Hatha Equus

08/23/2024

When I was involved heavily with competitive dressage there was always this underlying belief by many that when we put all of the grind and struggle of training together into a pretty package, that we could take to the show ring, all of the previously icky moments with the horse would be worth it.

I even heard FEI level trainers talk about that pinnacle moment of bowing to the judges after a “perfect” ride as something that gave them drive. It was an elusive feeling they reached for and the visualization of it seemed to give them more enjoyment than the training sessions themselves.

It seemed like the “Olympic” glory of achievement at the highest perceived level validated all the sacrifices and compromises they made.

I find this mindset to be extremely depressing. To put so much pressure on accomplishment for one fleeting moment in time must take away from the joy of the process and the excitement of creation (or co-creation as we like to focus on).

Now, often learning and growth comes with uncomfortable moments…we understand that and welcome it. It can’t be all perfect all the time. However, we also believe that we don’t have to wait for years and years of blood sweat and tears to find that elation that Olympic athletes feel when they make the podium.

Pride and elation can happy TODAY if we choose it. In our classes we have folks highlight intentions and feelings that they hope to experience with their horses throughout the class. Words like connected, playful, relaxed, and ease often come up. We don’t choose words like canter pirouette or on-the-bit! We choose mindsets over skill sets. We choose laughable moments over perfect ex*****on.

Mindsets we can control. These lead to joy instantaneously. It also eliminates the need to use “any means necessary” in the pursuit of that elusive happiness…because happiness is already here in our approach!

When we have accomplished beautiful feelings with our horses, we have won more lasting moments than we ever could trying to chase a single moment.

Interested in learning more about our approach to help horses become happy, joyous and strong partners, please type TOPLINE in the comments and you’ll receive a free mini-training guide!

08/16/2024

Hey wonderful equestrians!

We need your opinion!

We're launching a new course soon and we want to choose the perfect title (and sub-title).

Context: the course will teach humans how to train their horse co-creationally, towards being physically fit for riding 😍

Our wish: we hope to have a title that will speak to all equestrians (whether they know us or not) who want to facilitate some science-backed fun for both themselves and their horse, and still work towards riding fitness as a goal.

The options:

TITLE candidates (write the number corresponding to your favorite option in the comments below):

1. The Playground
2. Playground Workouts
3. The Riding Prep Playground
4. The Riding Workout Playground

SUB-TITLE candidates (write the number corresponding to your favorite option in the comments below):

1. Science-Backed Equine Fitness towards Fun, Guilt-Free Riding
2. Get Your Horse Fit for Riding through Science-Backed-Play!
3. Science Based Equine Fitness for Starting/Re-Starting your Horse Guilt-Free

Thank you in advance!!
Photo of Sombra and Giorgia for attention 🤪

08/13/2024

If you’re curious about anatomy, dysfunction and equine physiology and biomechanics from inside out, we highly recommend Becks Nairn’s Fb and patreon page. Her dissection work is revealing sooooo many important things!!

I’m (Giorgia) down a very nerdy rabbit hole right now 🤪

https://www.facebook.com/share/tZx5FF4UK9vKLfnW/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Interest

08/06/2024

If you are deeply immersed in the classical world and in traditional biomechanics, this statement will seem absolutely provocative. It certainly did to us when we were first introduced to Ecological Dynamics, a new branch of movement science that has revolutionized Exercise Physiology in human sports.

It’s usually clear to most that spending a lot of time in 'incorrect' postures is harmful to the horse's health, but…are we saying that even ‘correct’ postures, over time, if always repeated in the same way, are harmful to the horse's physical health?

Alas, yes.

Any athlete, to preserve the health of all body parts involved in movement, should be exposed to CONSTANT variability.

Research conducted by neurophysiologist Nikolai Bernstein among Moscow blacksmiths shows that the strongest, healthiest, and most precise ones never made the exact same movement twice, whereas the others were prone to injuries and often couldn’t practice their profession into old age.

Now, reading this shocking fact, you might get mad, shoot the messenger, and move on to the next post…or you can get curious about concepts that, like it or not, are spreading everywhere, even in the equestrian world.

In England, for example, at Gloucester University, level 4 equestrian coaches must study Ecological Dynamics to qualify at the highest levels. Sheffield Hallam University and Hartpury University have been funding for years the crucial research by Marianne Davies, author of the publication “Can’t jump, won’t jump: Affordances of the horse-rider dyad underpin skill adaptation in showjumping.”

