The Horse Aunty

02/01/2026

Frozen everywhere so Darren decided to play over poles in walk with Little Tom, I love the bit where he gets too excited and trots as he enjoys liberty work with his dad.

02/01/2026

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02/01/2026

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Before backing your youngster, please read.

🐴 Horses mature very differently to humans.
A rough way to understand it is that horses age around three times faster than us, but their bones, joints, and spine take much longer to fully develop than many people realise.

This is where things often go wrong.

Older horses for context:
•A 30 year old horse is like a 90 year old human.
Stiff, worn, and well into retirement. These horses deserve comfort, gentle movement, and rest but still to be active for the mind and joints

•A 25 year old horse is like a 75 year old human.
Still capable, still willing, but strength and recovery are limited. Careful management is key.

•A 20 year old horse is similar to a 60 year old person.
Mentally sharp, experienced, and often keen but the body may be sore, stiff, or slower to recover.

•A 9 years old to 13 year old horse is like a 39 year old adult.
This is prime time. Physically mature, mentally settled, and strong enough for consistent work.

Now the important part youngsters
This is where patience matters most.

•A 3 year old horse is like a 9 year old child.
Growth plates are still open, balance is poor, and muscles are underdeveloped. At this age, learning should be about handling, confidence, and calm exposure not carrying weight.

A 4 year old horse compares to a 12 year old child.
They can cope with very light work in short sessions. Their bodies are still changing, often unevenly, which is why they feel awkward and inconsistent.

•A 5 year old horse is like a 15 year old teenager.
This is the risky stage. They may look strong and capable, but internally they are still developing. The spine, joints, and soft tissues are not finished growing, even if the horse “seems fine.” Shouldn’t be jumping 110cm classes!!!!!

•A 6 year old horse is like an 18 year old adult.
The skeleton is far more mature, muscles can be developed safely, and the horse is mentally better able to cope with pressure.
This is the correct age to begin proper, consistent work.

Pushing young horses too hard, too early doesn’t always show immediate damage.
The problems often appear later as:
•Lameness
•Joint disease
•Kissing spines
•Behaviour issues labelled as naughty or lazy
•Horses breaking down far too young

One extra year of patience can easily add ten more years of sound, useful working life. Good training isn’t about how early you start.
It’s about how long the horse stays comfortable, willing, and happy. And it’s bloody high time age classes at big highs at young ages were banned!!

My own Connie Storm, age 6❤️

31/12/2025

Brilliant way to keep warm this morning. Dear Rocky was really concentrating on his longlining.

31/12/2025

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Walk-Only Lessons: Making Them Valuable & Not Boring When Footing Won't Allow More

Okay instructors - we've all been there. Footing is frozen, muddy, slippery, or just plain unsafe for anything faster than a walk. You've got students scheduled. Canceling means lost income (for you AND disappointing students) but the thought of teaching yet ANOTHER walk only lesson has you wondering what on earth you're going to do for 45 minutes. Walk-only lessons can be INCREDIBLY valuable... if you know what to focus on.

STOP THINKING OF WALK AS "LESS THAN"
Walk is not the consolation prize when you can't trot. Walk is where so much learning happens:
1. Proper position without speed masking issues
2. Independent aids (you can't fake it at walk)
3. Precise steering and accuracy
4. Understanding timing and feel
5. Building strength without momentum helping
6. Lateral work and advanced movements
Some of the best riders in the world spend HOURS working at walk. There's a reason for that.

WHAT TO WORK ON IN WALK-ONLY LESSONS: (Don't forget to screenshot or save this post!)
1. Understanding the Walk Itself
- Learn to FEEL the footfalls (four-beat gait!)
- Collected walk to extended/working walk
- Counting strides between ground poles and then lengthening and shortening stride (if regular walk is 6, try to do it in 5)
- Walk-halt-walk transitions (square and balanced)
- Perfect halts. Feel if the horse is straight and square when they halt. Huge for precision!

2. Steering and Accuracy
Set up patterns that require precision:
- Steering between cones (space awareness is HUGE!)
- Box made with poles for turning practice
- Figure-8s through cones
- Practicing a "perfect" circle (not an oval!)
- Straight lines (harder than it sounds!)
- Finding straightness out of corners/finishing turns properly

3. Lateral Work (But Make It FUN!)
Connect it to whatever discipline they love and aspire to perfect. Dressage rider? Western rider? Jumper? ALL need lateral work! Walk is THE BEST gait for teaching lateral movements:
- Leg yields
- Turn on the forehand
- Turn on the haunches
- Shoulder-in
- Haunches-in (advanced)
- Gently lifting the shoulders

4. Pole and Pattern Work:
- Walking over pole patterns
- Counting strides through poles
- Ground poles with different spacing

5. Position and Balance Work:
- Dropping and picking up stirrups (coordination!)
- Stirrupless work (builds deeper seat)
- Ba****ck lessons to focus on seat
- Two-point at walk (builds strength!)
- Posting at the walk in slow motion (super controlled!)
- Practicing different seats: neutral spine, full seat, driving seat, half seat, light seat

6. Connection and Rein Work:
- Teaching connection through the walk
- Different rein usages: direct, indirect, leading, pulley
- Understanding how each rein usage moves the horse's body differently
- Bending exercises
- Halting WITHOUT rein usage (seat and core!)
- Soft, following hands

7. Dressage Test Practice
Walking through dressage tests is AMAZING for:
- Practicing corners
- Preparing for transitions
- Counting strides to know when you want the transition
- Accuracy and spatial awareness
- Building competition confidence

8. Games and Brain Work
Keep younger riders engaged:
- Simon Says (listening skills!)
- Around the world (coordination)
- Eyes closed work (body awareness - supervised while lead!)

