Category Archives: riding

Getting a Horse

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I entitled this “Getting a Horse” because horses come to us through different channels, not always through purchase or adoption. Whatever avenue they come through, getting a horse should be a thoughtful endeavor. There is no right way to do this, though It might be helpful to have a few guidelines, even if they get flung to the winds!

There are many checklists on what to look for when looking for a new horse, and they usually cite very sensible considerations. But many people have an emotional draw to a particular horse that doesn’t have much to do with common sense, but more to do with a sixth sense.

For years, I bought horses that could do what I was doing, endurance riding, though the first one was chosen because I just fell in love with her. I knew her and had been riding her for a year. Then we got into endurance riding. Even though she wasn’t the most desirable candidate for that sport (she tripped) she completed almost 800 competition miles with me. I went looking for endurance prospects after that, and I fell in love with them too. Which means, it’s possible to fall in love with a horse that can partner with you in what you enjoy doing.

There are plenty of stories of horses overcoming physical and mental challenges in sports or as pleasure horses. I hear people say, I bought this horse because she was a palomino, I fell in love with this horse right away, I felt sorry for this horse, I thought I could give this horse a better life. Or, I just lost my horse and I’m looking for one different from him or just like him. And then sometimes a horse just saunters into your life and that’s it – an unexpected foal, a neighbor can’t take their horse with them….

All of these are valid reasons as long as you are willing to put in the time and energy on your passion.

And, as the new owner, you need to be prepared for what may come down the road. If you want a horse just to love, and you don’t mind that the horse is on and off lame, or you’re a bodyworker or other therapist and you feel you can make a difference, then that will probably be a good match.

If you want to do a fast or challenging sport, then this wouldn’t be the best horse for you.

The more clear you are about what you’re looking for, the more successful you will be. When I hear, I don’t care what age or what the horse looks like, or what breed, it’s more difficult to make a good choice. Will you ultimately get frustrated if your horse can’t do what you dream of doing?

Eventually they all will grow old and not be able to join you on your wild adventures, but maybe you want them to start out in the adventure category, even if it’s just for a simple ride out from the barn.

Shelters are full of horses that are adopted into what they think are forever homes, only to be returned because they don’t measure up.  Many shelters have a good sense of who is going to be a good owner for their horses. Yet, new owners have high expectations and not all know how to give the animal the time it takes to adjust, and to get to know their new horse. Some horses just go with the flow and fit in easily. And others need time to adjust. They may not like something about their life.

Some horses have been rescued from some unimaginable neglect or cruelty. They don’t necessarily know how to behave around other horses or can be afraid of strangers.  For you the new owner, it’s like taking on a foster child. Some horses fit in and are eternally grateful. A big part of their healing can come from a new home with all they need, and the space to figure out where they are, the other horses and animals in their yard, the different sights and smells.

For many people, the objective of getting the rescue is they are very affordable, the vetting and assessment has already been done, and hopefully, someone has determined the riding level needed for that horse. Because these organizations rely largely on volunteers whom they train from the ground up, plus paid vets and farriers, the horses can have good contact with humans. There are many success stories with these organizations, which is wonderful, but there are many horses returned because they don’t fit the new owners’ vision or fit in with existing pasture mates.

Horses coming from auctions or kill pens can present other problems that are not in their descriptions.

My checklist includes some other considerations:

  • Have someone knowledgeable check their conformation. Conformation is important because it doesn’t make sense to expect a horse to achieve certain goals with bad conformation, although some horses have been known to overcome poor conformation. Still, the body doesn’t lie. Weak pasterns or hindquarters, or a swayback can be painful for a horse and make riding unpleasant for them.
  • Have a farrier, preferably your own, check the horse’s feet.
  • Have your vet check your horse’s teeth, to identify age as well as condition.
  • If you work with a horse trainer or bodyworker, their opinions could  be helpful.
  • Check to see how your horse rolls – does he or she get up and down easily?
  • Get a lameness exam.
  • Feel along the spine to see if the horse has any soreness, or get a bodyworker to assess that and the entire body that way.
  • Note the horse’s demeanor – is he or she curious or shut down? A number of horses are shut down and come from all walks of life – high performance, low performance, rescues, horses who have been alone for a long time.
  • Find out the horse’s social habits and preferences – does this horse get along with other horses, does he eat all the food when in a group, is he particularly studdy with mares, etc.?
  • Size – is the horse the right size for your body and physical capabilities?
  • Do you have the necessary riding and/or horsemanship skills for the horse?
  • Observe coat, posture, facial expression, eyes, demeanor, leg straightness and stance.
  • How does the horse make you feel?
  • Do you already know the horse?
  • How does the horse connect with you?
  • Do you feel you are making this decision with a clear heart?

This last one is perhaps most important, because you need the life force for some of the things that may come up in your new journey.

Once you’ve checked out all these things or those that are pertinent, in addition to the usual health checkups, take stock of your own capabilities and expectations. Are these problems I can solve or do they feel like I’m on overwhelm?

What kind of outside help can I get, or do I need, to support this horse and myself?

It’s much easier to make a good decision before you bring your new horse home. Years ago, someone I knew bought a coon-footed horse with possible ringbone from a reputable breeder. It was immediately obvious to me that the horse would have problems with soundness throughout its life, even though at the onset, he was sound. The new owner was madly in love with this horse and kept him throughout his life, spent thousands of dollars which seem irrelevant when you want to make your horse well, and nursed him through one disappointing veterinary catastrophe after another.

This horse was fortunate to end up with such an owner, as many people would send the horse on to an uncertain future.

Because horses aren’t cheap to keep, this can often end someone’s aspiration of going on to do great things in a particular sport. Or it can be life changing in other ways: send the owner off in an exploration of how to help their horse get better and learn a lot in the process.

