Back by popular demand!!

The Equisee Program at the Center

is again offering a one-day intensive on

Equine Biomechanics.

WELCOME to our inclusive holistic

Center for Equine Awareness

where SPIRITUALITY, ART, and SCIENCE interweave to expand

Sacred Holistic Horsemanship

Sacred = deep reverence and respect for sentient beings

Holistic = recognizing all parts as intimately interconnected

Horsemanship = the art of caring for, handling, riding, and training horses

The Center for Equine Awareness (CEA), a 501c(3) nonprofit, defines Sacred Holistic Horsemanship as a blend of the inward

spiritual journey toward greater awareness, mindfulness, compassion, and love;

the art of training and riding with grace and harmony;

and the latest equine and equestrian scientific studies.

This seasons first Equiseeds Presentation is:

Saturday June 1st , 2024 10:00 am – 4:30 pm

8799 Cottonwood Road Bozeman MT

Indoor Arena  Bring your own lunch and chair

Adults $75.00

College Students $35.00

Under 18 $5.00

All proceeds benefit the Center for Equine Awareness (501c3 nonprofit)

Presentation fee is not tax-deductible

Limited Space. Register soon to secure a spot. 

Why study Equine Biomechanics?

Klaus Balkenhol, a former USA Olympic Dressage coach, states in “The Rider Forms the Horse”

– “What is absolutely essential for the training of the horse is an understanding of the links between muscular function and the skeleton working in combination during the different phases of training and exercises.

This applies to whichever type of equine activity has been chosen.”

Training time is enhanced and more productive if one understands which muscles the horse needs to develop for a specific discipline and how the horse needs to move to create that development. Knowledge of the components that make up the musculoskeletal system provides understanding of equine movement which leads to maximize training results. 

To perform to its highest level of potential, the horse needs to be encouraged into a ‘healthy frame’ or ‘posture’ that allows it to develop the necessary muscles for balance and throughness. When these muscles have been developed, the equine athlete will be able to enjoy moving freely without injury for many years.

To create a healthy posture, one needs to understand the how muscles and joints work together in form and function and then to bring this knowledge into the arena and training.

This leads to the study of movement biomechanics – the study of the functions of the equine body in relation to movement.

WHY is it important to understand how a horse moves?

It is important to understand how a horse moves because all equestrian disciplines revolve around movement, including:

• Cutting horse separating a cow from a herd
• Jumping horse taking a 5’ fence
• Race horse galloping down a track
• Draft horse pulling a heavy load
• Endurance and trail riding

WHO are CEA’s equine biomechanics presentations for?

All disciplines, including dressage, jumping, eventing, western pleasure, reining, cutting, endurance, rodeo, and trail riders benefit from learning the importance of healthy equine movement to improve their horse’s physical soundness and performance.

Those involved in activities such as therapeutic riding, ranch work, outfitting, and dude ranching gain understanding of the importance of healthy muscle development to maintain wellness for their working herds.

WHAT can cause lameness in horses?

It is very unfortunate that horses become lame or unsound to ride. There are many factors that contribute to lameness that inhibit a horse’s movement. These factors are important to assess for the welfare of the horse and if the horse should be under training or riding.

What nonhuman factors can create lameness in horses?

• Hereditary problems
• Poor conformation
• Physical trauma

What types of care can create lameness in horses?

• Inadequate nutrition
• Inadequate stabling
• Improper shoeing
• Poor saddle fitting

HOW can certain training techniques create lameness in horses?

• Rider induced lameness
• Horses posture during training
• Overuse in a demanding discipline
• Imbalance of training and conditioning

HOW do riders affect their horse’s movement and WHY does it matter?

Many riders ask…

“How does my riding style affect my horse?”

“How can I improve my riding to insure that my horse remains physically and mentally sound?”

Riders have good intentions; none intend to cause lameness in their horse. Rider induced lameness is usually caused by a rider’s lack of exposure or awareness of the horse’s anatomy. 

The physical posture of how a horse is ridden can lead to chronic unsoundness. Without healthy conditioning, lameness can develop when a horse’s body is repeatedly misdirected: either by constricting the horse’s joints and/or compressing the ligaments, or by compromising the muscles.

For all the horse has done for us, it is through our gratitude that we examine what we offer to the horse in return.

The presentation is made up of two sessions.

PowerPoint lecture

4 hours 10:00 to 2:30 (with a 30 minute break for lunch)

Bring your own lunch and chair Dress for the elements Indoor arena

WHAT is the focus of this equine biomechanics PowerPoint presentation?

The lecture is filled with pictures and diagrams to help beginners to advanced riders understand how a horse’ anatomy creation movement and how riders affect a horse’s movement.

This equine biomechanics lecture focuses on explaining the horse’s musculoskeletal system and how to maximize the four main areas covered:

Additionally, participants learn how a horse’s posture and the rider’s training system can affect each of the four systems.

• supple swinging equine back and the difference between back-movers and leg movers
• well-developed long head and neck axis and its effects on the horses ability to easily carry the rider
• yielding soft hand during training
• appropriate and effective aids

Groundwork and Rider Demonstration

2 Hours 2:30 – 4:30

Footfall, rhythm and tempo of all three gaits are discussed. As the horse moves, muscle groups involved in healthy posture are pointed out and how they affect the horse’s movement are explained. Relaxation, flexibility, impulsion, and collection are explained.

