Eleanor Osborne in Allora, Queensland | Sport & recreation

Eleanor Osborne

Locality: Allora, Queensland

Phone: +61 412 164 582

Address: 101 Glenbuckie Rd 4362 Allora, QLD, Australia

Website: http://highborneequestrian.com

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25.01.2022 Today, we're re-sharing this interesting research from Dr David Marlin _______ HOW TO KEEP YOUR HORSE COOL IN THE HEAT!... SHEET OR NO SHEET? BLACK OR WHITE? WET OR DRY? I get asked these sort of questions a lot. Some horses have to have rugs on because of flies. So is it better to wet it down or not? What about dark horses? Do they get hotter? Here is a very simple demonstration. In physics and thermoregulation we use 15cm/6in diameter copper spheres painted black to approximate how the body reacts to air temperature and radiation from the sun. Inside the middle of each sphere is a temperature probe and this is connected to a datalogger. Each sphere is calibrated and "naked" they all behave the same. These spheres are the type used in the WBGT Index which we use to manage major events. The IOC use this for both human athletes and horses. So this is what I did to each sphere 1) Left uncovered 2) Covered with WET WHITE cotton 3) Covered with WET BLACK cotton 4) Covered with DRY WHITE cotton 5) Covered with DRY BLACK cotton The conditions when I was doing this were 36-37C and 24-27 %RH with a naked globe temperature of around 52C. RESULTS DRY WHITE cotton keeps the sphere ~2-3C COOLER than the naked sphere DRY BLACK cotton keeps the sphere 3-4C WARMER WET WHITE & WET BLACK cotton drop the temperature by around 25C (due to evaporation of water) over the first 20 min. WET WHITE is better over 60 min than WET BLACK. At 60 min WET WHITE is still around 10C cooler than the naked sphere. RECOMMENDATIONS To keep your horse cool on hot days, don't use a sheet/rug at all. Spray your horse down every few hours. If you have to use a sheet, ideally use a WHITE or light coloured lightweight sheet and wet it every 60-90 minutes during the hotter part of the day. https://www.facebook.com/233421046862124/posts/1427276360809914/?d=n

24.01.2022 When she was a few years old an international FEI VET said that probably we will have to put her to sleep due to the severity of her arthritis. 10 years later, ...with many ups and downs, seeking methods, trainers, and medical help... we are here. Free. Since good 6years she is off medicines. She has never been softer in the body. Riding her was never such a pleasure. She is 15yo and feels like a 5yo horse. She is still weak behind. Probably she will never take as much weight behind as a healthy horse at her age and level of training. I could not care less. Everyday when I mount her she allows me to touch heaven with her and she shows me softness that I will forever fail to describe. You would need to feel it yourself. I never lost hope and I never doubted her. Our secret? Conscious Muscle Relaxation.

23.01.2022 To make horse more beautiful when he is under the saddle should be the goal of riding. To make her neck long, pronounced, body warm and full of life, joints mor...e spacious and free, and to hear her spirit roar with pleasure this is why I mount my horse every day. How about you? OneHorseLife.com

21.01.2022 Amanda Clifford just posted this on her page which lead to a great discussion and I wanted to share my response with you. I see this a lot and that’s why I sta...rted to learn so much about the biomechanics and why I focus my lessons on the riders position. Riders have to learn how to stabilise their upper body and that starts with the position of their pelvis. Coaches often tell the rider to ‘tuck’ their bottom under. This over engages the gluteal muscles and leads to ‘driving’ the horse. Instead we need to teach riders how to ‘lift’ their pubic bone and engage their lower abdominal muscles which stabilises the upper body. Secondly we need to teach riders that when they lean back ( which happens mostly in the sit trot on a big moving horse) their legs become their main balance point ( and of cause the hands) and they therefore grip with their knees to ‘hold on’. The pelvis now moves predominantly in a One Plain Movement, forward/backwards. We have to teach riders from the beginning that in walk and trot there is a Three Plain Movement. This will allow the rider to not only be more balanced but also to strengthen the correct muscles (core and stabiliser) instead of biceps and adductors. I could go on forever..... let me just finish by saying that this is NOT the coaches fault because there is not enough opportunity for them to learn this stuff. Good saddle fit for horses and riders is essential to make the correct position easier. Thank god for Belinda Palmer and Kathryn Sullivan-Butt Thank you Amanda Clifford for raising this topic. See more