Another example is a rescue mare who is beautifully built and very pretty, but has so much pain in her body she doesn’t enjoy riding. She has been adopted out a few times and comes back because she charges at her handler in the round pen and won’t stand for mounting. This mare could have an ulcer, musculoskeletal or other physical problems making her really unhappy. Can this pain be reduced to a manageable level so her behavioral problems can diminish and she can enjoy life?

There is a flow to all of this and if you get into the flow and recognize what your heart’s desire is and what you want to and can do, then it will probably work out okay. There are more people these days who want a horse to care for, to provide something special for, than ever before. There are those with good skills who realize they can help a certain horse flourish, so they take on that horse, rather than go buy one that already has training.

The journey you embark on will have its own qualities and shape you and your new horse!  In every horse, there is a gem waiting to be burnished. Some horses from the worst beginnings can become your best life partners, and make you forever glad you took the chance on them.

The Horse Who Stopped Eating

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Horse health is such a broad topic, it cannot be limited to what we do in terms of providing hands-on bodywork, or diet or exercise. It also includes emotional, psychological and psychic health, activities to create communication and increase curiosity  and the way we ride.

In February, I conducted a Q&A session where one of the questions was about a horse who had stopped eating, and discussing what to do to get the horse eating again. The practitioner with the issue said the horse had just lost his owner and regular stablemates due to death. He had been moved to a new barn with new horses and people.

We were dealing with more than simple refusal to eat, though that can become complex in itself. We were dealing with a grief process. The answer to the question – what to do about a horse who stopped eating – took on another dimension, as the horse would need more emotional and psychic support in addition to basic dietary needs and bodywork to get the gut functioning properly.

The horse needed a bridge to his new life, where there are very good things available. He just can’t reach for them right now. A horse in this state can go unnoticed in traditional circumstances where people will focus on the lack of appetite but not think about or know how to address the grief.

What does this horse need? I ask myself.  He may shun connection, though bodywork, a simple laying on of hands, could be very helpful and give valuable information too. Grief makes the body tight and dry, flaky, unresponsive. To loosen up those areas – particularly around the heart – would help the horse feel better in himself, and lo and behold, he may eat.

Time spent just being with the horse can be invaluable. Maybe he can’t think of anything he wants to do, but you can do things for him. Show him things, talk to him, walk with him.

When we as humans are going through a grieving process, it’s sometimes hard to put one foot in front of the other. It’s hard to talk to others. Imagine what that’s like for the horse. He doesn’t even have the distractions of bills that need paying or job concerns. If he has been left alone with no companions, it can be even more devastating.

It’s really up to us to set the tone as the horse is not very resourced at this time. If the owner is also grieving, he or she can be honest about the sadness felt, but be careful to remain soft and in memory mode of the lost loved one.

Just being, one of the hardest things for us to do, is probably the best thing you can do. Some horses really enjoy you talking to them, keeping up a conversation, perhaps recounting stories about the departed ones, if you knew the family. Some just want you there, grooming, taking care and talking about their specialness perhaps, bring them back into their bodies. Setting up situations to engage a horse’s curiosity, providing comfort, will all help that horse come around. Walks together are immensely helpful, especially if there are other animals in the neighborhood to visit.

Think in terms of what we all are as mammals – gut, brain, heart, and not necessarily in that order. There are more nerve cells in the gut than anywhere other than the brain. The nerve cells of the gut are part of the enteric nervous system, a separate nervous system that sends messages to the brain. It plays an important role in the emotional health in all of us.

Make sure the horse has companions. Not all horses grieve the same way. Some are sad but they are more able to go through their days as they have a more developed understanding of their stablemate or owners’ passing. That understanding can be supportive to the grieving horse.

This is why we look further than digestion and learn the rest of the story, or as much as we can. Sometimes the horse not eating can be a simple dietary change and sometimes it requires more research. Your ability to just be and bring out the presence in the horse will be key.

We are accustomed to extending condolences to bereaved human families. Grief is part of life, not a postscript, tacked on as “oh by the way, this person or horse lost his family.” It is the beginning, the jumping off place, for all else to happen going forward. It may feel that nothing is happening or changing for awhile, but gradually it will.

No Pain – Lots of Gain!

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We hear a lot about fear-based horse training. We don’t hear much about how bodywork can raise a horse’s fear threshold if done without regard to his/her feelings.

It’s very common for horses to be afraid of bodywork, especially if they have received fear-based training or a number of unpleasant veterinary procedures. Of course, veterinary procedures and surgeries are often non-negotiable. When I have a procedure personally, I can only imagine what that feels like to the horse who doesn’t understand why it’s being done to him or her.

The number of horses who have huge built in resistance is astronomical, and also some of those horses have shut down emotionally to be able to tolerate what has been done to them. Just look at the overflowing horse shelters. A huge number of these horses have arrived at the shelter abused, malnourished and neglected. Many come in afraid of the farrier, the vet, being caught, needles, lifting their hooves, being ridden – the list is endless. They may be in a lot of pain as well. They have an elaborate network of resistances holding them together, yet they are fragile, reactive or shut down, stuck in their flight/fright/freeze mode. In order to receive basic veterinary and farrier care, some may need to be sedated.

The inquiry phase of bodywork.

If you come to one of those horses with intrusive bodywork techniques, and that horse isn’t happy to see you, don’t take it personally. I see many of these horses who are overly cautious about what I might do to them. How do I work with them, relax them? First of all, I work on being as unthreatening as I possibly can be. And I don’t mean acting like I’m unthreatening, I mean really being unthreatening. I check in with myself – where are my resistances? Where might a horse pick up something that makes them nervous? I make sure I’m centered, that I’m not distracted, that I am just being. I have had a lot of practice doing this, but I think it’s practice worth investing in. Just be, chat with the horse a little. Lay your hand in front of the withers and talk softly. You may need to touch sore spots just to get information, but that part can wait until the horse is more relaxed.