WHAT training methods are followed in CEA’s clinics?

Groundwork and mounted exercises incorporating biomechanic and classical training principles training will be discussed and demonstrated.

Read more on the Classical Principles and Groundwork Exercises that are utilized in CEA’s Clinics.

My Equiseer Journey to Biomechanics

New Buzz at the Barn

It was 2006, and I was in training at a dressage Barn in Bozeman, MT. Many at the barn were reading the new controversial book, Tug of War: Classical versus Modern Dressage by Dr. Gerd Heuschmann. At the time, a young girl from Germany was staying at the barn, and she was watching three or four of us ride. She commented that our riding reminded her of her uncle’s riding. I remember we all looked at her, and it was the way she said it made one of us ask, “Who is your uncle?”

She replied, “Gerd Heuschmann.”

One of the riders jumped off her horse, ran to the lounge, and brought out the book. “This Gerd Heuschmann?”

“Yes.”

We all looked at each other in amazement and asked her if he would come to the US for a clinic at our barn. She called him, and he said, “Sure.”

Little did I know this would be a turning point in my life. Dr. Heuschmann arrived and first gave a four-hour lecture on equine biomechanics. I do not think that in those four hours I even moved except to write notes as fast as I could. I realized that even though I could teach the how and the when of most classical riding principles, I could not have explained the why. Now it was unfolding in front of me, and I could connect dots to healthy movement for the horse that before I did not even know existed. I became aware of what to look for in unhealthy movement and how it affected not only the horse’s physical way of moving but also how it affected the horse’s mental and emotional states.

At this time, I was a certified riding instructor in dressage and jumping, had trained full-time for five years with various teachers, had taken numerous clinics with well-known clinicians, and had read countless books on riding and horsemanship. It took one lecture to realize how little I really understood. Also, I realized that up until this point my focus had been centered on what I observed and understood from the outside; now I was starting the journey to the inside. Being a deep diver into knowledge, I set out on a quest. I read every book on equine biomechanics that I could get, traveled to take classes from Dr. Hillary Clayton, Dr. Deb Bennett, Sharon May Davis, and organized fourteen clinics a year for three years for Dr. Heuschmann in the US. I was lucky to attend many of those clinics.

This new understanding of biomechanics enabled me to develop healthy toplines and more impulsion in equines. I came to understand classical riding principles on a more informed level. I learned why it is important to ride a horse “back to front” and why the modern riding principles of riding a horse ‘front to back” are not as healthy. I now understood why it is so important to develop the side muscles of the neck to help carry the rider’s weight and so much more. When I found my new knowledge to be extremely helpful to my students and their horses, I branched out and started to give lectures to others on equine biomechanics. I was soon in demand, and I presented a painted horse demonstration clinic and a lecture at the 2014 Ohio Equine Affaire® as a “Ride With The Best” clinician.

In the last fifteen years, my equine biomechanics travels have taken me across the US and to other countries. I have taught the Equine Form to Function class at the local university. From young pony clubbers to college students to adult equestrians, all age groups have been enthusiastic about what they have learned. They’ve remarked on how it changed their understanding of healthy equine movement and gave them a new level of understanding about riding principles.

The journey continues…….

If I can do it so can you!!!!!!

I have found that it is transformational when equine enthusiasts have a foundation level understanding of how the body of the horse works, how it is different from the human body, and how the horse naturally moves.

By going down this path, you will gain confidence and clarity in your training methods.

What is Karen’s equine biomechanics approach?

#1: To prevent survival reactions and develop relaxation responses through equine behavior training principles.

Much of my work focuses on keeping horses in a relaxed state so that learning and relaxation can occur. Horses have a narrow window of tolerance to stimuli = they shy and flee easily. If a horse is activated into a reaction, learning stops and tension kicks in. My approach to incorporating equine behavior into horse/human interactions widens and stabilizes this window of tolerance. My program relies heavily on the handler’s observation and perception skills. I have developed a basket of effective tools that the handler can use as needed. My students have effectively applied this knowledge and methods with transformative results.

#2: My methods and tools help riders of all disciplines and levels to achieve a deeper harmonious partnership with their horses.

The paramount focus is to further develop the partnership between human and horse while honoring both the rider’s and the horse’s bodies, minds, hearts, and souls. Equine handlers and equestrians gain more confidence and skill while improving their horse’s physical, mental, emotional and spiritual soundness.

*See below for Karen’s bio.

What others have discovered working at Karen’s Center.

“Her ability to connect with and understand a horse are amazing. She worked with my herd bound horse in a setting where he was content to be by himself, something I didn’t think was possible. She gave me some exercises to help me to get my horse to focus and work with me. She truly cares about the welfare of the horse and takes the time it takes to help the troubled horse fit into our world.” RC

“The Center takes you on a journey that’s exquisitely fine-tuned for optimal communication, conditioning, harmony, trust, and heartfelt relationships between horse and rider.” PL

“I feel so lucky to work with the center and their horses as they patiently walk me through the mind, body, and spirit language that connects horse and human.” KE

“You’ve helped me rediscover a lost part of myself and find my path.” VF

Click Here for more information about the Center