Over the last couple of weeks I've been sharing Azuro's kissing spine story — the diagnosis, the surgery, the rehabilitation, and what the long-term commitment to keeping him well has looked like.

And I've had so many messages from people saying the same thing.

"This is my horse. What do I actually do?"

So this week — something practical. 🦄

Two exercises you can try with your horse this week. No equipment, no arena needed for one of them — and don't underestimate either of them just because they're simple.

Exercise 1 — Backing Up

If you only ever add one exercise to your horse's routine, make it this one.

Backing up is one of those exercises that looks almost too simple to be doing much.

But the impact on your horse's body is anything but simple.

When a horse backs up correctly — stepping cleanly and rhythmically backwards — they have to engage their core, flex through their spine, and shift their weight back over their hindquarters.

For a horse that spends most of their time with the majority of their weight tipped forward — which is every horse, every day — this is genuinely transformative. 💪

For a KS horse specifically, backing up mobilises and flexes the spine in a way that helps create space between the dorsal spinous processes. The very processes that cause kissing spine when they get too close together.

But this isn't just a KS exercise.

Any horse whose back feels tight, stuck, or resistant will benefit from this.

This one works best done in the yard or arena and from the ground — and my recommendation is to weave it into your daily routine rather than treating it as a special session. Daily repetition is where the real magic happens.

The technique matters here more than you might think. Done well, it's transformative. Done incorrectly, it can create confusion rather than clarity — and a horse that braces rather than releases.

Have a go and see what you notice. And if you want the full step-by-step technique — including how to ask correctly, what to look for, and how to progress it over time — it's all inside my In-Hand Exercises Course. ✨

Exercise 2 — The Backward Weight Shift

This one is tiny.

And that's exactly why most people underestimate it.

The backward weight shift is a stable-based exercise where you encourage your horse to rock their weight slightly backwards — without moving their feet.

Just a small shift. Subtle. Almost invisible from the outside.

But underneath? It's working under the radar in the most powerful way. 🐎

Here's why it matters.

All horses carry approximately 60% of their body weight over the forehand. That heavy head and neck tips the balance forward — and over time, that imbalance creates wear, tension, and compensatory patterns throughout the whole body.

The backward weight shift works directly against this.

It loosens and mobilises the thoracic sling — the deep muscular structure in the chest and shoulders that supports the horse's weight between the forelimbs.

It begins to rebalance the horse's natural weight distribution.

And it does it in a way that feels almost effortless for the horse — which means they don't brace against it. 💚

The reason most people don't get the full benefit of this exercise is technique.

It's easy to accidentally ask for something that looks similar to backing up — and a horse that gets confused between the two will brace rather than release, which defeats the purpose entirely.

The subtlety of how you ask is everything.

Which is why I teach it properly inside the Core Exercises Course — so you get the result the exercise is designed to create, not a confused horse wondering what on earth you want! 😄

Have a go and notice what happens. Even a small shift in the right direction tells you the exercise is working.

I remember vividly the period after Azuro's surgery when I was rebuilding his ridden work from scratch.

I was doing a huge amount of in-hand work with him — stable-based exercises, in-hand warm ups before I got on, backing up, weight shifts, lateral work from the ground.

And I remember getting on him after one of those sessions and just thinking — this is a completely different horse.

Lighter in the contact. Softer through his back. Just... easier. More available.

The prep work — including that backward weight shift — had genuinely changed our starting point before I'd even picked up the reins.

That's when I understood what proper in-hand work actually does.

It doesn't just prepare the horse for the session.

It starts building a different horse altogether. ✨

These two exercises are a starting point.

But if you want to go further — if you want to understand how in-hand work as a complete system can transform your horse's posture, symmetry and way of going — that's exactly what my In-Hand Exercises Course gives you.

It's built as a step-by-step progression. Simple to implement from day one. And over time, your horse will be able to work through leg yield, shoulder-in and quarters-in on both reins — all from the ground.

Which sounds ambitious.

But actually it's just what happens when you follow a clear, well-structured programme consistently. 🦄

The impact on your horse's core strength, posture and symmetry from that level of in-hand work is remarkable.

And it all starts with exercises exactly like these.

Currently half price at just £49.50 / $68 — lifetime access.

👉 CLICK HERE for In Hand Exercises Course

And for the backward weight shift — and the complete stable-based routine that underpins everything above:

Core Exercises Course — just £9 / $12 — lifetime access.

👉 CLICK HERE for Core Exercises Course

And as always, if you have any questions, need help deciding which course is right for you and your horse, or want to chat about 1-2-1 support — just get in touch. I'd love to hear from you. 💛