Aurora Equine - Emma Criniti

26/02/2026

Love this 🙌

What Is Groundwork For?

Groundwork has become widely accepted as valuable. That’s a positive shift. But like anything in horsemanship, its value depends entirely on how thoughtfully it’s applied.

Nearly every professional has heard some version of this:
“I’ve already done lots of groundwork,” — which usually means, now I should be able to just get on and ride.

But what does that actually mean?
What kind of groundwork?
And more importantly — what is it teaching?

When I ask students questions about their groundwork, it’s not to dismiss them. It’s to sharpen their thinking.

For example, if someone is asking for lateral flexion on the ground, I’ll ask:
“Why are you doing that?”

“To get him with me,” they might say.

Okay. What does with you mean?
What are you looking for specifically?
What is the horse giving — and why does that matter?

If the answer is, “I want to see if he’s giving,” then I ask: giving what? His head? His jaw? His ribcage? His attention?

And furthermore - how does this connect into your ridden work? Where will you use it, and what does it build into?

A horse can physically bend his neck and still be mentally absent. He can “give” his head and still brace through his body. So does that lateral flexion actually prove he’s with you — or just that he has learned a motion?

Groundwork becomes meaningless when it turns into repetition without purpose. The horse learns to go through the motions. He anticipates. He falls onto a shoulder. He performs the shape without understanding the balance or the connection behind it.

Without a clear overarching theme, groundwork doesn’t build much of anything.

Sometimes people say they’re “getting the bucks out” before riding, or “making sure he remembers his homework.” But we should always ask:

How does what I’m doing right now connect to ridden work?
What feeling am I creating that will carry into the saddle?
Am I building the posture, balance, responsiveness, and mental state I want under saddle — or just burning energy?

Lunging is often criticized as mindlessly tiring the horse down — usually by those who haven’t seen it done thoughtfully. But if our groundwork lacks intention, aren’t we doing the same thing? Repeating movements until the horse is dull instead of organized? Winding him down instead of building him up?

Groundwork should develop clarity, balance, attentiveness, and coordination. It should prepare the horse for the ridden conversation — not replace it, not exhaust him before it, and not become a checklist.

To do that, we need:
• A clear picture of the end goal.
• An understanding of how each exercise connects to that goal.
• The ability to simplify when the horse doesn’t understand.
• The awareness to progress when he does.
• And the judgment to know when enough is enough.

Groundwork is not simply a warm up or some ritual we must do before riding.

It is educational, it is preparation — or it is noise.

And the difference lies entirely in the thought behind it.

19/02/2026

I’m back from holidays in Singapore and what a great time to be there with all the decorations for Chinese New Year and especially being the Year of The Fire Horse, so many horses displayed everywhere, was beautiful 🥰

Here’s to a wonderful new year ahead charged with the spirit of the horse and may it be a great opportunity to achieve all you want with your goals and dreams. 🙌💕

26/01/2026

🙌👇👍💕

Consistency: The Least Sexy Skill That Changes Everything🤓

Everyone wants a great partnership with a horse. A relationship. Mutual understanding. Ideally achieved without thinking too much, noticing too much, or feeling even slightly uncomfortable.

You want the horse to respond the way you expect it to respond. Automatically. Politely. Preferably while you remain exactly the same person you have always been, doing exactly what you have always done.

And this is where reality enters the arena and clears its throat.

Working well with a horse means noticing sooner, responding sooner, and holding your rules of engagement when every part of you would rather relax and letting it slide.

And that frustrated feeling you get?

That is learning.

Learning feels uncomfortable because your habits are loud. Your beliefs about how things should feel are loud. And when a horse comes along who quietly insists you become more precise, more disciplined, and more present, your soul throws a tantrum.

“But why can’t I just do what I’ve always done and have the horse magically respond?”

Because horses are not here to protect your comfort.

The more you resent consistency, the worse you get at it. The more you fight the effort of showing up the same way, the messier your communication becomes. Horses notice immediately.

Most people do not struggle with horses because they lack kindness or good intentions. They struggle because they cannot be consistent. They cannot hold their boundaries long enough for the horse to understand them. They cannot show up on the boring days, the quiet days, the days when nothing dramatic justifies the effort.

The best relationships in life are built by those who keep turning up, even when it would be easier to drift and hope for the best.

Consistency takes effort. The kind that makes you question your life choices at inconvenient moments.

However, when you practise consistency, it gets easier.

When you show up often enough, it becomes who you are.

When you stop wishing for ease and start choosing discipline, you take control of your life.

