AAustin Texas Sporthorses

A fatal accident for horse, human, or both is possible each time the two are in proximity to each other - the human does not need to be mounted. Owners that hire trainers are paying to risk that trainer's life/experience a substitute for their own. Leave relevant questions in the comments; DMs regarding this post will be shared in the comments without exception.

Fascia hears before the brain does.

Fascia is one of the most sensory-rich tissues in the body — packed with far more nerve endings than muscle.

It contains:
• Mechanoreceptors that sense movement, pressure, and loading
• Nociceptors that detect discomfort or pain
• Interoceptors that track the horse’s internal state and safety

Equine fascia is constantly reading the environment. It detects tension, stretch, compression, shear, vibration, temperature, and internal shifts with incredible speed and precision.

These receptors fire faster than conscious processing.

Because of this massive sensory input, fascia acts as the horse’s predictive and corrective system, adjusting posture, balance, muscle tone, and protective responses before the thinking brain ever engages.
It’s why horses react instantly, fluidly, and sometimes explosively — their fascia responds first.

The fluid layers within the fascial network also behave like a biological antenna, transmitting and receiving subtle mechanical and energetic information through wave-like patterns that travel across the whole body.

Your horse’s fascia is always listening — and responding —
long before the conscious mind catches up.



https://koperequine.com/where-horses-feel-it-most-common-soreness-zones-in-muscles-and-fascia/

Modern problems require modern solutions.

Have you ever avoided doing something you absolutely love with your horses because your brain kept sabotaging you?

Let me tell you about these £17 butt cheek pads and how they're part of me creating what will work for me and my horses instead of fighting against what doesn't.

I've been on this frustrating journey lately - one where I'm passionately searching for ways to make life better with my horses, but instead finding myself stuck in a loop of ADD forgetfulness that's ruining the very activities that bring me joy.

I notice that I absolutely adore watching horses engage in scent work, their noses twitching with concentration, their minds lighting up as they solve the puzzles I create for them and the change in their body after each session.

There's something profoundly satisfying about seeing them tap into those ancient instincts, working with purpose and intelligence.

But here's where my human brain starts working against me. I've been going through towels like they're disposable - forgetting to pick them up, ruining the carefully placed scent markers that my horses have been learning to recognise.

I feel this excitement about going to o scutwork that is quickly dashed by disappointment and failure when I realise I've messed up again and don't have towels.

The towels are ruined, the scent work doesn't get done, and another opportunity for meaningful connection with my horses gets postponed.

I observe that this pattern has led to something I never expected - I've been subconsciously avoiding scent work altogether.

The activity that once brought me so much excitement and complements The SHIIFT Method so well now fills me with a sense of overwhelm.

The old voice - "You are useless, can't do anything right, don't deserve anything nice" threatens to arise and if it gets a foot in the door it affects every area of my life and business, and suddenly I'm finding excuses to avoid everything (especially that pattern I have been working on hard on defying for so long).

I wonder if any of you have experienced this?

That moment when your love for something gets overshadowed by a practical challenge that seems insurmountable?

I imagine you might know that feeling of wanting so badly to connect with your horse, but finding yourself blocked by something that feels so fixable, yet somehow isn't.

So there I was, innocently searching online for solutions to make our scent work sessions happen, a smooth silicon pad that will not ruin if it is left out after a session - more organised, less prone to human error.

I'll be honest - I laughed out loud. Of all the things in the world I expected to find while searching for horse training solutions, silicon butt pads were not top of my list.

But as I sat there chuckling at the absurdity, something shifted in my thinking. I felt this unexpected lightness, this moment of pure ridiculousness that broke through my frustration.

I notice that these silly, unexpected butt cheek pads have somehow become my motivation. Every time I see them, I'm reminded that sometimes the best solutions aren't the most logical ones.

Sometimes what we really need is a good laugh, a moment of absurdity that reminds us not to take ourselves so seriously. I feel this renewed excitement about getting back to scent work, not because I solved my towel problem perfectly, but because I found something that makes me smile.

I'm curious about how many of you have had similar experiences? It certainly reminded me of that time I searched "bitch name ge****ls" and was presented with only be******ty websites and no anatomy!!

Times when you were searching for a serious solution to a horse-related problem, only to find something completely unexpected that actually helped - or just made you laugh, lighten up and create space for the solution to appear.

I wonder if the humor itself is part of the healing process - that moment when we stop trying to be perfect horse trainers and just become humans having a funny experience with our animals.

I value these moments of imperfection and laughter. I believe they strengthen our bonds with our horses in ways that perfect technique never could.

When we allow ourselves to be flawed, forgetful, sometimes ridiculous humans, we create space for more authentic connections with our animals.

They don't care about our perfect scent work setups - they care about our presence, our energy, our willingness to show up and try again.

I feel hopeful knowing that my pseudo butt cheek pads will be there every day, reminding me that progress doesn't have to look pretty to be real.

They're my silly cheerleaders, my absurd motivators, my unexpected teachers in embracing imperfection.