As horse people, we can make countless decisions for our horses. One decision we can make is to hire only people who will treat our horse kindly. Of course, we need to have vets doing things that are unpleasant, as those procedures are designed to save lives. Vets are fundamentally kind, in my opinion. They are not the subject of this article.

If your horse is continually miserable or reactive during a visit from any practitioner, it may be worthwhile to re-evaluate that professional relationship.

If it takes me half a session to get a horse relaxed enough to accept and absorb the work I’m doing, I want to look at the whole picture. Is the horse in a lot of pain? What is the horse’s trauma history? Who else works with this horse and how?

Some horses have received so much abuse that they need a lot of work emotionally and psychically. They may be in their forever home, but their trauma is very deep rooted and challenging to change. Hopefully, owners will invest in this rehabilitative process. Some horses may be enduring ongoing veterinary treatments that are stressing them out.

I worked consistently with a horse who would get better after the session but the next week, would be angry and upset again. I learned later that she was being abused by a trainer in the time in between. It is similar  to when a child is being continually abused in the home, and gets better with various programs offered at school. But the child can’t move forward in development and remains in a holding pattern because the parental abuse brings the child right back to the origin of the problem, reinforcing it as other positive influences are trying to heal it. This is the agony of all child protective services as well.

I cannot move forward with the healing work if the animal is going to go back into the abusive situation.

Sometimes I find that the owner isn’t aware of what other professionals are doing with their horses.

Finding the right professionals requires moving out of our comfort zone sometimes, where we are not expecting pain to be part of the healing process unless it is a veterinary procedure. Humans are accustomed to expecting pain – even exercise programs are designed around the “no pain – no gain” principle. When bodybuilders come for a human bodywork session, very often they want to push against me with brute force when I ask for an isometric exercise. I will then ask them to just “think it.” This can be a new concept to those who are accustomed to leaving the gym like limp noodles.

There is a time and place for everything. The work at the gym is exercise. I break it down this way – bodywork, stretching and then exercise. The bodywork should prepare or rehabilitate the body without expecting anything of it and allow it to self-correct. The stretching keeps muscles and fascia supple so the body doesn’t seize up when it gets to the exercise part. The exercise keeps the body moving, encourages circulation and therefore nourishes the blood supply and all the organs, soft tissue and structure. It’s best to have all three, but if the body is injured and can’t exercise, then the other two must be employed before we can expect more from the body. We must give the body the right information to set it on its path for healing.

If the bodywork is too vigorous and sets the individual back, then it will take days to recover from it. Many people don’t know if the bodywork their animal is receiving is doing any good, but they keep paying for it because others at the barn are using the same person. It’s a routine, sort of like getting the teeth floated, vaccinations or using the same trainer. In their minds, if they continue to do it, they are doing a good thing for their horse. Or there is peer pressure and they may be afraid to change. Important information about healthy options needs to be made available.

Bodywork that causes beings to go into recoil and not want to engage is not allowing the body to find its own self-corrective response. Why is this important? Because when we engage the self-corrective response, ask the body which way it likes to go, what’s its preference, it comes forward and there is life and change in its response. Otherwise, the body is not a participant. It’s plain and simple. The body is being “done to” rather than engaged with.

A lot of people think of bodywork as a “spa” treatment only, unaware of the vast therapeutic benefits of a good session. A session should encompass mental and spirit well-being as well as deep musculoskeletal, fascia and visceral. I say “spirit” well-being instead of spiritual because I don’t mean it to be a religious experience, I mean that we are working with the very unique, individual spirit of the animal, on a level it can absorb and embrace.

Fortunately, awareness of animals’ voices is increasing. There are fewer people thumping on horses without regard to how they are receiving therapeutic work and more people eager to take the time to really be with the horse for however short time they have to make a difference. Without burning bridges, it’s up to us to build a team of worthwhile professionals who reflect the goals we have for our equines.

What changes should you look for in your horse during or after a bodywork session?

Certified Equine Body Balance Practitioner Kelly Reed works intuitively and gently to achieve full relaxation and engagement.

• In most cases, the horse should have better flexibility after the session, the tissue moving under the skin fluidly, topline relaxed.
• The limbs and joints should move better, and in cases of lameness, the horse should stride better if not be free of signs of lameness. These are individual cases.
• The horse should have improved respiration.
• Any horse should have a softer or brighter look in his/her eye and be less worried, if he/she was a worried one before. The horse should be more engaged.
• A horse who is immobile due to stall rest or laminitis will have some tissue changes and perhaps improvement in small movement.
• Organic changes will also result in relaxation, dropping of tension, better overall movement; in some cases, better digestion, greater energy.

Rehabbing and Getting Ready for Spring

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Years ago, when I was riding endurance, many rider/horse teams would head to El Paso during the winter months to ride. Horses had not had much riding time in the colder climates so one had to be careful as they traveled in the deep desert sand. Often the injuries that went unnoticed from the winter riding would appear in the spring.

Horses not working can also have injuries during the spring. Perhaps over the winter the horse has had a pasture injury or slipped in the mud, or been started back to work too vigorously.

In the wild it is said that horses will travel about 20-25 miles per day, seeking forage and water. It’s hard for us to duplicate that for the domestic horse unless we have a very large pasture. Even so, domestic horses are provided with food and water, so they may have space but not the motivation of a wild horse. In the Southwest U.S., while we have a lot of open land, very little of that space is large pasture for horses. Mostly they live in dirt lots or stalls.

It’s important to choose a regimen that will work well for the horse you’re working with, taking into account his/her abilities and the amount of time off the horse has had. Since I work with rehabilitating horses, I am gauging what they are physically and emotionally capable of doing and choosing activities accordingly.

The exercise of being able to move around freely is different than the measured, focused exercise we ask of a horse in daily work. Both are very important.

Here are some tips:

Walking on different types of terrain for horses who can manage it is vital.

