Touch & Bodywork

It’s March and the weather is warming, then cooling, then raining, then snowing. My body is in a fight to survive this weather. I have Fibromyalgia and CFS/ME. I am in 24/7 pain and have exhaustion that can hit so severely that I cannot climb the stairs without my heart bounding and getting out of …

I was reminded over this week the value of using riding gloves. No, I didn’t get rope burned… What I did get however was a reminder how gloves can improve the confidence in your hands. I work a lot of horses on the lunge, which has been my primary endeavor this week, and it also …

If you haven’t heard about EndoTapping you might just be behind the times by several years. I first heard mentions of this training tool back in 2000 and 2001 from a talented horseman by the name of Allan Pogue. It was originated by one J.P. Giacomini to aid in the relaxation and learning curve of …

Have I ever ridden in a bitless bridle? Yes. Have I ever ridden bridle-less? Yes. Do I recommend or do either regularly… no. And here’s why. One of the most difficult things for a rider to learn is how to use their hands properly. Wait, no. Let me restate that. THE most difficult thing for …

Ah, the old adage, “Less Is More.” It somehow manages to bring about reminiscent feelings of bliss in me.  How is it that we so often fall off the wagon and work so hard for so little reward? What did we get into riding for to begin with? Was it for the glory of winning …

So it’s icy out and I have work tonight so no time to play with the ponies. I figured I would post something written over the course of this fall. It was largely inspired by a Neuromuscular Therapy course I was attending, and also from the previous understanding I’ve had of the horse. Something to …

What does it mean to be a weak rider? Is it the inability to hold the correct posture and position in the saddle? Is it the lack of strength in the aids to apply them correctly and productively? What if weak riding were not a bad thing, but a highly sought after reality? In weak …

In the scheme of things, to find balance between touch and no touch, to find that weight of a mere 5 grams, seems a simple task. Not seated in the saddle there is no concern over one’s own balance in the saddle. Being connected via a simple rein, touch between the hand and the horse’s …

The thought of 5 grams, the weight of a nickel, the weight at which muscles do not resist when pressed. A simple weight, a simple pressure, simple but not easy. To apply a mere 5 grams of pressure with the hand is nearly indistinguishable with no touch at all, it is subtle and short of …

In working with our horses, it seems a never-ending goal to ride a light horse and constantly be light with our application of the aids. Lightness, however, has taken on the role of a relative meaning. It has a different image in the mind of each user, it is seen as something solid, tangible, an …

Pressure is what we experience every day of our lives, either self-imposed or given to us by those around us and in our lives. For the horse it is a little simpler, from our perspective anyhow, the horse does not take ‘home’ pressure from the rider or trainer when the session is over. They don’t …

Why Horses Really Run Away   Your huffing and puffing, cursing the very horse that you wish wanted to be with you badly enough to stop running away. Likely you have broken a sweat, your halter and lead have become a tangled mess beyond recognition, and you could have ridden two horses in the time …