16.01.2022 How often we have seen movies of some military boot camp when at some early hour the recruits are rousted out of bed, and a few minutes later they are out runni...ng? So the question arises whether they are at peak performance, and, obviously, they are far from that, half awake, groggy, the way any of us would feel if we were forced into sudden strenuous exercise. And yet we make horses do something similar all the time, ask them to start performing without a long enough warm up that brings them to the place where they are ready to give whatever it is in their training and fitness level to be able to give. I have seen it a million times---Someone will drive a horse trailer into the farm for a lesson. They unload, tack up, and get on. They ride at a walk around the ring for maybe 2-3 minutes, and start trotting. The horse will be stiff and, often, tense from being in a strange place. His head will go up, the rider's arms will get tight, the horse will react to the tension, and before the lesson has even begun, already it is headed for a bad place. Contrast the scene I have just described to a rider who mounts quietly, and asks her horse to stand for a moment, not walk off in a nervous hurry. Then she takes the horse for a walk on a calm rein, and lets the horse move with little constraint for anywhere from a minimum of ten, up to as much as 15-20 minutes, while the horse gradually adjusts from a state of not being ridden to the state of being ridden. Then, when the horse is asked to trot, the initial trotting is done on light reins, not grabbing the mouth and trying to force some head carriage, while the horse gets into a rhythmic and forward trot. Gradually, the horse is asked to go onto the aids, and after some circles, maybe a bit of canter, the horse is ready for some work that is more intense. And if the warm up is always like this, a minimum of, say, 15 minutes, the level of apprehension will likely lessen, and the body of the work will be apt to go better. But most riders will not give the horse that fighting chance to succeed. It is another of those secrets hidden in plain sight, the benefits of a slow, calm warm up phase that bring the horse to a state of being in a good mental and physical place to absorb the work. Any rider can change from the wrong way to a better way. Starting today----But most won't----For all manner of wrong reasons--- Maybe be one of the better trainers who have that insight and patience?

15.01.2022 COMPARATIVE ANATOMY RECTUS CAPITIS POSTERIOR MINOR it can be a pain in the neck! Welcome to Comparative Anatomy where Belinda introduces us to the fascinatin...g world of evolutionary biology and where we compare similarities between human and equine body structure. I would like to introduce all my Masterclass students and the wider Academy community to similarities between the structures of the horse and human. I believe that understanding what we have in common helps us to become more empathetic riders and to develop what we all seek most a harmonious and functional partnership. Today we will look at the rectus capitis posterior minor. That’s a mouthful and it can literally be a pain in the neck but if we quickly break it down, we can see how the name itself already informs us so much about the muscle. Rectus means ‘straight’ (like to stand erect is to stand up straight). In anatomy rectus muscles usually come in pairs, so we know we are looking at a pair. Capitus means ‘of the head’ (like Paris is the capital of France), posterior means back side and minor means small. So we have a straight pair of small muscles at the back of the head. Easy! The RCPM functions as a postural muscle in both the horse and human and is responsible for giving our brains feedback on our head position - they assist in proprioception and therefore balance. These little muscles help us extend our head on our neck as well as aid side to side rotation. Over-extension, compression or damage to these little guys is responsible for many headaches, which can lead to us being short-tempered. Think of the ‘head-shy’ horse then, who jerks his head away when we try to touch his poll, does he have a headache or is he just being ‘difficult’? What about the horse ridden with his head behind the vertical this overextension would, at the very least, lead to chronic neck pain. Horses have long necks. And what about whiplash anyone who’s suffered that can identify with a horse suffering a pull-back injury. As many of us have come to realise a pull-back event in a horse can have serious implications because a damaged rectus capitus muscle can lead to compression of the vagus and accessory nerves causing breathlessness and high anxiety in the horse, triggering the flight response and starving the brain of oxygen. A nervy, flighty horse can be quite a headache to manage. Compromised rectus capitis muscles can lead to neurological damage and affect the biomechanics of the dura matter of the brain itself causing inescapable postural headaches, dizziness, ringing in the ears, and double vision in humans. We can but guess what distress it may be causing our horse. Belinda will be looking more closely at the muscles of the head and their effect on proprioception, well-being and functional movement in upcoming Masterclass Clinics with us as our understanding of just how vital correct functional movement in these areas grows. We hope that by sharing some of Belinda’s insights, those of you who are still waiting quietly in the wings will feel inspired step forward, apply to our join our Online Masterclasses and experience Belinda's coaching for yourselves. https://www.belindabolsenbroek.academy/Online-Masterclass-I #belindabolsenbroekacademy #horseanatomy #trainingforsoundness #classicalriding #classicalequitation

