A Driving Force Sport Horse Development

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A Driving Force Sport Horse Development

A Driving Force Sport Horse Development She offers full-time training, part-time training, lessons, & clinics.

Meghan, a relationship-focused sport horse trainer & instructor, blends her passion for sport horses with an evolving expertise in behavior, nervous system regulation, & biotensegrity.

02/08/2025

I don’t think people realize just how many horses out there carry trauma with them.

With that, I don’t even mean severely abused horses that have been starved, or beaten heavily. There are plenty of those around, and those usually cause a lot of outrage (as they should).

What I am talking about though, is the horses whose trauma is never really recognized as such. The ones who tolerate humans and their requests, but never learned to trust them. Those who get extremely obsessive about food which are labelled as “bossy” or ”dominant”. Those who deal with severe Separation anxiety, which are said to be “dramatic”. Those who cannot self-regulate, or co-regulate and constantly carry tension. Those who try to express their pain, which get punished for it because “just a mare”.
Those who are “perfect” until they finally get a choice.

Between Unethical weaning practices, unsuitable welfare, constantly moving homes & and ownership, and aversive training/handling approaches, most horses at some point experience trauma. And this trauma can present itself in a variety of ways. Some are more subtle than others.
Trauma doesn’t have to be this huge explosive reaction. Just like people, horses can carry trauma and move on with their lives fairly normally. It can shape their personality just like it can shape ours.
However, that doesn’t mean doing so is healthy.

The horse that has been in 6+ homes before the age of 10, and thus can’t cope with changes. That is Trauma.
The horse that has never had consistent companionship and becomes obsessive with certain herd mates. That is Trauma
The horse that has only known corrections when they tried to express their confusion, fear, or dislike, and turns from “a perfect beginner’s horse” to “Don’t touch me” the moment you stop using corrections. That is Trauma.
The horse that never had a chance to learn from other horses or connect with people and thus can’t trust people to make good choices for them, can’t self-regulate or co-regulate, and can’t think their way through a situation. That is Trauma.
The horse who was only ever fed 2 times a day and was left without food for 6 hours each night, and has thus become food-aggressive. That is Trauma.
The horse who experienced highly aversive training techniques, and thus now gets frustrated, tense and severely stressed out anytime they are handled in a similar manner. That. Is. Trauma.

Sometimes, awareness of this can be a frustration and defeating realization. I think as equestrians we are often blind to this reality, because sadly, it’s just so common to see horses like that.
It’s not until you work with young, untraumatized horses, or rehabilitated horses, that you realize: “Oh! This is how it should be!”

02/08/2025

Training is still happening when…

It feels like nothing went to plan.
It feels like old stuff crept back up.
It feels like all you did was help them self-regulate & find their way through something completely different.

Sometimes, we enter a session, with an idea. An idea of what logically makes sense based on how things have been, where they need to eventually get to, what the steps between those are.

& it works out beautifully.

& other times… the horse says, “not right, at this time”.

This doesn’t mean it isn’t right.

Or that it wouldn’t be right for a different horse.

Or that you failed having a goal for the session.

As long as you listen.

It means that in the moment asked, the horse answered, “I’m not ready for that” or “I was ready yesterday but xyz since then & now I need something different today”.

But while it didn’t go to plan, it might be even more important what happened when it didn’t go to plan.

When navigated through the “not ok” together, mental & emotional resilience, self-regulation skills, confidence & capability were gained.

When the future career is the present day, it won’t just be about the days that everything fell perfectly into place — it will also be the days that didn’t, how they learned to navigate them, that equip them with the capability to show up for their partnership in full force.

🧡 Be ok with, not today. You have come far, & the rest will come. 🧡

02/06/2025

Not warmed up at all vs warmed up with an individualized approach (postural exercises & mental-emotional support if needed).

I don’t normally trot this guy before his posture work for this reason but I did this today because he is such a strong example of how setting them up for success is key. Meeting them where they’re at is key.

