Wanneroo Therapeutic Riding & Horsemanship

22/07/2025

Technical Tuesday

Getting a great horse takes hours of work and years of training for both horse and rider. If you learn to enjoy the journey and take on board the feedback your horse give you, it can be a magical journey

Everybody wants a good horse.
But not everybody wants to become the kind of person that makes a horse good.

In today’s world, people expect fast results.

Instant gratification.
Swipe, click, scroll, done.

People expect success to be delivered like an Amazon Prime Order:
fast, easy, and with a smile.

They want to turn their feral horse into a “finished horse” without ever putting in the hours it takes to truly understand one in the first place.

Here’s the thing…
Mastery isn’t downloadable.
A reciprocal relationship can’t be rushed. It is build over time and it comes with highs and lows.

What took others years of learning, failing, watching, refining, people now want handed to them in a weekend clinic, a 10-minute video, a one time exercise, a one-sentence answer or because they bought a course.

The shortcuts people chase are often detours that lead them right back to where they started, just more frustrated this time.

They want the feel, but not the feedback.
They want the bond, but not the humility.
They want the horse to change, but they don’t want to change themselves.

No one can hand you the timing, the feel, the quiet, calm and consistent leadership it takes.

It can’t be downloaded or bought.

You earn that, you develop it, with every consistent rep and step. With patience. With clarity. Through being a lifetime student of the horse.

By showing up on the days it’s hard, boring, frustrating or humbling.

Put in the work.
Put in the hours.
Because Your horse
deserves that version of You.

04/07/2025

Being well balanced in the saddle is so important. But it takes time and practice

If you're not riding centered and balanced, your horse knows it—and pays the price for it.

When you lean, drop a shoulder, or collapse a hip, you're not just shifting your weight—you’re shifting your horse’s entire understanding of what you're asking. A horse trying to stay balanced under an unbalanced rider is like trying to dance with someone constantly stepping off beat. They can compensate for a while, but eventually it leads to resistance, crookedness, sore muscles, and mental frustration.

Riding centered isn’t just about looking pretty—it’s about being fair, clear, and effective. Your balance affects their balance, your straightness affects their straightness, and your softness allows their softness.

This video on my Patreon Page is one in a collection of videos showing you how to develop and improve yourself and your riding. https://www.patreon.com/posts/getting-centered-133210619?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

25/06/2025

Wellness Wednesday

With these colder days and nights we all want to ensure that our horses are warm and healthy.

This is an interesting read about how fiber can support your horse over the cooler months.

18/06/2025

Theory Thursday

I love this concept. When riding our aim is to minimise our impact on the horses movement and use the smallest cues possible to get them to follow us where we want to go.

This takes a lot of practice and making sure we are fully aware of our bodies and every movement we make to ensure we don’t confuse the horse.

Your Body Has to Ride First—Before the Horse Moves

Not long ago in one of my videos, I made a passing comment:
“Too many riders don’t start riding until after the horse is already moving.”

The comment was in passing, and I didn't elaborate at that time, but a longtime follower reached out and said that simple idea completely changed the way she rides. She started focusing on initiating movement with her body—before any cue—and her horse started responding better, softer, and more willingly.

So let me explain what I meant—and why this is such an important piece of horsemanship.

Too often, riders rely on external cues—clucks, kicks, reins—to signal movement. But a connected ride doesn’t start with a signal. It starts with a shift. A shift in your seat, your energy, your core. The way you carry your body should tell the horse what’s coming before you ever give a cue.

When you move with intention, the horse picks up on that. You stop pushing or pulling them into a transition, and they start flowing into it with you. You’re no longer just a passenger—you're now a partner in motion.

And here’s where it gets even better:
When you ride transitions with your whole body—especially your seat—you naturally encourage your horse to engage their own.