Evaluate that the horse is okay with the level of movement we are asking of them. I recommend supporting them with bodywork where needed. If they have trouble lifting their legs or have sore feet, we begin with walks on soft flat ground, then add thin ground poles as they get stronger. We can also use a row of traffic cones and weave in and out of them.

The other day I was working with a non-ridden mare who has been really fussy about being touched. I know she has arthritis and is sometimes uncomfortable in her body. I tried some Ortho-Bionomy “post-techniques” with her – techniques where I engage her in an activity that also helps her posture and loosening her spine. She began to move with more purpose. Then we walked and found an area with railroad ties for her to step over. She became very animated and enjoyed the whole idea of stepping over something in a rhythmic fashion. I was able to touch and work with her everywhere I needed to in this session because of this approach.

I retired my current senior Patches at age 23 from riding, as he showed he wasn’t

comfortable being ridden anymore. He’s now 26. He enjoys walks and arena activities. He is also teaching our young mare Red to be more curious than she already is. I think this is an excellent way for him to spend his golden years.

The types of exercises and techniques I use with him are useful for all aged horses but especially those with arthritis, in rehab or even young horses starting out. You don’t need a bunch of expensive machines or a swimming pool to do this, though of course those items would be nice. All you really need is a nice area to take walks, and a space to set up some cones and ground poles. A big inflatable ball interests some horses as well. Patches enjoys pushing plastic barrels around.

It’s important to remember that a little bit goes a long way. These are not “strength exercises.” These are “toning” and “stretching exercises” that support the natural rhythm and movement of the body. The horse gains strength from them without the lifting weights approach. If the stretching leads to more aerobic and anaerobic activities naturally, without strain or injury, then it will be the right way to go for that animal.

In rehab, sometimes there is a great move forward, then a few steps backward, sometimes a plateau, just like when we humans are recovering from an injury. It’s impossible to keep pushing forward at one steady pace when the body is changing, readjusting, becoming stronger in some areas more quickly while other areas may lag behind or may appear as not on board with the program.

For horses getting back to work after a lay-off or hard winter, ride at the walk and gradually move up to a trot or canter. Lunging is also useful and can show you if the horse has any unevenness of stride that you need to be aware of for ridden work.

Ground poles and cones also lighten up arena work for these horses and allow some variety.

When working with a young performance gelding lately, while he has been ridden and cross-trained all winter, still, the shifting cold-to-warm weather ups and downs can cause muscles to tighten after his workouts. Since he’s very supple otherwise, he doesn’t need the slow spring start but rather, bodywork to maintain suppleness as he continues to train and meet new challenges.

An obstacle course is another fun thing to do with horses at all levels. You can take each horse through it, tailoring the obstacles to their individual abilities.

Liberty work is excellent for engaging with horses so they can be exercised without tack and build a stronger bond.

Above all, provide variety.  Some horses require more variety than others.

A horse who comes to the gate with anticipation is a lot more fun than one who runs away and doesn’t want to be caught. I want to see that cute face looking at me with curiosity, “Hi, so what are we doing today?”

 

Horses Can Have Scoliosis Too

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One of the pain areas that is very common in horses is the spine. And one of the most common things that people want to do is begin an exercise regimen for the equine with back pain.

Generally, back pain affects the entire body. If you have ever experienced back pain, it can have a debilitating affect on your activity, from walking to sitting, standing and even lying down. If someone wants to make you do exercises if you’re in excruciating pain, that can be the worst thing for you.

And, people are not the only ones who can have scoliosis, or, a condition where the spine is curved sideways. The horse can also have a kissing spine, sciatica, hunter’s bump, and many other conditions.

Looking down the spine to the tail – a mare with scoliosis.

Unfortunately, horses are not often in the position to say no to what we prescribe for them. They will resist in other ways – refusal to move, bucking, rearing, biting, which also may hurt them. But their intention is to get you to stop what you’re doing, or making them do.

At this point in the process, if I come to work with a horse with back pain, I want all exercises stopped until we can evaluate what is going on. I will do a full evaluation of the spine and legs, shoulders and ribcage, to see what parts of the body are being influenced. One area of the spine can be demonstrating, either visually or through palpation, a pain area, while another area of the spine is less mobile and can be the primary culprit. We just don’t know until we check it out.

Next, once the horse is moving more fluidly, which may take one to five or so sessions, always depending upon the degree of severity which doesn’t always reveal itself immediately, we can add some very simple exercises that are called in Ortho-Bionomy, “post-techniques,” to strengthen the spine and extremities while the horse is receiving bodywork.

Working with back pain is not a one-shot fix. It took awhile for the condition to develop, unless it’s an acute injury. Usually if the spine is pushed into what we may perceive as its “right” position by an assertive modality, it will relax back into the posture that it knows well. When my mother used to push my shoulders back because she didn’t like my hunched posture, it didn’t make it easier for me to keep my shoulders back. And what she didn’t know was, shoulders jammed back wasn’t really a healthy posture. Posture needed to come from within, not be forced from without. I needed to learn how to breathe more fully, and open up my sternum and ribcage, and get to know my body.

Side view of horse with lordosis, dropped thoracics ( swayback ).

If we work with what is, where the spine is at the moment of contact, and support that, it will feel “met” and be able to make more lasting changes. Regular maintenance is vital in order to maintain the spine and remind it of what felt good, remind it that it has its own intelligence and eventually, once the big pain is not so present, it can even self-correct. After that self-correction phase, the bodywork sessions can go deeper, address layers  that are possibly causing the more obvious problems to keep reoccurring.

Top view of the same horse shown with lordosis (swayback) above.

The types of treatments that are imposed from the outside such as injections and surgeries are expensive and may work to alleviate the problem immediately, but they do nothing to support the spine and extremities from within. The owner is often happy because they have done what was prescribed and have high hopes for a positive outcome.  And sometimes the treatment is useful for interrupting a chronic pain cycle. Owners also may be able to ride their horse for awhile which makes them happy, because having a horse standing around not able to participate in the season’s activities makes riders crazy.

