Easier Movement, Happier Horses
Easier Movement, Happier Horses
Discover the Key to Rounding Your Horse's Back
You can learn the secret to your horse being able to round the back easily. This episode explores how the sternum and ribs can help—or hinder—a horse's ability to collect, and introduces a gentle, hands-on method to help horses rediscover comfortable movement, leading to improved performance and well-being.
You’ll also learn the difference between "leg movers" and "back movers," and how trying to force your horse into a frame can lead to tension, resistance, and potential long-term soundness issues.
You’ll hear about Mary’s gentle, hands-on method to help horses rediscover comfortable movement, emphasizing the importance of positive reinforcement and building trust.
Key takeaways:
- Rib cage mobility is crucial for proper rounding of the back and engagement of the hindquarters.
- Lack of rib cage awareness can lead to "leg moving" instead of true "back moving" collection.
- Trying to force a horse into a “frame” can cause long-term issues.
- A gentle, hands-on method can help horses rediscover comfortable movement.
- Associating ease and pleasure with healthy movement helps retrain horses for better body awareness and improved performance. .
- Patience and gradual reintroduction of tack and rider are essential.
- Improved rib cage mobility can lead to more effortless, graceful movement.
- This approach emphasizes working with the horse, not against them.
- The goal is to help horses find joy and freedom in their movement.
Resources:
💥Learn how the Feldenkrais Method can help improve your seat, position, and balance on your horse! Free rider videos masterclass: https://www.marydebono.com/rider 💥
Email mary@marydebono.com
All information is for general educational purposes ONLY and doesn't constitute medical, veterinary, or professional training advice. Always use extreme caution when interacting with horses.
About the Host:
Mary Debono is a pioneer in animal and human wellness, blending her expertise as an international clinician, best-selling author, and certified Feldenkrais Method® practitioner. With over three decades of experience, Mary developed Debono Moves, a groundbreaking approach that enhances the performance, well-being, and partnership of horses and their human companions.
Recognizing the profound connection between equine and human movement, Mary's innovative approach draws from the Feldenkrais Method®, tailored specifically for the equestrian world. Her methods have helped horses and humans:
- Improve athletic ability and performance
- Enhance confidence and reduce anxiety
- Reduce physical limitations and discomfort
- Deepen the horse-human bond
Mary's flagship online program, "Move with Your Horse," offers equestrians a unique opportunity to experience the benefits of Feldenkrais® while also learning her signature hands-on work for horses. This transformative approach has helped riders and their equine partners achieve harmony, both in and out of the saddle.
As a speaker and educator, Mary has touched the lives of equestrians across the globe, empowering them to unlock their full potential through mindful movement and enhanced body awareness.
Discover the power of Debono Moves and transform your equestrian journey. Visit https://www.marydebono.com/you-and-your-horse to learn more about Mary's unique work.
Because you and your horse deserve to feel great. Together.
Well, I have something a bit different for you today. I should say quite a bit different, and I'm really anxious to know what you think of it. So some time ago, I wrote a blog post about the secret to rounding your horse's back. And I discussed something that is often not discussed in the horse world, and about how, how attending to this rather important detail that's often overlooked is so crucial to your horse's improved movement, their well being, their ability to carry you, and to do all the things they need to do as horses, even if they're not ridden.
And so what I have for you today is a couple of individuals discussing that blog post. But here's the thing. They're not real people. They're actually AI generated. Yeah. As crazy as that sounds, it's. They actually seem kind of realistic, almost scarily so. And I noticed, not I noticed, I realized I have, you know, a number of written materials that it might be fun to listen to instead of read and just to get a different take on them.
So anyway, just total transparency. This is AI generated. I used Google's notebook lm to do it, by the way. It's super easy and it's free. If you're interested and don't know what I'm talking about, email me. But in any case, I'd love to hear from you. Let me know what you think of this. It's only a few minutes long. And what people have told me already when I've released some of this stuff to save with my dog audience about my dog stuff, they loved it.
All the feedback I got was really positive. They felt that they learned a lot by those discussions by these AI robots, if you will. So let me know what you think and we'll decide if we're going to do this more often or maybe have them up somewhere where you can just easily listen to these discussions. Okay. Thank you so much for listening, subscribing, and reviewing the podcast. Yeah.