That’s the doorway to better self-carriage, balance, and collection. When you prepare your body for a transition—whether it’s a walk, a stop, or a rollback—your horse learns to prepare theirs. They start stepping up from behind, rounding their back, lifting their shoulder, and carrying themselves with better form. That’s not something you can force with reins and legs. That has to come from a horse that’s tuned into you and trusting your feel.

Now, I’ve talked before about the three phases of rider development.

In the first phase, everything feels mechanical. You’re learning where your hands and legs go, like driving a truck with no power steering.

In the second phase, you start to develop feel. You begin noticing how your horse reacts, and your timing starts to improve.

**But in the third phase—**and this is what we all strive for—riding becomes instinctual. You’re no longer thinking about the steps. You’re feeling your way through them. Your body and your horse are speaking the same language.

And this concept—initiating movement with your seat—is a huge piece of getting to that third phase.

Because the third phase doesn’t come from practicing cues—it comes from practicing connection. When you ride with your whole body and start feeling those moments before they happen, your horse starts feeling them too. That’s when transitions become seamless. That’s when your horse is right there with you, waiting for the next breath, the next shift, the next subtle change in rhythm.

So next time you go to ask for movement, take a breath and ask yourself:
Am I riding yet? Or am I just sitting still, waiting for the horse to start the ride?

Let the movement start in you.

Let the seat, the core, the posture, the energy—lead the way.

Ride first. Cue second.
That’s how you build softness, balance, engagement—and eventually, instinctual horsemanship.

16/06/2025

Technical Tuesday

So much more goes into riding well than meets the eye.

I love it when we welcome. People for their first ever ride. They get off and are amazed how much their body aches. Good riders make riding look easy and effortless, yet they are making ongoing alterations to the horse with subtle body movements.

Riding is a great way for us to become more aware of our body and how we can die it to subtly I fluence things.

I recently read this article and loved the concept so thought I would share it with you

Your Body Has to Ride First—Before the Horse Moves

Not long ago in one of my videos, I made a passing comment:
“Too many riders don’t start riding until after the horse is already moving.”

The comment was in passing, and I didn't elaborate at that time, but a longtime follower reached out and said that simple idea completely changed the way she rides. She started focusing on initiating movement with her body—before any cue—and her horse started responding better, softer, and more willingly.

So let me explain what I meant—and why this is such an important piece of horsemanship.

Too often, riders rely on external cues—clucks, kicks, reins—to signal movement. But a connected ride doesn’t start with a signal. It starts with a shift. A shift in your seat, your energy, your core. The way you carry your body should tell the horse what’s coming before you ever give a cue.

When you move with intention, the horse picks up on that. You stop pushing or pulling them into a transition, and they start flowing into it with you. You’re no longer just a passenger—you're now a partner in motion.

And here’s where it gets even better:
When you ride transitions with your whole body—especially your seat—you naturally encourage your horse to engage their own.

That’s the doorway to better self-carriage, balance, and collection. When you prepare your body for a transition—whether it’s a walk, a stop, or a rollback—your horse learns to prepare theirs. They start stepping up from behind, rounding their back, lifting their shoulder, and carrying themselves with better form. That’s not something you can force with reins and legs. That has to come from a horse that’s tuned into you and trusting your feel.

Now, I’ve talked before about the three phases of rider development.

In the first phase, everything feels mechanical. You’re learning where your hands and legs go, like driving a truck with no power steering.

In the second phase, you start to develop feel. You begin noticing how your horse reacts, and your timing starts to improve.

**But in the third phase—**and this is what we all strive for—riding becomes instinctual. You’re no longer thinking about the steps. You’re feeling your way through them. Your body and your horse are speaking the same language.

And this concept—initiating movement with your seat—is a huge piece of getting to that third phase.

Because the third phase doesn’t come from practicing cues—it comes from practicing connection. When you ride with your whole body and start feeling those moments before they happen, your horse starts feeling them too. That’s when transitions become seamless. That’s when your horse is right there with you, waiting for the next breath, the next shift, the next subtle change in rhythm.

So next time you go to ask for movement, take a breath and ask yourself:
Am I riding yet? Or am I just sitting still, waiting for the horse to start the ride?

