The Equisensomotoric Pad differs from conventional saddle pads primarily through its individual adjustability via correction pockets and its unique layered construction of high-quality natural materials and memory foam. This makes it significantly more shock-absorbing and therefore gentler on both the rider’s and horse’s back.

Personalized Fit and Correction

The greatest advantage lies in the ability to adapt the pad to the changing back musculature of the horse.

Zipped Correction Pockets: Unlike standard pads, the Equisensomotoric Pad features large zippered pockets into which correction wedges can be inserted.

Muscle Development Support: Together with correct training and a well fitting saddle, this allows for targeted compensation of muscular atrophy (muscle wasting) while simultaneously promoting muscle development by relieving pressure on the tissue. Once the horse’s muscles have developed, the wedges can simply be removed.

Custom-made: Each pad is anatomically cut and individually tailored to the withers height and back shape of the respective horse, ensuring an optimal fit under the saddle.

Premium materials and high shock absorption: The combination of specific materials offers superior pressure distribution and shock absorption compared to many conventional pads.

Unique layered construction: The pad consists of several layers, including two layers of durable German sheep’s wool felt, medically tanned lambskin, and soft memory foam.

Very good pressure distribution: This combination allows for very good pressure distribution of the rider’s weight and effectively absorbs shocks, especially at the trot and canter, which is gentle on both the horse’s and rider’s backs.

Shoulder freedom: The tailor made cut and adjustable fit lift the saddle away from the horse’s shoulder blades, allowing them to swing freely – essential for fluid movement.

Thermoregulation and hygiene: The wool felt and lambskin offer excellent natural properties such as moisture absorption, breathability, and thermoregulation, preventing heat build-up and making it more hygienic than some synthetic materials.

Saddle support: Thanks to the special edge-pressure-smoothing effect of memory foam, the saddle sits snugly and comfortably on the horse’s back.

Excellent value for money

1. A felt saddle pad made of just one layer of wool felt can be found in stores starting at €250. We even use two layers of the finest German wool felt in our pads.
2. A high-quality, dense lambskin saddle pad with a generous baroque cut (where the lambskin truly covers the entire saddle area and isn’t cut too short anywhere) also costs at least €350 on average.
3. Memory foam is an expensive raw material, especially when it’s thicker than 2 cm. Therefore, you’ll almost exclusively find pads with memory foam inserts of 1-2 cm in height in stores, priced at around €250 and up. We use a 3 cm layer of memory foam in the vast majority of our saddle pads, as tests have shown that only this thickness provides a noticeably back-friendly effect.
4. A simple saddle pad with a leather rolled edge, oiled leather trim, and a nice outer fabric starts at €350 and goes up from there.
5. A saddle pad with a correction pocket system featuring a durable zipper (instead of Velcro, which quickly sticks and pops open with thicker pads) is available from €300 and up.

If you add up just these five components, which our Equisensomotoric® Pad combines in one product, you arrive at a value of over €1500 – and all of this is individually tailored to your horse’s measurements. Therefore, a pad of this high quality simply isn’t available on the market, as the profit margin for the numerous retailers and middlemen is too small for wholesalers. Only because we market directly and charge a very fair price can we offer the Equisensomotoric® Pads at this excellent price-performance ratio, for the benefit of both horse and rider. And all of this is even Made in Austria.

In summary, the Equisensomotoric Pad impresses with its exceptionally good price-performance ratio and offers very high shock absorption that can be tailored to the individual needs of the horse’s back. This, together with correct training and a well-fitting saddle, further promotes muscle development and the horse’s overall well-being.

Optimal nutrition is essential for hoof growth and muscle development. Here are my five most important feeding tips for successful muscle building!

Less is often more

The advertising promises and photos of muscular horses on feed labels are often very tempting. However, for muscle and back muscle development, it’s not necessary to buy as many expensive “muscle-building” supplements as possible. On the contrary: less is often more. In most cases, the best possible hay (fed in many small portions) and a high-quality, balanced mineral mix are perfectly sufficient to sustainably support both the back muscles and the overall physical development of your horse. The more individual feeds are fed, the higher the burden of additives and the risk of allergens and unwanted contaminants. Many products overlap in their composition or contain ingredients that can hinder each other’s absorption. A reduced, well-planned feeding regimen is therefore usually much healthier and more effective in the long run than a ration overloaded with individual products.

