Serene Equine: Bodywork and Biomechanics, 929 Berthoud Parkway, Berthoud, CO (2025)

07/25/2025

Its important for your instructor to take lessons too.

This summer, Melanie from MN Equestrian and I teamed up to be each others riding instructor. I appreciate her willingness to change based on new knowledge, despite her 15+ years of experience...and her patience with me as I bring back to work a couple horses who thought they were retired 😆

🔹Teaching biomechanics isn’t about technical cues—it’s about empowering riders to use their body correctly, keeping both horse and rider sound for long term riding. Riders feel the difference in their seat, their body, and their horse’s response with just small changes in how they use their body. It’s always an honor to work with riders who are open, curious, and committed to growth.🔹

07/18/2025

“Which of these do you think proprioception affects?”

🤸‍♀️ Balance
🤺 Coordination
🐎 Position in the saddle
💪 Strength
❓I am unfamiliar with the term

06/26/2025

The answer is all of the above!

Proprioception = your body’s internal GPS 🧠📍

It helps you:
✅ Know where your limbs are
✅ Feel when you’re straight (or not)
✅ Stay balanced without overthinking
✅ Use left and right muscles equally

BUT Your GPS can be wrong.

Your brain thinks you’re straight but you're not.

If we want our horse to respond to our seat aids, our seat aids need to be even to start with. If you are heavy on the left seat bone, you may block the right canter transition. If your right leg is not on the horse as much as the left, your horse may bulge over the right shoulder.

📸After taking a few laps around the arena, have someone take a picture from the side and back. Your brain thinks that is straight and square. What asymmetries do you see?🤸

The good news is that proprioception can be retrained! The more you ride symmetrically, the more normal that will feel. Over time, you will correct your internal GPS through neuroplasticity!

06/23/2025

“Which of these do you think proprioception affects?”

🤸‍♀️ Balance
🤺 Coordination
🐎 Position in the saddle
💪 Strength
❓I am unfamiliar with the term

Let me know in the comments!

06/20/2025

What asymmetries can you spot?

Article: Influence of functional rider and horse asymmetries on saddle force distribution during stance and in sitting trot.

🟢General findings from the study, during sitting trot:
• Collapsing the hip shifted pressure to the opposite side of the horse’s back
• Tilting the torso shifted pressure to the same side as the tilt
BUT HERE’S THE CATCH…
While these patterns were statistically significant, the actual correlation values were low.

💡 Quick Stats Refresher:
Statistical significance = we’re confident a relationship exists
Correlation = how strongly that relationship shows up

So what? Yes, the patterns were real, but they weren’t super strong across all riders.
Other factors the study didn’t measure—but might matter:
🔸 Rider asymmetries (pelvic rotation, scoliosis, old injuries)
🔸 Horse asymmetries (muscle imbalance, conformation)
🔸 Everyone mounted from the left—and guess what? The left side had more force.
🔸 Direction of movement (left vs. right rein)
🔸 Low-grade lameness so subtle it was unobservable (therefore not rejected from the study)
Author’s Takeaways:
✔️ Hip collapse and torso tilt do contribute to asymmetrical loading of the horses back, left vs right
✔️ Horse-rider-pair may compensate for each other’s asymmetries
✔️ A poorly fitted, or asymmetric, saddle may not be the sole reason for an asymmetric loading pattern on the horse’s back
My Takeaways:
🌿 Rider asymmetry does create uneven force—but it’s complex.
🌿 No single posture issue works in isolation, so addressing the tilt without the underlying reason for the tilt is a short term approach
🌿 That odd sweat patch on your saddle pad? It might not just be the saddle’s fault.

Citation:
Gunst, S., Dittmann, M. T., Arpagaus, S., Roepstorff, C., Latif, S. N., Klaassen, B., Pauli, C. A., Bauer, C. M., & Weishaupt, M. A. (2019). Influence of functional rider and horse asymmetries on saddle force distribution during stance and in sitting trot. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 78, 20–28.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2019.03.215

06/16/2025

🟢🔵What comes to mind when you hear rider biomechanics?🔵🟢
👀 Rider position?
🐴 How the horse moves?
📢 Your instructor yelling things like “Shoulders back!”?
💪 Core strength?
Or maybe… you’re not quite sure?
(That’s a totally valid answer too.)
👇 Drop a comment below—what does rider biomechanics mean to you?

06/09/2025

🐎As Caper gets back to work, balance and SureFoot pads are essential to help build hip and core stabilizer muscles 💪🏼

💫The slanted backwards SureFoot pads had an interesting side effect. The change in how his joints aligned allowed his muscles and tendons to relaxed enough for deeper access to his adductor muscles - which have been treated to extra strain lately due to the mud.

✨A bigger win, though, was working the fascia of this flank without Caper's usual ear pinning and tail lashing! ❤️

06/05/2025

Did you know?
🐴 Horses evolved to constantly secrete highly acidic stomach acid—even when they’re not eating.
🌿 Only the lower portion of their stomach is protected by a glandular lining.

Why I let my horses have a snack before working:
1️⃣ I understand hangry.
2️⃣ It makes them happy
3️⃣ Trotting and cantering splash acid around—but eating a bit of hay creates a "mat" that reduces the splash of the acid, reducing contact with the sensitive upper stomach.

👉 Do you let your horse nibble before rides? Drop your thoughts below!