And that is one of the reasons horses are good for your soul because they refuse to let you stay the same.

140/365

16/01/2026

This 👇

The only thing that creates a horse that is nice to be around, easy to handle, and enjoyable to ride, is time spent working to make that horse nice to be around, easy to handle and enjoyable to ride.

Or, I suppose, the money to buy one that someone spent the time to make nice to be around, easy to handle and enjoyable to ride. Either way, someone has got to put the time and effort in. You aren't going to get around that.

One of the easiest ways I can think of to increase the value of your time as it relates to creating such a horse is to take a hard look at the stuff you do every day: the basics around handling and sharing space with your horse.

I've yet to meet a horse that was a dream to ride but miserable to handle. I just haven't. What happens before we get in the saddle will affect what happens when we get in the saddle. What happens before we even get the halter on the horse will affect how that horse feels once he is haltered. We tend to look at the things we do with horses as segments separated by category or type or time, but to the horse all of these things are interwoven with all other things. There is no separation.

So when I hear someone say "I don't like to do groundwork" what I hear is "I don't understand the connection between what happens when my feet are on the ground and when my feet are in the stirrups." I try to give folks the benefit of the doubt when it comes to that: I genuinely don't believe that most of those who avoid groundwork or "don't like it" lack care for their horses. I tend to find they just don't get it. A lot of times they haven't had enough exposure - or good exposure, with a thoughtful teacher - to make those connections for themselves and SEE the changes their horse can make. Or they've been brought along in a system that views groundwork as "that thing we do before we ride" and not literally all encompassing of everything that happens before we get on the horse.

I'm not saying it's a walk in the park. But neither is being around a horse that does not easily and willingly accept what we ask of them, when we ask it, under a multitude of circumstances. Both are going to require time and energy. I suppose it's just a matter of how you want to spend it.

11/01/2026

Doing good walk work can create awesome changes in your horses topline and posture 👍

How much walk do you really do with your horse?

Not just walking - but walking with awareness?

If a horse struggles with relaxation, posture, balance, lateral work, stability, core engagement, or alignment in the walk, they will almost always struggle in the other gaits.

Many horses feel better in trot because it requires less spinal motion and uses diagonal limb pairs, making compensation easier. Speed can also be used to create balance. But if the walk isn’t optimal, brace is still there - it’s just hidden.

🦄Why the walk is so valuable
- It has the greatest spinal motion, ideally with each segment moving independently
- Each limb must load independently, without help from a diagonal partner
- There should be a continuous flow from nose to tail
- Its slower speed makes it easier to observe clearly

Questions to ask about your horse’s walk
- When the head and neck are free, is there a gentle figure-8 motion side to side (or is it still or up-and-down)?
- Is the tail soft and flowing?
- Can you see motion through the entire spine?
- Do the forelimbs match in motion?
- Do the hindlimbs match in motion?
- Does the ribcage swing in an upward figure-8 pattern?
- Does the pelvis move evenly in a figure-8 through the tuber coxae, or does one side drop or hike?
- Can your horse halt easily without heaviness in the reins or lead?
- Can they transition into walk without falling through the chest, drifting sideways, or bracing the neck?
- Can they lift the shoulders independently?
- Can they engage the hind limbs without twisting?
- Are shoulder-in and travers possible without brace in each directoion?
- Is there changeability within the walk?

✨ The walk offers an incredible amount of information.
And focused, intentional walk sessions often create dramatic improvements in every other gait.

💡 Do yourself a favour:
Schedule 1–2 aware, walk-only sessions this week — and notice what your horse starts to tell you.

Please REGISTER for the FREE Posture & Behaviour Masterclass to gain more insight into why the walk could be a challenge for horses!

https://www.integratedvettherapeutics.com/registration-fb-jan26

07/01/2026

When you ride with this mindset it makes a huge difference to your training and connection with your horse.

Stop trying to be the hero of the ride.

When we walk into the barn, it is so easy to feel like the main character in a movie. We have the goals and the ambitions. We are the ones paying the bills, doing the driving, and dreaming of that perfect ride or that blue ribbon. We naturally view training as OUR journey, where we overcome obstacles to achieve greatness.

But if you want a truly profound connection with your horse, you need to realize something crucial about the story you are living. You aren't the hero of this movie. Your horse is.

When we flip that script and realize that our horse is the one facing the greatest challenges, and that our sole role is to guide them through those challenges to success, the friction in our training begins to disappear.

