VG Dressage

26/07/2024

Jameson. What an amazing 18 months it’s been having you in my life. From starting your career as an 8 year old competing in the Rolex Kentucky (now the Land Rover Kentucky) Three Day Event, to ending your career with a victory lap in RMDS Championships ’23.

You’re headed to a big grassy retirement pasture in Wisconsin to be with your little girl (now in college) and I couldn’t be happier for you! You’ll get lots of love, carrots and apple and oat cookies. I’ll miss you lots, big guy. 💔❤️‍🩹

06/03/2024

100% this 👍🏻

When I posted that Clinton Anderson video last week, I KNEW I would ruffle some feathers and get some pushback. I was prepared for that. Anytime you speak up against something that is considered "the norm," you are destined to upset people. I chose that video of his, because I really wanted people to see how negatively he speaks about horses and the sheer contempt he had in his voice for these animals that he's dedicated his life and his work to.

What I didn't expect was how many people would genuinely be able to defend how he was speaking. I didn't expect people to write me off as someone who knows nothing because I haven't "won the world." My post was not about Clinton Anderson's success as a world champion, nor about riding competitively. My post was about bringing awareness to how people choose to talk about horses and the importance of cultivating a kind, meaningful relationship with your horse so that the work is more fulfilling.

I've always had a tough time building and selling my online program, and I've wondered over the years why that was. What was illuminated to me in this past week is that my work is rather "boring" to watch. I don't have dramatic before and after videos with horses going from rearing and striking and panicking to being these docile, quiet beings. I don't have fast-paced round pen work. I don't have big explosive moments to film. And therefore, I must have no idea what I'm doing 😉

Why aren't my videos "entertaining"?
Because I train below the panic/fear threshold. I don't push them to the point of these big meltdowns, because learning occurs BELOW the threshold of fear. So, I get the results of a quiet, happy, relaxed horse, but without all of the fireworks and drama that many other trainers selling an online program have.

And I'm okay with that. I'm the first one to tell people that I am not a fast horse trainer and that I will always go at the pace of the horse. I have a horse right now that has been in the restart process for over a year. She was absolutely obliterated by natural horsemanship methods and the way she was broken to go under saddle. Every day, I am still untangling the threads of doubt and fear in her nervous system. The "other way" didn't work for her. It broke her spirit and she's still trying to find a way through to the other side.

I know there are plenty of horses in the world that will shut up and do their job in the hands of people who don't listen and will even be able to enjoy their lives that way. They're like the golden retrievers of the horse world -- happy-go-lucky, laid back, easy to be around. Do I think that those horses still deserve a voice? Hell yes. But will they be okay and find joy in their lives just following rules and checking boxes? Yes, they will.

I also know there are way more horses in the world that cannot conform to the "usual methods." The ones who hit the panic button within a few moments of not being heard, the ones who doubt everything, the ones who have learned to bolt away to save themselves. And I know that those horses will never truly find peace and happiness within themselves until they are listened to, honored and given a voice.

Working with those horses the way I know will truly help them will never be explosive, exciting, work to watch. It won't satisfy society's need for drama and upset on their screens. And I am okay with that.

Horsepeople: Your level of success, knowledge and value is not correlated to how many ribbons you've won or how many times you've created a top-level performance horse. Believing so only continues to perpetuate the view of the horse as a commodity and a tool to achieve things. My program will not teach you how to create an obedient athlete who questions nothing. My program will teach you how to create a partner. And, as with any relationship, there will be ebbs and flows and there will be sacrifices and compromises that need to occur on both sides.

My program isn't designed to teach you everything about how to "train" a horse. It's designed to teach you everything you need to know about yourself in relation to your horse and how to control your emotions and view the world in a way that's not so goal-oriented. It's here to teach you how to be present in the moment, how to check your ego at the door, and how to partner with a prey animal in a way that leaves you both feeling like you can take on the world together.