Owners may opt to do the injections as well as do the bodywork, which can be useful, because then the body is being met as well as getting the pain addressed immediately.

Then the business of the exercises – not all exercises that are commonly recommended are going to be a good fit for every horse.

  • Lunging, for example, can exacerbate a fracture if you don’t know the horse has one. Trying to lunge a horse who is in too much pain to move on a circle is not a good idea.
  • Riding on a twenty-meter circle is not a good idea if the horse has trouble disengaging his hinds and has a lot of pelvic or sacral pain.
  • The round pen may not be good for the same reasons – any lameness on any leg or limb.
  • Going over obstacles may be too much for some horses.

If I don’t have a diagnosis, I will walk straight lines with a horse where he’s comfortable doing so. I may add ground poles at ground level once I feel he/she can lift legs comfortably.

In humans, the problem with spinal surgeries is that you may repair one part of the spine, but it will weaken the entire spinal chain and chances are, you will have problems with another part of your spine later on. If you can avoid surgeries, do so and opt for bodywork, physical therapy or what works for you. If you have no other choice but surgery, then of course, go for it.

With horses, the same is true. The active life of the horse will decrease with age anyway, so owners may think if I do this surgery today then I can ride for x number of years before the repercussions come, or maybe they don’t even know there are repercussions in the rest of the spine. It’s definitely a personal decision.

I have worked with many working horses on their back pain and been very successful restoring them to varying levels of their work life with rest, consistent techniques and then the post-technique exercises. The fascia must be able to made more flexible so that it can support the structure. And fascia doesn’t just enclose muscles, it is the supporting envelope for all other systems except the digestive and respiratory systems.

It takes a commitment on the part of the owner, and I believe most owners are very committed to wanting the best for their horses. It’s hard to figure out what the “best” is sometimes, as there are so many options.

Owners can also learn a number of very powerful, gentle techniques to support their horses, which ultimately empowers them to not need as many therapeutic visits.

Horses also appreciate the relationship aspect of bodywork. They are used to being “done to,” as you may feel when you’ve had to have a number of invasive medical procedures done. They have shoes nailed on (in some cases), dewormers and medicines applied, injections and procedures done where needed. Having someone work on them just for them, listening to them, can make an enormous difference in the way they feel about their relationship with their humans.

As an owner and bodyworker, I don’t always know what’s best. But I do know that maintaining equines with bodywork gives them a big headstart, supports the system before and after injury, makes them less injury prone over all (notwithstanding poor riding, weight, saddle fit and overriding).

The less invasive and the more relational we can be with horse care, the better for our animals’ health, longevity and well being, and also for our pocketbooks.

A two-day weekend course related to this topic will be offered in Santa Fe, New Mexico May 20-21st, 2023 entitled Introduction to the Equine Spine.

Introduction to the Equine Spine | 2-Day LIVE Workshop | May 20-21, 2023 | Santa Fe, New Mexico – Susan Smith. A framework for healing—horse and human (susansmithsantafe.com)

 

A Message for the New Year

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Jazzie and Red together.

In October we lost my mare Jazzie, who was just shy of her 19th birthday. It has been emotionally tough to live without her huge presence in our lives. She is irreplaceable, and yet I draw some comfort knowing she is watching over us and will continue to be a powerful influence.

I adopted a young grade Arabian mare, whom I named Red (or she named herself), four years old. She came from a wonderful rehab and rescue center in Santa Fe, which provided a loving respite from previous traumatic  experiences.

Red isn’t a replacement, she is her own horse. She is young and curious about everything, and especially her interactions with humans and her training. She loves her training. What I’m seeing in her is that everything is an adventure. While her first years were fraught with uncertainty, fear and mistreatment, when she didn’t want anyone to catch or touch her, she has now landed somewhere where everyone listens to her and she wants to listen.

The loss of Jazzie and the introduction of Red are changing my teaching. I relied so heavily on Jazzie’s intelligence in terms of teaching; her sixth sense as far as knowing what a student needed to know, or even what was needed in a teaching video. Now I seek to find out what innate intelligence is available in the new herd. I come into awareness of their changing relationships, and how they relied on each other for certain strengths and roles. They have reorganized since Jazzie’s passing. They make it work.

The new configuration.

This experience with Red is also showing me the interface between training and bodywork. I can see that when Red doesn’t respond to something I want her to do, it has been when she has felt unable to do it. She has either frozen in place or felt her body imbalance stick her somewhere that makes it impossible to turn or lower her head, or turn to the right.

It has been a learning process for me, asking questions, where is she stuck, where is the brace in her body? And then going in and softening, loosening, however that looks. Some days have been all about that, softening, finding the connection in the body so it could ease its defensive posture. How many defensive postures could a young mare hold?

Red has come to the place where she can position her body where she wants me to work. This is something I love to see in horses I work with, as it demonstrates a recognition of what I can offer and their connection to it, at the same time, recognizing that they can use the stimulus given and self-correct.

Primarily with everything we’re doing, it takes the time it takes. If the resistance isn’t removed then there is nowhere to go, there is no pushing through it to the other side. If there is no physical resistance there may sometimes be emotional resistance because an avoidance habit was formed in the past or she was taught something that wasn’t useful. I need to manage my energy so as not fall into Red’s stuff, ask in the right way, to remind her of what she is capable of.

This is not a horse that you would put the traditional “30 days” on and then think all was good to go. Probably that doesn’t work for 99% of the horses out there, but given economics and the way people perceive training and horses, it’s a norm, though not a very sustainable one.

I’m seeing more bridges between bodywork and training. We work with the nervous system in each of these practices, if we do it right. Where the horse is excitable (flight/fright), we calm it. Where it is too sluggish (rest/relaxation), we enliven it.  With good work on the nervous system, a horse can usually self-regulate and not immediately go into high alert and react over everything.