STRUCTURE A WALK-ONLY LESSON:
10 minutes: Position work, dropping/picking up stirrups, different seat practice
15 minutes: Accuracy patterns - circles, serpentines, steering between cones, pole work
10 minutes: Lateral work (go slow, celebrate every good step, connect to their goals!)
10 minutes: Trail obstacles, games, or dressage test practice
Keeps them mentally engaged even without speed.

THE MAGIC OF MAKING IT RELEVANT:
When students see why walk work matters to their goals, they buy in. Whatever discipline your student rides, connect the walk work to it:
- Jumper? "Great turns and balance at walk = smoother courses at speed"
- Western rider? "Lateral work and soft hands = better patterns and trail work"
- Dressage rider? "Walk is worth the same points as canter - it MATTERS"

SET EXPECTATIONS UPFRONT:
"Hey everyone, footing is limiting us to walk today. We're going to work on precision, position, and movements that will make you SO much better when we add speed back. You'll be surprised how challenging this is!" Managing expectations prevents disappointment.

THE HIDDEN BENEFITS:
Sometimes slow work creates the biggest breakthroughs. Walk-only lessons actually IMPROVE faster work later because:
- Students develop better feel without speed
- Position issues get corrected before they're reinforced at speed
- Horses stay sound (not slipping or straining in bad footing)
- Riders learn that quality matters more than speed
- Connection and communication improve

Will some students be disappointed? Maybe. Especially younger riders who just want to go FAST but part of our job is teaching them that riding is more than speed. It's precision. Partnership. Feel. Control. The students who embrace walk work? Those are the ones who become truly skilled.

Bad footing doesn't mean bad lessons. It means creative lessons that focus on fundamentals students often skip over. Walk-only lessons can be some of the most valuable riding your students do all year - IF you make them purposeful, varied, and FUN. Great riding happens at every gait... including walk.

Instructors: What's your favorite walk-only lesson exercise? Drop your best walk work ideas below - let's build the ultimate walk-only lesson bank!

** Need new ready-to-use lesson plans ideas to refresh your program? Check out our online lesson plan library - link is in the comments! These lesson plans are created by instructors, for instructors.

24/12/2025

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I recently met a new client for a saddle fitting. She had just purchased a retired schoolhorse she’s known for years, a kind gelding who was finally going to spend his remaining years with one patient, caring owner.

From the moment I met him, it was clear that this horse was not well. While she groomed him, as I was setting up my equipment, he pawed and moved around constantly. He wasn’t mean, just anxious and seemed both physically and mentally uncomfortable. I took my time, letting him see and get to know my tools before touching him, but it didn’t help much.

When I put the saddle on his back for the static assessment, immediately, his discomfort escalated, more aggressive pawing, tossing his head, chomping at the cross-ties.

One quick glance told me why, the saddle left no clearance over the withers and was clearly ill-fitting. This was the very saddle he’d carried countless young riders through lessons with for years.

Through the evaluation, his owner remained patient, never scolding, simply apologizing for his behaviour. Eventually she said, “Well, he’s always kind of been like this.”

This broke my heart. Too often, horses’ cries for help, subtle or not, get written off as personality or “just how they are.” They aren’t. Horses communicate through behaviour and body language, and ignoring that communication can cause ongoing discomfort and frustration. This little guy was literally screaming at us and nobody had ever listened.

I want to be clear, I never judge or blame the owner. The people I meet deeply love their horses and would never intentionally cause them discomfort or even pain. Many simply don’t know any different, raised in an industry that normalizes pushing horses through physical or psychological challenges without thought or assessment. It’s a broken system, but one that can be corrected with education, awareness, and observation.

Back to the story: We found a properly fitting saddle, and I recommended investigating other potential sources of discomfort, both physical and emotional. Already, about a month later, he’s a changed horse during grooming and tacking up. While he occasionally shows remnants of his previous anxiety, his back felt soft and relaxed and his demeanor is very different.

This experience is a powerful reminder to never accept a horse’s reminder as “just the way they are.”

Listen. Investigate. Respond.

With the right knowledge and understanding, you have the power to make a real difference. Education equips you to recognize subtle signs of discomfort, identify root causes, and take action that improves a horse’s health, comfort, and performance.

When you invest in learning, in anatomy, biomechanics, and saddle fit, you’re not just observing, you’re empowering yourself to advocate for every horse in your care.
Horses rely on us to understand them. With the right tools and knowledge, you can hear them clearly, act decisively, and transform their lives for the better.

24/12/2025

Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope you have as much fun as Nobby had opening his stocking.

22/12/2025

I love my job.

20/12/2025

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Did you know.....The Tongue 👅 is the most sensitive part of your horse's mouth and the most prone to injury.

This very large muscle extends from its tip, which you can see, to the hyoid apparatus and its attachment to the ramus of the mandible at the back.

The tongue is vital for swallowing and influencing the hyoid apparatus

Like any other muscle, restriction or tension within it can induce a muscular chain reaction.

The sensitivity of the tongue is a crucial consideration when fitting a bit. An ill-fitting or harsh bit or excessive pressure on the bit from your hands can cause pain and discomfort. In some cases it can result in tension throughout the body and poor performance.

Like and follow our page for lots more tips, exercises and advice on equine anatomy and biomechanics.