We have recorded a webinar in which we explain the intricacies of this concept and show its application to horses: “Sound, Strong and Agile Horse through Passionate Liberty Play”. ⬇️ Comment 👉🏼 ‘Webinar’ 👈🏼 below ⬇️ to receive a DM with the link to it.

I conclude this post with two apologies and a thank you.

First apology:
The other day we posted about a very important topic, which we can summarize as ‘a. Forcing your horse into a position behind the vertical is harmful; b. If your horse occasionally positions itself behind the vertical for brief periods, don’t panic and continue to inspire them to access variable movement, so that they don’t get stuck in that posture, because over time any posture always repeated in the same way creates fragile movement.’

(We haven’t invented this concept. Check out Professor Rob Gray’s work from Arizona State University, researcher Marianne Davies’, scientist Kathy Sierra’s, and the list goes on),.

Well…it was a mistake - for which I am sorry! - to try to encapsulate all this complexity in a small post. A titanic mission-impossible and frankly failed, because it left room for a lot of misunderstanding for those who are not familiar with Ecological Dynamics.

Second apology:
These are already concepts that are easily misunderstood. It didn’t help that we chose the month of the dressage Olympics - during which, unfortunately, horses being forced and held behind the vertical is a horrendous and all-too-common occurrence - to share them.

We find it easy to believe in this sense, that so many people asked for clarification and took the time to specify important details that we explain extensively in our online educational content, but that result too quick and superficial in a social media post.

So, I apologize for the timing and I’m sorry that it caused so much concern. On the other hand, I’m heartened to see how many people quickly came forward to stand up for the welfare of the horse. The equestrian world IS changing in favor of horses and that really makes me happy.

A thank you:
To all those humans - whether they know us or not - who contacted us with curiosity and humility to resolve this big doubt about why Hatha Equus is telling the world that it’s okay to be behind the vertical??? (Which I repeat once again, for those reading the post in full, and for those who know Ecological Dynamics, they know for sure that this is absolutely not what our post was sayin).

Nobody is perfect. Our timing AND our delivery were anything but. So, a heartfelt thank you to those who pointed it out with kindness, giving us the opportunity to clarify and continue this important conversation.

08/01/2024

‘Being behind the vertical’ has been classically considered wrong.

There is certainly a truth in this sentence. Being behind the vertical IS damaging to the horse IF they are COERCED into that posture. Or even just - and we're going to get a lot of heat from this one (amen) - if you 𝘴𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 that posture to your horse through aids that still bare the faintest memory of pain, discomfort or threat thereof (hello, bits, spurs and whips?).

The same is true also in the case of the horse being framed into the most 'correct' posture you'll find on any biomechanics book.
They might look ‘classically perfect’ (which is a very loaded concept that we'll talk about separately) but truly, if they’re framed through threat of pain or discomfort, their bodies are not getting the physiological benefits that come with autonomous, self-organized proud-posturing. They’re getting all the setbacks of stress instead.

So here's the other side of the coin.

Movement science has undergone a complete revolution in the last 15 years or so. Outdated notions of 'repeated perfect postures create soundness' have been replaced by 'repetition without repetition (aka variability) builds strength'.

Kathy Sierra has been talking about this for years (check out her pain science course!) and we’ve recorded a very inexpensive 💻 webinar that explains much more than we ever could in this tiny social media post.

Do comment 💬'Webinar' ✍🏼 below ⬇️ to be DMed the link.

The bottom line is that ANY posture (with the exception of a hollow back) will add to the horse's soundness IF it is intrinsically motivated, and if subject to variations (however micro) every time it is offered. EVEN behind the vertical.

To sum it up: 'behind the vertical' is bad for your horse if:
1. They are framed into it through pain, discomfort or the faintest threat thereof
2. Even if intrinsically motivated, they are 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘤𝘬 in that posture and never offer alternatives.
Otherwise, welcome it as one of the millions of movement combinations that are going to keep your horse sound!

