I got started by watching a friend work what appeared to be magic on horses. "That's magic," I would exclaim, and she would respond, "Nope, it's science." She shared some of her techniques with me to help Rosie, a big American warmblood I had the privilege of riding (Rosie got me my first- and second-level dressage scores -- a minor miracle for someone who who chased eventing dreams as a youngster and saw dressage as something I had to do to get to the really important stuff).
I watched in awe as Rosie's muscles changed, and her posture too. Her lower neck relaxed and dropped, and her pelvis angles grew more correct. At the time I was also using Tristan Tucker's TRT Method, and his groundwork exercises combined with bodywork strokes made a big difference to her, widening her base-narrow stance and helping her move more fluidly.
By then friends were asking me to share the TRT
movements and bodywork I was doing as they saw how well it was working. I
also had the wonderful opportunity to start a German riding pony cross.
She had tension in her hind end and struggled to canter without going
disunited. I had been doing basic handling of her since she was a
yearling, teaching her to be caught, to pick up her feet for the
farrier, and to stand for grooming. The opportunity to start her at
three and ride her for the next two years helped me recognize the value
of using a combination of bodywork and groundwork to help horses learn
to move more effectively. I used TRT's horse-starting method to back her
and put about nine rides on her when she was late in her 3-year-old
year (Check out this image for why I took her so slowly. Also, check out this video for a fun "Spooky Horse Challenge" I did for TRT. She was turned out for the winter right after.)
In
her 4-year-old year I continued with a TRT approach, adding to my
growing repertoire of bodywork moves at the same time, thanks to my
studies. We had to negotiate a dental trauma (wolf tooth removal process
gone wrong plus late loss of deciduous teeth) plus saddle fit issues,
but when Lily turned five I started her over fences at liberty
and on the lunge, followed by a successful baby jumping clinic. When
she was sent off to be sold, I was proud of the little horse she was
becoming. (I'll post a blog post dedicated to her soon!)
I didn't
officially start my studies till I met the beautiful and challenging
Sadonis and decided I needed to do whatever I could to help him. I'll
share his story in a separate post, but he was my inspiration and my
mentor and, despite the fact he is no longer with us, his spirit informs
everything I do.
So why the word balance in my business name?
Because we need balance in everything we do. Horses need to be balanced to move well, and riders need to be balanced when on them or when working on the ground with them. Balance is physical, but it's also emotional and intellectual. We need a balance of tools so we can approach each horse as the individual he or she is. I like to balance bodywork with groundwork, to balance affirmative training (clicker or target training) with affirmative training that comes from the horse feeling what Tristan says is the "good feeling" in his own body. I like the new research on scentwork with horses, and how it can help them relax and rebalance their nervous systems.
Why energy?
Because everything is energy. We use our energy every time we approach our horses, and they read that energy way better than most of us humans do. Because horses can feel that energy and use it to help release their own muscles and fascia. Because that energy
can be directed deep into the center of the horse and help with fascial
restrictions that limit movement and restrict healing. Because if we
can learn to control our own energy -- emotional as well as physical -- we can deepen and enrich our relationship with our horses.
