Equine Connection Freelance Training

11/11/2024

Fabulous demonstration! The thoracic sling became the focus of our clinic this weekend at Hidden Creek Ranch with Heather Lomax! Many horses presented with this spayed teepee like stance with the sternum dropped forward and downward, and the front limbs already externally rotating, elbows and scapulas locked into the ribcage. Often in developing better balance for a horse through thoracic sling work, we think of widening the front end, which allows the hind end to step under into the center of gravity. But for these horses that are so compressed and atrophied in their front ends, they need to find verticality in their front limbs first, which might actually appear narrower in the front at first, until these postural patterns begin to unwind. We saw incredible transformations in the horses here within minutes in our sessions and in overall stability over the weekend.

ENGAGE THE SLING BEFORE YOU DRIVE FROM BEHIND

baby race horse getting thoracic sling engagement 😊😊😊🧡🧡🙌🐴

You can see how in the before picture this horse appears collapsed into the ground. His feet are splayed and chest is wide and soft and looks like it is falling into the ground. This is called ‘columnar loading ‘ it means that the horse is loading into the ground like a building, it is the opposite of ‘tensegrity’ which implies a balance of the compression elements giving you suspension and recoil. If your not using your tension elements and just start collapsing into your front end the only way you can really hold yourself up is by tensing through the elbow and thus splaying your front feet.

This baby is 1 year old, never been ridden and already is collapsing into the front end and is losing the ability and desire to engage and lift the thoracic sling.

There is no pectoral activation in the before. He is wide and collapsing in front. For a race horse this is a posture that will make him prone to injury because as he fixates this way it will be more and more difficult for him change and get his front end out of the way.

In the meantime those folks that don’t believe in spinal flexion of the thoracic spine will insist on driving into this braced, blocked, fixated front end that is now being stabilized by the elbows that will externally rotate and brace and a activated brachiocephalicus muscle which will further contract trying to stabilize the neck trying to prevent further compression as the hind end is driven into a front end that is locked down and collapsing into the ground.

I learned in vet school that when there is much opposing discussion about things it usually means none of the answers are correct.

If you cannot lift and engage your thoracic sling so that you have the ability for suspension and recoil as in tensegrity please do not think that driving into it is the solution. If you want your horse to feel like a motor boat you have to have the lift first and then you can drive into it.

Yes you need drive but the road must be open

If you don’t have lift the drive will cause more compression and collapse, creating more dysfunction.

Does that make sense ?

So the answer is your need lift for the drive to have a place to go otherwise you just drive into a brace.

The horse on the right has an engaged thoracic sling. This only took about an hour and this particular little fellow still had a lot of restrictions that will need follow up. But it’s a start - he can now get his front end out of the way allowing for hind end to come under instead of around.

He will be able to push off the ground instead of collapsing into it allowing triceps activation and development.

He will be able to open up his rib cage and breathe deep fully expanding into his diaphragm and creating internal lift to his back. His waist will lengthen, lumbar spine align and psoas relax creating movement to the pelvis and softening the angle so the hips now in alignment can push back at the ground with their full power.

All this in an hour.
All this from re training your nervous system out of dysfunction into function
Lift your sling to lift your back.

Please don’t drive into your horse if he cannot engage his sling and definitely do not back these horses up !!

11/05/2024

I used to think of self-bridling as emotional posturing work designed to prepare the horse for the mental and physical posture work enabled by the bit. Holiday, this lovely OTTB has shown me that the process of self bridling improves physical posture in itself. The horse doesn’t have to carry the bit to benefit from interacting with one.

He's a perfect demonstration of how changing emotional posture through finding willingness, playfulness, a pinch of excitement, and valuing the intelligence of problems solving, actually improves the horse's physical posture through changing nervous system states.

Self bridling also involves movement that is beneficial to the horse-- stretching forward and downwards towards the bit, then when they hear the click that means "yes, that's right!", the horse has learned to center the head between the shoulders, and the excitement automatically produces lift in the base of the neck, and for Holiday, significant thoracic sling engagement. I played with the placement of my hand while offering his treats to engage different parts of his body unconsciously-- he was focused on this "permission game" as Karen Rohlf calls it.