Again, comment 💬 ✍🏼 'Webinar' below ⬇️ if you want to dig deeper

07/26/2024

Hi ! FYI the Hatha Equus website will be under construction for the next 24-48 hours as we do some updates to our website. Please don’t hesitate to email Giorgia or me if you want to register for a class 🤗😘🐴

[email protected]
[email protected]

07/22/2024

A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the incomparable Giorgia Ghizzoni!

The day Giorgia agreed to share her expertise and passion with Hatha Equus as an associate instructor positively changed the trajectory of my life and the lives of countless lucky horses and humans.

The joy, creativity, deep care, integrity, emotional intelligence, pragmatism, and ingenuity that she brings to Hatha Equus day in and day out has exceeded myself wildest expectations.

Giorgia is an incredible mother, wife, (work wife), friend, partner, colleague, teacher, and sister.

The world is definitely a better place with her in it! 😍😭🙌🏻🦄😘🥳

07/18/2024

What 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 a horse look like, for us to start thinking about riding them?
What 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 they move like?

Let's talk about transformation.

In particular, the transformation that horses UNCOMPROMISINGLY NEED to undergo, if we envision them as human-weight-lifters. Aka ridden horses.

This is Marigold, the sweetest quarter horse pony you'll ever find. She came to our home ranch last year with unknown background and moving like her body was made of brittle glass, each step a cautious move. She was either in pain from tissue damage, or lacking conditioning. Or both.

We were NOT hired to help her, nor was a vet or a body-worker, but we asked her owner if we could roll her into our Co-Creational Horsemanship program, so that our students, through our guidance, could slowly explore if there was anything we could do to help her feel better in her body through training.

And oh boy...there was! Look at these three photos, each a couple months apart from each other. Through our science-backed, consensual and play-based training techniques, she has learned to carry herself so much more efficiently towards staying sound and healthy! And her body has changed completely!

Of course there is always further to go. We'd like to see her engage in a million variations of this posture, before green-lighting weights on her back. And consult with a vet and body worker.

Now in Marigold's case, finally she was seen by an awesome vet, and we now know that despite the improvements, she has some actual tissue damage to rehab from, that may never let her carry weights safely for her health.

𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗼-𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘁.

Marigold is the angel who was starred in our 🎁🎊 Free Video Training 🎊🎁 "3 Simple Techniques to Inspire Your Horse to Relax and Lift their Topline...for Fun, Guilt-Free Riding". You are going to see her transformation more in depth in that series. If you haven't seen it yet, ⬇️⬇️⬇️ comment 'Topline' below ⬇️⬇️⬇️ and we'll DM it to you!

07/17/2024

Immediate gratification.

This is what we’ve been used to look for in our training sessions.

We’ve been given very clear goals, which we adopt blindly for ourselves.

We’ve been taught that there is a correct and an incorrect way for a movement. A behavior. A training session. A “next step”.

And we’ve been given tools to make it happen NOW.
At all costs.
Not realizing we’re bypassing everything our horse is trying to tell us.
About pain.
Discomfort.
Confusion.
Lack of confidence.

How great, though.
I’m capable of recreating a pattern.
My horse executes it.
I’m so competent!

— Instant gratification —

But there’s a few flaws here.

When things don’t look the way they’re supposed to, are we equipped to deal with failure? Or do we simply feel like failures…and then fall down a black hole?
Or we feel that our horse is being lazy, stubborn or disrespectful…so we get real mad at them?

When we train, really what we are doing is re-wiring our horse’s nervous system. Or conditioning their body. Whether we are working at an emotional level (e.g. downregulation work), at a mental level (e.g. conditioning for behaviors, such as “stay” or “turn right”), or at a physical level (e.g. conditioning the body, to get strong and athletic), what we are doing - really - is one of those two things.

Which are extremely interconnected.

And let me tell you.
There is no shortcut to rewiring a nervous system. And convincing it to release resources to make certain muscles stronger.

There are faster ways and slower ways, sure, but hardly ever as fast as immediate. They ALL take time.

Our favorite horse movies would have us believe that just because a girl is pretty and traumatized, a wild mustang would let her on, already knowing how to carry weights, and follow directions tackless, and gallop into the sunset.

Other horsemanship frameworks work similarly.

But the best results, the ever lasting ones, are achieved through slow and steady work. We need to redefine what a session should look like in order to feel successful.

