27/11/2025
⚖️ Why Correct Work and Core Development Transform Your Horse’s Behavior?
When we talk about a horse misbehaving, we often picture a resistant trot, a horse that won’t bend, or maybe the occasional buck or spook. But here’s something every rider should know:
Most “behavioural problems” are actually physical problems in disguise.
And at the centre of it all?
The horse’s core.
🐴 The Core: The Engine of Balance, Power & Posture
A horse’s core is not just the belly muscles. It includes:
💪🏻 The abdominal sling
💪🏻 The deep spinal stabilisers
💪🏻 The muscles of the pelvis and thoracic sling
💪🏻 The hindquarter stabilisers
When these systems are weak or underdeveloped, the horse simply cannot carry themselves comfortably — let alone carry a rider.
A horse with a weak core might:
▪️ Rush downhill
▪️ Fall in on circles
▪️ Be stiff to one rein
▪️ Struggle to lift the back
▪️ Trip or feel “lazy”
▪️ Resist transitions
▪️ Hollow, brace, or scoot forward
These aren’t signs of a naughty horse.
They’re signs of a horse trying to avoid discomfort.
🔍 Why Correct Work Matters (and Why “Just Riding” Is Not Enough)
Horses don’t naturally engage their core — they’re built to move horizontally, not vertically like we ask under saddle. Rising trot, quick warmups, or hacking alone won’t develop the correct muscles.
Correct work is intentional work designed to:
➡️ Activate the thoracic sling
➡️ Lift the ribcage
➡️ Engage the abdominal wall
➡️ Bring the hind legs under the body
➡️ Support the spine
➡️ Strengthen the SI and lumbosacral area
When a horse develops these systems properly, everything changes:
☑️ Their stride lengthens
☑️ Their transitions become seamless
☑️ Their behaviour becomes calmer
☑️ Their ability to carry weight improves
☑️ Their confidence grows
Correct work isn’t about making them “look pretty.”
It’s about making them comfortable.
⚠️ Behaviour Is Often the First Red Flag
A horse that’s weak, sore, or imbalanced will:
▪️Grab a rein
▪️Be one-sided
▪️Be girthy
▪️Refuse to bend
▪️Avoid contact
▪️Rush fences
▪️Spook more easily
▪️Feel unpredictable
▪️Switch behind or bunny-hop over jumps
▪️Buck
Why?
Because without a strong core and correct posture, the body compensates — and compensation always leads to tension, resistance, and anxiety.
Correct biomechanics = calmer behaviour.
Incorrect biomechanics = stress, pain, and confusion.
🌱 When We Improve the Body, We Improve the Mind
This is the heart of correct training.
When the horse feels balanced and strong:
☑️ Their nervous system settles
☑️ Their reactions soften
☑️ Their confidence increases
☑️ They become more willing
☑️ Their work ethic improves
A balanced horse feels safe.
And a safe-feeling horse behaves better.
💡 What Does Correct Core Work Actually Look Like?
Not gadgets.
Not forcing a “headset” or "neck bend."
Not quick fixes.
Correct work includes:
➡️ Lateral work (leg yields, shoulder-in, haunches-in)
➡️ Pole work that encourages lifting through the back
➡️ Transitions that promote engagement, not speed
➡️ Long & low to stretch the topline
➡️ Raised poles for thoracic sling activation
➡️ Hill work for natural hind-end development
➡️ Straightness training to balance both reins
➡️ Correct canter work to build the lumbosacral bridge
These exercises create a horse that moves well, which means a horse that feels well.
🤝 As Riders, We Shape Our Horse’s Physical and Mental State
Good work builds good bodies.
Good bodies create good behaviour.
Correct training is the most powerful, long-term behaviour improver you could ever invest in — far more than a stronger bit, new saddle pad, or stricter discipline.
Your horse isn’t trying to be difficult.
They’re trying to communicate.
When we strengthen their core, support their posture, and train with purpose, we give them the ability to do what we’re asking without discomfort, confusion, or worry.
❤️ A Strong Body Creates a Happier Horse
If we want calm, confident, rideable horses…
We must build them from the inside out.
Correct work isn’t just training —
⚡it’s welfare.
⚡It’s partnership.
⚡It’s the foundation of a sound mind and a sound body.
🐴 Reign of Honour