There’s no way around high-quality hay

Hay should be the foundation of every horse’s diet. Naturally, it should be mold-free and of the best possible quality. Skimping on this can be very expensive in the long run and harm the horse. Mold spores in hay often lead to respiratory problems, reduced performance, or, in the worst case, even render the horse unrideable. Therefore, it makes sense (and is ultimately cheaper) to get a few spare bales if the hay is of poor quality.

Hay molds due to improper storage (too tightly packed haystacks allow the hay to mold) or if it is exposed to rain during or after drying. Unfortunately, in some years, it rains heavily across the region during the hay harvest, making it very difficult to produce good quality hay. Soaking the hay in water for 10 minutes, or even better, steaming it, can help to prevent damage. If necessary, hay pellets can provide a temporary solution. However, it is usually more economical to have hay delivered from a region that has simply had good weather. Mold contamination can be detected in advance with a simple laboratory analysis, thus preventing chronic long-term consequences and high veterinary costs. All you need to do is send a handful of hay to the lab.

You can also have the protein and sugar content determined at the same time in the lab. Sugar content is an important factor in cases of obesity and laminitis (sensitive hooves are often an undetected, mild form of laminitis). Consider this: If your hay has, for example, a 10% sugar content and your horse eats 10 kg of hay in 24 hours, that adds up to 1 kg (!) of pure sugar per day! That’s an enormous amount and, logically, makes many horses overweight and ill. Very few horses can tolerate ad libitum hay feeding without becoming ill in the long run (the prairie is sparse, and horses are biologically adapted to this), and hay must absolutely be rationed. Every additional kilogram of hay beyond your horse’s maintenance requirement (the amount of hay at which your horse neither gains nor loses weight) requires one hour of brisk walking to burn off the excess energy. For example, if your horse’s maintenance requirement is 7 kg, but it eats 10 kg, it would need to walk briskly for three hours daily to burn off this excess or it will store this energy in build fatty deposits.

Excess weight is very harmful to horses as ist causes laminitis and it also leads to fatty deposits in the lungs and heart. Therefore, if the amount of hay needs to be reduced, which may be necessary due to high sugar content or because your horse is genetically prone to being overweight, special attention is required. In this case, it must be ensured that the horse still receives sufficient protein for muscle development and hoof growth through its daily ration. Protein deficiency often develops gradually and can significantly hinder training progress.

If you are unsure, it is advisable to seek scientifically sound nutritional advice and have a ration calculation prepared. Protein can be supplemented as needed, for example, in the form of oilseeds. As a personal guideline: I feed first-cut hay, harvested late, which means it has a relatively low protein content. If I reduce my 450-kilogram horse’s hay intake to less than 9 kilograms within 24 hours, in my case the protein supply is no longer sufficient. These figures can vary depending on hay quality and horse type, but they illustrate the importance of individualizing feeding and keeping an eye on protein.

High Fiber Content and Short Feeding Intervals

Horses whose hay intake is reduced should, in addition to short feeding intervals and possibly protein supplements, also receive roughage. Roughage increases chewing frequency (chewing produces alkaline saliva, which helps prevent stomach ulcers) and promotes satiety! An overweight horse will become ill. A horse that is constantly hungry will also become ill. Roughage can be offered in the form of straw or branches, which increases the feeling of fullness. The first cutting (especially late in the year) has a high roughage content, while the second cutting has a much lower roughage content. Feeding second-cut hay therefore leads to a shorter feeling of satiety in the horse. Up to one-third of the daily hay ration can be replaced with mixed-in straw to increase the roughage content. Straw should not exceed one-third, as this can lead to impaction colic.