I know what my definition of a successful session is. Wanna share yours in the comments? ⬇️⬇️⬇️

07/10/2024

Do NOT count on your horse to learn how to carry themselves - let alone you - in a healthy, sound and longevity-proof way…just by riding them long hours.

It will NOT translate (or if it does, it would be nothing short of a rare case to be studied by an important University).

That equation is broken.

The increasing length of your rides can have a positive impact on their cardio, and strength building, for sure, BUT…(!!!)…

…the muscles that are necessary for weight-carrying are a specific set all together, which is - paradoxically enough - rarely activated by a mere weight on their back 🤯🤯🤯

Quite the opposite. What’s more common is that a rider on their back will activate the horse’s survival instincts (much like an attacking mountain lion would), and when horses are in their sympathetic nervous system, they tend to:
🚰sink under that weight (hello, hollow backs?),
🚀overuse their brachiocephalicus muscle,
🦒lift their head high,
🐍tighten their thoracic sling and…

…well…

…let’s just say that if this is what you’re perpetuating over and over again in your rides, you’re basically damaging your horse’s soundness, health and longevity every single time you ride 😣

Try to stay away from that vicious circle, please, for the sake of your horse, and if that’s not enough, then for the sake of the enjoyability of your rides. Which I’m sure are quite jittery right now.

We HAVE TO make sure our horses know how to relax and lift their topline, BEFORE we ask them to carry us. And when they do, we have to make sure we’ve put that movement on cue, so that we can recall it any time they might forget!

Now onto the ‘how’…

We’ve spent a lot of time in the last few years trying to find the most effective, efficient, fun ways to inspire our horses to relax and lift their topline towards healthy (guilt-free on our part) rides. We mostly do it at liberty and they most have an absolute blast while at it.

We have put together a 🎁🎈free video training 🎈🎁so that you can do the same, too. Just comment ‘Topline’ below ⬇️⬇️⬇️ and we’ll DM it to you 🤗

Let’s change the equation across the board, folks.

07/03/2024

In fact, using a bit is more often counter-productive.

Why? Let us walk you through it (Scientific-Post Alert!).

PREFACE #1: Whatever type of bit you use, it sits on a veeery sensitive part of the horse's body. One in which a sensation of contact might easily transform into one of pain.

PREFACE #2: If you are trying to get your horse to relax and lift their topline, it probably means that movement (i.e. the topline lift) is not yet part of their official movement repertoire. So we are talking about the acquisition of a new motor skill.

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 is actually 'a thing', in movement science! There's plenty of peer-reviewed research about it, and successful examples in high level sports. Here is an extremely short version of what the most efficient and ever-lasting way looks like:

1. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐳𝐳𝐥𝐞. They don't do it for a treat, or to make pressure stop. They are personally invested in finding a solution.

2. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐳𝐳𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝, not a mosaic of body parts micro-management. Example: "Head down!" (𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚-𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕) VS "Have you seen that interesting object on the ground?" (𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒌-𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅).

3. (🥁𝘋𝘳𝘶𝘮 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦🥁) 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭!
And here it is, folks.

This is why it's so tricky to inspire topline engagement...with a bit.

Even assuming that you do get the topline to truly realx and lift with a bit...if there's the slightest perception of pain or threat thereof...that new movement that just surfaced...it won't be processed fully.
It won't be remembered.
Your horse will likely not own it.

Wanna know a fun, science-backed way to 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐱 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞...𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭!?!? Access our 🎁 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨-𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 🎁 on this very topic by commenting 'Topline' below ⬇️⬇️⬇️ (we'll DM it to you)

06/30/2024

It is a brave thing to dream big.

I argue that with horses it is even braver than most endeavors because that dream comes with a responsibility to honor the dreams of another creature.

Let’s be honest, horses have very simple dreams. They dream of feeling safe. They dream of being in a family with their own kind. They dream of foraging and moving freely whenever they need to. They dream of soft breezes on their faces, tastes and smells of nature on their muzzles.

If we could ask a horse to envision the dream of doing Grand Prix Dressage in an arena full of spectators with a predator on their backs, and confining equipment on their faces they couldn’t even begin to conceptualize this…or the implications of getting to that point.

So how do we reconcile our dreams with theirs? How do we justify asking a horse to align with our ideas and visions of success when they could never possibly imagine that life for themselves?

Well, we can’t.