15.01.2022 There aren't many riders who haven't been guilty of what I am going to describe--- I/you/me/they/we grab a horse who has just been doing what a horse does and b...eing what a horse is, and we put tack on that horse, get on its back, and go make it do what humans want it to do. The horse has zero interest or desire to be tacked up and ridden. The humans who think that are either 8 year old dreamers, or older people who still manage to think like 8 year old dreamers. So, if we want the horse to actually do human "stuff" rather than horse "stuff, " and do it in a manner that is at least somewhat cooperative, we have to somehow make that transition in ways that we don't trigger anxiety and discomfort. Think---as in actually ponder---those two words, anxiety and discomfort. Because if the things we want the horse to do, and the ways in which we try to get the horse to do them cause anxiety or discomfort, the horse is going to "resist, " simply out of self preservation, and God help the poor horse who RESISTS, because now the horse is being BAD, and now we have some sort of cosmic permission to remedy that incorrect behavior. All over the world, today, May 24th, and yesterday, May 23rd, and tomorrow, May 25th, and every day, past, present and future, riders are going to get into this confrontational mind set with horses, and once it starts, it almost always snowballs into more struggle, more force, more coercion. Simply put, horses and humans do not have the same goals. They don't, and it doesn't matter how many nice little stories we read as children about how Pony Petunia loved little Sally, and tried to please her. So what can be done? Well, a number of things. Make sure that the horse knows what we want, by teaching rather than forcing. This means the rider must know how to teach. If you don't, learn. Make sure the tack fits. Make sure the horse is healthy, teeth, hooves, worming, feed, turnout, so many facets of horse management. Make sure the horse is fit enough. Fatigue causes both anxiety and discomfort. Use a long, slow warmup, as a transitional stage between standing around and being schooled, rather than just starting to demand. School to educate, not to coerce, Take all the time it takes. Build a tiny layer, then build upon that, and then upon that, and then upon that. This might take years. It sure as heck won't take days or weeks. Bad riding and bad horsemanship lead to bad situations. Good riding and good horsemanship lead to successful conclusions. So it is our fault when it goes poorly, and not the fault of the horse. If you can't handle that truth, you are not ready to be a horse trainer.

15.01.2022 Back in 2005 Gerd Heuschmann said this at a Judges Seminar: Suppleness of the back is a very central topic. The natural gaits of the horse have been the way th...ey are for a million years. For example trot two beat, a swinging phase and diagonal movement. In trot the right forearm should be parallel to the left hind cannon bone. If you don’t allow the long back muscles to swing and allow the movement to get through the poll to the horse’s mouth, then you destroy diagonal movement. If you block the loin area, then the front legs come out and the hind legs don’t follow. Then my question is is this trot?

15.01.2022 It has been announced that horses competing in FEI events will no longer be able to have their whiskers shaved from July, 2021. The FEI Online General Assembly,... which took place on 23 November, voted in a range of new rules and regulations - one of which was the banning of trimming a horse’s sensory hairs. The rule, which forms part of the FEI veterinary regulations, will apply to horses across all disciplines competing in FEI events.... Read more: www.equestrianlife.com.au//Clipping-of-whiskers-outlawed-a #eqlifeaus

