Is your horse 'not quite right'?

There is a definite grey area with horses...in between good/sound/all ok and lame. And the grey area is the 'not quite right' area. And it's where I work a lot, with the posture and movement improvement work that I teach. Many of my training group members find me and ask for my help because their horse is a bit stuck, or they just can't quite get back to ridden work. 

Here's what I see and have experienced...

Horses that have had an injury/some sort of issue, been through the vets and had treatment and whatever is needed from that perspective. 

But then it's like there is a missing piece of the jigsaw between that point and getting back into ridden work. The horse is sound, had their issues treated, but the body still has some blocks or non functional areas. Compensation patterns, natural crookedness, bracing in the back, there can be lots of reasons for this. 

How can we work through this grey area safely? 

First we need to try and work out what our horse is actually struggling with, are they still stiff on one rein, are they still not lifting through the core and back, are they still not really flexing the hocks, are they still not pushing from behind? 

Taking a step back to just observe your horse is an important step to take - you can video your horse, take a slo mo clip, and ask for help if you need it! 

I like to look at the horses body like a bike chain...each little section of the chain has to be functioning, for the whole chain to function...I love a good visual!! 

And then we can make our plans accordingly. 

I help a lot of horse owners to make a specific plan for their horse, to get them back into work/ridden work/whatever the goal is, by working with specific exercises for the horse. I always include core & back strengthening and flexibility work, as well as full body strengthening, and include non ridden work to allow the horse to become more aware of his own body and develop balance and strength for themselves. 

There is obviously a lot more to it that this (!) but you get the general idea. Just ploughing on with ridden work when it's not really working for your horse, isn't fair on the horse, and there are ways to unravel and re-strengthen your horse from the foundation level in their body, in a specific corrective way, that will target the weak and compensating areas of the body, as well as strengthen and protect the injured areas or areas of overuse/concern.

Would you like my help with all of this with your horse? 

As it's Easter weekend and the weather here in the UK is glorious, I'm guessing you will be doing activities with your horse - enjoy!! Spring is definitely here finally!! 

I am opening my training membership this weekend for anyone looking to make some changes with their horse. If you would like to join, you will get access to all of my training including videos of all of the exercises that I use, teach and recommend. A full training system to fully move through the 'grey area' with your horse, by strengthening their core and body, and improving their movement - and it's easier than you might think! 

Plus you get access to my friendly, supportive members group, where I will be supporting you and motivating you, every step of the way - your wins, no matter how small, will be celebrated in the group, as all of the members and myself, have all been where you are! 

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS: Training Membership

I would love to help you to go through the process of improvement with your horse...I have seen it so many times in my members group, once you can change your exercise plan with your horse to include the exercises that really make a difference to how their body functions, that's where the magic happens and you can achieve long lasting improvement.  

QUESTIONS? If you have any questions please send me an email via the Contact page here on the site.