Sacred Equestrians

This is something many of us recognise, even if we don’t always say it out loud.

A horse goes sore, injured, or just not quite right. We give time off. We do our best. And then, because we care and because we want them comfortable and back doing what they enjoy, we start bringing them back into work. Often earlier than ideal. Not through bad intentions, but through hope, pressure, cost, and sometimes simply not knowing another way.

I learned a lot about rehabilitation while working in Germany in a showjumping yard where rehab was taken seriously because where horses were valuable, yes but more importantly, replaceable if they broke so it was never rushed. Horses didn’t come back because a number of weeks had passed or because things looked better on the surface. They came back when the tissue was ready and there was a clear, progressive plan in place with the professionals

Poles were used, but carefully. They weren’t added to make work look useful or to fill time. They were introduced at specific stages, for specific reasons, and only when the horse could load and move correctly. Used well, they are a valuable tool. Used randomly, they are just extra stress.

This is where many of us, often through no fault of our own, get caught out. Lunging over poles can feel like rehab. Adding exercises can feel responsible. But without a diagnosis and a structured progression, we may simply be repeating the same load on tissue that hasn’t healed yet, delaying recovery rather than supporting it. There’s also a reality we need to be honest about. Proper rehab takes time, professional guidance and often money. Not everyone has access to all three. Cost of living, livery, vet bills, it adds up. That doesn’t make people careless or uncaring. It means many are trying to do the best they can with what they have.

But we also need to name the part that isn’t about lack of resources. Choosing not to rehabilitate a horse properly isn’t realism or experience, it’s a decision to move the risk onto the horse. It looks like bringing them back because the swelling went down, adding poles because it feels productive, lunging because riding feels too soon, or upping the work because they didn’t look lame that day. It sounds like they’ll work through it or “they’re better once they warm up. Shortcuts don’t save time, they just delay the consequences. Horses don’t get a vote in that process, but they always carry the outcome.

Good rehab doesn’t have to look busy. It doesn’t have to look impressive. And it doesn’t need to fit neatly into a video clip. What it does need is patience, observation, and the willingness to slow down when slowing down feels uncomfortable.

Most of us want the same thing, a comfortable horse, a sound future, and fewer setbacks. Sometimes the kindest thing we can do, together, is resist the urge to rush, ask better questions, and give the body the time it needs to heal properly.

Doing more isn’t better.
Doing it properly is.

Imagine, Germany 2013.

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We had a fun and interesting theory lesson to get us through the cold: bodywork and how it can help our horses 🐴

"The Biomechanics of Jumping Position" by Alexis Soutter DVM

"There is much debate these days about the “best” jumping position. For over thirty years now, it has been very common for riders in the hunters, equitation divisions, and even the jumpers to favor a position in which they lean their upper body well forward onto the horse’s neck. The most common explanation for this position is that it in some way allows a better release of the horse’s mouth. Very little attention has been paid in many circles as to what this does to the rest of the horse, however."

Click on the link below to continue reading 👇

https://www.myvirtualeventingcoach.com/articles/guest-blog-48-biomechanics-jumping-position-by-alexis-soutter-dvm

On the Bit — by Vladimir Littauer

Riding on contact is also called riding on the bit, or being, or moving on the bit, and unquestionably it is. I prefer, however, to differentiate between the two degrees of the same thing, “on contact” being the milder form. Now what precisely is the difference? Unfortunately it is one of those things which are so easy to point out in actuality and so difficult to describe in words. Here is my best attempt: Suppose that after you have established contact between your hands and the mouth of a schooled horse you were to continue to urge the horse forward and you were to do it with increased strength. What will happen then? Evidently, the horse will try to increase the speed of the gait. But if, at the same time, you restrain him with your hands just enough to maintain the original speed yet continue to urge, then the horse will accept the bit more firmly, slightly leaning on it. Concurrently, the energy which your legs have created and which your hands have prevented from being transformed into speed will form a reserve of energy inclosed between legs and hands. It will keep the horse in an animated state and he will begin to move more vigorously although maintaining the ordinary trot. The cooperation between your legs and hands will enable you to obtain the maximum unity between the actions of the hindquarters and of the forehand. The horse’s gait may become what is called brilliant. A movement of a better quality, academically speaking, is characteristic of riidng fully on the bit.
—Schooling Your Horse. Pg. 53

Vladimir Littauer trained me practically my entire junior career, and continued to advise me for many years. A riding master and remarkable horseman, he was incredibly influential to my career and education. Follow the Forward Riding System and continue the lessons on equestriancoach.com. Specifically, you can learn more on this topic with my lesson “Riding on the Bit” https://equestriancoach.com/courses/riding-bit/
-Bernie Traurig

3 days left to order your Purdys Fundraiser! Order NOW before midnight November 26th and help us raise money for some of the Sacred Equestrians unexpected veterinary expenses this year. Our goal is to raise $1,500 so we need one final push. Order some amazing Winter treats from the famous Purdys Chocolatier and support us at the same time. Just click our link below, and order before midnight November 26th.

The deadline to order is midnight November 26th

Campaign number: 68303

Campaign link: https://fundraising.purdys.com/1762030-123375

We also still have coffee for sale! DM for more info!

The holidays are around the corner! We have 2 fundraisers running to offset the costs of some unexpected veterinary care this year. Order by November 23rd and get them on December 6th!

1. COFFEE
$20 a bag
Let us know which ones you would like and what grind!

Available Coffees:
● Rise and Due to Shine (medium, new blend) — Pecan, Almond, Honey, and Chocolate notes
● Dark Saprize (Dark) — Caramel, Honey, and Scotch notes
● So La Decaf — Brown Sugar, Plum, and Chocolate notes

2. PURDYS! Who doesn’t love chocolate?!

Chocolate Fundraising Programs | Purdys chocolate fundraiser Purdys fundraising chocolates practically sell themselves. Choose from two chocolate fundraising programs that we offer at Purdys and raise funds for what matters most to you.