I have been fortunate enough to have a few “horses of a lifetime,” not just one. Each one has different gifts and teaches me something new. When they feel comfortable in their home, they feel heard and seen, then they will show their gifts. Many horses go through life without showing their true gifts to people, because there are many people who won’t see the gifts even if hit in the face with them. Horses don’t “throw pearls before swine,” as the saying goes. Some of mine have been horses of a lifetime in spite of me and my agendas at the time. I listen better now. I’m not so driven.

What is the purpose of this message, you might ask? Is it about the new horse, mourning the loss of a deceased horse, training or bodywork?

It’s about everything. It’s about the changes that we make to accommodate the new, while mourning the loss of the old. It’s about the evolution of body and training, and how training is absorbed and perceived by each individual being.

I’m reminded of how Jazzie would raised her leg and made sure a student was holding it correctly and compressing into the perfect place that would initiate change for her. I will remember how she positioned herself so that the student or I would get the hint of where to work next. And her incredible intuition with bodywork in the saddle comes to me each time I climb in the saddle, creating a valuable change for both horse and rider.

Jazzie was very good at what she did; she was patient and impatient simultaneously, and perhaps so because on some level, she knew she didn’t have a long time on this earth. Humans needed to get it right quickly. Such a well-adjusted, sensible mare was valuable for those who were less well-adjusted and sensible and pure joy for everyone else.

I work with performance horses, race horses, horses in training, geriatric horses, injured horses, traumatized horses, pregnant mares and newborn foals, horses who are getting ready to pass from this world and those passed.  I work with the people who love them. They are all on different paths, at their own tempos.

With the dawning of the new year, I feel a shift in the work I do. I may work with deepening the links between people and horses, or bodywork as a more integral support for training. Very often what isn’t working for a horse isn’t working for the people either.

My wish is that you will deepen your experience in 2023, either on your own, in practice, with or without horses, or in classes. Whatever moves you. This quiet, cold time of winter (and not for those in the southern hemisphere, of course!) is open to introspection and weaving together a new beginning, not a replacement for what was, but a lengthening of “being” into the coming months.

Horses Take the World Stage

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The Tokyo Olympics 2021 pentathlon event, which involves participants who are proficient in fencing, freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting and cross-country running, resulted in mishaps and angry, abusive people at the equestrian segment. Why is that?

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The course, up to 1.20 m, flooded the equine and other media, and some Olympic medalists say that the reason the horses balked at jumps, reared, and dumped their riders in the competition was because they only had 20 minutes to “get to know” their riders before performing. These are horses that are well schooled, provided especially for this event and riders select horses from a random draw. The people riding are also not necessarily good riders – one article said that some don’t even know how to do a rising trot! They may be excellent at swimming, fencing, pistol shooting, but not at the riding part, which would then indicate that they can’t manage a horse well under normal circumstances but particularly when it goes into stress mode.

The whole event is stressful, let’s face it. That horses can and do perform under such conditions is quite phenomenal.

Horses don’t think as humans do. The coach who punched a horse and instructed her rider to whip the horse was obviously completely out of line, pulled along by anger and frustration. While the horse napped, the rider was seen hitting and kicking the horse. As he neared the fence, the coach leaned over and struck him with her fist. The horse wasn’t doing well physically to begin with or he wouldn’t have been trying to sleep.

Many complained about horses’ performance overall. Other horses resisted the jumps too. But the horse is always right. So whatever was going on here started with the humans and their lack of understanding and concern for the horses’ needs.

Basically the absence of a relationship built with the horse over a longer period of time, plus disregard for the horse and rider’s mental well being, contributed to the breakdown in the first place. Physical violence added to that created chaos, and that chaos rippled through the horsie-verse like a bolt of lightning. Shared consciousness. We’re outta here. The horses bonded in a universally panicked response. Some held their ground and did okay. But too many horses who weren’t smacked around responded with resistance and fear.

Once that chaos and fear zoomed through the other horses, they reverted to their herd instinct. I have a mental image of them all running from the arena together. That didn’t happen of course because there is a cast of thousands in that arena managing the horses.

These are horses who have no relationship with their riders. They are ridden by many different riders in preparation for this event and considered “schoolmasters.” But to go through an event at this high level of stress, they need the relationship. When things get scary it’s not enough to simply know how to ride, you need to know the way that animal thinks, moves, it’s preferences, what frightens it, know it deep down so that you can set up the best possible outcome. If introducing a horse to new things, it’s best if he has a familiar, much loved person to help him or her through it all.

Horses don’t think like humans, they don’t have a pre-frontal cortex like we do, so we can figure out how to pay bills and how to write articles about horses, etc. But what they do have is a motor cortex, and the motor cortex allows them to learn patterns and behaviors. They learn good ones just as easily as bad ones. They have the ability to form deep relationships. But they are going to operate instinctively if frightened, and in some cases forget everything they know in an instant.

They will be able to recover from upset much easier if they and their person are bonded, fused in a way that may not be visible to the outside casual observer. When I watched some of the really bonded Olympic pairs, such as Charlotte DeJardin and her new horse, I feel that they enjoy each other. Some others are operating on automatic.

This is not to say that all horses need their special person all the time. There are some people who can come into the presence of a horse they don’t know and the horse is immediately comforted and there is no question. The horse wants an immediate bond, without the preparation of years. Some trainers have this ability to infuse confidence in a horse right away. Even in these cases, the riding relationship is different than the on-the-ground relationship. The horse may not want the person he has just met to climb on his back, in spite of feeling happy in their presence.

I have ridden horses on endurance rides whom I didn’t know, but was fortunate enough to ride them the night before, brush and play with them a little bit, and everything turned out alright. I was also riding alongside the owner so she could advise me as to how to manage her, her preferences, how much contact, etc. I was acutely aware of how the horse moved differently from my own, and but relied on my general knowledge for that part of the journey. By the end of the ride, I always wanted to buy the horse (not for sale!), because we had had such a great time together.