If call ourselves “horse first” humans and want to be fair to our horses…to truly include them in the process of creation, we have to modify the dream.

Does this mean we have to completely forsake our dreams? Not necessarily. But it does mean that we have to ask ourselves every step of the way on the path to the vision “Is this just for ME? Or is this for my horse too?”

After all, what is the point of the dream if we look shiny from the outside but the horse’s simple dreams are sacrificed to get there? If our dance partner feels burdened by the rehearsals and doesn’t enjoy the performance, then we are just using them. It’s all sparkles and no soul.

Ask yourself during the pursuit of the dream, “Are my horses dreams being met? Do WE really need this?”

If you can do this with your horse always, you are truly brave. ❤️🦄

06/28/2024

Horses NEED to be appropriately conditioned in order to lift weights.
(Yes, carrying a human definitely counts as weight-lifting).

We wish for an equestrian world in which any of the red flags included in this picture would be noticed immediately and taken really seriously as signs that more conditioning is needed, before resuming riding.

Any of these red flags signals a probable physiological problem that works against spine health and ultimately, longevity. Each of which deteriorates quickly when you add (human) weights on!

Explaining each in depth is beyond the scope of this post.

BUT let’s please do two things:

1. If your horse, or a horse you’re working with, or a horse you’re considering to adopt, exhibits at least one of these red flags, lean in! Get curious! Don’t dismiss it and just keep riding! And little pro-tip here, to have an accurate pre-purchase exam (or current horse exam) we suggest you find a vet or a body worker who is familiar with thoracic sling issues. They’ll be able to give you a more-than-average accurate assessment.

2. Learn more about these red flags! We illustrate them in depth in our Free Video-Guide 🎁💐💝and the respective Mini-Course “3 Simple Techniques to Inspire your Horse to Relax and Lift their Topline…for Fun, Guilt-Free Riding”, where you’ll also discover how to condition your horse for rides that ADD to their health, instead of chipping away at it…through science, skills and soul.

Comment ‘Topline’ below and we’ll DM it to you! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

06/21/2024

IMPORTANT

06/21/2024

Yesterday, one of our recent reels received a finger-pointing comment that felt abrasive and judgmental.

I am still not sure whether to delete it or not, because the beliefs that this human expressed can be shared by others, and my response to such comment might help those others Understand why we do things the way we do.

But…

How the comment was phrased was not humble curiosity. It was in the style of: “This is preposterous. This is not how it’s done”.

No room for curiosity. Or for even considering that there might be multiple ways to do anything.

Funny thing is, *thank goodness* that some people do things differently with horses, rather than perpetuating the effed up normality of abuse as a synonym of training.

But I digress…

Curiosity is welcome on this page. And also admittance of triggers in the style of: “Goodness, I am noticing a triggered response in my body as a result of watching this video. Some of the things I’m seeing are very confusing for me. May I lean in and ask a couple questions, so that I can try and make sense of it in my brain?”.

Any sort of self-aware communication – in other words – that refrain from judgment and/or aggression.

If you’ve been here a while, by now you must have noticed that we don’t really care too much about how things have been done in the past and for how long. “That’s how we’ve always done it“ is no good reason to keep doing it, unless we see a clear positive impact on the horse.
Mental, emotional, physical or spiritual.

We are pioneers.
We do things however we need to, to support horses on their journey towards fulfillment. We are 100% unafraid to step into uncharted Waters, experimenting with super new scientific concepts and sometimes intuition alone (and our horses obviously) guide our steps.

We go through great lengths to study, learn, evaluate the feedback that our horses give us, admit when we are wrong and include a new tool and our tool kit when our experiments yielded positive results.

We absolutely understand that our work can look quite ridiculous sometimes. Running around with pool noodles, gym mats, buckets, and wind socks…with horses?!?!

We laugh about things all the time, for sure, as per our core value “levity”.

But folks…novelty, trend-setting, humor, cutting edge techniques, soulfulness and a good deal of silliness is what you are going to see on this page.

It’s not what we do.
It’s who we are.
To the bone.

So if this is going to be a problem for you, and if you’re not open to getting curious and leaning in as opposed to shooting sentences left and right, then please consider saving yourself the stress and allowing us to keep working on our horse-first underground revolution, without having to spend time and energy, soothing your inner protector.

This your personal work, not ours.