I imagine my horse won't care that my scent pads were almost involved pads meant for someone's rear end - he'll just be happy we're playing our scent games again.

I would love to hear your stories of unexpected solutions and funny moments that helped you reconnect with your horse work. What ridiculous purchases or absurd situations have actually helped you move past training blocks?

I'm genuinely interested in collecting these tales of imperfect progress, because I suspect we all need more reminders that it's okay to be humans making our way through this beautiful, sometimes messy journey with horses.

I notice that writing about this already makes me want to gather my scent materials (the ones I haven't ruined yet) and set up a game for my horse, not wait for the pads to arrive.

The butt cheek pads are sitting in my amazon cart, a silent testament to the fact that sometimes the universe answers our prayers in the most delightfully weird ways possible and a question - could these make ba****ck riding more pleasant for my horses because I have some super pointy butt bones!! Haha.

I'm grateful for this reminder that healing our relationship with activities we've avoided doesn't always require serious solutions. Sometimes it requires a good laugh at ourselves, a moment of absurdity, and the willingness to embrace whatever weirdness helps us show up for our horses again.

So here's to the unexpected motivators in our lives - the butt cheek pads, the mistaken purchases, the ridiculous moments that break through our frustration and remind us that joy doesn't have to look perfect to be real.

I wonder what unexpected discoveries are waiting for each of us as we continue this journey of learning, growing, and occasionally laughing at ourselves alongside our wonderful horses.

With the recent cases of EHV-1 we've decided to cancel. We will try again in December! Please, do what's best for you and yours, stay safe and stay educated!!

When we try to fix our horses, we often create more problems.

Something feels wrong, so we, as humans, do our best to make it more acceptable.

Cribbing? There’s a cribbing collar.
Weaving? There’s a weaving grill.
Box walking? Tie them to a block.

There’s usually a “fix” for most things. But the essence of fixing something is that it is broken.

Healing is framed the same way. We seek to heal ourselves and our horses, to improve life, to remove the problem. But what if healing is keeping us stuck?

Healing assumes something is broken. To fix something, it has to be broken. But horses are not broken.

When we leap to fix, the message we give them is that they have lost their ability to help themselves. That is not true. The capacity to heal and regulate themselves is enormous.

What matters is the energy we bring to them. We are not there to fix. We are there to assist the integration of past experiences and trauma that may still affect them.

We cannot erase the past. We cannot make it disappear or pretend it never happened. But we can guide them toward a place where it no longer dominates their life.

Integration begins with us. It starts with stopping the act of making it a big deal. We stop focusing on it, stop trying to control it, and instead, we accept it.

We see the message it holds for us. We reflect on what it teaches us and take action in our own lives based on that understanding.

When our actions are directed at ourselves, rather than trying to control or fix them externally, our horses no longer need to hold onto what was once overwhelming. They can release it and integrate it, moving toward balance and ease.

Our role is not to fix. Our role is to witness, to understand, and to assist. To create the space for them to let go and for the relationship to deepen.

Integration is not about making the past disappear. It is about allowing it to exist without controlling the present. It is about returning both horse and human to balance.

When we stop trying to fix and start allowing integration, everything shifts. We notice softer eyes, deeper breaths, and a nervous system that finally feels safe enough to release tension. We experience a relationship that is clearer, lighter, and more connected.

Nothing is broken. Nothing needs fixing. Your horse is not difficult or dramatic. They are communicating. And when we meet them there, everything changes.

This is the foundation of the SHIIFT Method. Not healing. Not fixing. But integration, reconnection, and returning both horse and human to balance.

If you want to explore how this works for you and your horse, just reach out.

Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water - zen proverb

A lot of people come looking for help for an issue with their horse. I have a solution in mind, but I often have to be creative in how I go about it if important skill sets are missing from the rider-

For example: an inverted horse struggles with transitions, popping their head up and hollowing out their back. I can give the rider tools to manage it now- but the problem will persist until the rider learns how to sit to prevent or guide the movement into a better balance through their seat. As long as the rider is bumping around like a canoe on rough waves, they will be perpetuating the problem, or at the very least unable to help.

That’s the problem with teaching: it could take a long time to create an educated seat enough to ride this particular horse. Most will get frustrated and bored and move on from this tedious and unpopular work.

But, giving an immediate fix to this problem without addressing the root perpetuates this thinking: a rider seeking a fix without looking internally and working from there.

What most riders need is hours of learning to sit tactfully and follow and absorb the horses motion. Learning to pick up their reins with tact without their seat stopping. Using their leg without gripping or scrunching. Breathing in the saddle deeply as a habit. Picking up and dropping stirrups repeatedly so you aren’t dependent on them for balance.

Who wants to do all this chopping wood and carrying water? Any serious rider devoted to the wellbeing of their horses back. But people are pretty good at mental gymnastics- it’s fun to find a program with great marketing that bypasses learning these crucial skills. Learn to lower or raise your horses head artificially and you can easily cover symptoms - push buttons, throw treats around every two feet of your arena to keep the horse moving, or whatever the program entails - and you never really have to learn to ride or problem solve.