Keep in mind this is over 50 or so miles, about 6-10 hours in the saddle, not a short stint in an Olympic arena that involves maybe 5-10 minutes of connection! Plus the stress level is way down on the meter. We were riding to win a t-shirt, not an Olympic gold medal.

I’m so glad to hear that the German Olympic federation has called for a rule change to address the excessive demands on the horse-rider teams.

The fact that so many horses lost their cookies at this event affirms their strength in numbers, their wonderful herd instinct that can sometimes  get them into trouble. They also exposed some human cruelty and ego. In this case, horses took the world stage, if not the medals. Well done, horses!

 

Finding Gratitude

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Nearly everyone I speak to is looking forward to 2020 being over with. Whatever our belief systems are, this has been a tough year for everyone. Many know people ill with Covid or who have passed on. Many have lost jobs and income as a result of it. The continual shuttering and re-opening of an economy is taking its toll.

With each new onslaught, it becomes more difficult to rally. Overall, while most of us take great care with our families, friends and co-workers, we stand by and watch carelessness run rampant on a global scale on a daily basis. To me, it means we become more careful, and more conscientious, and provide excellence wherever we can, continuing on what we started. Health care workers and those providing food are tirelessly putting their lives on the line for the rest of us, so we can stay home and remain safe. It makes sense to support them in every way we can.

This year, as a result of all this, Thanksgiving has shifted its tone. It is the tone of watchfulness and fear, coupled with the deep disappointment of not being able to hold our traditional family gatherings the way we always have done. How can we still enjoy ourselves?

Several grocery stores have shut down just before Thanksgiving here, so that puts additional strain on the ones that can remain open. While I might have cooked certain things for Thanksgiving dinner, now I will improvise. And other than the Zoom and FaceTime calls, Thanksgiving will pass like any other day for us, as we just stay home, hunkered down with whatever food we have purchased for those who live in the household only. Maybe watch “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.” No running out to buy last minute whipped cream or nuts.

I think about what we are going through this year as an opportunity to express gratitude. America is not my native country, but I have lived here most of my life.  I love it here, I love wide open spaces and the ability, particularly here in New Mexico, to have places to go where there aren’t people if you need to get away from it all. Now getting away from it all takes on a new meaning.

The current situation, while separating us, can also serve to bring us together, recognizing the plight of others, recognizing how much community means to us.

If I see someone I know while riding my horse, it’s exciting. We are muffled behind masks and yet there is that sense of community that prevails, of sharing, getting to see each other even from afar.

I have put together a list – sort of like the song “My Favorite Things” – a “raindrops on roses” list of things I’m grateful for. If I do this every day, gratitude becomes more attainable, not so deeply buried under other concerns.

  1. The sharing of thoughts and feelings over the phone, movies and recipes! The phone has become more important!
  2. New or renewed interests: art, vegetable gardening
  3. The availability of new knowledge and great students (via Zoom!)
  4. Family and friends
  5. Working outdoors – even when it’s cold!
  6. Meditation
  7. Animals of all kinds
  8. Natural beauty
  9. Sense of calm
  10. Riding

Can we still have adventures? Yes, we can. When we can return to normal activities, will we remember?

Stanley George and Violet Hunt, my grandparents

My family grew up in wartime London. My mother never forgot rationing, being without food, needing warm clothes and shoes. Experience like that shapes you, makes you careful about what you spend your money on, makes you take care of things and people more than perhaps you did before. When I would puzzle over why she would save things, use up scraps, she would tell me what it was like for her as a teenager. She didn’t have the freedom to be wasteful or careless.

This is nothing in comparison, and there were those far less fortunate then as now. Our current situation is a lesson in caring, gratitude for what we have, and conservation. For those who are impatient or tired of it all, it won’t last forever. Nothing ever does. Can we have adventures? Of course we can. Each morning, we awaken to a new adventure. And gratitude for what we have helps us grow our resilience, which we sorely need right now.

I would love to hear others’ gratitude lists. In the meantime, have a Happy Thanksgiving, whatever that turns out to be.

Science Proves Gratitude is Key to Well Being

While I haven’t limited my grateful list to topics of six words, this New York Times article asks readers to:

Tell Us What You’re Grateful For, in Six Words

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Riding Through the Senses with Ortho-Bionomy

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I was sitting on my mare Jazzie the other day and thinking about how to present the vast amount of material there is for the Mounted Body Balance™ – In the Saddle classes. Many people ask, well why would I do that if I’m taking a riding lesson? I get a massage regularly, why would I do this?

Well, a riding lesson focuses on you in the saddle, in the most efficient posture to get your horse to do what you would like her to do. It may involve some horse management skills. A good lesson will also work on you psychologically – what you’re bringing to the relationship that may or may not be helpful. A massage is great, but it doesn’t ask you to engage with each part of your body and address how it relates to the animal’s body when you’re in the saddle. Further, it allows you to fall asleep, which is not advisable while in the saddle!

Mounted Body Balance™ is an integrated, wholistic, non-force approach of horse and rider that puts us in touch with our senses. When riding we are connecting spine to spine with the horse. Our spine meets the horse’s at one critical point, where our sit bones and tailbone meet the thoracics of the horse. In bodywork for both horse and rider, we are looking at what is available in each body, and working with enhancing that availability for greater comfort and ease. We can also use that strength that we find in one body to help the other body in that same or another area that may not be as available.

For example, when my neck is tight, perhaps instead of directly working with neck rotations on me,  I can look at my mare’s neck and see if she has any fill or hardness there. Then I can ask my mare to do side bends and release her neck while I’m on her back. As it turns out, this movement can release the tension in my own neck.