So you go ahead and click that “Unfollow “button and we wish you well on more “inside your comfort zone “adventures.

Truly 🙏🏼

Giorgia Ghizzoni
Hatha Equus

06/19/2024

NOPE! It 𝘤𝘢𝘯 take a long time, to be clear. But more accurately, it is - as everything in horse training - a non-linear process.

It can take 5 seconds as it can take 5 months or more, especially if we’re talking about not only relaxing and lifting, but doing so for long periods of time - aka duration.

But you know what will increase the chances of a speedy lift? ⏯️Play.
🥳Joy.
📢Letting your horse have a say in the matter.

Think of it like this: if your horse is having fun and feeling safe and motivated, they’ll learn faster.

Exercises like 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯 can work wonders in a surprisingly short time, especially for healthy horses who have good proprioception.

Milos - the beautiful horse in the picture - lifted and relaxed his topline, together with a bunch of other elements of proud-posturing, just a few minutes into his first ever ‘Chase the Dragon’, at our clinic in Tuscany last year.

What is proprioception though?
We could go down this rabbit hole but you know where we explain this in depth with lots of examples and demonstrations?

In our free video training: “3 Simple Techniques to Inspire your Horse to Relax and Lift their Topline…for Fun, Guilt-Free Riding”! 🎁💐💝

If you’d like to access it (again, for FREE!), comment ‘Topline’ below and we’ll DM it to you 🤗

06/13/2024

When a ridden horse doesn’t engage their topline, a whole number of things happen.

One typical sequence (among others) is the following:

🚰their spine sinks, so —>
💧their sternum drops, so —>
😣their thoracic sling nerves get squished (ouch!), so —>
🙀they get in their sympathetic nervous system, so —>
💨they use the muscles that help them “escape quickly” (but certainly NOT helpful to lift weights!), yet —>
🏋️they do still have a weight on their back, so —>
🤢they slip left and right and spring forward at a jittery nervous gait, to try and find that balance that is BIOMECHANICALLY IMPOSSIBLE with that inverted back.

⬆️ That might just be your pogo stick in a nutshell ⬆️

And let us just add…THIS ⬆️ is actually the intuitive thing for horses to do.

They DO naturally know, usually, how to lift their topline and engage in those proud postures that coincide with healthy weight-lifting movement patterns.

Often the real hold up is...when we try to engage their topline with aids telling single body parts what to do...they find it very hard to understand that THAT’s the posture we want for them to assume.

So, million dollar question: where do I even start?!?!? 😳

Don’t worry. We got your back. We’ve created a free video-training on exactly how to inspire a horse to relax and lift their topline for fun, guilt-free riding. Comment ‘Topline’ below and we’ll DM it to you! 🎁✨🆓

NamastHAY!

06/11/2024

Everybody tells you this is how it’s done.
The instructor is so knowledgeable.
You are afraid of handling your own horse because there’s no way you’ll do it as well as them.
Everyone’s so excited about the upcoming shows.
About the shiny tack.
The proper attire.
The braids are made.
Everything looks so perfect.

…So…
…What is this icky feeling inside?
Where is…YOUR HORSE?

They are VERY GOOD at this…but are they happy to do it?
Do they actually care about being braided and shiny?
CAN they actually make the physical efforts that the sport is ‘requesting’ of them…without losing a piece of their soul each time?

All these injections…so that they can do what I need them to do, what my trainer says they can do, what the show dictates they should do, what all the others are doing.

🤔🤔🤔

So I want to say this loud and clear.
Just because everyone is doing it, it doesn’t mean it’s right.

It’s very normal to feel the need to conform.
Our mammal brain thinks our survival will be in jeopardy if we don’t.
And to give up our active listening skills and let the group make choices for us.

But I do want to mention, in case you’re ever left wondering what would happen if you ‘kept your horse but not like this’, that the other side feels AMAZING.

Imagine getting to redefine your happiness with your horse not based on how well you do in competition, but on who you BOTH are. What your dreams are, what your talents are.

Imagine giggling.
Breathing deeper than you ever had.
Sleeping beautifully at night, resonating with the congruency of the choices you’re making.
Feeling the care, the protection, the warm hug of a kind community, who doesn’t judge.
The fulfilling and all-encompassing sense of oneness.

That’s Co-Creational Horsemanship.