If you’re having resistance, behavior issues, tension under-saddle, check in with how they’re traveling on the ground.

He will get stronger & choose an improved posture & movement more readily, but for now, his warm up is key in supporting, rewiring, strengthening how he travels forward.

Imagine riding the horse in photo one vs photo two. Imagine his comfort & confidence & feelings of safety & capability in one vs two.

This is why it is so important to foster the physical, the mental, & the emotional. They all interconnect to produce comfort, capability, confidence… & in turn deeper engagement & try, physically, mentally, & emotionally.

🖤🤍

02/03/2025

A very happy, sandy girl who ruined her pre-session grooming after her Monday training session wrapped up with a good roll in the arena.🖤

Her session involved some functional movement exercises to support her physical development & some bridle work in-hand since the bit cues aren’t her favorite thing. Slow & steady, meeting her where she’s at, guiding her through the murkiness of what isn’t understood, yet. ✨

02/03/2025

Your horse's head and neck position directly influences their ability to breathe(!)

I appreciate that sounds obvious, but I think there are a lot of people who don't realise that this doesn't just refer to hyperflexion -

It refers to head and neck positions that a lot of training methods adopt, whether intentionally or not.

Cehak et al. (2010) found that the diameter of the horse's pharynx decreases when their head is in a flexed position, maximally so when their head is flexed and neck elevated.

They found that their pharyngeal diameter was at its largest when their head was extended and at a midway height.

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You can try this yourself -

Drop your chin to your chest and inhale - how easy do you find it? Not very, I expect.

Now keep your chin tucked while you raise your eyes to the sky and inhale - I bet that feels even more difficult?

And then bring your nose to centre, look straight forward and inhale - notice how this feels the easiest?

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I don't want to demonise movement, because healthy movement is access to all of it;

We have elasticity in these structures for a purpose; to support range of motion and adapt to locomotion. So decreasing and increasing pharyngeal diameter is an important function as part of this.

But prolonged periods of time spent with reduced pharyngeal diameter is going to be making life very difficult for your horse.

I'd really like to think that we are at the point where we can acknowledge that rollkur and their respective variants are not in any way appropriate methods of training.

But there are frames that fly under the radar, where perhaps the horse is more flexed at the poll than the rider appreciates -

Rather than shame, maybe what we can do is use the images as a guide - what one does your horse mostly look like when you train?

Then you can pair that with recognising their muscular development,

And then with that you can determine whether you are helping your horse... or not.

And if you realise you aren't helping, now you can choose to do something different!

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Cehak, A., Rohn, K., Barton, A. K., Stadler, P., & Ohnesorge, B. (2010). Effect of head and neck position on pharyngeal diameter in horses. Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound, 51(5), 491-497.

02/02/2025

🌟SERVICES🌟

✨Developing the sport horse partnership in mind & body✨

❤️‍🔥 Meghan, a relationship-focused sport horse trainer & instructor, blends her passion for developing sport horses & the horse-human partnership with an evolving expertise in behavior, nervous system regulation, & biotensegrity. She is passionate about helping horses thrive in a human world, educating young horses for their future careers, guiding humans to better understand their own horses & communicate effectively with them, equipping them for increased independent confidence & meeting each horse where they’re at each day to set them up for a successful tomorrow. She currently offers full-time training, part-time training, lessons, & clinics.

🌟TRAINING🌟
-Full-time Package: on-site, full-care, rough or stall board, (5-6 d/wk sessions)
-Part-time Package: on-site offered to boarders in rough or stall board, who will also be working their horse & in lessons with Meghan (3d/wk sessions)
-Synergy Training Package: offered to clients in lessons or part-time training to get supplemental hands-on postural work & functional movement support (4 sessions/package to be used within an 8 week period or less)
-Partial Tune-Up Package: for current clients only who want continued training while they are out of town or busy with work (3 sessions/package to be used within a 2 week period or less)