Think about it from their perspective. Every good story begins with a hero who just wants something simple, and for the horse, that’s usually pretty basic... safety, comfort, friends, forage, room to move, etc. They didn't ask to be ridden, or to live in a stall, or to perform dressage tests. When we step into their world, we interrupt that peace. We ask them to become athletes in a human world they don't naturally understand.

So, you have this hero (your horse) whose deepest instincts tell them to flee from pressure and resist simply for self-preservation, yet they are trying to figure out how to exist in our world. That is a massive conflict. They are facing physical demands that are hard for them, like carrying a rider, working in collection, performing some lateral movement... But even bigger than that, they are facing internal battles. They battle anxiety, confusion, and that instinctual voice that screams "save yourself" when they see a plastic bag, a spooky corner, or encounter a challenging task that requires more than they were prepared for.

If the horse is the hero trying to overcome these dragons of fear and imbalance, then who are we?

We aren't the knight in shining armor coming to conquer the beast. We are the wise mentor. We are Yoda. We are Mr. Miyagi. We are the ones with the knowledge, the ones with the map, the ones who can help the hero win the day.

To be a good guide for your horse, you have to bring two things to the table, and they have to exist at the same time.

First, you need empathy. You have to understand the hero's internal struggle. When your horse refuses to go forward or braces against the rein or the leg, a hero-mindset rider sees it as disobedience or an insult. But a guide-mindset rider sees it as a struggle. You validate their experience. You realize that they aren't trying to give you a hard time; they are having a hard time.

But empathy alone isn't enough, or you’ll both just end up huddled in the corner feeling nervous. You also need authority. And I don’t mean dominance or aggression; I mean competence. The guide has to know the way. And to know when and how to encourage and empower. You need to be the sturdy anchor they can rely on when their own world feels chaotic. You need to have a plan.

When the horse feels understood by you and simultaneously realizes that you know exactly where you are going, trust is born. It changes the way you ask for things. When you ask for a transition or ask them to walk past a scary object, it’s no longer a demand based on force. It becomes an invitation based on trust. You are essentially saying, "I know this feels scary and hard right now, but I have a plan, and if you follow me, we will be okay."

If the plan isn't clear, or if the step is too big, the hero fails. And if the hero fails, the guide failed. When we try to be the hero and treat the horse like a prop in our success story, we usually get resistance, tension, and burnout.

But when we step back and embrace our role as the quiet, consistent guide, we set the horse up to win. And what does a winning horse look like? It looks like confidence. It looks like an animal that meets pressure with softness rather than bracing. It looks like a partner that feels physically capable and mentally safe and interested in their job.

The irony is, when your horse gets to be the hero who conquers their fear and finds their balance, you get exactly what you wanted all along. You get that harmony, that dance, that oneness. But you only get there by letting them be the star of the show.

29/12/2025

👍💕

Teaching Your Horse to Do Nothing

A large part of my work these days is helping horses bring their attention back into their own bodies and into the present moment. In simple terms, this means teaching them to do nothing.

Interestingly, many horses find this extremely difficult in the presence of humans. We are so often asking something of them that they feel the need to offer all the answers they know.

Ask a horse to stand and you may see them:
• Touch you
• Touch themselves
• Step forwards or backwards
• Offer behaviours they believe are “correct”

They’re not being difficult — they’re searching for the task. It’s our job to show them that sometimes, the answer really is nothing at all.

This applies just as much to ridden work. How often do we get on a horse and simply say, “Do nothing”? More often than not, we’re on and immediately asking for more - go, go, go.

Teaching a horse to do nothing is an incredibly valuable skill. It supports nervous system regulation, helping horses feel safer both mentally and physically. For horses living in a heightened state of arousal or “flight mode,” this is often one of the very first groundwork exercises I suggest.

Nothing makes me happier than returning to a horse and asking the owner what they’ve been doing since my last visit, only to hear, “Not much really.”
In reality, that quiet standing and stillness has been doing so much.

So if you have a busy-minded horse, consider this: Stand with them in their stable or arena and simply ask for stillness. Each time their mind wanders, gently guide them back to doing nothing.

This exercise is just as powerful for the human: No phone. No agenda. Just observing — noticing when your horse’s mind wanders and helping them find calm again.
Sometimes the most important work looks like doing nothing at all.

24/12/2025

Wishing all my clients and friends a safe and happy Christmas and New Year, may 2026 be a wonderful year ahead for everyone 🙏💕 Time for a little break and rest for a few days 🥰🥂🎄🎁🎊

19/12/2025

🙌💕Contact from the hand should have a forward feel, a light connection like your holding hands, never fighting, wrestling, pulling back or blocking, when you get it the feeling is amazing.

