Rehabilitation journey 

2016

I thought I share some picture form the last four years of rehabilitation work form my horse Georgie Girl. 

Look at her neck; it’s hollow on the sides and thin – she couldn’t hold her own balance. Her topline was underdeveloped and weak.

She was bracing and holding tension throughout her body.

2017

Back to basics with lots of walking and working towards collection with collective exercises starting with just a slight shoulder-for, travers & renvers and shallow half passes.

We are getting elasticity back, as well as balance horizontally and vertical.

Georgie starts to trust me again as I didn’t over-ask, only what she is capable of at this point in training.

Back muscles start to develop correctly when the horse is ridden in a good posture in the right rhythm at all times.  Sometimes it helps to get their confidence back by slowing it down, letting them reconnect the brain to the body. Horses don’t learn in flight mode. Only when they are calm, they are ready to learn.

2018

We are entering “the lost and found section” she is gaining her strength, her chest has widened, her withers and neck have developed and she looks rounder and softer. The strength is not always there yet, and sometimes she collapses and falls through the thoracic sling, losses balance, and we start again. It takes the time it takes, to develop core strength and carrying power.

Riding the whole horse from the back to the front with core engagement, connecting the entire body – removing all the braces and tension.

It is a different effort to use elasticity and self-carriage in horse and rider as I need to work on my balance as well to sit in self-carriage not collapsing or rolling to one side or the other.

2019

It is lovely to see how her canter is coming through, she used to run like a puppy dog, on four tracks the hind legs trailing on the inside to avoid running into her front.

 The slow, steady work helped her to sort out the coordination, and now she is jumping up, there is room for the hind legs to follow.

Flying changes are clean – just the rider needs to catch up on the counting and to keep in tune and balance, and then we even get the sequences right.

2020

Looking back through these pictures, it amazes me how much we both have changed. I love that I have a happy, willing horse who enjoys her work. Georgie still has an opinion, that she voices loud and clear. But I have learnt to listen and understand what she is saying; she lets me know when she is uncomfortable, and then she becomes stroppy and rude. Often there is a reason… finding the ‘why’ and ‘how’ to solve the puzzle is the challenge.

Good things take time, and sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. 

I learned so much during these years, my training and understanding of horses has vastly improved, and I see and understand the connection that I never thought was possible. 

Wouldn’t miss a day of this journey and it is far from finished. 

I would like to hear from you if you like to start your own journey

Everyone is different, we will all learn in our own time. If you are not quite where you want to be and looking for growth. 

Please contact me  on 0408 882 730

email.   anke@balanceddressage.com.au