Laura Padgett Corrective Horsemanship and Bodywork

Laura Padgett Corrective Horsemanship and Bodywork Using physical therapies and corrective training to improve your horse and your riding While earning a b.s.

Laura Padgett (fka Laura Baxter) is a lifelong horsewoman and student of the horse. Fortunate enough to grow up in an equestrian household, she spent her youth riding and showing horses in every discipline including western pleasure, horsemanship, showmanship, trail, reining, hunter under saddle, equitation, eq over fences, sidesaddle, and even driving. degree in biology and a minor in animal scie

nce at Kansas State University, she competed on the intercollegiate team in equitation over fences, on the flat, and horsemanship. She began training horses and giving lessons right out of high school, and, after graduating from K-State, began doing so as her profession. She began her professional training career out of E Bar Z Stables, where she built a successful youth show team at the local and regional level for 7 years before starting a family. Having been taught from day one the practices and values of classical horsemanship and dressage, Laura has applied this knowledge and experience to the modern show disciplines to create well rounded, happy, sane, and versatile horses to use all around today. She trains start to finish with the ultimate goal of creating a successful and rewarding bond between horse and rider. In training, she strives to develop each horse into the best performer s/he can be, in whichever discipline is best suited. Horses she has trained are well mannered, very people friendly, and can show in the morning and trail ride that afternoon. She has trained point earners and circuit award winners in several disciplines, and also has a knack for working with problem horses and really changing their attitudes toward people. In lessons, Laura works hard to make sure her students understand the why so they can learn to apply it on their own to working with the horse, and become better horsemen. Whether you are a beginner looking to start the journey with horses, or a lifelong enthusiast dedicated to learning, Laura 's practical teaching style can help you on your way. She works successfully with everyone from the recreational rider to the competitive equestrian. Laura currently trains out off Eff Creek Ranch, a beautiful full care facility west of Salina KS near I-70, with indoor and outdoor arenas, great trails, and pastures. Eff Creek has top notch facilities for students and horses in training.

**Now a CESMT, Laura is adding horse rehabilitation exercises to the services offered. Equine well-being is a big part of horsemanship, and she will help you find out where your horse has tension or physical issues, and work on a program to resolve them.

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.

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Brookville, KS
67425

Telephone

+17858228086

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