It won't be the most exciting thing to watch, but it's fulfilling. I go outside each day and feel joy, happiness and love for the horses I work with. I cry when they finally break through a wall that's been up for years. I celebrate their wins with them and I see who each one is for exactly who they are. Take with you what resonates from anyone you learn from, and leave the rest behind. I don't know everything, and am always on a path to continue learning...
..But if the last week has shown me anything, it's that I continue to learn more about how I WANT to be from the horses and how I DON'T want to be from the humans 😉

04/02/2024

26/01/2024

Hubertus Schmidt, German Medal winning rider, tells us:
“In high collection you must be able to stretch them so they follow the bit and they are not stuck up there. In every situation you must be able to stretch them – even in a piaffe or a pirouette, even then, I must be able to do it. Okay if I do it for a longer period of time, they will lose the self carriage and come more on the front legs, but I must be able to do it because 90% of the horses are too short in the high collection, they are not really using the back.”
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2021/03/top-tip-from-hubertus-schmidt-2/

18/01/2024

💜💜💜

Being wrong does not have to indicate reduced self value

Many people, understandably, struggle with learning or debating, because they equate being right or wrong, good or bad, with their sense of self worth. Being told they are wrong comes as an attack, and so they defend-

This is where learning becomes messy, because we aren’t talking about the fact that pulling the inside rein, for example, blocks the inside shoulder- were talking about whether the student is a *good person* or not. Much defensiveness, anger, and blame stems from this confusion-

I only have my theories, but I can imagine growing up being made to feel bad about making mistakes or messes or having faults can easily lead to feeling like constructive criticism is a repeat of these attacks.

It’s unfortunate that a small child raised in shame and blame grows up often to be a defensive and angry adult- it wasn’t the child’s fault, but sadly, it is now the adults responsibility. Life is hard that way sometimes- but the fact remains, nobody can fix it but the adult individual making conscious choices to become aware and take ownership of their own thoughts and behaviors.

It’s perfectly understandable to become defensive about constructive criticism, but the sooner you can develop the ability to differentiate criticism about something you are doing from your self value, the sooner you can learn, and learn well.

As I tell my students often, I am critiquing the tecnique- not YOU as a person. So listen well, but don’t smear it all over your heart, because if you fail, it’s a moment in time, not who you are as a person.

14/01/2024

"Before we can expect our horses to offer the best of themselves, we must first find the way to give the best of ourselves to them." - Mark Rashid

13/01/2024

❤️

11/01/2024

Is posture a fundamental factor in the clinical relevance of kissing spine?

This image is powerful! We can clearly see the effects of spinal posture on the proximity of the spinal processes!

But what we might not be aware of is just how much horses live in a “hollow back” posture!

This spinal posture is created by biomechanics, the functional link between the entire topline from the position of the head and neck to the position of the pelvic region.

But also this posture is perpetuated by horses living in a constant sympathetic state and many other factors of domestication, feeding, confinement, hoof balance and human interference on major proprioception centres!

Join Dr Neidhart and myself as we delve into understanding kissing spines

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/kissing-spines

Thanks to Tuskey Dressage for the image 🙌

03/01/2024

This mare 🥰

23/11/2023

It's ! WEG Gold Medalist Isabell Werth recommends using forward to fix falling behind the bit or leg, as well as to fix spooking or balking.
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15/11/2023

I cannot say enough good things about my vets. These guys are amazing, and their rahab program is state of the art and impressively comprehensive.

My gelding kick started his injury rehab with a month on this treadmill this past spring. I can’t recommend this program and Vetwerx Equine enough!

💜🐎💜

09/11/2023

To develop the horse symmetrically in body and limbs you can use gymnastic exercises.

*** CORNERSTONES ***

The core of the gymnastic exercises consists of the circle, shoulder-in and haunches-in. All the other exercises are derived from these cornerstones.

🐴 The circle is used to develop the Lateral bending of the body and spine, the Forward down tendency of the head and neck and the Stepping under the center of mass of the inside hind leg (LFS).

🐴 Once the inside hind leg can step under, this hind leg can also start to take weight. To do so we use the shoulder-in and counter-shoulder-in. These exercises are designed to school the hind leg in function of the inside hind leg. As a result of taking the weight, the horse will bend the inside hind leg more and free the outside shoulder.

🐴 Once the horse can bend the hind leg as an inside hind leg, we can also start to school the hind leg as an outside hind leg. To do so we use first the haunches-in (travers) and later on the renvers. In the renvers the horse can lean less against the wall/fence with his shoulder, so it's a bit more difficult than the travers, but as a result he really supports himself with his hind legs.

*** ALL EXERCISES ARE RELATED ***

All exercises relate to one another and differ slightly:

🐎 The only difference between shoulder-in and counter-shoulder in is the position of the fence/wall. The same applies to the haunches-in (travers) and the renvers, also there the only difference is the position of the wall.