So horses buffer their constantly produced stomach acid with their saliva. But this saliva is only produced when they chew. If feeding intervals frequently exceed five hours, the stomach acid can severely damage the horse’s stomach, leading to ulcers and gastritis. This is an evolutionary adaptation, as horses are “made” to constantly graze small amounts of grass in their often sparse natural environment. In captivity, we must mimic this as closely as possible. Timed hay feeders are a quickly recouped investment (in terms of long-term equine health), since none of us wants to get up at 3 a.m. to bring the horse a small amount of hay. Especially in stall confinement, it’s evident that by midnight at the latest, everything is usually eaten up. If the next portion of hay arrives at 6 a.m., six hours have already passed (without the crucial alkaline saliva that buffers the stomach acid). Mixing with straw or installing a hay box that opens automatically during the night can quickly remedy this situation.

Mineralization is necessary 

In addition to high-quality hay, I generally recommend administering a good mineral supplement. I studied animal nutrition as part of my university degree and encountered numerous objective, scientific studies. These clearly demonstrate the significant decline in biodiversity on our hay meadows over the past 50 years. Mineral-rich herbs, in particular, are much less common in meadows today than they used to be, as many meadows, due to the intensification of agriculture and grass reseeding primarily tailored to the needs of dairy cows, now contain only a few plant species. For this reason, a balanced mineral supplement, rather than feeding individual minerals, is advisable, in consultation with veterinarians. It is important to pay attention to the form of the minerals contained.

Simply read the fine print on the back of the mineral supplement package. Easily absorbed organic compounds are often identified by the ending “-ate,” for example, -chelate, -citrate, or -fumarate. Inorganically bound nutrients, which often end in “-it” or “-id,” are largely excreted unused and therefore offer little benefit to the horse. Magnesium, for example, is an important macronutrient for cell communication. If magnesium is inorganically bound, i.e., fed as magnesium oxide, then its bioavailability (i.e., how well the body can absorb the nutrient) is unfortunately rather poor. If magnesium is organically bound and fed as magnesium fumarate, the body can absorb the nutrient much better. While the production of organically bound nutrients is more expensive for the manufacturer (and therefore the product is also more expensive for you), your horse benefits from it.

If you want to do it properly, you should have your hay analyzed for its nutrient content and buy a mineral supplement that compensates for any deficiencies in the hay. However, this only makes sense if your hay comes from a specific environment (i.e., from a farmer or from relatively uniformly vegetated meadows). If you or your stable owners have to buy hay from different locations and from far away, sending it to a lab is less useful. This is because nutrient levels can vary significantly from region to region. However, a hay analysis is still interesting. For example, calcium shouldn’t be fed in excess, as it blocks the absorption of other nutrients. Where I live, the hay is already very high in calcium, and if I were to feed a mineral supplement with such high calcium levels, as most German mineral feed manufacturers include, it would be counterproductive to my horse’s health. Similarly, with selenium, too little can cause problems with muscle development, while too much can unfortunately even be toxic.

All my horses love riding . That’s no coincidence, and anyone who thinks it’s solely because of the treats is misjudging horses. Because yes – horses love treats. No question about it. They’re happy to get them, they remember exactly where they are, and they can be incredibly charming when it comes to food. But: They’re generally not easily bribed. At least not in the long run. You might be able to entice them for a moment or get them to do something, but that doesn’t create genuine motivation, real enjoyment of the work, or that voluntary “I want to do this now.”

For example, if I wave a treat and a fly mask at the same time, Serafin pointedly turns away and takes a few steps back. Clearly: The treat is tempting, no doubt. But the fly mask definitely wins out at that moment. He doesn’t particularly like having fly masks put on him – at least not if it’s done hastily, unclearly, or carelessly. Then he very clearly decides that the whole thing just doesn’t seem right to him. This small, everyday example illustrates a great deal: horses don’t act in a one-dimensional way. They weigh things up, they connect experiences, they have likes, dislikes, and very clear opinions. And they express these—if you’re willing to listen.

Anyone who thinks this is simply due to the individual horse’s character is also mistaken. Of course, there are different types. There are horses that are naturally more willing to perform, that get active more quickly, that practically seek out tasks and always want “more.” But Serafin is—or was—quite the opposite in terms of character. He’s naturally an absolute minimalist when it comes to exertion. Too clever for unnecessary sweating, I’d say. Saving energy is his core competency . He considers very carefully what is worth the effort—and what isn’t.

