Deo Volente Stables

08/14/2022

06/14/2022

**NEW POLE WORK EXERCISE RESEARCH**

Great to work with an exciting group of researchers looking at the effect that pole work exercise has on equine locomotion.

Here is a new paper published in Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, titled “Effect of ground and raised poles on kinematics of the walk”, authors: Vicki A. Walker*, Carolyne A. Tranquillle, Russell MacKechnie-Guire, Jo Spear, Richard Newton & Rachel C.Murray*

For a limited time, this paper is available as Open Access using the link below. Massive thank you to the Petplan Charitable Trust who funded this research.

*lead authors

https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1fD~12dbxqfIqR

05/01/2022

04/07/2022

𝗙𝗶𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 & 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗘𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀

𝘉𝘺 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘩, 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 2013

Something to keep in mind when you lunge your horse or work him/her in-hand - or ride him/her:

Fixed headsets, fixed postures, fixed gaits for long or even short stretches of times do not build fitness, instead they build stiffness.

Too much energy/activity runs the horse down and damages its body.

Not enough energy/activity and he becomes careless and indifferent, disconnected.

Remember to vary the gaits, and the gaits within the gaits and to vary the level of activity you ask of your horse.

To develop strong and elastic muscles, tendons and ligaments your horse's body needs to gather and extend, open and close, contract and release within a healthy range of postures for his body AND his mind to thrive in unison.

His/Her posture must be able to change, his/her neck must be able to shorten, extend, lower or rise to help him/her find its equilibrium and travel in balance.

This is true of a young horse and of any horse as it progresses up in its training.

𝗙𝗶𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗽𝘀𝗲𝘀, 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲'𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 (𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻) 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲.
´
Bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin, eyes, ears, lips, hooves, bones, everything is cells, fascia, everything is alive, constantly adjusting to movement, load, pressure, direction and thus having to be elastic, to absorb, and distribute and give and stretch.

The mind of the horse is receiving and telegraphing signals to its body constantly based on the data it receives about its environment but also based on its emotional state which impacts its tonus.

𝗕𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲. 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝗱𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝘁.

We do not want to block this process.

We want our horses' balance to spring from within.

We want 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 minds engaged in responding to what 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 senses tell them.

We want to GUIDE and SHAPE, we do not want to create straight jackets for their bodies and conduct hostile take overs for their minds.

We do not know better then the horse's body, it knows how to protect itself - which is why we must learn to investigate resistances very carefully.

When we block our horse and restrict the body's ability to adjust, the horse is more likely to travel in a manner where he will hit the ground harder and wont absorb and dissipate the, energy, the shock waves throughout his entire body. His joints will have to work harder, his entire structure will suffer.

Blocking the horse's posture and demanding a high degree of activity at the same time is equally detrimental - it places too much stress on the horse's spine, pelvis, stifles, shoulders, joints and tendons and ligaments.

Photo caption: This is a young horse just beginning to lunge and learning to develop a different posture. Saying NO to fixed headsets and gaits...Why? Developing elastic muscles requires our horse's body to open and close, open and close.

Trotting in the same pace and posture for too long with make him stiff.

To keep him suple, alternate short bursts of energy with a slower pace that allows him to stretch forward, down and OUT, and relax.

We do not ask him to perform with great energy for long periods: this will over tire his body and begin damaging him.

We do not work him in a relaxed frame all the time or he will become inattentive, loose and careless.

© Caroline Larrouilh, ProudHorse Connections, 2013

𝗧𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀™️ 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝟯 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻-𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼:

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/inhandlessonswithmanolo

07/27/2021

07/23/2021

Riding ba****ck develops a great seat.

07/08/2021

Calm down for better training

Not so many riders seem to be enveloped in almost a cocoon of calm serenity when they school their horses, and we see that lack of emotional stillness reflected in the reactions of the horses.

Think about what we bring to the ride in our heads that is counter to calm---

One rider may be a little nervous, or even scared, another driven to excel, another is earnestly attempting to prove a point, this one is determined to improve the canter transitions, that one is thinking about the upcoming competition----It can be a long list---

Many horses are quite tuned into the emotional states of their riders, and many horses respond to tension, tightness, the lack of calm brought by the rider, by becoming tense and resistant right back.