🌟LESSONS🌟 (haul-ins or I travel* in surrounding Madison, WI area)
-Month-to-Month Package: Must take 4 lessons within 1 month, same time/day of week for the month reserved
-As-We-Go Package: Can schedule 4 lessons as we go, fit you in when I/you can for lessons. Must be used within a 2 month period after purchase.
-Single Lesson: 1 lesson purchased & taken, fit in when my schedule allows
-Video Review Consultations: Send in video footage, schedule a Zoom call to review it & game plan together

*mileage fee may apply to off-site clients

🌟CLINICS & EDUCATIONAL EVENTS🌟
-Half-Day or Full-Day
-One or two day options
-Foundation Clinic Required As First Clinic: learn more about how to blend natural horsemanship with biomechanics, nervous system regulation & prioritizing the mental, physical, & emotional components of developing your horse, deepen your connection, understanding & find your partnership evolve while pursuing your sport horse goals

📆 Message the page or [email protected] today with inquiries, questions, & to check availability.

01/31/2025

✨ First rides after a few months of time off for both girls went smoothly! Excited for what’s ahead for these two! ✨

The coming weeks will blend groundwork — focusing on postural development, functional movement, & bodywork — with riding — focusing on building a foundation of skills understanding & developing both stamina & strength under-saddle for their future career. 🧡🖤

01/30/2025

A happy client horse during a training session! 🤍

It’s an honor to get to know each individual horse, what they like, what they struggle with, what they look to have guidance on & what brings them joy, moments we can share with each other.

Building that individual bond & working to understand their unique personalities is what makes this work so special & being trusted to build that, support that, foster that in an owner’s absence is not something I take lightly.

Grateful for every moment spent learning, growing, & connecting with these animals.✨

01/29/2025

Grace thoroughly enjoying relaxing in the warm afternoon sun coming in through the curtains of our indoor arena during her bodywork today. ☀️

When’s it my turn…?

01/29/2025

These last two dissections solidified my mission. Each body laid before me provided exactly what I needed—confirmation, clarity, and an unshakable anchor in the stance I have taken in the equine industry.

Today, I want to honor these two lives—their stories, their bodies, and the undeniable truths they revealed.

Because here’s the thing: The body is not a collection of isolated parts. There is no clear line where one tissue ends and another begins. It is a seamless, functional unit. If you have never witnessed this firsthand, I strongly urge you to attend a dissection. Only then can you truly grasp the magnitude of A.T. Still’s foundational principle: The body is a unit.

Each of these horses had a story. One, perhaps, more heartbreaking than the other, but both equally profound.

A story of wear and tear—bodies pushed beyond their limits, living in dysfunction for the sake of survival.

A story of stoicism—pain and dysfunction endured at a level no human I know could withstand without breaking.

A story of pathology—dysfunction assessed by vets, yet only fully understood post-mortem.

As I disassembled their tissues, I felt their stories move through me. And in some strange way, I felt relief—relief that they no longer had to bear the weight of their bodies as instinct-driven survivors, forced to push through in silence.

Neither of these horses were abused. In fact, both were deeply loved and cared for by their owners. And that is what makes these revelations so staggering.

Because if these horses—loved, managed, and given every advantage—carried so much dysfunction, then what about the horses who are truly neglected? Pushed to compete beyond their limits? Ignored when they cry out in subtle ways?

What might their bodies reveal?

Here’s my biggest takeaway: A powerful affirmation that what we observe, palpate, assess, and analyze in living horses is real.

The movement patterns we question.
The restrictions we feel in soft tissue.
The dysfunction we suspect in joints.

It’s all there.

And yet, when I bring these findings to horse owners, my recommendations are too often dismissed.

But now, I have held these truths in my hands—both in life and in death. And I will not forget.

I thank these two horses deeply—for the lessons, for the perspective, and for reigniting something in me that had begun to wane under the weight of entrepreneurship and the relentless push of this work.

Because at the core of it all is this: Listen to the horse.