13.01.2022 SHITTY THINGS YOU DO WITHOUT HAVING A CLUE PART 2 Shame & the Evil Voices in Your Head Recap: In this series of blogs I am delving into the reasons why people... still have shitty riding, training and horse keeping practices even though information is out there at people’s fingertips, they love their horses and are sincerely trying their best! The reason for this is that we humans have some shitty flaws that get in the road of us being able to take on board and learn how to do things better.or at the very least actually SEE we are doing shitty things and get motivated to fix it! In Part 1 we looked at how we don’t like feeling crap about ourselves, so we tend to handle positive and negative outcomes or feedback differently. When something we do is received positively or we have a good outcome we tend to perceive it over favorably and attribute that success to our own abilities and efforts., if we get negative feedback or we fail.well..we go and blame someone or something else! We do this to protect our fragile egos and how we want to be perceived by others. In this blog we are going to look at a massive nasty hurdle that adds a whole level of hard in overcoming this trait of wanting to protect our fragile egos. Let me introduce you to shame. Shame has been described by Brene Brown (researcher of shame and author of many great books) as the swampland of the human soul. Shame exists in all of us as a wound that can be easily triggered. Having your ego hurt is one discomfort but having shame triggered is a whole next level in emotional pain. We all have shame wounds. I have a truckload of shame thanks to crap life experiences (no one escapes these, they just vary in crappiness) and things that just get programmed into all us throughout life. Trigger my shame wounds and I can feel unworthy, stupid, ugly, fat, unlovable, lazy, a failure, an imposter.and these are just a few! Shame is so shitty because even if you are able to accept negative feedback or start to identify you may be causing the problems in your horse, this just pokes a pitchfork in your swampland of shame and all the evil voices in your head start confirming what an unworthy, stupid, useless failure you are So, you must overcome ego just to be able to SEE the situation with your horse is connected to your actions. That is a feat but then you have to drag yourself out of the swamp of shame to fix, improve or change what you need to change to help your horse! This is incredibly hard and a massive reason why people avoid all that great information out there because it touches a nerve. When we get hurt, we protect ourselves from the source of information that triggers the evil voices in our heads by either ignoring or rejecting it or its source. The more hurt, the more aggressive a person will fight back. How to Overcome Shame and Stop it From Holding You Back Start by being aware it exists and has massive control over you. Realise that it is shame behind those voices in your head. Wounds that were planted in your soul by people, places or events that have no right to hold you back in life. Researchers think humans evolved to experience shame as it can help keeps us compliant when we live together in groups. Basically, we follow rules better when the consequence of not following them causes us to experience and feel shame because it is so painful. But in our modern existence, this pain can hold you back and make you continue doing things that can hurt yourself or others. I have great respect for people that come to me and ask me for help with their horse. It takes great courage to feel like a useless stupid failure OR risk people discovering you are a useless stupid failure..and pick yourself up, confront it and try something new. My next bit of advice is to focus on love. Love is powerful and can make you very brave. I have told the story many times of the day I made my horse’s mouth bleed. The sight of blood was too strong for my ego to ignore and the shame moment unleashed still affects me till this day. The voice in my head told me I was an unworthy stupid cruel horrible evil person that hurt animals and it paralysed me with pain. But that horse had tried so hard for me and had given me so much joy. I had a choice: 1) continue with the way I was riding and risk doing that again, 2) quit riding horses, or 3) work out if there was some thing I could do to stop it from happening again. I opted for number 3, because I loved my horse and love riding. It’s my thing, it is what makes me feel alive and I wasn’t going to give that part of my life up because I had made a mistake. I took a risk by opting for number 3. I lost my coach of 9 years, many friends and acquaintances and I become an outlier in my sport. However, by making this choice I learnt what I was doing wrong and not only did I protect my horse from suffering like this again, I have now taught countless people how to protect their own horses. So, in a nutshell, be aware of what is driving your feelings when you hear negative feedback or are dealing with the outcome of an event or situation as you will have ego and shame in the mix. Next, be prepared to take risks - explore, experiment, tinker with ideas. In horses as in life it is not about being brave to do dangerous things, it is about having courage to be honest about your weaknesses and learning how to do things better. Do this and the dangerous things get a whole lot safer and way more fun Finally, do yourself a favour and invest some time into the work of Brene Brown. Here is a link to her TED talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvmsMzlF7o , it is 20 minutes and she knows a lot about how powerful it is to overcome the shame demons in your head.plus she has a hilarious way of explaining things! If you enjoyed this article, you are welcome to like my page and join my online group where I share training insights and my events I am available for private coaching or clinics, please contact [email protected] for bookings. Here is a link to my page: https://www.facebook.com/ShelleyAppletonPerformanceHorses/ And my group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/190240814737552/

12.01.2022 Isaac Newton’s third law of motion states that for every force applied there is an equal and opposite reaction. When discussing biomechanics this concept becom...es more complex as the horse’s body can be distorted temporarily by the forces applied by reins and gadgets along with its will. This is why no matter what you use the likelyhood that the horse is opposing to it in some way and therefore using his muscles in ways we don’t intend is basically a certainty. This is why I have personally ceased many years ago to use any kind of restraint to impose on the horse a certain posture. We are not in times of war, we have the privilege to have enough time to spend on our athletes to ensure correct posture and gymnastics and should know better by now than pulling their head in and down. There is nothing that can’t be done without these tools and as the saying goes, a good enough rider that could use them properly, doesn’t need them. Edit: Please note the action doesn’t describe the ideal, philosophical action of the tool which is how we are taught or how they should be used but what it actually does when placed on a horse that needs it and therefore OPPOSES. A horse that submits to the tool will have BRACING but not the red opposition arrows. Still the muscular contraction will remain incorrect.

