Would you like to learn how to build up and keep your horse healthy?
I look forward to helping you & your horse!
Johanna Thanheiser
Horse trainer for health maintenance and author of Equisensomotoric® Training
Professional competence
In my ten years as an official instructor for biomechanics courses at agricultural training institutes throughout Austria, 99% of the riders who have attended my courses have rated my professional competence as excellent (5 out of 5 stars) in anonymous feedback forms.
Over 400 horses
In my biomechanics courses and in my mobile teaching practice I have already had the pleasure of getting to know over 400 different horses and accompanying them on their way to sound movements – of different ages, breeds and with a wide variety of training issues.
50 minutes
1:1 ONLINE LESSONS
Have you ever asked yourself one or more of these questions?
How can I get my horse off the forehand and reduce the load on the forehand? What can I do to stop my horse hollowing his back? How can I build up the muscles of the hindquarters? Which exercises help with weak stifle ligaments or stifle problems in horses? How can I counteract pacing tendency? What seat aids and exercises will help my horse if it has problems cantering, only canters with a hop or always canters on wrong lead? What can I do to lift the trunk (serratus muscle) and get my horse out of carrying fatigue? How can I help my horse to straighten its natural crookedness? What can I do if my horse drags its toes when walking or trotting? How can I build up my horse’s topline and reduce his underneck? What exercises can help with muscle shortening after lameness recovery? What can help my horse with recurring SI joint problems? What exercises can help my horse with twisting hocks? What can I do if my horse walks with his head outwards when lunging or always falls on his inside shoulder? How can I help my horse if it is unstable, hypermobile and swaying? What is meant by correct rotation of the spine in horses? How does fascial tensegral lunging work? What can I do if my horse is stiff, difficult to sit at trot or canter or hard to steer? Are there exercises that allow traumatized horses to regain trust in humans? How does positive reinforcement work without my horse starting to snap? What helps with a sensitive horse’s back?
Then you are probably like many riders, because these topics are common ones at the start of training. Training horses or riding itself can be frustrating and you can easily get lost in the many opinions out there about how to train horses correctly. Finding all the answers on your own can sometimes take years and, unfortunately, trying things out without guidance can even harm your horse.
As a horse trainer in my main profession, I have already successfully accompanied a large number of similar processes and issues and can very likely save you and your horse from common mistakes, physical damage (and bills) caused by incorrect riding styles, frustration and precious time. Through solving training related problems, you can enjoy riding again, spend more years in harmony with your horse and enjoy how your horse is getting fitter every day through correct riding style.
- Learning how to correctly train your horse or even ride it towards soundness is a complex, but learnable skill. Comparable to learning an instrument, individual personal guidance and lessons is the best way to learn this skill. Regardless of where you live, you can learn personally from me, how to correctly train your horse and ride it towards the seven health goals: straightness, balance, carrying strength, sound gaits, stability of joints, suppleness and serenity.
- In easy-to-understand words, I will show you in private online lessons, tailored to you and your horse, which specific exercises will help you at this point. We can also discuss all your questions and I will give you specific instructions on how to increase your horse’s wellfare, motivation and overall well-being.
- You will receive targeted feedback on voice, rein and seat aids, the ESM markers, your timing and everything that goes with it, so that the course is set for success in terms of keeping your horse as healthy as possible and content. You will also receive information on what, in my experience, could currently be detrimental to your horse’s health and I will of course explain why I think so.
- In the process of analysing your problems, I might also recommend you to reach out for other professionals or vets, if I see that, based on my experience, the problem you are facing with your horse is not related to training or musculature. I do so, because the true and lasting improvement of the health and wellbeing of horse is my first goal.
- At the end of the session, I will provide you with a written summary of what the most important inputs of the session were and what the next training steps are.
Book dates
When you make your first booking, you will be asked for your email address and a password. This enables us to send you an appointment confirmation and a reminder the day before. The booking tool also makes it very easy to reschedule up to 4 hours before the booked date (e.g. if the weather is forecast to be bad and you don’t have an indoor arena).
how online lessons work
1:1 online lessons
It isbasically as easy as a facetime or whatsapp videocall.
The 50-minute online lesson takes place in real time at the riding arena with your horse. We are connected via video and I teach you online at the agreed time.
The success of my online client horses shows that when it comes to recognising and improving your horse’s movement patterns, it makes no difference whether I am “physically standing” at the rail of the riding arena or “virtually standing” there with the camera – through my trained eye, I see online just as well as what the biomechanical issues of your horse and your aids are and can guide you towards health-preserving movement patterns.
You will need:
- Stable Internet connection in the barn (Wi-Fi or via your cell phone network)
- Smartphone (stands in a corner of the riding arena so that I can see you)
- Bluetooth headphones (so you can hear my lessons)
Optional: Pivo Pod (a practical camera robot that rotates with your cell phone) using the free app Pivo Track
1:1 video feedback
The 50-minute video feedback session can take place at your home or at the stable.
Together with you, I will watch videos of you and your horse and give you direct input on how to make progress in your training. I will tell you exactly which Equisensomotoric® exercises make sense for you at the moment.