And yet, these days, he practically insists on working. He actively seeks out his training, participates, visibly exerts himself, and hardly leaves my side if I exceptionally want to skip a training session, especially if his colleague has been ridden beforehand . He stands there, present, attentive, with this clear attitude of: “And what about me? When’s my turn?” This isn’t a learned behavior; it’s the result of many small, conscious decisions and numerous factors that I’ve tried to make as subtle, fair, and harmonious as possible for him.

So, what does it take for horses to love riding as much as we do? What ensures they participate willingly, think along with us, take responsibility, and ideally, even insist on being allowed to work?

Here are my 10 tips on how horses learn to love riding – based on my experience training both my own horses and many clients’ horses:

1. A Suitable Working Atmosphere
We need to create an environment that promotes calmness instead of creating stress. Noise, hectic activity, time pressure, or inner restlessness are directly transmitted to the horse. Horses constantly read us—our breathing, our muscle tension, our mood. Learning, motivation, and joy only arise where a living being feels safe and is not constantly on high alert.

2. A Positive Mindset for the Rider
Our inner attitude is crucial. Enthusiasm, curiosity, and genuine interest in what we are practicing are contagious. Horses sense very precisely whether we “have to” or whether we truly want to. Therefore, choose a riding style, an exercise, or a training approach that you yourself enjoy—because only then can you genuinely pass that joy on.

3. Letting Go of Excessive Ambition
Exaggerated performance expectations and the pursuit of recognition from others often harm the relationship with your horse more than they help. Keep imagining that this might be the last time you see your horse. How would you experience that moment? Approach every minute together with deep appreciation for this living being and for the wonder of being together.

4. A Responsible, Mature Attitude
Even—and especially—in situations where things go wrong, we must always look for the cause within ourselves. The horse has definitely given the right answer. Perhaps not the one we wanted, but always the most logical one from its perspective. This attitude takes the pressure off the situation and creates space for genuine learning on both sides.

5. Clear, subtle, and well-timed aids

Our aids must be minimal, precise, and free of distractions. No pushing with the seat, no pulling on the inside rein, no unconscious kicking with the heels. This is about body awareness, a refined feel for the horse, and focusing on seat aids rather than rein aids. Horses don’t like manipulation—neither of their heads nor their legs. Clarity and fairness build trust.

6. Biomechanically sound training approach
You have to know how to correct the horse’s crookedness, how to use seat aids to counteract it, and how to specifically build the core muscles that work against the rider’s weight. There’s no one-size-fits-all rule for choosing the right pace either. A positive pace is one in which all the joints are moving freely. This varies from horse to horse and changes throughout its training. A lot of feel is needed here—either in the seat or through a good, trained eye from the outside.

The goal is always for the horse to feel better after riding than before: more confident, stronger, and more upright. Not tired, not tense, and not suffering from back pain. This is precisely why correct muscle development, and the resulting reduction of tension, is a central goal in equisensomotoric training for sustainably improving well-being.

7. Moderate Demands
In training, less is always more. Quality trumps quantity. Increases should only be gradual and always in consultation with the horse – not according to a rigid, human-imposed plan.

8. Stability and Flexibility in Handling
When interacting with living beings, we must be both stable and flexible. Make long-term decisions regarding your training approach, but adapt in the short term to your horse’s daily form, mental state, and physical condition. Be a calm, patient, and reliable partner during changes.

9. Perfectly Fitting Equipment
The equipment must fit perfectly. Nothing should pinch, chafe, or be uncomfortable – neither at the bridle nor in the saddle or girth area. If you expect genuine intrinsic motivation, everything really has to be just right. Horses are—quite rightly—extremely sensitive and honest in this regard.

10. The overall situation has to be right. Housing, herd structure, sufficient REM sleep, veterinary care, teeth, hooves, digestion—all of this forms the foundation. Without this foundation, enjoyment of the work is hardly possible, no matter how well-intentioned the training is.

A long list? Perhaps. But it’s extremely rewarding—for both horse and human. Because it’s a profoundly fulfilling feeling to ride a horse that enjoys working together as much as you do, that feels seen and participates willingly.

