach out!

DeClue Equine saddlefitting.us

03/12/2024

Wow…I mean to know is one thing…to see, quite another,

Do you really understand how big your horse's lungs are? This picture is a horse's lungs fully inflated...amazing when you think they are enclosed in a horse's body! Did you know a horse takes in 2x 5-Gallon buckets of air ever second? Think of how much that really is. So, do the best you can to help your horse breathe! http://flairstrips.com/learn/

25/11/2024

Afternoon All
I often use sound when I am teaching and wanted to share some thoughts…..
Starting with the obvious- my voice- all my horses and ponies are taught to listen to voice commands for most things, both in hand and ridden… I said “obvious” but, when I met a new client the other day who had, unusually, already done some Ride With Your Mind lessons, I asked how much of what she did , she asked for using her voice…nothing much , it turned out.

Now I shouldn’t really have been surprised as RWYM is primarily about using your body to make what become almost invisible changes in force generation through your and your horse’s fascial network, backed up with well trained operants (what leg aids and rein aids are really supposed to mean…a whole other story…!)…so you don’t really need voice commands but I use them for lots of reasons..and have done for a long time.

One of the reasons I use them is it is incredibly simple to teach to everybody - even some pupils who have had difficulty speaking or cannot speak very clearly can make a sound that the horses very quickly understand.

They aren’t generally aversive or intrusive and don’t upset or distress the horses…there is one exception to that….it’s not the word “No” though they obviously recognise a different tone and intention from the human…but the “Tshhh”sound I make which means no is an unpleasant one and works even with new or rescue horses right from the beginning…probably because it increases your bear down or core tone …..another reason to use voice commands…which I also use in “And Staaand”!, “Steady”, “Ter-rot” and “Hup” meaning jump or canter…I probably should use jump or similar but my lot don’t really do jumps that are bigger than a large canter stride so I’ll cross that bridge when/if I come to it!

Getting my pupils to use their voices is also a fabulous way to keep them breathing if they are struggling, it tells me a huge amount about where their ‘centre’ is…too high and potentially ignorable for example… It tells me about their self esteem and whether they feel they are allowed to be asking the horse to do things for them….it also tells me about how clear they are in their intention and it shows me if they do have a plan or not….you can’t give a voice command if you haven’t decided what you are doing!..Try it!

My horses and ponies will also respond to step right and left, step over and away for front and hind legs respectively which makes teaching lateral work a whole lot easier, for all reasons already listed and , whilst I am showing the pupil what to do and how it feels, it also give them a sense of how your aids need to be timed, whichever ones you are using …. try doing leg yield using well timed “step right” for the front leg and “step away” for the hind…I’d put money on it, it will feel like a proper mind melt!

BUT…this wasn’t actually where I started to think about sound and teaching….it was listening to a Radio 4 programme where they mentioned that professional athletes often use sound to improve their running technique..and that very good runners make very little sound when their feet hit the ground… (which would indicate they are very good at controlling the forces travelling through their fascial net…)

As I led one of our retired professional athletes (one of the ex-racehorses) across the yard on Saturday…I heard the tell tale sound of a missing shoe….which doubtless makes most owners hearts sink….there is a very obvious discrepancy in the sound of the hooves landing on the ground, which I think most people would notice…but how much attention do riders pay when there is a much more subtle difference….?

The next time you ride, or watch a horse being ridden ..or do ride and lead…pay attention to the volume of the sound that each hoof makes, the rhythm or frequency of the hoof beats and the type of sound….does one hoof slap or scrape or slide along when it lands, is there an audible twisting sound as the power gets pushed through it ..?

It might only be a tiny difference between the hoof beats…or one hoof landing might be noisier than the rest…what does that feel like it means? Can you make the noises louder? Quieter? Less even? More even? Have a play and tell me what you notice….(think about how quietly one horse can canter across a muddy field -this equates to the almost silent runner with great biomechanics and supreme control of their fascial network-and how another one might just be floundering across it..)

As I teach about half of my lessons out hacking, I have learned to be able to tell all sorts of things from the sounds of the horses’ hooves… I’m not sure I can even tell you how I know…but I can tell if the rider is holding their breath….not paying attention…getting tired…not bearing down enough…landing too heavily in the trot…not lifting their toes up in their boots…breathing into only one lung (now, that’s a story for another day!)…. see what you notice….and I’ll pay more attention and see if I can work out how I know these things…I might still keep it a secret though!! 😉

In the meantime….this was the pony (16.2hh OTTB) that lost his shoe…very kindly put back on by the farrier at silly o’clock this morning before I was even there..thank you James!…so he’ll be back to making his usual, not quite matching noises….he slightly twists his right front hoof and pushes unevenly off his right hind….not easy to hear..but it’s there…

Hope you are all coping with the aftermath of this weekend’s revolting weather!

Back soon…:)