Check out the progression of his posture over the course of our session today, from before (a totally collapsed thoracic sling, down hill, braced neck, and toes out), after self bridling (starting to bring the thoracic sling online and reshape the neck) and after in hand work (recentering, rebalancing, engagement, and improved relaxation).

11/02/2024

To anyone who might think high level collection is unnatural? Exhibit A: a quarter horse and an Andalusian repeatedly bearing all their weight on their hind end in play this frosty morning. But they only do it in short spurts, which is exactly how we should be training. Playful transitioning between postures to build strength, clarity, and connection.❤️

11/02/2024

Today, we took our training wheels off. My first ride after restarting Manchego where we only had reins on the bit— no reins on the cavesson noseband. I am so proud of him for his willingness to relearn and trust my hands, wherever they connect to him❤️

10/30/2024

One of the many reasons I don’t allow the use of restrictive training aids (side reins, pessoas, German strings, etc) at Sage Knoll Farm

10/23/2024

Oh the days I wish I’d thought to set up the Pivo or had someone to take a photo or video of our ride…. Today was the very first ride since trialing Manchego that I rode only off of the bit (with my cavesson reins hanging just in case we needed them). I’ve spent the past 10 months restarting him, particularly his trauma around pressure and bits. This was also the BEST ride I’ve ever had on him— he was so soft, thoughtful, communicative, and understanding. He was straighter than I’ve ever felt him before. Days like this show you how much all the slow, steady, and unspectacular work really pays off. Most of our work on the bit after he was willing to put it on and carry it has been standing and rewiring his relationship to contact, learning to trust my hands. Today he not only trusted my hands, but my whole being, and I was able to trust his stability more than ever. Hooray for diligent work on the basics!!!❤️

10/21/2024

https://www.thirzahendriks.com/post/the-importance-of-the-thoracic-sling?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1kxYhZFiaeCeI4c04bw4qxOFg1TDUFeTCk4CEaiNIg1RqyMRk5eZ8tT2w_aem_BdHucEZ2cjpLEyUnJP9lTA

This is the most comprehensive and accurate article on the thoracic sling I have come across so far!

This is why we prioritize novel movement not only in the training of our horses but also in their daily life on our track system at Sage Knoll Farm.

This is why we spend a great deal of time isolating the muscles that comprise the thoracic sling to observe how they’re functioning and do exercises from a stand still to improve the horses’ posture and biomechanics.

Please take 10 mins and read this article for the sake of your horse 🥰

The thoracic sling is one of my favorite topics to explain. It is a fascinating and genius apparatus that is essential for balance control in the horse. Unfortunately, it is often overlooked and compromised in many horses. In this article, I would like to explain what the thoracic sling apparatus is...

10/19/2024

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10/15/2024

Special opportunity! As we continue to expand the our paddock paradise track system and fence new fields, Sage Knoll Farm has a few boarding availabilities!

Sage Knoll Farm is the home of Equine Connection Freelance Training, located in Salvisa, Kentucky. Trainer Annemieke Buis lives on site and personally cares for the horses daily when she is not traveling.

We are a unique full care boarding and educational facility designed to meet the customized needs of each horse and human.

Our mission:

1. Affordable boarding for horses with unique needs, and relationship-based horsemanship and biomechanics education. Specialized in rehabilitation and nervous system regulation.

2. A model of horse management that is centered on horse-welfare and ecologically-conscious land stewardship

3. A diverse and inclusive community of people who want to learn from horses.

The farm features a paddock-paradise track system, 10 acres of pasture, a 20x40m sand dressage arena, and small barn. The dividers between the stalls can be opened up to make oversized stalls, in case of horses needing to stay in beyond feeding times. The barn also has a climate controlled tack and feed room.

Located in Salvisa, KY, just 30 minutes outside of Lexington!

A weekly lesson or training session is included in board as a means for Annemieke to best monitor and improve the health and happiness of each horse and their human.