Serafin even helps me with saddling now. That was actually his own idea—probably to speed things up. He was already running ahead to the fence and quite naturally taking his position while I was just coming out of the stable with the saddle. I then had to teach him to wait a little longer, because otherwise I simply wouldn’t have been able to fit between him and the fence with the western saddle.

A small detail – but one that beautifully illustrates how much motivation, trust, and initiative can develop when you truly perceive and take a horse’s needs seriously.

First aid for a slumped back – here are 10 effective measures and exercises to combat carrying fatigue in horses!

1. Stress reduction & holistic health check: Even if it doesn’t seem like it at first glance, a low held trunk or weak back muscles often stems from a number of other factors that negatively impact your horse’s well-being and muscle development. First and foremost, I would recommend checking your horse’s environment for stressors. Because mental stress tenses and stiffens the horses back, and a stiff back is always held chronically low in between the forelegs! Stressors could include an unpleasant stablemate, insufficient social contact (horses are highly social herd animals that need physical contact with other horses like they need air to breathe), excessive social contact (24-hour open stable in an unsuitable or overly large group), or overly stressful (too ambitious) training by humans.

2. Hoof health: Back and trunk stabilizing muscles, such as the serratus muscles of the thoracic sling, can only develop if your horse can move comfortably (i.e., without pain, navicular syndrome, or pressure from the bars, etc.). Therefore, check or consult with several professionals (there’s nothing like a third or fourth opinion ) to determine if the hoof trimming (including the hoof angle and shoeing/gluing intervals) is optimal.

3. Hay quality & mineralization: Optimal feeding and mineralization are essential for hoof growth and muscle development. This doesn’t mean you need to buy lots of expensive “muscle-building” supplements. Less is more, and the best possible hay and a high-quality mineral mix are usually sufficient to support muscle development. In this article, I’ve summarized my feeding recommendations for building trunk and back muscles in horses: Which feeds support muscle development in horses? – My 5 recommendations!

4. Deep sleep: With optimal husbandry, horses sleep lying down for 1-2 hours, with their REM phase lasting approximately 30 minutes. These deep sleep phases are particularly important for mental and physical regeneration. Horses with sleep deprivation (unfortunately common in restless open stable environments) are either excessively skittish and nervous, or lethargic and lacking energy, or unable to concentrate. Deep rest phases are also essential for muscle development. If you are unsure about this, check whether your horse has bedding stuck to its belly and cheek daily (or at least 5-6 days a week), or consider installing a camera in its sleeping area. You want to see your horse lying completely flat and relaxed every day – without any disturbances from other horses.

5. Gastric ulcers: 40-60% of leisure horses have gastric ulcers! In horses that perform under stress in sports, such as racehorses, the figure is as high as 90%! Stomach ulcers develop due to long periods without food (more than 5 hours without hay, which is often the case with stall confinement between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.) and stress, which may have occurred long ago (e.g., in foals). They cause the horse to have a tense back posture and are very painful. Additionally, inflammation of the small intestine lining can occur, which in turn severely inhibits nutrient absorption (e.g. the nutrients and proteins necessary for muscle development!). Typical signs for ulcers include: horses that are too thin, but also overweight, lack of muscle mass, frequent yawning, bad breath, a crooked back, skittishness, phlegm (i.e., the horse is described as “lazy”), girthiness (i.e., snapping when the girth is tightened), or snapping when the chest muscles are touched. If you suspect stomach ulcers, I strongly recommend having a gastroscopy performed. It’s just a minor procedure performed under sedation while standing, can even be done right there in the stable, and finally provides clarity. Furthermore, the camera allows the extent and location of the gastric ulcers to be determined, enabling your veterinarians to choose the most effective medications. In my experience with clients, I’ve frequently recommended gastroscopy when gastric ulcers were suspected, and a course of medication followed by optimizing the horse’s living conditions and reducing stress has often worked wonders for muscle development and overall well-being.