The rider, already not in that quiet bubble of emotional neutrality, feels the horse get tighter, and responds in kind, and the daily downward spiral has begun yet again.

It is easy to ask---“How do I feel calm when I am not calm?”

Well, maybe start by trying to figure out the main sources of your anxiety. Are you trying too hard? Is your horse the right horse for where you are in your riding? Are you so focused on some hoped for result that you can’t feel or appreciate tiny improvements? Do you care too much about what others think? Are you a fiercely driven competitor?
There are many possibilities----

Start there? If serenity in training seems like a worthy goal, try to avoid the situations that trigger tension. Easier to say, I know, than to do, but so well worth the endless quest to bring our emotions into quiet states to help our horses.

07/07/2021

Well said

07/05/2021

Estudios recientes realizados por el “Institute of Heart-Math” proporcionan una pista para explicar la" curación "bidireccional que ocurre cuando estamos cerca de los caballos. Según los investigadores, el corazón tiene un campo electromagnético más grande que el cerebro: un magnetómetro puede medir el campo de energía del corazón que irradia desde 2.4 metros hasta 3 metros alrededor del cuerpo humano. Si bien esto es ciertamente significativo, quizás sea más impresionante que el campo electromagnético proyectado por el corazón de un caballo sea cinco veces más grande que el de un ser humano (imagina una esfera en forma de campo electromagnético alrededor del caballo) y este pueda influir directamente en nuestro propio ritmo cardíaco.

También es probable que los caballos tengan lo que la ciencia ha identificado como un ritmo cardíaco "coherente" (patrón de frecuencia cardíaca) que explica por qué podemos "sentirnos mejor" cuando estamos cerca de ellos. Los estudios han encontrado que un patrón cardíaco coherente o HRV (siglas en inglés) es una medida sólida de bienestar y consistente con estados emocionales de calma y alegría, es decir, exhibimos tales patrones cuando sentimos emociones positivas.

Un patrón cardíaco coherente es indicativo de un sistema que puede recuperarse y adaptarse a situaciones estresantes de manera muy eficiente. Muchas veces, solo necesitamos estar en presencia de caballos para sentir una sensación de bienestar y paz. De hecho, la investigación muestra que las personas experimentan muchos beneficios fisiológicos al interactuar con los caballos, incluida la disminución de la presión arterial y la frecuencia cardíaca, mayores niveles de beta-endorfinas (neurotransmisores que actúan como supresores del dolor), disminución de los niveles de estrés, disminución de los sentimientos de ira, hostilidad, tensión y ansiedad, mejor funcionamiento social; y mayores sentimientos de empoderamiento, confianza, paciencia y autoeficacia ".

Autor pintura: Svatava Hueberová

07/04/2021

Navicular Webinar with Jean Luc Cornille , Dr Elizabeth Uhl and Dr. Michelle Osborn

06/29/2021

Absolutely

Making Horses Last Longer

Some thoughts---
1. Let them grow up outdoors playing in fields..
2. Don’t pressure them at 2 and 3 and 4. Any work should be slow and mild.
3. Keep up on teeth, hooves, shots, worming, vet care.
4. Keep a healthy weight, not skinny, not fat.
5. Make sure they get exercise---(Doesn’t have to be fast and furious)
6. Avoid turning schooling into grinding pressure.
7. If you compete, be aware of risks of the sport, protect your horse.
8. Let them get out in pastures if you can, a minimum of several hours a day.
9. Always have a source of clean water.
10. Back off when things are not just right.
11. Be a horseman or horsewoman, with your first priority the best interests of your horse. If you do this, you are doing about the best you can.

06/28/2021

Riding horses is in the blood. It is a passion we are born with. No one can really understand this passion but other horse people. Even when life events temporarily take us away from riding, the passion is still there. And, when we can, we will get back in with horses again. Im not sure who this little girl is in the photo, but she lives inside all of us. The love of a large animal... the power we feel under the saddle, the wind in our hair, the adventure in our spirit! This passion is a gift from God.

06/20/2021

06/05/2021

The New York Racing Association concludes a series of diaries to help celebrate the 150th Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday at Belmont Park. “In Their Own Words” features prominent owners, trainers, jockeys and horsemen as they re-live some of the most stirr...