I’ve been sitting on something BIG for a while….
And the time has finally come to say it out loud.
I’ve spent a lot of time asking myself - how can I help people at a distance while facilitating *real change* in my clients?
When I talk to you guys some big things come up over and over again…
You want to feel confident that you can pick up on subtle lamenesses, soreness, or unbalanced movement EARLY...
It’s been the month of stiff low backs so I figured it’s time for a little movement analysis before and after to help train your eyes!
This little mare is a really great example because of her dorsal stripe! It makes it really easy to see what’s going on.
Read MoreHere we’re going to stick with our side view and the same horses from Part 1, but we’re going to focus our eyes specifically on the spine.
The spine is the (hopefully) stable base off which everything else moves, so dysfunction in the spine can have far-reaching consequences in movement and posture.
Therefore, having the ability to quickly screen for spine dysfunction is super handy!
Once again, this is not diagnostic, dysfunction here can happen for many reasons. This is big picture stuff that might key you in that a horse needs an evaluation from a professional.
Read MoreI was chatting with some old friends the other day and they said something that really hit me -
“We just can’t see what you see”
When I post before and afters, they have no reference point and they can’t always see the changes. Which is before? Which is after? And if they can see differences, which differences are “good differences?”
I do not think they’re alone! Actually, I know they’re not alone.
Read MoreRecently someone took a before and after photo collage I shared of Malachi, a horse in my care for rehabilitation, and posted it in a Facebook conformation evaluation group. The poster was questioning my integrity, suggesting these results were not possible and the photos or the way I took them must have been manipulated to achieve the results I was claiming - and ultimately the comments got turned off…
That’s a normal thing nowadays but honestly it was disappointing because some nice discussions were starting to happen around the differences between conformation and posture and what is actually possible in rehabilitation.
Read MoreUsually people are saying this in the context of emotions
and I think that part is true, too -
but my example today speaks to the physical body and how our own physical imbalances are so often mirrored by our horse’s imbalances.
The question becomes - which came first? Is our horse our mirror or are we our horse’s mirror? And we don’t always know. Chicken and egg.
Read MoreSo an interesting thing happened tonight.
Someone took my Malachi before and after from the other day and stuck it in a conformation group to talk about why my photos weren’t good comparisons and to express doubt about the truthfulness of my claims or how this could be possible.
The word used was “gimmicky”
Read MoreOther professionals may relate to this… sometimes in our lives the same issue keeps popping up over and over again in different horses.
It feels like we have common “themes” of diagnoses or lack-of-diagnoses at different times.
I’m not sure if it’s just because that’s what I’m paying most attention to, some kind of psychological bias, or if the universe is telling me it’s time to buckle down and figure this thing out.
Read MoreCalling All Barrel Racers
Meet your new best friends!
Together we’ve created Next Level Barrel Racing, a 12-week online program designed to teach you everything you need to know to optimize your performance in the arena and keep your horses sound for years to come!
Read MoreI originally wrote this post for our crew over at Next Level Barrel Racing but I thought it might be useful to the masses, too!
I preach a lot about teaching the horse to move with his head down - withers height or lower is usually my recommendation. This helps the horse naturally activate the “right” muscles - the ones that create the type of supportive spine we can sit on without damaging the horse over time.
And the question I got was:
When does the head come back up? Nose in the dirt won’t work for a race.
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