Barefoot Hoof Solutions
#horses
Fonz from Barefoot Hoof Solutions attended my Function posture clinic earlier in the year and yesterday he was discussing the benefits of checking the horse is balanced on the other feet/legs and giving them a moment before picking up their foot. 🥰
✅️No squeezing of the chestnut required
✅️More calm and relaxed
✅️Improved with each trim
If your horse is not offering a leg easily, pulling a leg away, kicking, dropping, fighting, anxious there is a reason ‼️.
Recognising there is a reason even of you are not sure what it is and allowing a little more time, improving your feel, setting the horses posture up for success and giving them a rest throughout can make a huge difference!!🦄
Jelly has been an absolute superstar this weekend giving my 4 year old and 12 year old nieces rides. So careful and gentle - a true gentleman!!💜
I am also super proud of his work, he is getting stronger and trying harder all the time. 🥰
Just over 2 months ago his canter was still struggling and all over the place with his balance and rhythm, it felt like a steam train at times. 🙃
We still have challenges as you will see with a little tail swishing, weaker R hind and the downward transitions are a work in progress but he just loves the bitless bridle and is becoming more responsive, more present and his balance is improving all the time!!. 🤩
My balance is an added challenge and my struggle weighting my R leg which adds to his challenges 🫠
His upward transitions have improved out of sight, he is not disuniting and there are some beautiful moments of canter that are an absolute pleasure to ride🦄
The pre canter Ritter dressage course is also giving me some great exercises to help him with straightness in the trot and activations of his hindlegs. 🥰
The quality of the trot, activation of the hind and freedom and lift through the thoracic sling are some of the areas we are working on for the canter however we are spending a lot more time than we have in the past in the walk specifically practising laterals. 🤗
He gave me the best walk half pass he has ever done today, it was a light bulb moment ✨️
The last few rides I wanted to just keep riding as it was just so enjoyable 💗
ONLlNE Equine Functional Posture Level 1 begins Monday 29th of July.
Here Caitlin explains one of the values of the course in improving her eye and observation skills and hence understanding of horses communication to us!!
https://integratedvettherapeutics.mykajabi.com/store
Mr Crow helping himself to some bedding!!
Ellie-Mays approach to new things. No hesitation, straight into it!! She has been like this since a foal!
Equine Functional Posture Level 2 complete. ✅️
An amazing community, fabulous Q and A sessions and such a pleasure to be a part of people journeys with their horses. 🥰
Looking forward to the next Level 1 beginning on July 29th!!🦄
Amazing Equine Functional Posture Clinic Banyandah Naturally this weekend especially for this guy who had a very healing deep sleep after gentle work on body awareness and balance. 🥰
"The pony that stops and won't go forward"🤔
⚠️Behaviour or Function⚠️
In my opinion there is ALWAYS a reason, we mere humans just have to figure it out!! 🤗
Potential reasons
❌️Saddle fit
❌️Bit comfort
❌️Hoof pain
❌️Body pain or restrictions
😔This little pony's child has been blaming herself, they wondered is he a "naughty pony" or an "unbalanced pony"?
🙃I wish I had a before video
He kept stopping, would only move with excess pressure on the lead rope
Struggled to back up - no ability to lift through his back.
L hind travelling wide.
Limited spinal motion, braced head and neck.
His little body was so very locked up from his jaw to his tail.
🥰This walk is a completely different pony
💓Head and neck stretching out and down
💓Absolutely no requirement to pull to go - he was very willing to offer a walk and a trot!!
💓Huge difference in his ability to back up - able to lift up through his back and coordinate his legs very slowly
🦄The moral of the story is if your horse is stopping, rushing, pushy, struggling with transitions there is a lack of balance‼️
🧐Find the underlying and contributing factors to this.
🌱Become an advocate for your horse and trust they are trying to communicate with you in the best way they know how 🤔
Fabulous 4 days of in hand and riding lessons with Tori Jeffress- Classical Dressage and Liberty Riding.
It was great to see such a variety of lessons from starting horses to working with 2 reins in hand, 1 rein in hand on the long lead, long reining to bridleless riding in a neck ring to traditional riding.🦄
Each lesson there was a lovely progress in the rider and horse. Tori has a lovely way of teaching and relating to biomechanics. 🥰
Jelly recently got a new bitless bridle and he LOVES it (more on that later) so we used that over the 4 days.🐎
We progressed a lot over the days refining our alignement, lift, thoracic sling use, lateral work at the walk, working inhand in the cavesson, with 2 reins on the ground and ridden. 🌱
As usual Jelly was an absolute gem, tried his little heart out even when he was pretty tired (so was I), wanted to be friends with everyone and is just a pleasure 🙏
His R hind (December injury) and R fore are a little tired in this video but he was soft and rhythmic and my body is also improving in its activation, alignment and strength. 💗
Our attempts at shoulder in are getting much better as we are both figuring out how to do it with the neck rope!💕
Jelly and I have had the privilege of having a few lessons with Mel Fleming this week and we have had lovely progression with his lift at the base of the neck and activity of his hind legs without adding speed as well as working on my balance and openess of my pelvis and thighs to allow his back to come up. 🥰
You can see the difference in the R hind when he gets straighter. His R hind is his weak leg and struggles more on the outside of the circle which leads to difficulty for him to let go on the L.rein. unfortunately my R leg is also my weak leg so that also adds to the challenge!🤪
In this video I am very impressed with his hinimb activity as it can be very challenging for him to activate his hind legs. 🦄
As always his management is so important.
On the one day he was a bit cold, I forgot his pre ride feed with his supplements and he was standing in the yard all day he found it very difficult and showed this by needing to stop numerous times. 🙃
When his management is good I.e. he is warm, pre ride feed etc it makes a huge difference ✅️
Most of all I love how much he enjoys riding and how hard he is trying to give me what I am asking for. 💓He stays present, engaged and willing. He is truly such a pleasure to work with. 🦄
What I love is the power of posture and balance and seeing 2 of my Equine Functional Posture course participants riding their calm happy horses that were previously extremely unhappy to be ridden.
The best of all they did it themselves with guidance from the course. They invested in their horses, empowered their knowledge and empowered their horse!!
I could not script this!!! Doing an intro for the level 1 course and I think Ellie is not going to be camera shy!!
Do you want to enhance your postural observation skills and connect to physical assessment of your horse and develop a plan to improve your horses posture and performance?
Last chance to join the Equine Functional Posture course!!
https://integratedvettherapeutics.mykajabi.com/store
Progress of Ellie-May's posture and there was a huge improvement in her balance and a difference in her behaviour, acceptance of the cavesson and with a much more balanced walk and connection to her body after a scapula release move that is learnt in my Equine Functional Posture Course level 2 and listening to her request of a temporal muscle release!!
A few more days to join the Equine Funcitonal Posture Level 1! https://integratedvettherapeutics.mykajabi.com/store
Henry being a hippo this morning and using the dam as a vital reason not to go back in his paddock. Just one more roll!! 🤣
#Equinology
#equinebodywork
#integratedveterinarytherapeutics
Equine Functional Posture Course Level 2 complete 🥰
