Amelia Poole - Accredited Coach and Trainer - True Balance Training

27/01/2025

Today is The Horse therapist, equine Orthomolecular nutritionist & herb specialist herb testing day 💛🐴🪴💫

20/01/2025

You cannot escape ground reaction forces - and what I mean by this is you cannot escape the way the horse's hooves interact with the floor.

Your horse's hoof shape directly influences how they interact with the floor and equally the shape of their hooves directly influence their muscular recruitment and therefore their postural development.

As an example of this, here is a diagram of the horse's superficial retraction myofacial chain. This chain supports the retraction - i.e. the drawing back - of the horse's forelimb via connections from the solar surface of the pedal bone, through the back of the forelimb and shoulder, over the ribcage and over the top of the neck.

If there is loss of development, and therefore loss of depth, in the caudal hoof - i.e. the back third of the hoof - you're effectively creating 'fascial drag' which contributes to shortening the topline of the horse's neck and compression of their ribcage.

You can visualise how, if the heel drops, the whole fascial chain is suckered down.

Creating the appearance of a hollow horse with a short neck and perhaps overdevelopment of the underneck muscles.

Now of course you can bias your training for length and elevation through the neck, flexion through the back and expansion of the ribs; but if your horse's heels are low then you will be creating conflict.

Because you're asking that horse to inflate into restricted fascia which is being further implicated by ground reaction forces.

In doing this, you will contribute towards making movement uncomfortable - which lets be honest, poor training practices already do a good job of this(!)

You will perhaps bias towards the risk of injury or reinjury - which is slightly oxymoronic if you've chosen that movement plan as a means to rehabilitate or develop healthy posture.

Your horse will be spending more time practicing poor posture, which is more time teaching their nervous system that this is homeostasis.

And since movement and emotional health are intertwined, you may also be contributing to a negative emotional state.

Fascial chains do of course work both ways, so you can bias your training for healthy movement and it may help with caudal hoof orientation, but you cannot escape the influence of the ground and so, if you're not including your horse's hoof care within that picture, you are only giving your horse half the chance for success.

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For this month's webinar, I am delighted to be joined by the wonderful Beccy Smith of Holistic Equine, where she will be discussing what healthy hoof morphology really is, the factors that influence it and what you can do to help your horse.

Beccy is an Integrative Equine Podiatrist who truly considers the whole horse with respect to hoof health. Her keen eye and attention to detail is second to none in the hoofcare sphere and I cannot wait for this webinar!

27.01.2025 19:00 GMT

Recording available if you can't make the live ❤️✨️

17/01/2025

Keep up date with all our news, thoughts and goings on in the LM world 💜

Visit 🔗👇 https://www.lmsaddles.com/contact-us/LM-News

14/01/2025

As I settle back into full-time work after Christmas and freezing weather, I’ve been reflecting on what truly makes me happy in my job. It’s not just about the day to day tasks, although I do find these therapeutic, especially with my retired herd on our own yard but, it’s about the connection, the joy, and the sense of purpose it brings.

What I love most is helping owners build stronger, more meaningful relationships with their horses. My goal is to bridge the gap between them, giving owners the confidence, knowledge and skills to live, train, and grow together in harmony.

There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing that moment of understanding between a horse and their owner, the trust, the communication, and the mutual respect. Whether it’s helping overcome challenges, fine tuning their training, or simply making life easier for both horse and owner, this work fills me with pride and purpose.

What makes your work meaningful to you? I’d love to hear your thoughts! 🥰

13/01/2025

❓️ What does LM stand for....?

We have had alot of new followers to our page and we have been asked what LM stands for..

LM stands for Lavinia Mitchell. And for those older members of our page, yes we are still Lavinia Mitchell Saddles. 💜

Lavinia was an integral part of another well known international saddle company until she founded LM Saddles 16 + years ago, producing high quality saddles and fitted in a holisic way.

Since Lavinia retired, she proudly handed over the company to our wonderful Jemma Aigner - Balancing Harmony who passionately continues to dedicate her work to continuing what Lavinia started.

Our team work tirelessly to uphold the ethic of LM Saddles and help move LM forward with love, care and integrity for the good of the horse and rider.

Only LM approved consultants are listed on our website and adhere to our practice and code of conduct.

We owe alot to Lavinia for changes made in the industry and we are proud to hold the name! 💜

ℹ️ lmsaddles.com

06/01/2025

🪴💚🐴

06/01/2025

All of this!! We are also a team who support each other and get on incredibly well! A proper family! So proud of team LM 💜

We are here for the good of the horse and Rider! 🫶💜

What do we love about our work at LM Saddles?.....