08.01.2022 So true - I've had beginners tell me what to do with my horses, and riders I respect come to me for help or admit they're a bit lost within themselves. #horsemanship #equestrian #confidence #perspective #coach

07.01.2022 Never too late. Many of us have been taught to ride in a manner that isn't conducive to a healthy equine athlete, either by those who didn't know the damage the...y were causing to the horse, or simply didn't care and saw their position as an instructor or coach as just another job. Where we begin is irrelevant. Where we are headed is what is important. Thanks to the internet, it is both easy and difficult to learn how to do better by your horse. Easy in that there is a world of information you can access, hard in that a lot of what you find is not based on evidence or anything other than someones opinion or experiences. It can be a minefield navigating the various articles, courses, lessons and posts to determine what is actually correct, and what isn't. When dealing with horses, there is one rule that can help the reader discern what is fact, and what is fiction. Fixity, coercion and force are never the answer to a problem. Horse runs around with his head in the clouds? Tying the head down won't fix it. Horse constantly counter bends? Positioning him with side reins won't fix it. Horse rushes into transitions? Hard, fixed hands won't fix it. Horse constantly pops his head up? See-sawing or having your hands stuck by your knees won't fix it. Horse won't go forward? Squeezing until you're blue in the face won't fix it. Horse won't collect? Having his chin to his chest won't magically create collection. Another key indicator that many aren't aware of is the physical manifestation of poor training, riding and tack fit that, once you learn to see, cannot be unseen. When searching out a new coach or trainer, it will help you understand how the horses are ridden without ever seeing someone in the saddle (obvious exception to horses who are new to the trainer/coach). Does every horse in the barn have a break along the crest of the neck, creating a sort of corner or point? Does every horse have a dip before the lumbosacral junction? Does every horse have lumps, dips and divots along the back? Does every horse have a bulging under-neck? Does every horse (when viewed from above) have a lot of muscling closer to the poll with the neck thinning out near the withers? Does every horse have big shoulder holes? Do the horses have an even, rounded topline? Do the horses exhibit tension lines? Do the horses bare their teeth and root down when ridden? Do they have white hairs along the shoulder, back, or even where the noseband or flash would sit? Do they show markings or scars where the spurs would be used? Is their tack room full of shortcut gadgets? Where you are headed with your horse depends solely on your ability to weed out the trainers who don't put the anatomy and biomechanics based physical well-being of the horse first, both in overall care and training methods. Forget what they say, what they promise, their awards and accolades. Don't ask how high they jump, how quickly they can train your horse, their magic methods or their highest scores. Go to their barn, LOOK at their horses, look at the shape, muscling and movement of them. They cannot lie, and should be what qualifies or disqualifies that person as your new coach or trainer. We are ALL guilty of making mistakes, of not knowing better, but every day we have a chance to do better, to learn and make every experience with our horses better.

07.01.2022 Just like humans, there are many horses in the world who haven't learned how to manage their own state. So often (and particularly at the moment) horses are stu...ck in a state of hyper vigilance or hyper arousal. Basically they are always "on" to some degree. The ability to switch both "on" and "off" is essential to performance, health, wellbeing, trainability... and just about everything. Look at the really successful racehorses, most of them wander around the mounting yard as though they are out on a stroll. They then show incredible speed to win, and then return to their relaxed state. The less successful horses tend to fidget, fuss, sweat and play up in the mounting yard, often don't run so well, and then return to their cross ties just as agitated as before. Just the same as high performing people who are able to change states quickly. This doesn't just make them better at their job, it makes their own lives easier and that of the people around them. Having a horse that is constantly hyper vigilant makes them far more difficult to train, as they are constantly looking for possible threats. Just like we don't learn as well when stressed, neither do horses. These horses also don't gain as much benefit from their rest or their nutrition, so tend to be "poor doers" or injury/illness prone. And lastly, it makes it harder for the horse to perform in our competitive or riding pursuits - they cannot maintain a level of energy that also allows them to be sensible, plus they don't recover so well after exercise and so are less likely to perform well over multiple days of competition. As with humans, however, it is possible to teach horses how to down regulate their nervous system. We can use posture, breath work, systematic training, and lifestyle factors which allow our horses to better cope with, and move through stress. Solutions usually require a multi faceted approach... and just like with us, it's no good telling your horse to "just calm down!"... if they could, they would. Do you have a stressy horse who never seems to just relax?