6. Saddle: I know, it’s a tiresome topic, but I have to say it. If you’re currently riding your horse, the saddle absolutely must fit perfectly and provide 100% even pressure distribution. Any atrophy (e.g. often found behind the shoulder blade in horses with a low held trunk) should be compensated for by the saddle pad. Get creative with your saddle fitter and try different options. Horses love a soft, shock-absorbing pad, such as one made of memory foam. Many simple cotton saddle pads unfortunately offer far too little shock absorption for a horse’s back with atrophied muscles. A treed saddle provides the best pressure distribution over a large area, but before you end up with a tree that doesn’t fit, a treeless saddle with a thick pad is often a good interim solution. Feel free to check out my free saddle course (no registration or email address required!) where I clearly explain all my tips for perfect pressure distribution.

7. Training interval: Okay, and now finally to what you’re probably most interested in. How should you train your horse so that it finally builds back muscles? First of all, let’s talk about intervals. For muscle growth to occur, you or your riding partners should train at least 3 times, ideally 5 times, per week. The training sessions don’t need to be long; 20-25 minutes is often enough if you do the right exercises.

8. Eliminating harmful factors: It might sound strange, but if your horse already has a swayback with a sunken tunk, then—in addition to proper training—you also need to eliminate everything that caused or worsened this condition. This includes:

   · Riding and hacking for too long: as a rule of thumb during training, ride for no more than 25 minutes, if at all.

   · Too much rider weight: 15-20% of the horse’s own weight is the rule of thumb here, but with a horse that’s under-muscled, it’s better to build muscle from the ground first.

   · Too fast: especially in turns (every riding arena, no matter how large, is essentially a “turn” for the horse every few seconds), strong centrifugal forces act on all spinous processes, tendons, and joints of your horse (veterinarian Stefan Stammer has calculated the forces acting on the forehand, for example, to be almost a ton of tensile force!). If you work your horse at too high a speed, i.e., faster than its muscles can withstand, it will tense up instead of building muscle.

   · Too much bending of the neck: this causes your horses spine to rotate incorrectly and thus counteracts muscle development and well-being.

   · Avoid extreme head and neck positions. Don’t let anyone tell you that your horse’s head should be “set” particularly high or particularly low. Extremes are always unnatural and negatively alter all angles in the horse. An unspectacular head and neck height (neither with excessive elevation nor excessive stretching downwards), which lies somewhere at or slightly above the shoulder joint, is usually a good physiological indicator. However, keep in mind that the head position only indicates what the back is capable of (or not yet capable of). Only an excessively narrow angle between head and neck (ridden behind the vertical due to excessive use of a curb bit or snaffle) should be corrected, as it compresses the parotid gland and causes your horse pain. In this case, ask your horse to open its head and neck angle, so that its nose comes to or slightly in front of the vertical.

   · Also, avoid, as Christin Krischke so aptly puts it, “resting in the ligaments” This means don’t sit on a standing horse for unnecessarily long, as you’ll otherwise be sitting in his passive stay apparatus without engagement of his trunk supporting muscles. This puts unnecessary strain on your horse’s nuchal and supraspinous ligaments (which are designed for the horse’s weight, not yours). Therefore, simply dismount as soon as your training session is over or if you need to talk to someone.

9. Optimal Speed and Cadence: If you want to strengthen your horse and build muscle mass, you shouldn’t lunge or ride too fast. The core stabilizing and lifting muscles are part of the deep core musculature. You train these muscles more effectively with subtle shifts in balance at a smooth, slow speed. However, the cadence should be slow enough that the steps are still flowing through, not choppy or jerky which will happen if you go too slow. To begin with, it helps to gradually reduce the horse’s normal pace until you notice a slight swaying, and then use your aids to counteract this swaying. Very similar to exercise balancing on a slackline, your horse will stay more centered every day. 