Why contact?

Years ago, I was bought into the notion that anything worth doing should be done on a loose rein. I really struggled in my lessons to hear about contact because I had poor associations with it - people telling rider's to hold against the horse, like fighting a big fish on a line into a boat. It appeared to me a contest of wills, and I was completely uninterested in that feeling.

My teacher often talked about the connection being like dancing, but I had never felt anything like this. She talked about funneling the hind leg without ever trapping it, and keeping the full length of the neck intact in the contact. "Hold the horse's hand, but don't ever restrict the movement," she'd say.

It all sounded good, but every time I picked up the reins I just felt heaviness, resistance, or my horses hid from my hand. She would bring my awareness back to my seat every time and away from my hands.

"The fingers just capture what the seat creates" she would say -

But it was years of practicing with my seat before I would understand the contact.
A following seat, a directing seat, a seat that was soft but very stable: my teacher had this, and I spent years and years working toward it, understanding finally just what it meant to feel the hind leg through my seat but not always able to stay with it, and often blocking it.

But those times when the contact feels good is magical - unlike anything I've ever achieved on a loose rein. It was like being in close with someone you love very much - taking their hand and swinging in a dance. Feeling everything there is to know about them through your hand: their thoughts, their breathing, the way they feel about you and eveyrthing to do with you. There is no hiding from each other on the contact.

Exactly where the hind leg is in what phase of each stride - where it's going and how that connects to how they're feeling inside. Recieving the fullness of their trust from hind leg all the way into my hand.

You don't NEED contact for riding - you can walk trot and canter on a loose rein. But it's like any relationship - it can go as deep as you want it to go, as intricate, nuanced and beatiful as you'd imagine and more.

And like anything else, it can be poisoned. Like all tools, it can be flatted and cheapened, and downright misused. It can be weaponized against the horse or even against a student -

But it also bridges us into a flow, a beauty, a magic, available for anyone with the discipline to work toward this kind accurary - available to anyone who can be trusted with the power of having thr entirety of a horse's body in your hand and use it only to create art.e

11/12/2025

With this hot weather salt is really important to feed daily to your horse but you should feed it all year round, good info below 👍

📖 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝘁

🐴 I love reading about misconceptions when it comes to feeding horses, but today I’d like to debunk some common myths about good old sodium chloride.

🧂 Myth #1: Salt only needs to be fed when the weather is hot.

🐴 Truth #1: Salt needs to be fed 365 days a year because it is vital for many bodily processes and is excreted in sweat, saliva, mucous and urine. Even in the midst of winter, horses need salt.

🧂 Myth #2: Horses instinctively know to drink water regularly, especially when they are hot and sweaty.

🐴 Truth #2: A horse’s thirst reflex is triggered by sodium, which is a component of salt. Horses’ sodium requirements need to be met in order for them to seek water.

🧂 Myth #3: A horse can meet their sodium and chloride requirements with a salt block alone.

🐴 Truth #3: Unlike cattle, horses do not have an abrasive tongue and are not designed to lick harsh surfaces to extract nutrients. While it is technically possible for a horse to consume their daily salt requirement from a salt block, it is much less work and more physiologically-appropriate for them to consume loose salt that is either provided in a meal or left out free-choice.

🧂 Myth #4: Horses know what nutrients they need and can self-medicate with supplements such as vitamins and minerals.

🐴 Truth #4: Salt is the only nutrient horses have been studied and proven to actively seek out when it is required. They will not seek out other nutrients “because they know they need it.” Look at how much salt and molasses (palatable additives) are added to free-choice supplements.

🧂 Myth #5: Himalayan rock salt is better for horses than plain salt.

🐴 Truth #5: Himalayan rock salt contains naturally occurring components other than sodium and chloride. Some may view this as a positive; however, it is usually a more expensive means of supplementing salt, and often contains traces of iron which almost never needs to be supplemented given horses are generally oversupplied iron by their forage intake alone.

🐎 Your horse’s diet should be providing a minimum of 10g of salt per 100kg of body weight each day; typically more after exercise, intense weather, or illness. Ensuring your horse always has access to clean, cool, and fresh drinking water will ensure they remain well-hydrated and if by chance they intake more salt than necessary, the water they drink allows them to excrete excess very effectively. The best kind of salt to feed is plain sodium chloride such as table salt, unless the diet is deficient in iodine which makes iodised salt more appropriate.