Let the movement start in you.

Let the seat, the core, the posture, the energy—lead the way.

Ride first. Cue second.
That’s how you build softness, balance, engagement—and eventually, instinctual horsemanship.

05/06/2025

There is a tendency for people to over rug their horses as they feel cold so assume their horses do.

This is a great guide

29/05/2025

We all want love from our horse as we love them. So how do you know that they like having you around

🐴💞 8 Signs Your Horse Truly Loves You 💞🐴

A horse’s love is quiet, but deep. It doesn’t need words — it’s shown through every movement, every glance.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your horse truly feels something for you, here are 8 signs that reveal their affection:

1️⃣ They come to you in the pasture
When a horse chooses you over the herd — that says everything.

2️⃣ They trust you enough to turn their back
A horse never turns its back on someone it fears. If they do — it's a sign of comfort and trust.

3️⃣ They rest their head on your shoulder
One of the warmest moments — your horse seeks your closeness and calm like a true friend.

4️⃣ They lick or yawn around you
That means they’re relaxed. You are their “safe place.”

5️⃣ They pay close attention to you
With their eyes, ears, and body. They feel you.

6️⃣ They let you groom and hug them
Not all horses accept this. If yours does — it’s trust and love.

7️⃣ They gently nudge or touch you with their nose
This is how they play and show affection.

8️⃣ They calm down when you’re near
Your presence brings them peace — and that’s the highest form of connection.

❤️ A horse may not say “I love you” out loud — but they show it every day, in their eyes, their touch, their quiet.
Pay attention — a horse’s love is a priceless gift.

19/05/2025

An interesting read and worth considering when working with your horse.

Interestingly this process works the same for people.

Ending on a "good" note 🐴

I used to think that I couldn’t end a training session unless the horse had achieved whatever task I’d started, especially if they’d done it well already then couldn’t seem to replicate it again. I used to drill horses because I was told that if I didn’t I’d be ending the session on a “bad” note and I’d be ruining the horse’s training, teaching them they could “get away” with it. 🙄

Let me give an example. You’re working on your canter transitions, your horse does a couple of good ones, then a couple of not so good ones, you feel like you have to keep trying again and again because you can’t finish unless they do a good one again, right?

What is actually happening here? Your horse is probably fatigued, whether that be muscle soreness, general fitness or maybe they’re just feeling tired today, so they are struggling to produce the transition that you want. The more you try the more fatigued they become and the less likely it is to happen. All we are doing is making horses sore and also developing really negative associations with training. 😕

I have found training horses to be so much easier and more rewarding now I can recognise both physical and mental fatigue and I’m not afraid to just stop. The less I ask the more they seem willing to give as their associations with work become more positive and I’m not asking them to do things they aren’t physically capable of.

Its completely okay for things not to be perfect, learning is messy. Its okay if your last attempt at something is not the best one of the session, in fact that may be a sign to stop. Giving your horse a day off and coming back to it again in a few days will do much more for your progress than drilling them.

It always used to surprise me when horses would come out better the next session even when I’d felt the end of the last session had been rubbish. The amount of times I’d be teaching something new and it seemed the horse didn’t quite get it but then they’d get it immediately in the next session had me off doing some research. Now I understand that horses need REM sleep to process learning and appreciate that they feel muscle fatigue just like us so I can see why this happens.

Their brains can fatigue just as their bodies can and its important to take this into account even more if you’ve travelled them to a strange environment or you’re teaching them something new. If you are in a lesson situation and you feel your horse has done enough, tell the instructor, you are the most important advocate for your horse, don’t leave it up to other people. You can always ask to a do an easier exercise if you still have time to fill in your session.