10. Suitable Exercises: Now for the exercises. To build stabilizing core muscles (which your horse lacks not only if it’s hypermobile, but also if it appears “stiff”!), all exercises performed at a slow pace that create a slight (really very slight) bend in girth area are suitable. This straightens your horse and builds muscle strength simultaneously. A “in-the-track” exercise, where the hindquarters follow the forehand, or a shoulder-fore (i.e., a mini-shoulder-in) is often a good starting exercise. The angle of the bend should be kept as small as possible, just enough (or rather, just as little) that you can see or feel some bend in the girth area, but the neck is by no means bent excessively inwards. If your horse overbends its neck, its spinous processes in the thoracic spine will rotate outwards. This causes his back to tense up instead of building back muscles, and exerts one-sided tensile forces on his tendons and joint surfaces. If you are not yet familiar with rotation theory, or if you would like to dive deeper into it, I highly recommend my foundation course and advanced courses. There, I explain the rotation theory, and subsequently the precise aids for it, in great detail and with the help of many illustrative models and videos on visual training in the self-study course.

I hope that these 10 tips and valuable insights from my teaching practice, have provided you with information on which measures and exercises you can take to build up the back muscles and trunk lifting muscles and core stabilizers in your horse!

Enjoy your time with horses and all the best!

Johanna

2 cm taller thanks to Equisensomotoric® training

Photo: Dr. Adelheid Kienzl

Training the lift of the trunk

Successful back training reverses carrying fatigue, makes horses strong, keeps them sound and can even be measurable, as customer Dr. Kienzl documented during her annual weight checks. From the 17-year-old Shetland pony to the 22-year-old large horse, all three of her horses had increased in height by 2 cm since starting training at the end of 2019.

While the number of conscious riders and instructors of various riding styles is thankfully steadily increasing, certain dogmas unfortunately still persist in some places. These range from ambitious riding lessons that aim for a “swinging” seat with command-like instructions, to misconceptions such as the idea that horses “go against the bit” when the rider hasn’t pulled hard enough in front and pushed hard behind. Such simplistic instructions or judgments about the rider and horse quickly convey authority (anyone who teaches so confidently must know what they’re doing…) or quick fixes (using the rider’s hand, a tight rein, or a whip…), but they ignore the actual causes of complex movement and communication problems, which often arise from ignorance or misunderstood training approaches.

Teaching and training horses for the well-being of the horse means, as a trainer, seeing the rider and horse as a whole and acting accordingly. It means breaking free from rigid doctrines and instead adopting a dynamic, situation-dependent approach. This means considering the animal’s daily condition, history, body proportions, acquired talents, the interrelationships between individual aspects, and even the awareness that one simply cannot know all the background information (none of us has X-ray vision, and unfortunately, no one possesses absolute wisdom). These factors should be incorporated into every action taken. A high standard, one might think – but shouldn’t it apply everywhere one works with living beings, “owns” them, and handles them with at least 55 kilos of weight?

Especially in horse training, it is essential to constantly remind ourselves that we are dealing with a prey animal whose survival strategy relies on keen perception, rapid reaction, and movement. Every form of training and handling interferes with this sensitive system. At worst, any aids are a manipulation of the horse’s body, a shift in its weight distribution, and a wear and tear on supporting structures. At best, they improve its physical condition and fitness. Therefore, our responsibility to apply stimuli in a way that provides guidance rather than creating uncertainty, and ideally contributes to long-term health, is all the greater. Training should never be about “imposing” a human-imposed idea, but rather a collaborative learning process in which the horse understands why it is doing something and can sense that it returns to the stable with greater physical and mental well-being.

Due to the lack of movement that often prevails even in the best trail riding conditions—compared to nature—it is also our responsibility to develop strength and balance in our own horses. Only in this way can we realistically balance the fluctuating rider’s weight in all turns and at all speeds, or, if the horse is not being ridden, remain fit well into old age. Perhaps it’s helpful to recognize that this process is about what we once called collection—and not about pulling or squeezing out. Collection means gathering oneself, centering oneself, in order to then freely express something beautiful from within.

Gathering—something that is stimulated by an inner attitude or an external impulse, but in any case, it directs attention inward. Carefully selected exercises strengthen the stabilizing muscles close to the horse’s core, rather than rushed, levering, or leaning compensatory movements, which lead to premature wear and tear on bone and tissue structures. This quality of movement arises not from haste, but from repetition, pauses, and the right level of challenge.

How can I help a horse center itself? How can I truly understand giving aids as help—genuine support—and not as the application of force? Can I “force” a pedestrian who is standing thoughtfully on the sidewalk to cross the street? Yes, I can try, but depending on the pedestrian’s personality, I can expect to encounter resistance ranging from mild to severe. In horses, this resistance to crossing boundaries manifests as “stubbling” and is a reaction to forceful aids.