Jazzie has tension along her thoracics. While thinking about my upcoming class, I sat in the saddle with the awareness that I am sitting on her mid-thoracics, and I did an technique we call in Ortho-Bionomy©, “disc-fluffing.” (See illustrations in the article). Drop your head forward and pull shoulders forward and cross your arms across your chest. Then press down on and rock your shoulders in this position. This released my thoracic spine.  After we did this exercise on me, Jazzie moved forward more boldly. I noticed the flow of her spine underneath me and the rhythm of her ribcage was more forward as well.

In the saddle, I can reach for the parts of the horse that are accessible. I can work with her sacrum by reaching behind me and feel its preferred position. My touch is always gentle. I can touch my own sternum and reach down and touch hers as well, and ask the question, are our sternums balanced? With a bigger horse, you may have to dismount to access certain parts of the body effectively.

All of us – horse and human – hold tension in our bodies and we also have areas that just don’t speak. We have places that don’t work as well as others. My right leg can get funky in the hip socket, for example. I could sit up there and worry about what a terrible rider I am and I shouldn’t ride because I’m not always symmetrical and blah blah blah, but if I focus on all the dysfunction, then I am missing what my body can do, and how it can support the areas that aren’t working quite so well. My horse has stuff going on in her hips also. I focus on the healing available in her body. And guess what? Even though she has that stuff, she is a beautiful mover. I sit on her, and I feel each part of me and her, and focus on the parts that work really well while holding an awareness of what I’d like to have shift.

When I do that, she comes up to meet me, and she will travel beautifully to support my not-so-perfect-body in a way that works for both of us, without restrictive compensation. It helps my body feel better too.

When the horse knows he or she can influence your body for the greater good, he or she will seek that.

With Ortho-Bionomy© for both horse and rider, we can learn what is holding up the bus. Riding instructors have wonderful ways of encouraging the horse forward, ways for riders’ to hold their legs so that the legs are not being counterproductive for the horse, or to sit correctly so as not to impede the horse’s movement – all of that has to do with the anatomy and the relationship of the two bodies working in sync, or not.

We are often trying to solve certain problems: spooky horse, horse not moving forward, going too fast, short-strided, unbalanced, throwing its head, bucking, anxiety. These problems can be addressed through this form of bodywork.

Many riders hold tension in their upper thoracics while riding. In fact, more experienced riders often have more tension in that region. How does this translate to the horse?  If the horse is dealing with tension in the lumbar but has great strength in his own thoracics, we can work with the horse’s thoracics to help the rider’s. When he can loosen up in that region and flow better – ribs as well – so can his rider.

The horse with lumbar trouble often won’t move forward freely. If we open up the spine, and check the rider’s engagement with the spine, then the horse can move forward more easily. We may also need to check saddle fit with both thoracic and lumbar pain, for both horse and rider.

Certainly, work can be done on some of these issues independently of the horse/rider relationship, and I do that in many cases where a person may need individual table work ahead of a horse/rider session, or the horse needs to receive an entire session on his own. If someone has major back trouble, I’m going to work on that, and same with the horse. But once the bodies are free of great inhibition, we can bring them together and see where they can strengthen and enhance each other, and bring space into the relationship that may have been restricted before.

Simple and very regular preparatory techniques that people do to prepare to ride are great ways of beginning this work. While grooming your horse you can feel along the spine for any irregularities. If you don’t know anatomy, it’s helpful to get a simple equine anatomy book – and a human one while you’re at it! Learn where the bones are. Everything else is related to or attached to the bones in some way, so it’s a great place to start.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While this may seem elementary, walk your horse out to check his or her gait. Then check your tack when you tack up. While I was endurance riding, the care of the horse was a high priority. I would trot out my horse the morning of the ride before tacking up to make sure he was going well. I would check all my tack before leaving for the ride and the night before the ride. These are good habits to get into even if you’re just going out for a short ride.

After that I may do a little bit of bodywork on areas I see are not working so well on my horse, and stretch out myself.  You can apply your own exercises, such as qi gong, yoga, Feldenkrais, etc. and in Ortho-Bionomy© we have a lot of self-care exercises for people and ones you can do for your horse. Some of them I have adapted to use in the saddle as well.

This work evolves, so that after awhile you may find you no longer have that trouble with your right knee, for example, and the horse is no longer stiff while crossing over behind to the left, but some other issue has shown itself and so you’ll  need to adapt your program to those changes.

I teach this to people so that they can begin to sense the changes themselves. I can show you how to do many things, but then it’s up to you to figure out when to use them and when you may need to try something else. Figuring this out is a lifelong process, although sometimes we’re lucky enough to have some quick fixes. At the same time, you get better at recognizing areas of strength and how to palpate tissue. This approach can be integrated into your riding lessons, performance or trail riding activity and your more sedentary horse work.

Much thought has been given over centuries to how to ride efficiently and so as to bring out the best in the horse and rider.  With the Mounted Body Balance™ approach, an older horse can move better than he or she ever has and so can her rider.  Life isn’t static so we can’t guarantee that any of us are not going to have some physical challenges, but there is a lot we can solve and make more comfortable with this type of work. A horse may be able to help you with your body issues without impairing his/her own stride or balance. Of course, aging will limit what you can do but why not try to do what you love comfortably for as long as you can? As a physical therapist friend of mine says, “I’m here to help you be able to do what you love for longer.”

I take her words to heart. When we travel down the trail, I can feel Jazzie’s rhythmic strides, I can feel where my body may not be quite right and make the adjustments and I can feel her shift to accommodate or make that easier for me. Our senses are alive as our bodies connect, as we trot along a well-known path, with deepening knowledge of ourselves – together.

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Contact me for private sessions. info@susansmithsantafe.com or through the website.

 

 

Healing Herds, Movement and Community

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The two horses rub each other’s necks, ferreting out the itchy or sore spots in each other. How do they know to do this? Is their mutual grooming actually bodywork?

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