Laura Padgett Corrective Horsemanship and Bodywork

04/25/2024

One of the most common questions I often get asked when a horse is injured is

How did this happen?

That's when I feel my brain start to scrunch up as I try to figure out a way to succinctly share the horses story which more than likely started long before the horse even had tack put on.

Long before they ever knew the horse

Sure, do I have ex clients that used to tear up their horses in wildly predictable ways ??
Absolutely

But most the time even those horses had already lost most of their resilience to compensations patterns

I'm re doing my website cause its only been maybe 16 years.
I'm still talking about treating compensation patterns AKA body lameness instead of injuries.

Only now I have so many more tools to support them

This little baby year old horse is showing the beginning of a compensation pattern that has started and will likely now continue for the rest of his life

Making his body chronically asymmetric and depending on the 'program' he winds up in this could be managed or lead to any myriad of pathologies preventing him from reaching his full potential'

He may wind up with kissing spine or cervical issues, lumbar spine pathology, shivers, behavioral , difficulty training., or just have a bunch of things he does like throwing his head, pawing, cribbing, ulcers, running out, hates dressage ..

Worst problem of all - people will go to the mat and even draw blood trying to convince me this is normal

Its not

We could change the world if we started early.

Built a foundation formed in the parasympathetic nervous system,
spinal flexion not extension.

It all starts with understanding where the roads diverged and how to get back on track

03/31/2024

Lightbulb moment!
This is how important balance & co-ordination are to the horse.

In my own head, from learning Human Physiotherapy first, the Cerebellum is a small part behind & below the main part of Brain (cerebrum). It co-ordinates gait, balance, and posture control.

So to see in real life, that the horse’s cerebellum is almost as big as the rest of the brain itself, was a massive eye-opener!

We know that horses don’t have a large frontal cortex, the complex thought part, like humans. But, naively, I kinda thought the whole brain was just smaller. I never expected the ratios of parts to be so clearly different.

So is it any wonder then, that horses react when they feel unbalanced? They react when their co-ordination is messed with?

The size of the cerebellum means it is VITAL for horses to maintain balance, gait & posture co-ordination.

If you put your horse off balance when riding, because your own body is wonky or weak, they have to react. Biomechanically, they HAVE to stabilise the system. But it could be a behavioural reaction too.

If you mess with their gait & posture control because you have no idea about timing of aids, or suddenly pull them around, or block their spinal movement with your rigid seat… they will probably react. You’ll be met with resistance. They might even rear or buck you off.

It’s not just about pain. A rider that puts their horse off balance doesn’t necessarily hurt them, but it does impact these vital things that horses need to feel safe.

If your horse doesn’t like their feet being picked up… or they do silly behavioural things with the farrier… Please ask yourself if it’s because they find it difficult to balance, and therefore don’t feel safe!

A lot of people these days are looking for pain when there’s a behavioural problem, which is fantastic and right. But if your Vet doesn’t find anything, don’t just assume ‘it must be behavioural then’ and try to TRAIN them better.

Consider balance & muscle/posture control. Ask a Physiotherapist to assess and teach you exercises to help your horse.

Sort your body as a rider, to improve your own balance & symmetry, to avoid throwing your horse off balance.

Save this post to remind yourself again.

10/03/2023

𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒄𝒍𝒆 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒚 - 𝑩𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒔 𝑭𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒔
This week we will be taking a look at one of the most powerful and complex muscles of the hindquarters. This is the biceps femoris! The biceps femoris is one of three hamstring muscles. Out of the three hamstrings, the biceps femoris is the largest and most lateral (farthest from the midline). Looking at this muscle's name, we can learn a couple of thing.

Biceps - A muscle with two points of attachment.

Femoris - Latin for femur. The long bone in the upper leg.

This means that the biceps femoris is a muscle with two points of attachment and is closely tied to the femur bone.

𝑭𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏
The biceps femoris has two origins. The first origin is along the sacral and caudal vertebrae, as well as the gluteal fascia and sacrotuberous ligament. The second origin is on the ischial tuberosity, which is the back part of the pelvis.

Moving down from the origins, the biceps femoris splits into three parts which are easily visible on many horses. These three parts include many insertion points including the patella (stifle), patella ligaments, tibia, achilles tendon and all of the surrounding crural fascia. One of the insertion points even goes down to the calcaneus, which is the bone at the back of the hock.

Because of the biceps femoris complexity, it has a wide array of functions. This is one of the few muscles that is able to both extend AND flex a joint, in this case the stifle. It is also able to extend the hip and hock as well as abduct the limb (pull away from midline).

Stay tuned for Wednesday for some examples on live horses!

07/30/2023

07/16/2023

07/15/2023

Good horse training, should not start with training.