06.01.2022 Everything has time and place, and it’s especially true when we speak about horse training. When it comes to training horses you cannot start from the end resul...t. You cannot start from high and short. It applies in the same way to the scale of training of the horse, and to the training unit: you cannot start short, first you need to lengthen the horse. Why? To check relaxation of all the muscles (and therefore joints) in the horse’s body, and to move within the SAFE RANGE of movement for the horse. In the warm up phase of the movement and with young horses it’s very important to BUILD UP movement and balance gradually increasing relaxation, and to not demand it or correct the horse to achieve it right from the beginning because this always results in tensions. Rebalancing the horse on the hind legs is not coming from the lifting up the head but from tiling the pelvis, and stepping more under the centre of gravity under the body. It is a popular visual illusion that when the head is high the horse is more balanced on the hind legs and when the head is low the horse is more on the front. A tense horse will be always outside of balance and using his front legs to pull himself forward and not using his hind legs to push himself forward. In my approach I look for the moment when the horse’s spine and his whole body is so relaxed that the pelvis starts to tilt spontaneously out of the relaxation cumulated in the body, and the movement pattern changes ALLOWING the horse to move in proper balance in all of the frames. When I see riders looking for this nice picture starting from high & tight, and when I see trainers shortening the frame regardless of the tension of the horse, and his ability to work on relaxed joints throughout the swinging and connected body, (sometimes even jerking the horse up with the hand) I literally see tensions pop up and cumulate. For some horses they cumulate slowly starting with a crooked movement, lack of energy or push forward, heaviness on the bit, small injuries, and the horse lacking his sparkle... But they can also cumulate rapidly: with the horse getting absolutely lame, irregular in more advanced movements, totally rebellious or simply very unhappy. It’s very easy to reverse this situation, no matter where you and your horse are at today. Remember that it was not your fault. You did what you could and what you thought was right. A relaxed body has a great ability to heal. Always. Just start from long & connected extensions focusing on joining your horse’s body right from his mouth through the back to the hind hooves with a weightless yet real and rubber-like contact and see how from day to day your horse changes totally and takes you for a ride of your life OneHorseLife.com

06.01.2022 KESSIE, 15yo Grand Prix Jumping mare with Panic Attacks 5 months in training at OneHorseLife... On the photos: First training in Spain versus Today ...so...mewhere along the road, we have not only totally forgotten what Panic Attacks means, we also created a DRESSAGE MONSTER Having a mare with arthritis and just too many accidents related to her severe panic attacks under her belt Kessie’s owner, Klara Tuš, didn’t come with HUGE dreams. She had only one wish that her mare will stop exploding and having these dangerous blackouts during which the mare could literally run into a parked car... Klara hasn’t even hoped that her horse can look and move like that but well this is just how relaxation works! Once the main cleaning of the tensions and behavioral issues is done we enter a beautiful world of healing, recovery, and total rebuild of the body, mind, and soul. Remember, whatever is happening Your horse wants to be beautiful! Your horse wants to be calm. Your horse wants to be healthy, agile and fit. So...Release these tensions and GO FOR IT, baby! ___ You can follow Kessie’s JOURNEY right from her arrival and see the full cooking process from behind the scenes of rehabilitation of the horse with panic attacks in the Panic & Anxiety Attacks Online Course: www.onehorselife.com/panicattacks

05.01.2022 THE HYOID Every muscle in the horse’s body is connected to the hyoid apparatus, a collection of small bones that form a Y shaped structure sitting between the c...heeks at the base of the skull. The hyoid is not connected to any other bones, it is held in place by ligaments alone. The base of the tongue is attached to the hyoid a horse that cannot move its tongue cannot move its body freely. The muscles of the ventral neck are attached to the hyoid tension here restricts shoulder movement and places strain on the TMJ interfering with balance and proprioception. The pelvic muscles are attached to the hyoid via the abdominal muscles and pectoralis muscles a horse with ventral muscle chain dysfunction cannot engage its hind limbs. Here’s Belinda on the subject: The Hyoid apparatus, TMJ and ventral chain functioning are often discussed in the online Masterclasses. This apparatus is incredibly fascinating because it is so delicate, and so interconnected. With the skull and hyoid bones pictured I demonstrate why we need to be so careful with the weight we place on the reins. We should always be aiming for contact that is only just feeling the tongue's movements because if we exert any additional pressure here, we begin to create problems. This structure is extremely breakable. Special thank you to Maike & Andrew Turnbull for helping me create this great visual with photos! #belindabolsenbroekacademy #horseanatomy #trainingforsoundness #classicalriding #classicalequitation