“Holding on tight” can also signify an initial lack of muscular strength. Imagine how heavy it can feel to hold someone crossing the street who lacks the strength to walk. Similarly, an inadequately trained riding horse tries to balance itself against the increased centrifugal forces exerted by the rider when turning. In this case, biomechanically sound and well-considered aids from the rider are needed to gradually achieve collection and core stabilization in order to maintain the horse’s long-term health. Patience is not a nice bonus here, but a fundamental requirement.

These aids, however, have nothing to do with pulling back on the reins or applying pressure with the leg, but rather with very subtle shifts in balance within the horse’s capabilities in any given situation. It’s like a kind of body dialogue: Try doing it a little more like this? – And do you notice how much easier we can make the turn now?

If I apply sudden or sustained, firm pressure to living tissue, it will protect itself, harden, and consequently become blocked in its movement or eventually stop responding altogether. However, if I give the horse an easily executable directional cue that immediately releases at the slightest initiative, it will perceive the aid as genuine assistance and gratefully accept it (especially if the extra muscular effort is rewarded with a treat!).

Provided the rider’s suggested direction was sensible, the horse will gradually develop inner strength and carrying capacity. After some time, this becomes that feeling in the calf or fingers of the rein hand where the horse moves effortlessly in all directions at the rider’s beck and call because it has developed inner stability. This feeling cannot be forced – it arises as a result of the rider’s clarity, timing, and respect for the horse’s physical capabilities.

Provided the rider’s suggested direction was also sensible, the horse will gradually develop inner strength and carrying capacity. In the spirit of holistic, horse-friendly training, it is logical that this inner muscular strength is also closely linked to the horse’s “inner attitude”—its self-confidence. Building one strength also strengthens the other, and vice versa. A horse that feels physically secure will also move more freely mentally, take on new tasks, and face challenges with greater composure.

Therefore, all confidence-building exercises and impulses for gradual collection should be presented in small steps to create as many positive experiences as possible for the horse. Success here does not mean perfection, but understanding. Liveliness in mind and movement are mutually dependent, which is why the horse’s courage and initiative should always be encouraged, provided that this does not create dangerous situations for the human. This initiative makes horses proud and present, and is immediately reflected in the quality of their movement.

All of this constitutes a training approach for the well-being of the horse—individually tailored exercises and interventions that place both the horse’s psychological and physical well-being at the center. Rider competence lies not in “getting the right way,” but in reading the horse: in recognizing its signals, its limits, and its willingness. It is demonstrated by knowing which impulse will help the horse at any given moment and how much of it is necessary—and equally by knowing when to refrain from acting and to analyze one’s own impulse or allow it to unfold naturally.

This requires a holistic perspective, experiential knowledge, empathy, an understanding of biomechanical relationships, and the deep conviction that the horse reacts appropriately in every situation. And that ultimately, it is always up to us to create the conditions that enable learning, maintain health, and allow the horse to develop trust in the shared journey.

Conclusion

Horse training for the horse’s well-being requires letting go of rigid dogmas and adopting an individualized, situation-specific approach.

Rider and horse must be considered as a unit, whose physical, mental, and emotional needs must always be taken into account.

The goal of training is not control or coercion, but rather inner balance, core stability, carrying capacity, and long-term health, which manifests itself in supple, natural movements.

Collection means centering and inner muscular strength – no excessively tilted pelvis or over-flexed poll, no pulling, pushing, or squeezing.

Aids are horse-friendly when they are supportive and subtly applied, and not manipulative.

Resistance and stiffness in the horse are warning signals, not faulty behavior, and indicate overexertion, lack of strength, or misunderstandings.

Biomechanically sound, well-planned exercises (using songbird weights) promote both physical stability and self-confidence.

Trust, initiative, and positive learning experiences are essential building blocks for fluid, healthy movement patterns.

Rider competence is demonstrated by reading the horse, precise timing, and taking responsibility for its well-being.

Johanna Thanheiser