🐎 The difference between shoulder-in and renvers is the bending in the spine, which is the opposite. In these exercises the same hind leg has the opposite function ('inside' in shoulder-in, 'outside' in renvers). The same applies to counter shoulder-in and the haunches in.

🐎 The half pass is 'just' a haunches-in over the diagonal, and the pirouette is 'just' a haunches-in on a small circle. Both half-pass and pirouette require support of both the inside as the outside hind leg. Therefore in both exercises the shoulders must lead to be able to keep the center of mass in front of the direction of the hind legs, only then both hind legs can support the weight. So both the half pass and pirouette also relate to the shoulder-in.

*** NUMBER OF TRACKS AND DEGREE OF BENDING ***

Now all exercises can be done on 3 or 4 tracks, or 2,5 tracks or 3,75 or 3,99 ;) and your horse can have more or less bend in his spine. Now there is no 'perfect' number and the exact degree doesn't matter. What matters in ST is that you choose the number of tracks and degree of bending where your horse can support his body and center of mass best with both hind legs. And that depends on the conformation of your horse: if he has a long back or a shorter one, if he has long legs, or shorter ones, if he has a long neck or a short one. So choose the degree of bending and number of tracks where your horse can move in optimal balance and with most quality.

*** HOW TO DEVELOP THESE EXERCISES? ***

First start the circle, then after a few training sessions add the shoulder-in, and the moment the the horse can do this exercise for 66,6% of quality, add the haunches-in. From there you can start practising the variations.

**** HOW TO DEVELOP THE HORSE EQUALLY? ***

To develop a horse equally in body and limbs all exercises need to be done to the right and to the left (or as they say in English: on the right rein and on the left rein).

When doing these exercises there will always be an 'easy' side and a difficult side. To develop the horse equally, do the 'difficult' side a bit more often and it's also an idea to start with the 'difficult' side and to end with the 'difficult side'.

The moment the horse starts to feel more equal, switch to train the exercises 50-50.

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Click here for more information:

Circle:
www.straightnesstraining.com/straightness-training-exercises/circle

Shoulder-in:
www.straightnesstraining.com/straightness-training-exercises/shoulder-in

Haunches-in:
www.straightnesstraining.com/straightness-training-exercises/haunches-in

Renvers:
www.straightnesstraining.com/straightness-training-exercises/renvers

Half pass:
www.straightnesstraining.com/straightness-training-exercises/half-pass

Pirouette:
www.straightnesstraining.com/straightness-training-exercises/pirouette

Lateral movements:
www.straightnesstraining.com/straightness-training-exercises/lateral-movements

Ladder of exercises:
www.straightnesstraining.com/straightness-training-exercises/a-logical-system-of-ever-increasing-exercises

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19/10/2023

The most disappointed, and often even angry people, are those who come expecting a little tweak, or tip to their riding. When they are met with a rebuilding of their foundation, their ego can become grated.

I have been there many times, and understand. It hurts, and nobody enjoys it.

But mindset is everything- are you going to refuse to see new information and protect your comfort, or are you going to dive in, shed layers of poor habits and misguided beliefs, and be better for your horse? You can’t have comfort and growth at the same time, and you can’t change while believing you are already correct.

15/10/2023

14/10/2023

To get a feel for the aids that ask your horse to bend …

"Imagine walking up a spiral staircase. To negotiate the stairs in balance, you must turn your shoulders on the precise path of the stairs and your seat and leg must be in the correct, stable position to ask for bend." —Corinne Foxley

🎨 Illustration by Sandy Rabinowitz

10/10/2023

Have a great weekend!

07/10/2023

Why we should ride young horses forward and down...

It is a commonly accepted training principle that we should encourage young horses to have a low head carriage. But why is this?

The muscles of the horses back are still immature at 3,4 and even at 5 years old. This is a combination of being developmentally (age related), and physically immature, in the sense that they lack the muscle condition which comes from years of training-induced exercise. Of course the maturity of their muscles will come naturally with time, and as we work them through groundwork and under saddle. But how can we get to this point, while protecting these fundamentally weak muscles and avoiding musculoskeletal injuries further down the line?

By utilising the passive ligament mechanism, we can allow the horse to support the back and carry the weight of the rider with very little muscular effort. This allows the epaxial muscles of the back to be free to perform their primary functions in movement, rather than acting as weight lifters.

The passive ligament system of the back is primarily composed of, well ligaments, the nuchal and supraspinous ligament to be exact.