Boarders also enjoy heavily discounted PEMF treatments for their horses and themselves!

To ensure that boarders are a good fit for Equine Connection Freelance Training's program, Annemieke only accepts boarders that she has worked with before. If you are not a client or student already, please reach out to Annemieke to trailer-in, attend a clinic, or get on her travel schedule so you can get to know each other before pursuing boarding!

Read all about Sage Knoll Farm on my website by clicking the link below!

https://www.equineconnectionfreelancetraining.com/sage-knoll-farm

10/15/2024

Check out this beautifully written cover article from Equine Living in the Bluegrass about me, my work with horses, and my home at Sage Knoll Farm! You can click the link below, or read it in the photos here. I'm so honored for the opportunity to share the work I do with a larger audience, in this magazine and last weekend at the Liberty Festival!https://static1.squarespace.com/static/62f971aeb0f00a5704a80a57/t/67090a0003c5bf0caa796748/1728645642281/4400_EquineLivingintheBlueGrass_October2024_FEATURE.pdf

10/13/2024

Come listen to my final talk for the Liberty Festival in the Horsemanship Lounge today at 12:15pm to learn about "Classical In-Hand Work for Healthy Posture"!

(You may have seen it advertised on the schedule or Liberty Festival page as "Connecting with Horses on a Deeper Level" or "Relationship-Based Classical-Postural In-Hand Work", which were just some misprints!)

10/11/2024

It’s almost time for another talk! Come to the Liberty Lounge at 10am to learn about the interaction between relaxation, balance, and impulsion!

10/10/2024

What an amazing day at the Liberty Festival 2024! Then to come home to find a magazine on my doorstep… with Manchego and me on the cover! I am beyond grateful! Then, to top it all off, my amazingly talented and successful student Anna Arunski of Howlin’ Revival Horsemanship wrote an article on the importance of groundwork!

PDF of my story on the cover of Equine Living in the Bluegrass to come, or you can come to my booth at the festival and read it there!

10/10/2024

Today is the day! Come see my presentation on "The Relationship of the Equine Nervous System, Posture, and Biomechanics" at the Liberty Festival 2024 at Alltech Arena at Kentucky Horse Park in the Horsemanship Lounge at 1:30pm.

If you you can't make it to nerd out with me this afternoon, come grab a pamphlet or business card or sign up for my email list at the shared Presenter booth, or see me present tomorrow or Sunday!

10/09/2024

09/29/2024

Local clients and friends of Lexington and surrounding areas— Grace Keeton, an amazing craniosacral therapist you may know from Warwick Schiller’s Journey on Podcast is coming to Sage Knoll Farm and surrounding areas in Wednesday! I know this is late notice but I want to invite everyone who wants their horse worked on or to watch and learn to join us! This is an amazing opportunity! I tried to make this happen last year and couldn’t get a big enough group on board. Now it’s happening, here’s your chance! Please message me to coordinate and I’ll put you in touch with Grace as needed!

09/28/2024

Here's another transformation from our last Collaborative Biomechanics Clinic! I've also included photos of 2 essential steps in the process: allowing-the-horse-to-be-a-horse and rewiring the brain and body's pathways through in-hand work! Having already built a tremendous amount of trust in us through his restarting process, Beckham started his session at the clinic with a nice roll in the sand and some yawning to release his tension and get comfortable. Most of Beckham's tension was in his jaw, tongue, and neck.

As with many gaited horses, he shows us having been trained on straight lines and discouraged from laterally bending his neck. We're in the process of teaching him that bending is not only ok, but GOOD for him to find the full lateral flexibility of his spine, stability in his postural muscles to support it, and correct rotation to follow it.

I experimented with many arrangements of the reins to help Beckham find this new way of moving through his neck, interspersed with Shannon Runke's amazing bodywork releasing the physical structures that hadn't moved like that in a long time. Shannon unlocks the body and I show it how to move in healthier ways. I'm so grateful to have such an amazing team!

Photo credit to Pine Woods Photography