The Performance Refinery - Ride.Lab Academy

05/09/2026

📍What does it actually take to ride better?

Stellar Clinic at in Oregon, where we spent two full days answering exactly that … 21 rides, real riders, real results 💪🏼

Here’s what I found and some brief snippets of how I turn it into functional treatment:
✅ Pelvic torsion → full functional correction with resistance band facilitation
✅ 360° breathing for stability and relaxation
✅ Rider Sling training for functional length and stability = Axial elongation + deep stabilization
✅ Scapular stability for efficiency and integrated independent control
✅ Dynamic deep core for a true following connection to the bit
✅ Pelvic stabilizer activation exercises ringside = immediate in-saddle carryover

The horse can only be as free as the rider allows. My job is to assess/diagnose & free up the rider so the horse can perform its job better!

📍 Alliance Equestrian Center, Oregon
👯‍♀️ Thanks to Trainers & for trusting me with themselves & their riders

04/28/2026

🐴 Your lower leg swings. Your instructor has mentioned it. Possibly more than once.

You've tried gripping more. Pushing down into the heel. Concentrating really hard. Maybe even changing saddles.

And yet on a forward-going horse, or the moment something spooks, your leg is off doing its own thing again. 😅

Here's what nobody tells you: it's not a riding problem. It's a body problem.

Your lower leg swings because your hip is not stable enough to anchor it. When your pelvis rocks and tips with each stride, your lower leg compensates. It swings forward to "catch" your balance, or back to try and grip. It's your nervous system doing its job, just not the job you want.

Think of it this way: your leg is the symptom. Your hip stability is the cause. No amount of lessons can fix a strength and control deficit. They can only remind you it's there. The good news? This is absolutely fixable and off-horse work is where the magic will happen. It also does not require you to have a gym membership, lift weights so heavy that you are left sore for days on end or a one way ticket to the land of "you must to do loaded squats"!

Over the coming weeks I'm going to be sharing exactly how we train hip stability, deep core control, and proprioception (your body's positional awareness) that give your lower leg somewhere solid to live.

No gym membership needed. No hour-long workout sessions. Just smart, targeted movement that speaks the same language as riding.

👇 Tell me — has your instructor flagged your lower leg? Drop a 🙋‍♀️ below if this is you, and let me know: does it happen more on one rein than the other?

04/22/2026

Green Flags that actually matter in the Rider Physiotherapy realm 💚

Our equestrian world is a complicated one at the best of times. We have both Rider & Horse as integral parts of the team which both require finesse in quality of care

These are the top 10 hard rules & standards for my team ⬇️

04/20/2026

🎂 44 trips around the sun and still happiest with a little scuff on my shoes, chalk or dirt on my hands, and my favorite people by my side 🌎✨

Motherhood, adventure, and family chaos … honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. From mountains to beaches, horses to climbing walls, ski slopes to spontaneous road trips, I live for the adventures shared together along the way.

A huge thank you to everyone from both the Southern and Northern Hemisphere who reached out with birthday love, messages, and kind wishes, my heart is full ❤️

And to my hubby, thank you for the most fun-filled birthday kickoff … starting with the Coronado Flower Show, followed by a seaside dinner, speakeasies, and wrapping up the night laughing way too hard at show 🍸🌸😂

Day 2 rolled straight into a delicious family brunch, and then dusting the hand chalk off and getting back to climbing walls 🧗

Because apparently at 44 … I still choose adventure first & can’t let the boys have all the fun!

Here’s to another year of living fully, laughing loudly, and making memories with the people I love most 🤍✌🏼

04/10/2026

New Zealand 🇳🇿 & Australia 🇦🇺
March 2027 ~ IM COMING BACK DOWN UNDER!!!

Currently opening expressions of interest for Clinic hosting locations

Email: britta@performancerefinery.com

04/06/2026

Cash shredded his first Black diamond for Spring Break! at 6️⃣🤙🏼

I had to sideline some mom fear & let it sink in that he was ready! ⛷️

There was some speed
There was a tumble
There was a full send slide down the mountain …

But no hesitation, he got back up and sent it again.

Mumma lesson = Trust the process. Not perfect lines. Not pretty runs. Resilience > everything.

Spring break = family, mountains, and raising a kid who knows how to fall … and keep going.

The Flying Squirrel strikes again 🐿️💥

03/30/2026

Excited to head back to help the amazing group of riders at Serenity Rose Equestrian Center in Lincoln, NE coming up! Let’s get down to business 😉✨🐴

We are PUMPED to have Britta join us April 11/12 at Serenity Rose for a biomechanics clinic. We are ready to do the work needed out of the saddle to improve our rides in the saddle 💪🏼💪🏼 Auditing available only April 12th, hope to see you there!