Something I learned recently that deeply surprised me, in talking with friends and clients during the Spring Clinic tour in Canada, USA and Switzerland, is that horse owners reported experiences with multiple different trainers which left them confused. Trainers who believed that 'Through Training, All Things Are Possible'. That many trainers, popular, modern, ethically leaning trainers, did little to nothing to address;
- Lifestyle and environment the horses lived in
- Physical health and pathology
- Diet, nutrition, and biochemistry
- Species appropriate Horse Keeping

I was deeply confused, so of course I asked many questions. The temporary conclusions I could draw, is that some trainers find that it is somehow 'cheating' or a shortcut, to address a horses living conditions before they address a horses learning and behaviour. That their techniques should be so powerful and good that they can steamroll any issue. So, it wasn't necessary for them to ask their owner to turn the horse out, or improve diet, or change hoofcare. That LIMA principals presented as some sort of threat to their training supremacy.

I could be totally wrong about this. Because it is also possible that some trainers just do not feel 'It Is Their Place' to address directly anything other than training.

But if it is not our place... whose place is it?

We have vets for pathology. Physio's for the body. Dentists for the teeth. Behaviourists for the behaviour. But who is teaching and advocating for healthy horse welfare if not the trainers?

For me, I like to train horses. Horses who are actually, horses. Not Equi-Monsters perverted by inappropriate living conditions. For example, a horse who is explosive and dysregulated might not need strong training techniques. It might be easier to give them a lifestyle change, such as correct turn out, and a few gentler training techniques.

And not all turn out is made equal. Turn out needs to be spacious enough that the horses can move around freely, but also be encouraged to move around, rather than stand still in one spot. It needs to be clean, and it needs shelter, and they need friends when they do it.

I just relocated to give my horses that. But over the years I have faced HUGE obstacles in providing my horses a good life. I always tried the best I can. I never used difficult conditions as an excuse for letting the horses suffer. There have been conditions which were crap, and conditions which we great, but I always did the best I could. And if conditions were crap, I left and went elsewhere. Simple as that.

Remember, it is not about being perfect. It is about doing the best you can. And you might be surprised on what changes can be done, with what you already have, with a bit of lateral thinking.

LIMA principals. Least Invasive, Minimally Aversive. You do not have to be a pure R+ trainer to co-sign them. It is so important that we study the animal that we specialise in and never intervene inappropriately, or shortcut and bypass the environment and lifestyle these animals need to be happy and well.

Don't we want to work with happy, balanced, healthy animals who don't have a bee in their bonnet? Don't you want to de-escalate training until training interventions are as minimal as possible and effective as possible? Don't you want to economise and avoid powerful techniques that are utilised because of unaddressed lifestyle and welfare concerns?

"Until this horse is turned out and given access to friends he can be with freely, I will not be able to help you get the results you dream that I can give you"

That is a real sentence I had to employ at a recent clinic. And instead of letting it drop like a bomb in this owners world, I consulted with them after the clinic about what can be done, and supported them in making the necessary changes.

So, here is my challenge. If you are an equestrian professional I invite you to step up and lead the way. Encourage positive horse keeping changes. And if you are a horse owner, I encourage you to think laterally about what can be done to optimise where you are.

And if you need help consulting on these details, I would be delighted to help you. (BOOK HERE: https://www.emotionalhorsemanship.com/coaching-calls)

07/14/2023

How much does applied contact / bit pressure affect stride length? …. This much!!!

There is a huge difference to applying contact to the reins VS the horse coming up, through and onto its own contact. Applying strong unforgiving contact can hollow the horse and inhibit the hind leg action, riders often then have to resort to excessive forward to keep the horse going.

The connection from “hyoid to hind leg” involves the sternohyoid to sternum through the diaphragm to psoas major.

To see the videos of this in action check it out on our patreon (this one is from todays live feed dissection).

https://www.patreon.com/bonesbrainsbodiesbehaviours/

07/09/2023

Send a message to learn more

05/26/2023

05/23/2023

Watching Manolo Mendez masterfully balance the training of both postural and global muscles, was so congruent with everything I try to create for the horses in my practice. This is a big part of the horse's development that is missed so terribly, you cannot stabilize the body using mobilizing muscles !!!!! It hurts and it is a really bad way to try and be a good athlete. You will wind up with nerve impingement, inflammation and pain. This creates compensatory gaits which causes more of the same. This problem cannot be solved by veterinary interventions UNLESS they combine a lot of retraining of the body to release fixations, allowing stretch and then allowing development of the appropriate muscles. You got to have your YIN with your YANG !!!

This is why its not enough to just do body work and soften the horse you have to move it and train it - it needs to use itself while it has the ability to lengthen and create stretch at the joint.