Many of the dysfunctions we uncovered this week may never have been visible on imaging. Had these horses still been alive, they could have been misdiagnosed, mislabeled—or worse, left undiagnosed entirely.

They were lucky. Many are not.

So for the love of the horse—listen to them.

If they struggle, resist, or show you aversive feedback, seek professional support. And if that professional dismisses you—find someone else. There are practitioners out there who will listen.

I met over 40 of them this past week. In one state.

Keep searching. Keep questioning. Keep advocating.

The horse is counting on you.

A heartfelt thank you to Alwardt Mueller Trinity Equine Services and School of Animal Massage for facilitating this profound learning experience. Because of you, many horses lives will be improved.

01/28/2025

The first few sits & steps with me aboard, on a warm, windy January day! This sweet girl has come so far from the antsy, living-in-her-own-world girl she was when she arrived. She’s going to be so cool. 🖤

01/28/2025

Instant Gratification: A Challenge for Horses, Training, & Real Life

It is no secret that we live in a world addicted to instant gratification.

It’s really no mystery that people expect today (or 30 day) results. Whether it is putting their horse in a training program, starting their kid in riding lessons or buying a horse they expect blue ribbons from at the first show.

I trust that most people don’t intend to negatively impact their horse or the lives of horse professionals but that is often the result.

It creates a pressure — as you all know I’m all about the whole horse approach — energetically, physically, mentally, spiritually…

It takes time to prioritize correct physical development while also educating them on mental skills training & guiding them towards improved emotional regulation & thoughtfulness. Doing all without breaking their individuality & spirit.

It makes it difficult to keep the horse centric approach a reality.

It makes it difficult for the horse professional to have a “meet the horse where they’re at” approach, leading to burnout when working out of alignment & dilemmas between doing what’s right for the horse & client expectations.

It makes it difficult to educate the student — adult or child — on how to read & train their horse on their own.

In a world full of instant gratification, what if we allowed our horses to be where we slow down? Where we watch slow, present moments build beautiful, deep connections across a species barrier. Where we witness partnerships between two souls that don’t speak the same language, achieve great things. Where we explore the magnificence of an evolution, of a journey, of a dance. Where we feel as though magic moments gift us their surprise & that is when we feel the deepest gratitude & depth of life.

When we are willing to let go of the need for instant results, both human & horse benefit in the long term. Together, they achieve something far greater than ribbons or immediate success — though ribbons are fun to celebrate with when the time is right — they experience a relationship so deep, so real, & so rooted in love & trust that it transcends any single moment. A gift worth taking the time to experience. ❤️‍🔥

01/27/2025

Do you hear your horse when they say no?

Today, I came into the session with a clear plan: functional movement & postural work, building on yesterday’s well-received exercises. But today felt different. He wasn’t as receptive. The connection between the work & his body wasn’t there — instead he seemed more disconnected.

I tried one of the other exercises that we had been working on to see if he would be more receptive, but again I was met with a zoned out expression & posture.

The thing is, this is a very subtle no on the grand scheme of things, right? No running, no kicking, biting, striking, etc. But the reason I understood it is because he is usually quite receptive, willing, open to trying the things.

I could’ve pushed forward or I could listen to him telling me that today felt different to him.

So, I switched gears from progressing those exercises to supportive bodywork at liberty — giving him full freedom to leave & say no very clearly. This not only allowed him to say no but it was me inviting him to a deeper understanding that I wanted to work with him, however I could be a guide, listener, & helper to him today.

He left occasionally, then we’d reconnect & I’d offer my support somewhere else. He’d stay & demonstrate relaxation, processing, connection when it was somewhere he wanted work & he politely left when it wasn’t.

I don’t always do sessions this way because to be honest, sometimes the spot they walk away from my touch at or the exercise they don’t feel a desire to work on is exactly what I think will unlock something (physically, mentally, or emotionally) for them, but I think they also need sessions like this: so that they know the conversation is a two-way street, that they are truly a part of the partnership, & that this relationship is not just a human directing everything, that they will be listened to, too.

