Hi lovely,
My brain has been stuck on being our best around horses… and it’s all because of last week’s Members’ Exclusive Webinar with Kelly Marks!
It reminded me just how much good groundwork can do, not only for manners or training, but for confidence, communication, body awareness and useful everyday progress.
Which in turn has got me reading the The Mindful Equestrian – by Sandra Williams again!
Many of you will already know Sandra as one of Intelligent Horsemanship’s extremely experienced Trainers. She teaches on IH courses, supports students, works one-to-one with horses and owners, and is also the guiding force behind the IH Awards (which we will be telling you more about next Sunday!), encouraging people to keep developing their skills and partnership with their horses.
This book has very much grown out of that same practical, horse-centred approach.
It contains 18 Mindful Exercises, designed to help develop balance, connection and wellbeing between horse and handler. What I particularly like is that these are not vague “be more mindful and hope for the best” ideas.
They are clear, useful exercises you can take to the yard and actually do… Preferably with your horse, although I’m sure most of us could benefit from practising the breathing bit separately first!
Each exercise has a clear purpose and offers physical as well as mental benefits. As you work through the book, you can help your horse improve posture, balance, coordination, flexibility, proprioception and body awareness, while also encouraging calmer, more symmetrical and more thoughtful movement.
That physical element matters.
I was happy to be asked, alongside fellow veterinary physiotherapist Emma Sharman, to help inform some of the physical benefits sections for the exercises in Sandra’s book. So where the book talks about how particular exercises may support balance, posture, mobility, proprioception or coordination, that has been considered through a physiotherapy lens as well as a horsemanship one.
For the handler, the exercises are useful too. They encourage better body posture and awareness, timing, breathing, and well of course… mindfulness!