Image Citations:
Caper giving me the side eye- mine
stomach - https://thehorse.com/1133598/tackling-equine-gastric-ulcers/

06/02/2025

The Proprioception Path and Round Pen are finally mowed and ready for work… just in time for another week of rain! ☔🌿

Proprioception—your body’s internal GPS—is what tells you where you are in space. It’s the foundation for better balance and clearer communication with your horse.

🐴🐎 What are your riding goals for the week?🐎🐴
Drop them in the comments—let’s cheer each other on!

05/30/2025

Nice and dry Colorado has had a wet couple of weeks. I'm not complaining (much) since the winter was so dry and our reservoirs are so low. BUT, that does make getting Caper and Jayden back to work a bit tough.

How's your arena, or riding pasture? Muddy? Sloppy?

💫 Just because the footing isn’t perfect doesn’t mean you have to skip riding altogether. 💫

But here’s the thing—riding on bad footing can:
🌿 Strain tendons
🌿 Cause slips and falls
🌿 Leave your horse sore and fatigued

So when the footing’s iffy, think slow, simple, and smart.

Here are 3 exercises you can do safely at the walk:

✨ Body Assessment:
Hold your reins in one hand and place that hand on the pommel. Reach your free hand out sideways like an airplane. Now twist—how far can you reach back and down toward your horse’s tail without your opposite leg doing something funky?
✅ Is it the same when you switch hands?
✅ Which side feels harder?
✅Think about which 20m circle or corner your horse is more balanced in (or your instructor yells at you less about, for example, your horse being over a shoulder)...is there a connection?

🟣 Posting at the Walk:
Exactly what it sounds like—posting, but slowly. To level up:
🏇 Barely brush the saddle on the down post
🏇 At the top of the rise, gently engage your glutes to open your hips—then let them go
🏇 On the long side, try closing your eyes—does your horse stay straight? Does the loss of vision challenge your balance?
🏇Is there a posting mechanic your instructor always picks on you for? Train your nervous system on the correct patterns by slowing things down and working through the nitty gritty details.

🔷 Steering with No Reins:
🟣Hold the reins at the buckle and teer using only your shoulders, torso, seat bones, and thighs—no spurs, whips, or kicks!
🟣If you're having trouble, let's chat about how rider biomechanics might help!

🌿 Your horse will thank you.
🌿 Your body will thank you.
🌿 Both of your future soundnesses will definitely thank you.

What’s your go-to exercise when the footing’s tricky? Drop it below—let’s swap ideas! 💙🐎

05/24/2025

Hello bodywork and biomechanic enthusiasts! 👋 It’s been a while and wanted to take a moment to share what’s been going on behind the scenes—and why I’ve been a bit quiet here.

Last September, I started a PhD program in biomechanics at the University of Northern Colorado👩‍🔬It’s been a busy and exciting time of research, learning, and growth! Just recently, I had the opportunity to present the pilot study for my first project at a conference—thank you Shawn for being the test subject!

Some of you know I spent 10+ years teaching riding lessons in Arkansas. When we moved to Colorado I decided to take a break and use my equine massage and KT certifications to help horses move better. But the business name- Serene Equine: Bodywork and Biomechanics- was chosen because I knew I’d eventually return to my first love—teaching riders with an emphasis on correct mechanics. It didn't take long.

Going forward, this page will focus primarily on rider biomechanics—how your body moves, how to create clearer communication with your horse, and how to feel more confident and connected in the saddle. I’ll still share occasional updates about my equine bodywork services, but my passion—and this page—are shifting back to helping riders like you.

Thank you for your patience, your support, and your love for horses. I can’t wait to share this next chapter with you!

✨ If you’re curious about how biomechanics can transform your riding, drop a 🐴in the comments and let me know what questions you’d love to see answered in future posts!

01/23/2024

❓Does your horse have a shorter distance between the tuber coxae and last rib on one side vs the other side? Scroll down to the 🟣 They may have a restriction in the superficial lateral line.

❓Does your horse have a hallow in the muscle right in front of the withers, near the cervical-thoracic junction? Scroll down to the 🔷 They may have a restrict in the deep lateral line.

✨While fascia covers everyithng, there are some areas of fascia that are thickener ropes that connect sheets of fascia- these are the fascia lines. From numerous dissection studies, a research group determined that the horse’s fascial Iines are similar to the human fascia lines in location and function. Understanding fascial Iines is gaining popularity in understanding the horse’s (and rider’s) biomechanical correctness💫

💫The lateral line has a superficial and deep component with similar start and end points. One of the interesting things about this line is the zig zag pattern the two lines make as they pass through the rib cage. This line effects bending though the rib cage as well as the breathing muscles. Since it starts between the hock and stifle it also influences hind end motorization. The end of the lines join up again in the poll region, as many fascia lines do💫

🟣If the superficial lateral line is the sticky one, the same side of the “stick” is concave and the scapula is restricted. When traveling in the opposite direction of the stuck side, the horse will swing their outside hind leg out of the circle (due to the fascia’s interaction with the TFL) and will be more on the forehand.

🔷If the deep lateral line is stuck in contraction (spams, adhesion, dehydrated) on one side, the horse may be able to “be round” on that side but is unable to achieve self carriage on that side. The splenius muscle on the same side of the problem will not work properly and eventually atrophy.

Serene Equine: Bodywork and Biomechanics

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