03/24/2026

To stand on the sidelines and support my team in moments like this is something I never take for granted.

An extraordinary well deserved weekend for Next Level Eventing Tamie Smith, securing triple wins in South Carolina across the CCI4*, CCI3* and CCI2* levels. 🌟🌟🌟🌟

To say I am proud feels insufficient. As her friend, colleague, and sports physiotherapist, it has been a privilege to work alongside Tamie for the better part of nine years. Since we first connected in 2018, I have had a front-row seat to the relentless work, resilience, and unwavering commitment she brings to every aspect of her career.

What stands out most is not just the results, but the consistency of her standards, the care she shows for her horses, and the integrity with which she operates, even in the face of external noise.

Tamie, you continue to set the benchmark in this sport. This success is a reflection of years of dedication and an approach that truly prioritizes both performance and welfare.

Always in your corner. 💪🏼

Britta

(And kudos to an incredibly well written article from another one of my favorites Sally)

https://chronofhorse.com/en/article/Tamie-Smith-Sweeps-Three-FEI-Divisions-At-Setters-Run-Farm-Carolina-International/?fbclid=IwZnRzaAQvdaBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeHNomqramQOgMao8SpO72hVyIDQBkWhKGfhvotBz-nQPELLY3VifiH0_S77I_aem_KBuv5TfW9Kzfjgox5SizKw

Tamie Smith and Lillet 3 finished the weekend on a score of 29.7 in the CCI4*-S, adding just three seconds’ worth of time penalties to their initial two-phase score. © Sally Spickard / Eventing Nation Tamie Smith Sweeps Three FEI Divisions At Setters’ Run Farm Carolina International Eventing By...

12/18/2025

Some messages stop you in your tracks in the very best way 🤍

As we wrap up the year, I received this note from a client that perfectly captures why I do what I do. Coaching, physiotherapy & rider biomechanics … it’s never just about movements or milestones. It’s about belief, trust, and helping someone reconnect with what their body can do.

I’m deeply grateful for the trust my clients place in me and for the moments like this that remind me how meaningful this work truly is.

Here’s to continued growth, exciting breakthroughs, and riding forward into 2026 with purpose. 💫

“Hi Britta!
As we approach year end, I like to let folks know how much difference they make in my life. Everyone has choices every day. You have a very unique set of skills and experience that is a gift to your clients.

I really appreciate the time you’ve invested with me this year. As an older amateur who is somewhat new to the sport, it would be so easy to give up on myself and see others do the same.

I think we were all dismayed at my apparent lack of being able to make my body do what was needed despite trying so hard all the time.

With your help this year, my riding and communication with my horse(s) has improved dramatically. The horses are happier and my trainer now comments ‘well ridden!’ fairly regularly. She can focus more of her comments on adjusting to the horse’s weak spots Instead of always having to correct my body position to improve communication.

This year I was finally able to:
- Get canter from trot on my upper level horse
- Nail almost every canter departure
- Get changes consistently, especially left
- Start and keep counter canter to second level pattern requirements
- Really execute and feel the difference between my aids for working vs medium gaits
- Ride and communicate well enough for my upper level horse to stop balking or spinning to avoid my aids every ride
- Start shoulder in, haunches in and half pass
- Complete or practice second and third level tests

I’m looking forward to more exciting progress and to working with you in 2026!
Hope you have wonderful holidays surrounded by those you love,
Lisa Black”

12/09/2025

Our 2026 Rider Performance Travel Clinic Schedule is now open for expressions of interest on calendar dates

Reach out to: britta@performancerefinery.com
To secure your barn a date

2025 RIDER PHYSIO AND PERFORMANCE CLINIC SCHEDULE DECEMBER 6/7: UNAVAILABLE 12/13: 20/21: 27/28: 2026 RIDER PHYSIO AND PERFORMANCE CLINIC SCHEDULE EXPRESSIONS OF DATE ALLOCATION INTEREST NOW OPEN JANUARY 3/4: UNAVAILABLE 10/11: 17/18: UNAVAILABLE 23/24: Tierra Rejada Equestrian – Caroline Hoffman ...

12/06/2024

What’s on your Christmas wishlist 🎄❤️

There’s a reason we are the founders & creators of Functional Equestrian Sling training 🛑 Don’t fall for the copycats & make sure you use our 4-way stretch product with a loading breakpoint for your on horse training 🎤🧠

Postage dates as follows;

Within the United States : December 18
International Standard: December 9
International express: December 16

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=892403153074883&id=100069156199052&mibextid=xOYQyo