What is YOUR understanding of these principles? Now that my understanding is better I hope to be able to share with you more examples of how you can incorporate little things in your horses life to help them find stability making all things easier.
I have a bunch more clinic take aways but need first to get on the road and do a little work!! Happy Weekend everyone
JK Inspired LLC - Jillian R. Kreinbring

05/05/2023

Voila une photo qui resume bien toute la complexité de mon travail et de certains selliers qui se sont formés en biomecanique.

Faut il parler du desequilibre observable du cheval.
Ou faut il faire au mieux avec la selle, sachant que le risque que la selle (même adaptée) cree de toute façon des problemes de dos au cheval? Et la selle sera accusée..

Cet article parle originellement de la difficulté de qualifier le dos de ce cheval. La partie où repose les panneaux de la selle est effectivement droite, mais comme le garrot est haut, il faudra choisir les panneaux de telle sorte qu'ils "surelevent" l'arcon suffisamment haut pour que le dessous du pommeau ne touche pas le dessus du garrot.

Mais ce qui me pose problème (et a de plus en plus de selliers formés en biomecanique, de par le monde), ce sont les zones en orange et en rose. Comme la ligne jaune du dos semble plongeante sur l'avant on a a priori plus de poids a supporter sur l'avant main, Visiblement, dans la zone orange, c'est comme s'il manquait un muscle alors que dans la zone rose, on voit des muscles surdeveloppés ou contractés. Comme sur beaucoup de photos en lien avec la selle, on a qu'une image incomplete du cheval, (donc on ne sait pas si c'est un probleme de conformation ou de posture), mais deja rien que ça montre un desequilibre des muscles de l'avant main qui semble trop utilisée et de l'arriere main faible (ok c'est tres resumé).

Cela signifie a priori, que le cheval est trop en desequilibre sur l'avant main et qu'on risque un souci avec la selle car elle va concentrer la pression du cavalier sur l'avant de la selle, ce qui va encore plus surcharger l'avant main de ce cheval.

Et toute notre difficulté est de tenter d'expliquer aux cavaliers,
1. Le cheval a a priori un souci dequilibre
2. Les soucis en lien avec la surpression sous la selle qui va probablement arriver ne sera pas en lien avec l'adaptation de la selle, mais juste une consequence physique en lien avec le mouvement du cheval avec une ligne de dos qui descend de devant.
3 et que reequilibrer le cheval (si c'est possible bien sûr) est le meilleur moyen pour ne pas avoir de soucis de dos via la selle.

L'article dorigine https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=611256364362145&id=100064333615766

05/04/2023

Bill Steinkraus told THM in 1983: “I cannot stress too much the vital importance of restoring all aids to their normal state as soon as the horse has complied with them. Once the horse has gone forward, ease up on your driving aids; once it has shortened, open your fingers again enough to reward. It is very common to see exactly the opposite: the rider gets the horse to come back once, but never releases his closed fingers again, and spends the rest of the hour hanging in the horse’s mouth, or, having gotten the horse to go forward, spends the rest of the day with his legs stuck halfway through the horse. The reason you want your aids to be effective is so that you can teach the horse to respond to them more and more sensitively – and so that you can use them less and less."
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2021/08/four-showjumping-masters-part-2-william-steinkraus/

05/02/2023

It isn’t cool anymore 😑⁣
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Let’s let the sparkly-eyed wonder toward this die off:⁣
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“Training” horses at a rapid pace ⚡️ you know, like starting a c**t to ride in a couple hours, then standing on his back to crack a bullwhip.⁣
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There’s this sense of wonder, amazement and respect toward trainers who can get things done FAST…⁣
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Meanwhile, the horse is showing every sign of stress (even while doing the desired behavior), like triangulation of the eye, head held high, tension in the body, flared nostrils, snorting, standing frozen, or eyes glazed over.⁣
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Sure, the trainer is loping him around dragging a tarp today…⁣
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But that doesn’t mean this will be safe or possible in a week.⁣
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Because right now?⁣
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That horse doesn’t feel safe. He isn’t accepting and relaxed… ⁣
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***He’s in a freeze response*** waiting to explode when the moment is right—usually when a less experienced person handles him (or, with extended forceful training, he may shut down long-term, those eyes remaining lifeless and dull).⁣
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❌ Don’t be fooled by quick, flashy training⁣
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✅ Do understand both the obvious and subtle signs of distress (otherwise known as calming signals)⁣
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Speed isn’t impressive. What’s admirable to us is:⁣
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🌱 Being *thorough* rather than fast⁣
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🌱 Staying below the fear threshold⁣
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🌱 The horse feeling relaxed and enthusiastic throughout the session⁣
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🌱 Training results last long-term, rather than producing flashy yet fleeting outcomes⁣
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🌱 The horse is excited to train again the next day⁣
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Training fast (i.e. using force and flooding) is a skill, to be sure… but, we believe it’s less of a skill than training ethically, which requires keen observational skills, enormous amounts of education, empathy, patience, and compassion, at the very least.⁣
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Ethical trainers make it look like they just have an “easy” horse. The session won’t have you on the edge of your seat; it’ll be gradual. Peaceful. Relaxed.⁣
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And the horse will happily participate ♥️ with an unguarded presence, excitement for what’s next, and a sparkle in his eye ✨⁣
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Which do you prefer?⁣
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— written by the MM team 💫

04/27/2023

Comment la physique explique la fatigue de la capacité de portage du cheval.