And please let me know what you think. Thanks so much. Talk to you soon. The discussion follows right now. Enjoy. You know how we're always striving to unlock our horse's full potential with collection? Absolutely. Well, get this, we've been diving deep into the secret to rounding your horse's back. Okay. Yeah. And let me tell you, there's this whole fascinating piece of the puzzle that I bet you wouldn't expect.
It's all about the rib cage. Interesting. The rib cage. Yeah. To unpack this whole thing, I've got our expert here. Hey. Now, this book, it dies into this story about a rider, Sarah, right. And her horse, Ace. Yeah. Have you heard of this one? Oh, yeah. It's a classic case. I mean, it feels so classic, right? Absolutely, yeah. Ace, this gorgeous warm blood pedigree out the wazoo. But you ask him to collect.
Forget it. Oh. Sarah's tried everything, like different trainers, new saddles. Oh, she's pulling out all the stops. She was just. She was at her wit's end. Oh, I feel for her. Yeah. And this is where it gets really interesting for, like, your listeners, because Sarah's situation, it's probably something they've experienced, too. Ace, he wasn't unsound, he wasn't stubborn or anything. He just physically struggled with collection. Interesting. And he just couldn't do it.
And so Mary, the author, she finally discovers that the culprit was actually in Ace's rib cage. Wait, what? Yeah. His ribcage. Yeah. A lack of mobility in his ribcage. Yeah. It's not something we think about. No. Like legs, back, head, you know, all this stuff. We don't think about the ribs, but it plays such a huge part in how the horse moves, especially when it comes to collection.
So what's happening in there when a horse collects properly? Well, you want to imagine when a horse collects correctly, their sternum and ribs should actually move closer to their pelvis. Oh, wow. Yeah. It's subtle, but this shift, it allows the withers to lift back to round and the hindquarters engage. Okay. But if the sternum and ribs are stiff, it throws the whole system out of whack. It's like a bicycle chain with a kink in it.
You can pedal all you want, but it's not gonna go anywhere smoothly. It's gonna be a bumpy ride. Exactly. And that's what was going on with Ace. Okay. His rib cage was too stiff, and it was preventing that essential movement for true collection. So it's not that he couldn't physically collect, it's just that his body was like. Yeah, I was fighting against it. Oh, interesting. And, you know, this makes me think, because you mentioned your horse, and he gets a little resistant when you ask for collection.
Yeah, a little bit. I wonder, could this be what's happening? It could be a little bit of rib cage stiffness. Yeah, potentially. You know what's interesting? This whole idea of ribcage stiffness, if you try to force a horse into collection when they're like that. Right. It's almost like you're doing more harm than good. Absolutely. Yeah. And Mary talks about this in the book. Yeah. She's got this whole concept of leg movers versus back movers.
Right? What's the difference? So think of it this way, okay. A leg mover, right? They're trying to force collection by mainly using their legs. Okay. Because their back is so stiff, they just. They can't engage those muscles. Oh, so it's all legs. Yeah, it's all legs. Exactly. It's like a dancer, right. Trying to do, like, a really graceful pirouette, but with a totally rigid core. Ouch. Yeah, they can't.
That's essentially what's happening. So how does that fit for the horse? I mean, is that painful for them? Oh, absolutely. And they're putting so much strain on their joints and their muscles over time. I bet that leads to. Oh, yeah. It's like a fast track to chronic lameness. Oh, no kidding. Arthritis, you see, even things like kissing spines. Wow. Because it goes back to that restricted rib cage, and it creates this chain reaction.
It's all connected of tension and compensation throughout the whole body. Okay, so leg mover. Not good. No, not good. We want a back mover. Paint me a picture. What does that look like? A back mover is like that dancer that's mastered their core strength and flexibility. They're supple, they're elastic, and because they're moving correctly, biomechanically, there's just a. There's way less strain on their body. So it's just more natural.
