Over the last few weeks I've been talking about crookedness.

Why it happens. Why it persists. Why standard schooling can actually strengthen the pattern rather than reduce it.

But there's one piece I haven't covered yet.

And it might be the most important one. ✨

Crookedness is a lifelong, whole-body pattern.

We've established that.

The locked short side. The locked long side. The muscle memory that holds it in place. The compensation layers built on top of it.

But here's what makes it even more stubborn than most people realise.

When a horse is weak through the core — when those deep postural muscles along the spine aren't strong, engaged and working — they have even less ability to resist their default crookedness pattern.

The weakness and the crookedness compound each other.

A weak horse defaults into their crooked pattern more deeply, more quickly, and more consistently than a horse with a strong postural foundation.

Because the muscles that would hold them straighter — the multifidus, the deep spinal stabilisers — aren't strong enough to do their job.

So the body takes the path of least resistance.

Every time. 🐎

This is why you can't address crookedness without also addressing core strength.

And why you can't build genuine core strength while ignoring the crookedness.

The two are completely interlinked.

Work on straightness without building strength — and the horse doesn't have the muscular foundation to hold the new pattern.

Build strength without addressing straightness — and you're building strength into the crooked posture. Making the negative pattern stronger, not correcting it.

Both have to be worked together.

Progressively. Systematically. With a clear understanding of what you're building and why. 💪

This is what genuine, lasting improvement looks like.

Not just better days and worse days.

Not just feeling like you're starting from scratch every session.

But a horse that is measurably, consistently stronger and straighter over time.

A horse whose crookedness patterns are genuinely changing — not just temporarily interrupted.

A horse whose core strength is holding them in better posture between sessions, not just during them.

That's the goal.

And it's completely achievable — with the right method behind it. ✨

If you want to truly understand how strength and straightness work together — and have a clear, structured approach to building both with your own horse —

I'm running a free live training this Thursday, 3rd September at 7pm UK time.

"Finally Understand Why Your Horse Is Crooked — And What To Do Next"

One hour on Zoom. Free to attend.

I'll be covering exactly this — the background to crookedness, why weakness makes it worse, and the complete structured approach that addresses both together.

This is the training that changes how you think about your horse's body — and what you do with that understanding.

👉 Save your free spot here: Click to register

I would love to see you there. 🦄