The nuchal ligament is a strong, collagenous structure, originating at the extensor process of the occiput (the back of the skull), forming attachments to the cervical vertebrae, before inserting on the spinous process of the fourth thoracic vertebrae. Here the nuchal ligament broadens in the region of the withers, before continuing as the supraspinous ligament running along the top of the spinous processes of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae and terminating in the sacral region of the spine.

This creates an inverse relationship between the position of the head and neck and the balance between flexion and extension of the spine.

Generally speaking, lowering the head induces flexion in the thoracic region (the back is lifted) and conversely, raising the head creates extension in the thoracic region (the back hollows/drops). This is because the elongation of the strong and elastic nuchal ligament created when the head is lowered, creates a forward traction on the high spinous processes of the withers, and travels through the supraspinous ligament to lift the thoracic region of the spine. Comparatively, shortening of the ligament raises the head.

This system has provided an evolutionary advantage to the horse, as while they are grazing, the weight of the thorax and abdomen is supported passively by the ligament with very little muscular effort over long periods of time (up to the 16-19 hours per day they can spend grazing in the wild). Equally, because of the stored elastic potential energy in the liagement when it is stretched for the head to be at ground level, the horse can quickly raise its head to gallop away at the first sign of a predator.

Furthermore, lowering of the head and neck, stretching downwards and forwards, straightens out the natural S curve of the horse's spine. This lifts the bottom of the S curve, the cervico-thoracic junction and the ribcage, which creates lightness in the forequarters when the horse is moving. Further back, flexion in the thoracic region, increases the spacing between the dorsal spinous processes as the most dorsal aspect of the spine is stretched out. This posture is particularly therapeutic for horses with kissing spines.

In fact, the degree of flexion of the back is most marked between the 5th and 9th thoracic vertebrae, but is also significant between the 9th and 14th. Consequently, the arching and lifting of the back takes place directly under the saddle and therefore works to support the rider.

This is particularly useful in young horses; it allows the young horse, whose muscles are not mature enough to carry the rider, the chance to support its back and lift the weight of the rider by moving the head-neck axis rather than using active muscle contraction.

This means that the horse can use its muscles solely for movement; creating a loose, swinging back, free of tension, and suppleness in the gait.

Here we have the opportunity for us to slowly develop and condition the epaxial musculature of the young horse. Which will create a foundation of strength and suppleness of the back and the core to support more advanced movements later in their career.

Comparatively, if this system is not used, and the young horse is pulled into a shortened outline, it is the Longissimus Dorsi muscle which takes up the role of supporting the weight of the rider. But theLongissimus Dorsi is not designed for weight carrying, it is primarily a movement muscle.

Muscles act in the direction through which their fibres flow; the Longissimus Dorsi works in the horizontal plane, originating in the sacral and lumbar region of the spine and inserting through the lumbar, thoracic and ending in the cervical region. The Longissimus Dorsi primarily acts to extend and stabilise the entire spine, while also acting unilaterally to induce lateral flexion of the back. You can see the Longissimus Dorsi in action when watching a horse moving from above; the large muscle contracts alternately on each side of the back in the rhythm of the gait to stabilise the movement.

Once the Longissimus Dorsi is required to lift the weight of the rider, the muscle becomes blocked and stiff. Muscles are designed to work through a process of contraction and relaxation; held too long in contraction (to carry the weight of a rider, or support a shortened outline) and the Longissimus Dorsi will fatigue. This will lead to muscle spasm and pain within the muscle. Not only will the horse lose the strength to carry the rider, but they will also lose the natural elasticity of the back which will reduce the fluidity of their gaits.

Over time with greater overuse and fatigue, the Longissimus Dorsi muscle will atrophy, requiring the recruitment of other muscles, such as the Iliocostalis, to take up the role of stabilising the back and supporting the weight of the rider. Other muscles which are equally not designed for weight lifting. And so the cycle continues and the performance of the horse suffers.

With this knowledge in mind, we can understand why it is so essential to make use of the passive ligament system, by striving for that forward and down head carriage. Furthermore, that we also allow our young horses regular breaks, working on a loose rein to allow our horse to come out of the outline, stretch out, and reduce the risk of fatigue.

I always marvel at the intricately designed systems of energy conservation to create efficiency in the horse's way of going. It is our role as a rider to have an awareness of and make use of these systems; to allow our horses to go in the most efficient and beneficial way for them possible, upholding their standard of welfare.

Image credit: Tug of War, Gerd Heuschmann