Way more natural. So instead of that, like, stiff, choppy movement. Exactly. You see a horse that's like gliding. Exactly. It's like poetry in motion. It's, like, effortless. Right. Effortless. Exactly. And make it look easy. Exactly. That's the power, you know, that's amazing. Yeah. So what causes these rib cage restrictions in the first place? Are some horses just born with it? It's really rare that it's, like, congenital. It's usually a learned response because, I mean, horses are.
They're sensitive prey animals. Right. They don't want to get hurt. Exactly. So if they experience something that's, like, negative, like an ill fitting saddle or even a rider who's a little too harsh with the rein aids, they learn to avoid that movement. Exactly. They start to protect themselves. Fascinating. And what Mary was saying, like, even little tiny things early in the horse's life, it can create these habits, these tension habits for years.
Wow. You know, it could be something as simple as, like, being girthed up too quickly or inconsistently when they're young. So they're always guarding against it. Exactly. It's ingrained. Huh. That's really interesting. And that's kind of where some of the old school training techniques that kind of backfire. Yeah. Because if you're forcing a horse to lift their back using pressure. Right. It might look like collection on the outside.
Okay. But it's not true collection. Right. Because it's all coming from a place of tension and avoidance. It's like fake collection. Exactly. And that's what's so great about Mary's approach. Okay. It's not about forcing the horse into this shape. Right. It's about, like, helping the horse rediscover how to move well from the inside out. Okay, I'm so curious about this. How does Mary actually go about retraining a horse to embrace collection?
Like, where do you even start? Well, Mary's method is really interesting. It's all about gentle, hands on exploration. Okay. She actually uses her hands to, like, communicate with the horse. Wow. Almost like she's speaking their language and helping the horse, like, rediscover comfortable movement, especially in the sternum and rib. Oh, so it's not about forcing them. It's more like biting them back to that awareness of their own body.
Yeah. It's like hitting the reset button on their body awareness, you know? Oh, I love that. I'm even thinking about how I check my horse's girth now. Yeah. Am I doing that too fast? I love this whole idea of working with them. Exactly. Working with them, not against them. And you know what's really important? Mary really emphasizes this. It's associating this whole newfound movement with pleasure, not pain.
So every little positive response, it's met with positive reinforcement. So, like, oh, I like this. Let's do more of this. It could be a scratch, a kind word. Oh, I love that. Even just a release of pressure. Just something to let them know that, hey, you're doing good. Okay, so then how do you. So they've got this new freedom. Right? Right. But then they have to go back to work under saddle.
Right. How do you maintain that feeling? Yeah, that's huge. Right. Yeah. Because you're right. You can't just do this work on the ground. Right. And then expect them to be perfect when you get on. Exactly. So Mary, she starts to reintroduce tack and writer cues, but she does it gradually in a way that still preserves that freedom that they've discovered. So it might be that she's working with the horse in hand, but they have a saddle on, and she's making sure that they're maintaining that rib cage mobility.
Okay, so they're getting those sensations. Exactly. But with the weight of the saddle. Okay. So they're still comfortable. That makes so much sense. Right. And then you can start to introduce the writer. Okay, got it. But again, it's all about building those positive associations every single step of the way. This is making so much sense. But it sounds like this takes a lot of patience. Oh, absolutely. Tons of patience.
Because it's not a quick fix. You know, it's really about building a new language with your horse, one that's based on trust. That's beautiful. And understanding. Right. It's about listening to those little cues they give you, respecting their limits, and then celebrating their progress, no matter how small. And honestly, I think that should be our approach anyway. 100%. That's what it's all about, right? It's not about just getting to that perfect collection.
It's the turn. It's the journey. It's helping your horse discover the joy of it. Exactly. The freedom. Yes. The freedom of movement. It shouldn't be a chore. I love that this has been such an eye opening conversation. Yeah. And, you know, it really makes you wonder, what other signs are our horses giving us? What else are we missing all the time? Right. That's something for us all to think about.
Absolutely. The more we learn to listen, the better partners we become. Well said. This was amazing. Thank you so much for breaking this all down with me. Of course. Anytime. This was fun. And to everyone listening out there, keep exploring, keep learning, and keep that conversation going with your horse. We'll see you next time.