Wharfedale Equine Therapy

04/12/2025

The problem with change, is that we have to do it.

A couple of weeks ago I taught someone I have worked with for a long time. Even as she walked in, I could sense things were different in her. And her horse was more than able to tell the story of change - his expression was happy and interested; rather than frustrated and defensive.

As soon as she started doing some things with him, everything was different. It was probably one of the most exponential changes I have ever witnessed. I asked her what had happened and she said she just got tired of hearing the same things in lessons, over and over. From me, and from every other teacher she encountered. In her case the message was pretty simple. For the sake of every horse, get clearer. Be more effective.

She was a gold star student in being soft. Being quiet, being gentle. She is a sensitive human and a lovely rider. But these qualities can't exist in isolation, otherwise you are limiting the conversation to a very small range.

This - of course - does not mean you need to be aggressive or angry. But what could be seen is that horses were often left in a vacuum by her. Where ARE you? What do you MEAN?
With some horses this just resulted in things getting a bit woolly and their understanding diminished or didn't progress. In her own horses case, he got cross. He could not stick that feeling from her. I don't believe horses are sent to us for a reason (amazingly, we are not the center of the universe), but sometimes one comes along which is well timed. In this instance, he was the perfect teacher.

Therefore, in order to meet her horse where he was, she took a long hard look at the thing she found came least naturally to her and decided to address it. A way of being she found the hardest to be, and had the least desire to practice. And she practiced it. I take my hat off to her (and then put it back on because it's bloody freezing).

Because, what many of us do instead (myself included) is just keep practicing more of the same. Or gathering acres of information, going to clinic after clinic, having hundreds of lessons, and resolutely not addressing that elephant in the corner of the arena - the thing we need to actually change. It's why we plateau, despite the hours we put in. It's why we keep getting the same results even though we know we are 'trying really hard'.

And it's also why early next year we are going to be running an online coaching course for horse riders and owners, because seeing these kind of changes is what keeps me inspired as a teacher, I love it. Thanks for the inspiration young Jedi, your horse is also delighted.

01/12/2025

I really enjoyed this podcast. I’m lucky enough to have been able to buy a few acres and we are trying to take a rewilding approach to our land. I know how challenging this can be for many horse owners situation but perhaps there are small changes ypu can make to benefit your horses and the land they live on.

The Brand New Episode

‘IN CONVERSATION WITH.. KATE LEMON & RINA QUINLAN: EQUINE CONSERVATION CONVERSATION'

Episode 15

'In this auroch-sized episode, Amy and Ross are joined by two special guests, Rewilding Delivery Manager, Kate Lemon of the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and rewilding specialist, Rina Quinlan of Rina Quinlan Research & Rewilding Consultancy.

Together, we delve into public misconceptions that surround rewilding, benefits that rewilding can have on humans and our long-term management of equines, and of course, what equines can bring to conservation and rewilding projects across the world.'

Streaming now on all platforms; Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify & More!

Listen here:
https://littlehorsebigconversation.podbean.com

-

Areion Academy
Rosca Horsemanship
Strong Foundations Hoof Care
Little Horse Big Conversation Podcast
The Wildlife Trusts

30/11/2025

It’s great these days that people think so much more about physical causes. When I trained as an AI in the 1980s it was rarely mentioned. The trouble is that it isn’t always the case, and we need to consider everything else which may be affecting the horse too.

Why is the horse struggling?

The horse could have a physical issue. It could be a genetic condition - that is becoming increasingly common, sadly, due to unscrupulous breeding practices.

But, sometimes, the most simple answer is the correct answer.

A few occasions that illustrate this point well:

-A horse who was being investigated by vets, saddle fitters, and other trainers to see if they could discover the reason the horse was "off." The saddle fitters tried six, seven, eight saddles on him in one session. He became irritated and reluctant to go forward, pinning his ears. Is this because the saddles became increasingly worse in fit, or due to the irration of constantly being stopped, messed with, fiddled with, and being asked to ride one sloppy lap with little direction before the next saddle fit change?

Several riders, possessing two very different styles of riding, tried this same horse. One found him to go fine after a bit of redirection of attention from the saddle fitting pandemonium. The other found the horse resistant, unsteerable, incapable of moving forward.

Is this a sign of lameness, or a confused irritated horse tired of being "tried" by everyone?

As you can see, diagnostics are not that simple. Even as this horse went on to veterinary diagnostics, x rays revealing not much, a vet lunging a horse on a circle possesses different lunging abilities than an accomplished and trained rider. Is the horse crooked and lame, or is the horse being lunged crooked and completely out of rhythm? Assessment is not as simple as it would seem.

Another occasion:

-a frustrated horse owner posts on a biomechanics group that her horse will not lunge to the right. She shares photos of the horse being lunged: counter bent, pulling to the outside. And photos of the horse free lunging with no tack: better alignment, happier expression. The comments explore every option: have you had her x rayed? Have you tried this bit, that trainer's methods, have you considered this or that supplement? Test for this, could be EPM, and so on. And yet, upon inspection of the photo, it is quite easy to see the horse's equipment is attached in a way that the line is pulling the horse to the outside, hence why the horse lunges fine loose and not well attached to equipment.