Les cercles vicieux du déséquilibre en physique avec des objets et en postural avec le cheval.

Mais bien sur, ce n'est pas une fatalité, pour aider le cheval a ne pas tomber dans ce cercle vicieux postural, il suffit de ne pas le laisser trop longtemps en déséquilibre.

Physique des objets:
1. Système en équilibre, le même poids centré sur les deux ressorts.
2. On rajoute un poids d'un coté, cela écrase le ressort de ce coté la
3. Plus ca écrase, plus il y a de la pente, plus le ressort est écrasé
4. C'est un cercle vicieux, plus le ressort écrasé descend, plus l'autre se décharge et monte, donc crée encore plus de pente...

Chez le cheval: (biomecanique)
5. Cheval en équilibre, le même poids sur les 4 membres
6. Déséquilibre sur l'avant main, les muscles de la ceinture scapulaire et de la jambe fatiguent
7. L'anterieur fléchit, la cage thoracique descend entre les épaules, tout le cheval est déséquilibré, cercle vicieux.

Si le corps du cheval est toujours en déséquilibre, tout son corps va s'adapter, d'abord les muscles pour le retenir de tomber, puis les tendons ligaments fascias etc, puis les os peuvent aussi changer leur structure interne (remodelage), cela s'appelle la séquence physiologique. La fonction va changer la forme...et si on dépasse un certaine phase d'adaptation, reequilibrer le corps du cheval sera plus compliqué, car certains remodelages sont irréversibles.

A noter que la force qu'on rajoute pour le cheval, peut être le cavalier, mais aussi la vitesse, la durée de l'excercice en déséquilibre etc...

04/20/2023

😜The tongue of a horse weighs over 1kg (approx. 2.5lbs) and is 40cm (16in) long)!

🤪The back of the tongue is attached at the throat to the hyoid bones, that also connect to the jaw.
😛It links to a chain of muscles via the fascia, extending to the sternum, shoulders and forelegs.
😝Amazingly these muscles then link to the pectoral and abdominal muscles and on to the pelvis and hind limbs.

😜🏇🏻This is why the riders hands, body balance & stability,😛Along with the action of a bit in a horse’s mouth😝can have such an impact upon the rest of his body when working/schooling. 🏇🏻

12/13/2022

11/29/2022

This is a great place if you're looking for a worthy cause on giving Tuesday!

📣 GIViNG TUESDAY!🎉🎉🎉
Please share to your page!
New Heights Therapeutic Riding is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. We provide therapeutic riding to children and adults with disability or special needs to help people physically and emotionally.
It also gives new life and purpose to retired horses!
Our program is growing along with that our need for scholarships and care for our special horses. Your support would make a difference in the lives of children and families in our community! If you can give please message us through our Facebook site or email [email protected]. Thank you and God bless, Kelley Hulteen Director.

11/16/2022

🫣

11/03/2022

10/22/2022

10/22/2022

09/13/2022

Try this---

If you can't do it, and if you find it causes discomfort to stretch this far, well, obviously you are being disobedient and need to be strapped into the human equivalent of draw reins or some other type of leverage device, so that your body can be forced into this shape.

Doesn't make any sort of logical sense, does it? Why, then, do humans do it every day to so many horses?

It goes beyond bad horsemanship to force horses by mechanical methods that they are powerless to resist. No wiggling or self justifying needed.

09/08/2022

A horse perceives your weight aids first-

They weren’t born with legs around their sides or hands attached to their mouth. They have to learn how to understand and respond to those. But they were born inherently tuned in to the sensory world. A rider’s weight is the first thing they feel, before the leg and the rein, and the first thing they adapt to.

As riders, we must take great care that the weight aid, intentional or not, is not countering the hand or leg. If we aren’t aware of our bodies, our hands and legs will be forever in opposition to our weight. A horse has to make sense of this confusing cacophony of signaling, and decide which to ignore. Ultimately, a hand or leg become stronger, and the horse is forced to ignore the seat. It’s then that riders begin describing a horse as dull, not forward, or disobedient- when they are obeying exactly what we told them- which was a load of nothing.