What sets us apart from the rest?......

💜 We are here for the good of the horse and rider only. The welfare and happiness is at the forefront of what we do.

💜 Our service at LM is just as important as the product. All our consultants contain a wealth of knowledge and are professionals in others area from bodyworkers, classical training, horsemanship to name a few.

💜 We are problem solvers, not sale drivers. If we can aid your horses comfort using a saddle you own, providing we can fit using the LM principles, why wouldn't we. Our aim is to develop healthy back and postures with our holistic and sympathetic approaches.

💜 We work with the clients budget. Although our saddles are absolutely beautiful, top quality 100% British made and are the first of their kind in the UK in terms of design, we will always assist a client in finding a saddle to suit your budget, our intentions are to help over selling.

💜 Our new range of LM Saddles, produced and launched in 2019 are the first in the UK 🇬🇧 that were designed with the horse and rider biomachics and function in mind and successfully backed by professionals in the holistic field. For more information, check out the LM JA range 👀 https://www.lmsaddles.com/saddles

💜 With over 30 years in the industry collectively, we are proud to have been a driving force of change the industry. We stand by the integrity of our OG Lavinia Mitchell and will always remain 💯% horse centred

ℹ️ lmsaddles.com

19/12/2024

💜🎄💜🎄💜

To all our fabulous clients and LM friends, we hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy New Year!

Our office is now closed for the festive season. We will be back in the office Friday 3rd January and all messages and emails will be answered then.

Much Love, The LM Team 💜

28/11/2024

Did anyone else feel like Aslan this morning, trying to defrost their gate locks?? Who gets me?! 🦁 🧊 ❄️

26/11/2024

In life you will always come across better, more supportive people than those who act as if they are invincible and untouchable. True strength lies not in arrogance or invulnerability but in kindness, humility, and the ability to uplift others. People who genuinely care for you will value connection over competition and prioritise building you up rather than proving their own superiority. The world is full of those who lead with empathy, understanding, and encouragement. People who will celebrate your successes and support you in difficult times. As you grow, you’ll naturally gravitate toward relationships that inspire and nurture you, leaving behind those who thrive on power or ego. Never settle for less than the respect and care you deserve.

17/11/2024

We are progressive pole clinic ready! What a beautiful day 💛🌞💛 Hollow Farm Equestrian

15/11/2024

So important to read and understand labels! I’m sure we will be learning all about what not on the label too!

12/11/2024

Every so often clients come to me with confidence issues. In the horse world, everyone seems to have an opinion on everything, what to feed, what tack to use, whether or not to put on rugs, how to train and handle etc and a lot of these opinions come with loud voices and a strength that can overwhelm. Quite honestly, If you let yourself be truly connected to your horse then you will know what’s right. The horse doesn’t lie.

Don’t let other people’s ideas of what’s “right” overwhelm or override your own intuition with your own horse. Peer pressure is real, and it’s easy to feel like we need to follow what others are doing. But remember, you know in your heart what’s best for you and your horse. For some reason, certain things just feel right to us, and that’s worth paying attention to. While you are wondering who to follow and what advice to take you are no longer present. Have boundaries, don’t let people force themselves on you. Believe it or not this does happen and you need to decide whether or not you think it’s ok. Learning to stay present will help you make better decisions and choices you feel comfortable with, which is most important for you and your horse. This way you stay true to your own journey and much more clarity is felt.

Trust your gut. It’s powerful. A huge part of confidence actually comes from trusting your intuition, not from following everyone else. Over the years, I’ve worked with so many clients who think they lack confidence when, really, they’re just ignoring their own intuition. And that can be incredibly hard on one’s self. So, remember… your intuition isn’t the same thing as self doubt. It’s actually there to guide you. Don’t mistake it for something that holds you back, it’s a gift that can help you and your horse if you let it.

And one more thing💛just because someone is loud and self assured it doesn’t mean they’re always right. Make your own choices, and trust yourself because you know and ‘feel’ more than you think! 💛

08/11/2024

Brilliant 💜

06/11/2024

I had a lovely trip to Wiltshire earlier in the week to see 4 wonderful LM Saddles Ltd Horse-friendly Saddles, Holistic & Remedial Saddle-fitting family members! We re-balanced flocking and shims, discussed herb testing and lots of others wonderful things. Thank you Emma, Sandy, Holly and Dylis ###💜