Autumnwood Equine Bodyworks LLC

07/09/2023

Sometimes in my practice I come across an owner who wants to normalize something that isn’t normal.

This sounds like:

❌ My horse works out of the stiffness/lameness after 15 minutes under saddle.
❌ He always crow hops after a bigger jump.
❌She throws her head around in the arena but not on the trail (or vise versa).
❌He always makes a face when I do the girth up.
❌It usually takes me 15 minutes to catch her and I need food to do it.
❌The left lead is always harder to get.
❌She’s always weaved in her stall.

These kinds of statements are usually followed by “that’s just the way he/she is.”

This is your horse speaking to you, over and over and over again. Please listen, before they have to get louder. Stop and think about what behaviors your horse demonstrates that maybe don’t seem totally right to you but you’ve just accepted them as “normal”.

This is a question very much worth asking of yourself, then your horse, then work with your trainer/horse care professionals to get to the bottom of it.

Answer the question as best you can, and you build a deeper, more solid partnership with your horse. Why? Because you listened. And then you did something about it. And your horse knows it.

06/04/2023

Interesting!

06/04/2023

06/04/2023

Thank you all for your support! I have my final horse for this block scheduled! Don't worry, I will be needing more for my next block soon! Until then, anyone that schedules will just be normal sessions! Same price and all! Both will really help me progress! 🥰

05/18/2023

I only need ONE last case study horse to complete my current fieldwork block for my Masterson Method Certification Program! I charge a discounted, student price per session.

If you're interested in helping me complete my case studies, here's what you'll need to know!
1. In order to complete one case study (horse) I need two sessions within 2- 3 weeks of each other on the same horse.
2. I'm looking for horses within one hour or 50 miles of Tomahawk, WI.
3. The price I charge is (as previously mentioned) a discounted, student price that I charge to pay for gas and to help me earn money for the next part of the course.

If you'd like to learn more about me or the work I do, please visit my page or message me!
If you'd like to help me in my studies, you can contact me from Facebook, phone or email!

If interested in a demo at your boarding or training barn, contact me to schedule an event!

05/18/2023

Just like ourselves, we need to make sure we introduce our horses to other things in life! 😊

04/09/2023

Happy Easter everybody! Easter carrots for all!

03/14/2023

Very interesting read!
What are your thoughts after reading this?

A horse in his true power

I think one of the main reasons so many training programs make quick work of shutting a horses energy down is fear of their power.

If you’ve ever ridden a horse who is fit, unblocked through the back and confident, there is quite a formidable amount of energy in there. It is a strong, bounding energy, like riding a lightning bolt- you’re part of the circuit, but you don’t have near as much control or say as you’d hope.

I think a healthy frame of mind for riding is to consider your weakness and infinitely poorer judgment and timing in the sensory world of a horse. One must let go to some degree-

There is much to be gained in the letting go, in the integrating into the movement of an animal much more graceful than you. To sit and allow your body to become better than it ever could on it’s own- this is an experience that requires detachment from control.

If you work to develop balance and strength, you have the obligation to stay out of the way and let it be shown. A horse in their glory feels like moving, and moving powerfully, and this is precisely what most people do not want.

But why?
Why aren’t riding schools teaching folks to sit centered and stay out of the horses way?
To understand, support and honor movement?

Why don’t people invest heavily in learning to ride, and ride well, like their life depends on it?

instead of hoping their horse, a 1200 pound rabbit with a sports car motor and a brain that could fit in one man’s hand, adjust to meet their needs instead?

Why instead, do many lesson programs immediately indoctrinate young children with kicking, pulling, making a slave out of a tired and weak horse?

Why do people fear lack of control on a beast who’s grace and freedom and power is what attracts them in the first place?

So much fear, so much desire for control, so much teaching the horse to physically power down, to drop the base of the neck so there is nowhere to go without artificial human energy taking its place -
Or to mentally escape because there is nothing and nowhere worth going to.

The reality is, you can develop a friend, you can develop confidence, freedom, and balance, and you will still be riding a rocket ship. You have some say, but likely you are slower, less agile, and have poorer judgement as things concern intake and processing of information, so you have to accept some lack of control to get along well with horses.

Learn to balance the horse, help them feel free in their bodies, and stay out of their way.

01/17/2023

Ever wondered what a horse's cervical spine looked like?

Hier sieht man die Fazettengelenke einer Halswirbelsäule des
Man kann darunter die Nerven sehen welche aus dem Rückenmark austreten
Wenn nun diese verändert sind bildet sich Knochen an den Gekenksrändern zu was zusammen mit der Gelenkskapsel zur Kompression dieser Nerven führen kann.
Dies wiederum verursacht neurologische Defizite als auch schmerzen weshalb die Pferde häufig lahm sind.

01/14/2023

Who just learned that foals don't have teeth for a while? 😉
And who is just happy to see a foal with no teefies! 😂🤚🏻

01/14/2023

𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧

Horses have a highly developed sense of 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 that’s well outside our range and allows your horse to monitor the world around him.

Horses hear higher pitched sounds than we do and will often stand listening in a stance of heightened awareness.

Sound waves travel as vibrations in the air and are picked up by your horse’s large mobile ears which can be used independently rather like antennae. As well as directing sound, they also indicate emotion.

Often when being ridden, one ear is directed towards the rider – this indicates concentration.

If the ears are pricked your horse is alert
If they fall sideways they indicate relaxation
If pinned flat back indicate aggression

12/26/2022

Merry Christmas from my herd to yours!

12/25/2022

𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁

The 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗲 is a very large muscle that extends from its tip, which you can see, to the hyoid apparatus and its attacement to the ramus of the mandible at the back.

It is the most sensitive part of your horse's mouth and the most prone to injury.

The tongue is vital for swallowing and influencing the hyoid apparatus

Like any other muscle, restriction or tension within it can induce a muscular chain reaction.

The sensitivity of the tongue is a very important consideration when fitting a bit. An ill-fitting or harsh bit or excessive pressure on the bit from your hands can cause pain and discomfort. In some cases it can result in tension throughout the body and poor performance.

Gillian Higgins