Does this horse have physical issues? it's possible ,but it's quite likely this moment is easily fixed by a tack adjustment.

In no way am I saying investigation is not necessary. But let's not forget skill, tact, good equipment and good use of said equipment, understanding how to use the seat and aids well, and so on. I can't tell you how many "lame" horses I've met who were in fact not lame at all, hence why they were not responding to treatments - what they needed was better, more correct riding, or a few little adjustments in management, and so on.

So in seeking how to help horses, keeping a well rounded view is essential. Don't toss out your diagnostics when you need them, and keep considering what could be lurking deeper - but don't lose sight of feel, good handling, good riding, and common sense as our first line of defense against lameness.

17/11/2025

Your horse’s skeleton is built for impact — not confinement.

Three decades of equine bone research makes one thing painfully clear: Horses kept in box stalls lose bone density.

Not metaphorically. Literally.

Confinement triggers the same biological process humans call osteoporosis — and it starts fast.

Key findings from the research:

- Horses moved from pasture into stalls and worked only at slow speeds began losing bone mineral content within weeks.
- A single short sprint per week (50–80 m) dramatically strengthened bone.
- Corticosteroids mask pain and increase risk of further injury
- Good nutrition cannot override a lack of mechanical loading.
- A skeleton that doesn’t experience impact simply cannot stay strong.

All of this is drawn from:
Nielsen, B.D. (2023). A Review of Three Decades of Research Dedicated to Making Equine Bones Stronger. Animals, 13(5), 789.

So what does this mean for our modern domesticated horses?

It means bone weakness is not inevitable.

It’s a management problem.

It means many “mysterious” pathologies — stress fractures, suspensory injuries, joint degeneration, chronic compensation, recurrent lameness — are downstream consequences of bone that never had the chance to adapt to the forces nature designed it for.

Box stalls create osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis creates a whole lot of other pathology.

Your horse doesn’t need to be an athlete. But their bones require impact. Free movement. The ability to respond to their own nervous system’s cues to trot, canter, play, stretch, and even sprint.

Turnout is not enrichment.

Movement is biology.

Bone health is built — or lost — every single day.

A question I encourage every owner to sit with:

If you knew your horse’s bones were weakening in silence every day they stood still, would you keep managing them the same way?

Because in the end, it’s not confinement that keeps a horse safe.

It’s a resilient skeleton.

And only you can give them the environment their biology requires.

Change begins with us.

05/11/2025

So true and so important to be kind to ourselves

- Embracing softness in our growth process -

Working on ourselves to improve the connection with our horses is one of the most confronting and difficult things we can do.

It asks a lot of courage to face our "shadow sides".

Therefore, don't put any pressure on yourself during this process. You are making an internal shift that needs softness and time to transform.

13/10/2025

💫 Rehabilitation – My Take

When we talk about rehabilitation, we often think of exercises, treatments, and plans.
But none of that matters if the horse doesn’t feel safe enough to change.

I meet many horses with complex issues — multiple diagnoses, long histories, years of compensations layered on top of each other.
And the truth is… you can never approach rehabilitation with a fixed plan.

Even if you’ve dealt with a similar case before, every horse’s situation is unique — because there are so many factors that influence whether a body can truly function or not.
And that goes far beyond the body itself.

🧠 The nervous system plays a huge role.
If a horse’s nervous system is in a constant state of defence — ready to run, fight, or shut down — then the body simply can’t reorganise.
It doesn’t matter how much physio you do, how many injections or treatments you give… if the mind is still in protection mode, the body won’t let go.

To truly influence the body, you first have to influence the state of mind.
You have to help the horse feel safe, connected, and open to communication.
Only then can you begin to change the way the body moves.

When you’re watching a horse in rehab, notice how that nervous system shows up:
🐎 Are they just going through the motions?
💥 Are they explosive or defensive?
🧱 Are they locking up and slamming the brakes on?
😔 Or do they seem disconnected, just not “there”?

These responses tell you where to start — because until the nervous system settles, the body won’t follow.

And then there’s management.
Because the horse’s environment has a bigger influence than any session you’ll ever do.
If your horse spends 23 hours a day in a state of restriction — stabled, limited turnout, minimal movement, no social contact, or unable to forage naturally — the nervous system will stay stuck.

You can do every exercise, but if the horse’s daily life keeps the body in a state of stress, progress will always be limited.

Rehabilitation isn’t about a set of exercises.
It’s about understanding how the body, mind, and environment interact — and creating the right conditions for all to heal together.

That’s real rehabilitation.
That’s how we help horses find comfort, balance, and genuine soundness again.

24/09/2025

In my work I can never be sure about what’s going on for a horse, but what I can often do is recognise patterns that might lead you to make an educated guess.

