Sam Naylor Equine Bodywork

27/08/2025

Discover how understanding the horse's brain functions can lead to anatomical changes and improved training. Dr. Steven Peters shares surprising facts that c...

27/08/2025

You have a horse that is objecting to being ridden.. what do you do?????

Is it just the riding or did the objection begin a long time before

Can't catch the horse
Uncomfortable being groomed
Head in the corner of the stable
Having to tie the rope a little shorter to avoid teeth
Ears back when the saddle appears
Biting when doing the grith
Tying up to get on
Refusing to stand still at the mounting block
Refusing to move forward
Rushing
Zoning out
Worried expression round as you move around the horse

So why is the horse is objecting so violently to having a rider on its back, did we miss all the signs that led upto the loud objection??? Now remember horses wants an easy life they would rather put up and shut up, their responses are so subtle that we may not even notice till the horse has escalated their response to usually a buck or a rear or worse a flip over, because now we feel uneasy and maybe even in danger with their actions.

We ignore so many signals, a tail swishing, ears back as we girth up a wobble as we sit in the saddle, a reluctance to move forward or a rushing to get it over with ,,we demonise these behaviours and use the words naughty, taking the mick, mareish, stubborn, lazy, fizzy, pyscho, (interesting we have more words for a horse that may not want to work than does) and funnily enough those of us who say "hey your horse may be uncomfortable " often get labelled as bunny hugger, to soft, crazy, and yep psycho!!!

If your horse feels unsafe on the ground then usually it means stay on the ground until it does feel safe, calm, relaxed, happy, and if it can't then investigate and keep investigating because what may be going on may be hidden from view.

We are programmed from a young age to stay on no matter what, we ooh and ahh at the riders ability yet forget to ask how the horse is coping, like we always go on about a partnership yet are both happy because I would imagine in that moment neither partner is.

It doesn't take a smart rider to stay on a bucking horse it takes a rider who can stay on, and horses will not fight something they can't shake off for long their bodies are not designed for it they will realise pretty quickly that there is no point, now what does the horse feel at this point does it feel relaxed, safe, happy or does it feel there is no way out no matter what it does.

Would you trust the problem has gone away or has it been shut down and waiting to resurface at some point...

And if your horse is putting up that much of a fight then you need to ask the question what is in it for the horse,,,we always seem to be amazed at the riders ability and maybe we are so mesmerised at we forget to actually look at the animal beneath,
When the fight stops what has the horse taken away from the experience for future rides??

If a horse is at a point of not even caring what happens to its own body then maybe its time to stop.

07/05/2025

https://youtu.be/hrZgtrqbMVI?si=GyjyR9nazPkJU4kx

The 24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain is a film that dares to challenge the way we look at "badly behaving" horses, and promotes the notion that lamen...

01/05/2025

I have availability to see up to two horses this Sunday 4th May. If you are in or around the areas of:
Matlock, Ashbourne, Derby, Burton-on-Trent, Cannock, Telford, or Bridgenorth, and you’d like a Home/Yard visit please get in touch quickly.

I’m able to help with training on the flat or over fences, assist with performance/behavioral issues, help with handling and loading problems, as well as general groundwork training of any kind.

Photo Credit: Amy Thompson Photography

25/06/2024

Tuesday Tip - 𝗟𝗘𝗚-𝗬𝗜𝗘𝗟𝗗

A great suppling exercise that's easily incorporated into your schooling sessions. 🐎

The horse moves forwards and sideways on two tracks. The legs crossing the midline in adduction and away in abduction - whilst maintaining lateral flexion through the neck and body away from the direction of travel.

This movement mobilises your horse's ribs, back and hips, activates the deep vertebral muscles and is a useful contributory factor in developing longitudinal and lateral flexibility.

Want to learn more about the benefits of lateral work? Take a look at our on-demand recorded webinar, The Biomechanics of Lateral Work -
https://www.horsesinsideout.com/webinar-lateral

10/06/2024

08/06/2024

Alternative & holistic health service

08/03/2024

COMPARATIVE ANATOMY

Comparative Anatomy is a big deal with horses, and it’s an energetic relationship.
Being reflective of YOUR BODY is crucial to communicating to the horse what your intention is. This is true in groundwork, riding, bodywork, and deeper intuitive communication.
If you want your horse to flex and engage through the right hind, you should feel it first in your right hip/leg and send the feeling of the movement. Good horse/ rider partners do this almost invisibly, but the intention is very strong and clear.
Stretching is the same; give the horse the exact feeling in your body that you’re asking the horse to exhibit and be specific even left/right matters. It’s the energetic essence/feel the horse responds to, but displaying even an exaggerated movement in your body will also work.
A common example for me is reassessing a severe forehand torsion after working through all the deeper vascular, nerves, organs, bone, lymph etc. The assessment is a foreleg Range-of-Motion ROM stretch to observe if the scapula is freed up and slides down and away from the withers. This simple (all complicated scenarios end up with modest conclusions) ROM is the gold standard for forehand assessment. Here I stand in front of the horse and send the feeling, or movement of my scapula moving away from my spine; then when I pick up the foot, the horse effortlessly performs the movement. There is no deep trying, just ALLOWING the movement.
Human horse mirroring is perhaps the pinnacle expression of comparative anatomy. It is here that equus chooses to acquire reflective path/physical dysfunctions from their human, if you have a pancreas issue as dominate, your horse likely does as well. Many organs and most bones are paired, and when a horse tells me it’s a mirror of their human, I know what comparative structure it is but not necessarily left or right. Often horses will take on issues on their right (connective) side even when it’s on the left side of their human.
Play with sending precise movements in your body to your horse and see what changes. This is a central way equus communicates, and is essential to becoming a great rider, companion, or therapeutic practitioner.
If you desire deeper exploration this is taught in my foundation through the Osteopathy classes.