Ending on a good note can actually look like “okay I can feel you’re starting to struggle now, lets just stop, go for a walk and finish for today,” it might just be the best thing you do for your training and, more importantly, your relationship with your horse. 🐴

www.lshorsemanship.co.uk

www.patreon.com/lshorsemanship

22/03/2025

Makes you think

20/03/2025

Everything about your horse tells you a story

Tails tell a story

I thought I would add a little more in

Often tails are forgotten when we look at the horse we may pull them, or use them as an access point for other parts of the horse but often tails and how they sit in line with the rest of the body can indicate other things which may be happening

Anatomy

The tailbones are called the COCCYGEAL and on average there are 15-18 bones which begin at the end of the sacral bone, the first two are located internally and often the little triangle above the tail will indicate where these are or by moving the tail up and down you can usually feel where the sacrum begins as this is not as mobile as the tailbones
The tail can move up and down and side to side, it has muscles which can help with posture (slow twitch) and movement (fast twitch).
Even though there is no spinal cord here it still contains many nerves and also many soft tissue connections which reach further forward along the horse
Tails are great for communication we can tell alot by the tails movement and not just when riding, fly swatting and balance
If we look at the connection between the big ligaments that are effective between the tail and sacroiliac joints then we often find restriction in either will have an effect on the other and also a more global effect

A tail should feel like there is some resistance then relax when we work on it a bit like goldilocks and the three bears it should not feel to rigid nor to relaxed it should be just right 😁

I think of the tail as a rudder of the ship its used for balance, can indicate how your horse is feeling and we often only think of diagonals with a compensation pattern a straight line from right to left or vice versa when often when we look its usually a zig zag pattern as the horse tries to find a more normal pattern throughout the body sort of trying to right itself at each junction and more often than not if we have a tail off to one side the zig zag pattern of compensation will end up with the head favouring the same side that the tail is sat

Tail off to one side

Often this usually happens way before your therapist comes to work with your horse and its already a deep established pattern throughout your horses body, remember the tail and sacrum are interlinked so usually I come across this if the horse has had some strain around the pelvic area, maybe the horse had a slip or a fall as a youngster and that is why it is so hard to correct it as its usually been a long standing issue and a pattern is ingrained into the body, it's now the horses normal crooked tails are still not well documented as to the whys
So it's important if you see your youngster slip in the field to get it checked, often the bony landmarks hit the ground and you can see its all connected and mostly what I see is the Tuber Coxae that is most affected is the nearside and most tails I see are always favouring to the left side

Tail rigid and stiff

Again for me this may be an indicator that the horse is trying not to move things too much in this area think of the rudder of the ship if it is stuck in one position often intricate movements are hard, the horse is usually ok in straight lines but may struggle with schooling moves, again do not just think of the tail as a single entity you have to think of the connections and muscles in the tail can have connections further up the back

Clamped down tail

This is usually the polar opposite of the rigid tail but again is the horse trying to keep the area as still as possible often the engine is switched off in these horses so they often struggle to power their hind end as the easiest way I explain it to clients is pull your knickers up your bum and then try to run, it's not so easy

Different breeds will have different tail carriages, and different personalities will have different tail carriages as well but we must remember the tail is an indicator of the mobility of your horses spine, and the health of the soft tissue, a non-moving tail is trying to protect an area and like I say we come in much later so there may be no pain but a restriction and it's important we do the work in small parts to allow the horse to adjust and reset

We also have to think of the huge fascial sheets across the horse and the effects of fascial restrictions and patterns throughout the body remember we have to work on the whole horse even if we think it’s a hind end or front end or middle part of the horse for the connections of the tail go much further than the tail bones, think of the top of the tail in a little fascial pop sock

We often only think of steering is a front-end issue but if the rudder fails then the steering will never be right the tail should be able to move with the body counterbalancing the body and we have to work with what we have in front of us, often the owners have done all the vet checks and we are just trying to bring more balance to the body without it having to work so hard

05/11/2024

Love this post it’s so true

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

*thank you to whoever wrote this! Not my words, but certainly a shared sentiment!

12/10/2024

It’s ok to just be you

https://www.facebook.com/cowboyup213 🇺🇸🇨🇦