The more I get used to noticing patterns the more I notice them in everything. Horses and people often display patterns in their behaviour too. Often a behavioural pattern can be due to a combination of so many things both physical and emotional that have happened in people’s and horses past. Certainly from a horses point of view, whilst trying to have an understanding of factors that might have lead to patterns it is often better not to get too embroiled in the why and just help the horse with the now.

Horse live in the moment so it is definitely the now that is most important to them no matter what has gone on on the past. I know it is a lot easier said than done but perhaps this is a lesson we can learn from them too. These days I am so much more interested in what horses can teach me and less worried about what I can teach them.

24/09/2025

What if positive reinforcement was an inside job?

Last night, over in the membership group, someone asked about using positive reinforcement to help a horse with some issues. And I realised that what we mean when we use the term ‘positive reinforcement’ is a click and a treat. And it CAN be. That is one option.

We may also talk about giving a horse a scratch, or giving them a break, or some other palpable, demonstrable means of rewarding what we want. These are all ways to positively reinforce behaviour we are trying to train.

But what if we could positively reinforce things between us and a horse by offering them something good from our inside to their inside? What if the way we take action, and relate to them (or don’t take action and remove ourselves from them) could elicit good enough feelings that a horse just likes to be with you? And tries to work things out with you because you have shown them that you’re a cool human to hang out with. That we ourselves are the positive reinforcement.

Now the problem with this concept is it’s a bit like candy floss; you can’t really get a handle on it. It is hard to teach and a lifelong commitment to learn. And it usually takes a human who is prepared to take a long hard, look at themselves and sort their own sh*t out. It is not for everyone.

-You may have to go to counselling or get yourself some other kind of therapy (such fun!)
-You may have to take up some form of meditation even though you are really convinced you’re way too busy
- It may be a body based calling and a somatic practice is necessary
-You may be required to practice an entirely different way of being with horses, which goes against everything you find easy and ‘want’ to do
- Who knows, you may have to turn your whole life upside down in order to be a human a horse would like to hang out with

Because the thing about horses really, is most of us would like to be more like them. Living in our own skins with no desire to be anyone other than who we are. Understanding how to have relationships where boundaries are clear and compassionate. Loving to move and loving to rest, without guilt about either of those things. And these are all coming from the inside of a horse, and are felt by the inside of a human.

More and more I say to students that learning riding is not enough, that a horse wants more than technique and theory and you most likely need to get support from someone other than a riding instructor. And the beautiful thing is, in doing this for your horse, you are doing it for yourself.

Thank you to all the horses who positively reinforce us.

29/08/2025

It’s lovely when you see a horse you haven’t seen for a while and find them so much more open to a session.

This little girls owner has obviously done a lovely job with her, that and finding her a home where she is obviously very happy.

I travel around a lot and I always find that nice calm well managed yards with nice people always have a positive effect on horses even though they can be very different from each other in set up.

10/08/2025

The Art of Producing the High-Level Horse

In today’s world, where goals are king, results are worshipped, and egos often take the reins, we’ve lost touch with something essential: the art of the journey. The quiet, thoughtful process of developing a horse, not just for performance, but for partnership.

Too often, the pursuit of high-level training becomes a checklist of movements, an external badge of status. Grand Prix as the pinnacle. Piaffe, passage, pirouette all proof of success. But we rarely stop to ask: Success by whose measure? And at what cost?

Because if a horse’s well-being were truly at the centre of our goals and not just a footnote in our mission statements our training would look radically different. It would move slower. It would feel softer. It would sound quieter. And it would be far more beautiful.

Producing a high-level horse is not about simply teaching them the movements required on a score sheet. It’s about cultivating a horse who is sound in body, stable in mind, and joyful in spirit. It’s about shaping one who offers those movements willingly, expressively, even playfully. Not as a result of pressure, punishment, or the clever placement of aids that corner them into compliance but from a place of physical readiness and emotional trust.

And this……….this is where the art comes in!

Imagine dressage as a painting. Each training session is a brushstroke, delicate, deliberate, layered. The impatient artist might throw out the canvas at the first mistake. But the true artist? They work with the paint, blend it, adjust it, stay curious. They know that beauty often lives in the imperfection, in the subtle corrections, in the layers of time and care.

The same is to be said in riding: the art lies not in domination, but in dialogue. Every stride, every transition, every still moment is part of an evolving composition. The rider’s aids are not commands but questions; the horse’s responses are not obedience but answers. Together, you create something greater than the sum of its parts.

The highest levels of dressage are not the goal. They are the byproduct of a thousand conversations, a thousand small moments where the rider listens, adjusts, supports, and receives. When done well, Grand Prix is not a performance. It is the horse’s voice, amplified through movement.

To produce a horse to that level is to understand that their body is not a tool, but a home. Their mind, not a machine, but a mirror. Their spirit, not a resource, but a companion.

This is not just training a horse
It is stewardship.
It is art
And it begins not with ambition,
but with reverence.