03.01.2022 ** Dressage Issues: Jaw and Poll Problems ** A VERY common problem in dressage horses (and other disciplines) is that there is a reduced mobility of the poll (C...0-C1) and jaw joints which results in a bend at C1-C2. I have crudely circled them in the images. The yellow circle shows the incorrect forced pivot at C1-C2 and the red X is indicating the reduced mobility of the poll (C0-C1) and the TMJs. The bend at C1-C2 is incorrect and will be causing not only discomfort but inhibit performance and mobility. The motions of the poll at C0-C1 (where the head is attached to the top of the neck) includes flexion and extension as well as sidebending. The motion here is very reliant upon local structures such as the immediate bones ie Occiput (C0) and Atlas (C1) as well as local joints such as the TMJs. It is even affected by distant joints such as the sacro-iliacs. Reduced motion of these related joints will reduce the mobility of the poll (C0-C1). One such cause is excessively strong bridle and bits as well as training methods. This puts a huge strain on the poll and TMJs. As a result of reduced motion of the poll (C0-C1), the next joint C1-C2 (made of the Atlas and Axis) begins to flex. This joint should rotate. Flexion and extension here is incorrect. You can see in the two images randomly taken from Google that the neck is flexing at C1-C2 and NOT C0-C1. C0-C1 (the poll) is clearly not moving in either image. Unfortunately this is an all too common finding within the equine world. It causes a lot of discomfort in the horses and hugely affects performance. This discomfort can even lead to gastric ulcers. Improving the mobility is key but since there are issues distant within the body it is incredibly important to mobilise the entire body not just the poll and TMJs. If you notice this on your horse you would be wise to investigate it sooner rather than later.

03.01.2022 YAWNING IT’S NO LAUGHING MATTER Yawning can be a sign of relaxation, stress, ulcers, compressed nerves or TMJ dysfunction, among other things. Interpreting t...he yawning response can be quite tricky as yawning is all about context. MASSAGE THERAPY A horse yawning repeatedly during an overall body work session is likely to be releasing tension and will probably lower its head, sigh deeply, half close its eyes, drop its lower lip and generally relax giving themselves up to the experience. Drill down a little more though and if the bodyworker is working on the skull region, the horse may be letting go of tension in TMJ and you may see a crossing over of the jaw during the yawn, along with eye-rolling, a trembling lower lip and some licking and chewing. They might snort, sneeze or shake their whole body. As with all body work releases, we as riders need to ask ourselves what caused the tension in the first place. Are we allowing enough freedom of the gullet, can the horse move its jaw comfortably and swallow during their arena work, is the tension coming from nerve impingement from an ill-fitting saddle, poorly balanced feet, or is a visit from the dentist called for there’s much to consider when we observe our horses when the body worker is present. GUT FEELINGS A sore stomach can trigger yawning. Gastric ulcers, liver distress or other gut discomfort can manifest as yawning. Yawning here might be accompanied by a horse flicking its flanks with its tail, nudging its stomach with its nose, or resenting being saddled. The ‘girthy’ horse may be anticipating compression of the phrenic nerve. The question to ask here is - do we cinch that girth too tightly? We often see riders checking the girth by sliding their hand between the girth and the rib cage, this is incorrect the way to check whether the girth is securely and comfortably fitted is to put at least two fingers between the sternum and the girth as it is the sternum where most compression is felt. If your horse habitually stamps its foot and touches its girth area when being saddled, we cannot assume it’s being annoyed by a fly. EMOTIONAL RESPONSES The sympathetic nervous system is the part of the horse's autonomous nervous system that blocks out pain and is termed the ‘flight response’. The parasympathetic nervous system handles rest and relaxation. A yawning horse may indicate that they’re moving from the flight response to the rest response. A horse may yawn in response to a moment of stress or anticipation of stress. When we teach our horses something new, we challenge them and we may trigger their flight response. Once we release the pressure, the horse may yawn, indicating movement from sympathetic mode to parasympathetic mode. If they lick and chew, or sigh this may indicate that they get what you’re saying and indicating their calm emotional state. It’s important to be gentle, consistent and understanding when training our horses so that they can move easily between learning and relaxing. We should always be aiming at a soft eye, a relaxed face, flicking ears, consistent breathing and a sense of well-being with their trusted human. We hope that by sharing some of Belinda’s insights, many of you will feel inspired step forward, apply to our join our Online Masterclasses and experience Belinda's coaching for yourselves. https://www.belindabolsenbroek.academy/theory-participant-G #belindabolsenbroekacademy #horseanatomy #trainingforsoundness #classicalriding #classicalequitation