Switching gears when the horse says “no” doesn’t mean giving up; it means prioritizing trust, understanding, & connection. There’s a time to encourage progress & a time to support their need to process. Today, I chose to meet him where he is at so that tomorrow, I can remain a trusted guide & teacher.

01/26/2025

Getting excited & closer to our first ride together! 🧡

When they have previously been started, but it’s been awhile since having a rider, I check some boxes before I swing a leg over. Taking things step by step & checking boxes along the way — such as how to interact with the bridle, bit & contact, wearing a saddle without a rider, mounting block alignment & playing with things from above — prepare us both up for more thoughtfulness, confidence & comfort mentally, physically, & emotionally when we go for that first ride together.

Every step we take builds trust & sets the foundation for the future.

01/25/2025

It was so much fun teaching this pony’s owner how to work on what he’s been practicing in training herself. ✨

Whether you’re someone who loves being hands-on—asking questions, learning along the way, & shadowing a couple of sessions each week—or you prefer to drop your horse off & stay in the loop through videos, photos, & updates, I’m happy to meet you where you’re at.

Just like I aim to meet each horse where they’re at every day, I’ll work with you in a way that fits your goals & preferences. 🖤

01/25/2025

"I want to develop my horse to be happy in both mind and body" - the words of one of the ladies I have the privilege of working with.

There is nothing that exists in a vaccum. You cannot work within one area of horsemanship without due regard for the others.

You can have the keenest biomechanical eye in the world, but this is meaningless if you can't speak to behaviour - The first indicator of fatigue? The horse's face. And if you can't recognise fatigue, you're inviting the body to break down.

You can be the best bodyworker in the world, but if you continue to advocate for poor training practices, those bodies are going to keep breaking down and you're going to support the cultural drift for unhappy horses.

You can be the most ethically minded behaviour trainer, but if you're not shaping behaviours with due regard to posture, you're going to create emotional stress because postural discomfort hurts and pain is inherently stressful.

This is a pendulum that swings in every direction - physically, emotionally, environmentally. There is no magic pill. There is no silver bullet.

It's all of it.

And the onus really is on you. If you own a horse, you are their advocate - you are their backstop, to protect them from even the most well-meaning of people.

And I appreciate this is stressful - but owning horses is a lifestyle choice for you. It's not a lifestyle choice for your horse. There is no choosing for them.

You don't need to have all the answers. You don't need to be the jack of all trades - build a team of people around you who are prepared to grow with you. And who are prepared to help you make the best decisions for your horse.

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I have a couple of offerings to support this - see the comments for more info! ❤️

01/24/2025

Riding preparations continued today for this cutie! 🧡

Address

Verona, WI

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+19206645706

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Sherlock’s first liberty lesson today & he caught on so fast! 🖤 He’s been a super trooper working on the hard stuff, rethinking & integrating with how he’s holding & using his body. This week, it became apparent that the quarter was up for only doing that kind of work & I said, “I hear you, thank you for focusing so hard for so long.” I fully recognize not every horse would have been game to dive right into that & stay in that for as long as he did. We can’t hit stop on that work — we really need that work for awhile yet. But we can add in variety & new challenges & continue to help him develop into who he is meant to be! This is a great place for liberty work to be added in. Mental challenges, without too much physical intensity. Excited to teach his owner his new dance moves soon! 💃

An example of why I don’t totally hate freezing my booty off for them (even though I absolutely do hate the cold). Because moments like this remind me what it’s all for: in the wide open pasture, he chose to share a moment of his morning, with me. That’s a kind of warmth the cold can’t touch. ❤️‍🔥

We can help them to be prepared for life in a human world which involves picking up feet. The obvious reasons: farrier work & picking out their feet. Other reasons: trust building, balance work, stretches, bodywork, learning to yield to pressure, being thoughtful, & the list goes on. I teach them a voice cue, use my energy, intention, touch & wait in case they want to shift their balance as they pick it up. This allows them to have some level of consent & freedom over their body in the question I’m asking of them, or others will ask of them. Be present, be intentional, be patient. It will translate into other aspects of their training as well. ✨

