The Whole Horse Apprenticeship

The Whole Horse Apprenticeship

Over the last twelve years as an Equine Sport Therapist, I’ve spent the better part of my time diving into what makes the best horse-human relationships tick and how to help horse women everywhere cultivate this kind of stunning connection with their horses. A connection based on trust, communication and relaxation, where the horses are balanced, healthy, willing and full of life, and the rider is intuitive, trusting and having an awesome time.

You might get glimpses of this garden of Eden in equine form, but does it stay? Can you maintain it?

Speaking from personal experience, there are countless factors involved in creating a horse-human partnership that is beautifully harmonious, a dance. My mare Diva and I fought for a good long while at the beginning of our relationship, with tiny glimpses of relaxation and harmony, and you know what? A lot of the time it sucked – I spent a whole lot of time questioning myself, my methods and what I was doing there in the first place. And then, with a whole lot of work and learning, we found our groove and remain besties in and out of the saddle to this day.

Does your saddle fit?

Does your saddle fit?

Ever get the feeling that your horse is trying to tell you something? Perhaps his eye hardens or he doesn’t seem as comfortable moving out anymore. Maybe his reaction is more noticeable, taking the form of bucking, flinching, or moving away when you try to saddle him up. Unfortunately many of these “reactions” can easily be chalked up to disobedience rather than discomfort. This “gray” area is a very common source of frustration for the horse owner. Although the majority of us wish that our horses could just tell us about their problems, it is a good bet that your saddle is a part of the problem. A surprisingly large number of horses have or have previously had poor fitting saddles.This not only creates discomfort due to pressure points or bridging, but can also seriously affect the muscular system, nervous system, kidneys, and the integrity of the skeletal system.

Here are a couple of simple tests to determine whether your saddle is fitting…