02.01.2022 No hace falta decir, que no estoy sistemáticamente en contra de las competiciones de doma clásica, porque motivan al jinete y lo disciplinan. Si las competicio...nes se juzgaran correctamente, podrían ser valiosas para los jinetes. Estoy en contra, porque en todo el mundo los jinetes trabajan con espíritu competitivo, lo que causa una lucha perpetua entre ellos y sus caballos. Desearía que todos esos jinetes, cuando pongan pie a tierra una vez acabado el esfuerzo, observen la expresión de los ojos de su caballo. Nuno Oliveira. See more

02.01.2022 Before backing your youngster please read - A horse ages roughly 3 times faster than a human. So a 90 year old human is a 30 year old horse. Both very old, usu...ally arthritic, don’t have many of their original teeth left, and very likely retired and enjoying the finer things in life. A 25 year old horse is a 75 year old human. Still works so far. A 20 year old horse is a 60 year old human. At that point where the body doesn’t work like it use to but the brain is all there and wants to be active. A 13 year old horse is a 39 year old human. Middle aged, prime of their life where their knowledge and physical ability are about equal. So let’s get down to the babies and work our way up. A 3 year old horse is a 9 year old child. A child. Not ready for work by a long stretch. We have moved past sending children down the mines. A 4 year old horse is a 12 year old child. Often will do odd jobs for pocket money, maybe a paper round, mowing lawns etc. Basically a 4 yo horse can start a bit of light work to earn their keep. A 5 year old horse is a 15 year old teenager. Think they know it all, cocky, and ready to up their work and responsibilities. Still quite weak and not fully developed so shouldn’t be at their physical limit but can start building strength. A 6 year old horse is an 18 year old human. An adult. Ready to work hard. Pushing your youngster too hard too young will result in failure of many body parts. Joints, tendons, ligaments as well as their brains. Waiting one year at the beginning can give a horse another 10 years of useful working life. Be patient with your pride and joy! Written by Vikki Fowler

01.01.2022 Please think through these three images before you are tempted to resort to any sort of device that forces "obedience" through the inescapable power of leverage.... Take the middle one first---To be that flexible requires the various muscles to be gradually elongated by stretching to the point of SOME discomfort, holding it, and releasing it. Over time, through careful stretching, the range of motion is increased, but virtually everything that we read about stretching starts with this warning---NEVER FORCE A STRETCH. Now take the third image, the inverted horse. How tempting it would be to just slap on draw reins (first image) and just MAKE that "bad" horse put its head where we want it. How much faster than gradually tinkering away to induce compliance over weeks or even months. But what do they say? "Never force a stretch." So do we go along with exercise physiology and do it right, over time.or do we just say, "Forget doing it right---I want it NOW." Because that is precisely what we do when we resort to any sort of leverage. and no matter how we dress it up. make any excuse, it remains a fact that we are using force rather than skillful coaxing. You watch---There will be posts here saying why it's OK--- Here is another saying---"Only the most highly skilled riders know enough to use leverage devices, and the most highly skilled riders do not need leverage devices." But you watch----

01.01.2022 Tanja’s Tuesday Tip There is an aid for walk, an aid for trot and an aid for canter. But is your mind and your body speaking the same? ... How often have you given your horse a forward aid, but prayed that it would slow down? How often have you asked your horse to slow down while your body said Keep going? How often have you applied any aid, while your mind was wandering into another world - Kids, groceries, to do list’s ? I find myself stating to riders more and more I can see that your horse didn’t listen to your leg aid.. Before you get cross at him, just check if he was listening to your mind, which was maybe suggesting something different. If that was the case, give him a pat! If your horse feels lazy and you put your leg on to ask for forward, focus your mind on ‘let’s go.’ If your horse is rushing and you apply a half-halt to slow him down, focus your mind on ‘wait.’ If you are scared of going forward, breathe out and focus on ‘relax.’ Your horse can read your mind better than you think, so always be clear in what you ask and make sure you mean it. Happy riding everyone, Tanja Picture credit Norman Thelwell