Full-time training goes beyond just riding your horse. Your horse will get hands-on support, met where they’re at each day, a program that can meet their needs not forcing them to fit any particular program. They’ll have access to our team of exceptional professionals such as our nutritionist, farrier, saddle fitter, veterinary team, & bodyworker! Our chore staff is skilled at handling horses of all kinds & knows how important it is to have an eye for details each shift. If you’re ready to listen to your horse, deepen your connection, help them find improved functional movement & posture, more thoughtfulness & curiosity about their job, & overall have a safer, happier, fit equine partner, reach out today for availability. ✨

Grateful for every member of our team that helps each & every horse in training feel their best. If for some reason they’re not feeling their best, our team is packed with incredibly knowledgeable people to lean on & work to get them back to feeling their best! 🫶

Grace has had a few months off of ridden work to work on her physical health & ensure her body is feeling up to training. It’s been paying off with her physically but it has also really invited us to both slow down & connect in the groundwork. Today, I just hopped on after some liberty work & we played with some walk/halt transitions in the roundpen. So fun to feel that depth of trust & connection with each other & realize that the time away from riding the last few months doesn’t mean we’ve regressed in our partnership. If anything, we’re deepening it further. 🫶

Pal is thoughtful but can be quite pushy on the ground when he’s not focused in the work. He’s young & curious but when we had to take a step back in training to let his body do some recovery & rewiring, he got bored & some of our initial month of hard work got a little rusty. I hadn’t done a ton of liberty with him initially but in preparing to get back to saddle prep work next week, I wanted to get him thinking a little bit lighter & more in tune with me without us pulling on each other. This is the beginning of him figuring some of it out. It’s a tool I like to use because not only do they feel like they have a choice & can find the release next to me but neither of us can get in a tug-of-war match either & that soft dance next to me is something I wanted him to find.

Warm, sunny, play day for Grace & Manley today at Indigo Trails Farm ☀️ #adrivingforcehms #adrivingforcehorsemanship #horselessons #groundwork #horsetraining #liberty #humanhorserelationship #relationshipandhorsemanship #compassionatehorsetraining #ponyplaytime #fosterauthenticity #ilovehorses #connection #travelingtrainer #instructor #horses #ponyplayday #learningthroughplay

On my first morning in Florida back in June, I stepped into the round pen for my first lesson. A big gray gelding with a somewhat dopey expression stood at the other end of the lead rope that I was holding onto, waiting for me to organize my mind & body into the exercise Tik had just demonstrated to me. I felt like I had stepped into a foreign country & was speaking a foreign language. I thought that I at least knew how to lead a horse until I stepped into that round pen that day. I spent a lot of time with Cloud in the round pen right off the bat & after many hours spent working together, I started to see a shift in him… perhaps because there was a shift beginning in myself as well. It’s amazing how horses challenge us to think differently & it makes us better in & out of the arena. As the summer went on & as my confidence & comfort in the round pen seemed to grow, the layers started to peel back & I was getting a horse who really started to engage with me. He was playing along with me, a part of the conversation.It soon became an unsaid fact amongst the staff that I would lead him in & out of turnout, more days than not I would groom, tack, & bathe him, if he needed any kind of additional care, I opted to be the one to do most of it, & I would spend undemanding time with him in the stall or sneaking him treats. The gelding that I once coined “boring” (I never think a horse is boring anymore) is far from it. He is goofy, kind, opinionated, sweet, smart, & loves having a human friend. I could tell how he was feeling about what was going on by how he licked my hands, whether or not he came up to me at his stall door, & how he walked to the round pen or his pasture. He taught me the joy, passion, & childlike awe you can experience when you’re fully present & invested time to build a well-rounded relationship with the horse you’re working.He’s the first horse that wasn’t already trained in liberty work that I started doing some liberty work with on my o

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