- Stable Internet connection
- Videos of you and your horse (max. 20 minutes in total) via Wetransfer or facebook messenger, which you should send to me before our appointment.
What my clients say
Warmbloods of Rebecca – Online lessons via Pivo
Johanna, you are SO worth it, you’re a most talented trainer!! L. is as thrilled as I am with our progress already with the horses. I’ve had 3 short but excellent sessions with G. since our last lesson, he seems a lot happier being more straight and I’m very chuffed! I am kicking myself I didn’t start having training with you sooner, can’t wait to get back from holiday to continue…. I may add that our osteopathic vet came on Sunday to see H. for a follow up check and he was very impressed with his progress. 
Gaited horse mare Z. & S. – Online lessons via Pivo
Yesterday my vet specialized in chiropractic and physiotherapy with Z. She has been treating Z. since I got her, almost 3 years now.
In all treatments Before I started training with you, she had always found an incredible number of blockages.
Today only two ! And what I’ve just realized with my other mare M. as well: She no longer constantly takes the weight off her right hind leg! We’ve already had the vet come twice this year because of her knee pain and, in the best case scenario, she’s only reached a state where she’s lame but is constantly taking the weight off her leg. I haven’t seen that since training with you. So a huge thank you from us for your training input!
Mare Felina & Karina – Online lessons via smartphone
Inquiry before starting training
Hello Johanna,
My mare, who will soon be 6 years old, has not been able to be ridden as usual for about six months. Tense, stiff, pulling on the reins, partially unruly, hollowing her back, muscle atrophy in the shoulder and saddle area, heavy on the forehand, she trots on the lunge only hopping and even while trotting she keeps hopping. At first I thought it might be the riding lessons because last summer I let her be used for beginner lessons 1-2 times a week. Then I took her out. No improvement. Then, on the advice of my trainer, I no longer rode her with a riding pad but only with a saddle and then it was completely over. Under the rider she didn’t even want to trot any more, just hobble, although the saddle should fit according to the saddle advice. Her back also got worse. So I took the saddle off, then the pad off, physiotherapy – she said the whole horse was crooked, ground work, I sent the saddle to the saddle fitter. Long story short, she still walks in a stiff manner, only trots hopping and I don’t really know where to start. The mare is blind in her right eye, which I think also plays a part. Can you help me? I would also be happy to send you photos and videos. Lg Karina
Feedback after 6 online Equisensomotoric® training sessions
Dear Johanna, Felina is doing very well, I now understand what you meant by fluffy, soft lunging.
She does it very well, it looks springy and light, carries itself from the base of the neck.
The whole riding has also become more harmonious and softer, the canter is also completely different. She now trots fluently without hobbles and keeping time is no longer a problem. The result of our training just feels great! THANK YOU!!!
Lg, Karina and Felina
Warmblood Massimo & Kerstin
Dear Johanna,
To describe my thanks to you, I have to think back a few years.
I bought Massimo when he was 8 years old.
Since then he has always been a “Monday horse”, from repeated tendon damage to ring ligament problems, there were always health problems , and when he was “rideable” for a while, he was always considered “unwilling” or “lazy”.
After endless ups and downs, I almost gave up.
I no longer enjoyed riding because I felt I was doing more harm to his health than good.
About 2 years ago, I decided to take a new path by training with you and I haven’t regretted it for a second since. After just a few weeks to months, I noticed a clear muscle build-up and a reduction in the swelling in his legs. My osteopath also noticed immediately that he was changing for the better. Today, Massimo is almost 20 years old and healthier and more motivated than ever. He enjoys his work and I enjoy it because I know I’m doing something good for him with the training. At almost 20 years old, he is running better than ever before, even though 3 years ago I thought I might not be able to ride him at that age. I (and even more so Massimo) thank you from the bottom of my heart for your work and look forward to many more years of fun together.
Arabian gelding P. & J.
Thank you again for the last hour.
I don’t know, I’ve probably told you that a hundred times anyway but you’re really extremely good at it.
I’m always fascinated by how well you see everything and how well you can explain it.
This is really a quality of teaching that I am not used to, and I have been riding for well over 30 years and I have already had lessons with some well-known baroque masters.
So thank you very much, I am super happy and impressed by your ability to see and grasp these things and also how my horse has developed as a result.
♥️
Icelandic mare Isrun & Teresa
I have been riding for 31 years now and yet I can say that I have learned more about horses and riding from Johanna in the last year than in all the other years put together.
I bought my mare Isrun a year ago when she was 10 years old.
She is a very sensitive, anxious mare.
She needs a lot of empathy, stability, security and trust in her rider, but also consistency, because she can also get cheeky.
This combination was a challenge for me and Johanna helped me a lot.
When I got her, I could hardly touch her from the saddle without triggering a flight reaction.
Once when I was mounting her, she raced off at a canter and threw me off in a high arc.
Every unfamiliar noise in the arena immediately attracted her attention and sometimes it took her days to go through a corner again.
When she was riding, she mainly rolled or hit her head.
She rushed frantically and often stumbled off with her hind legs.
At the beginning, I was hardly able to trot her at all, only to tölt passably. Cantering in the arena was almost impossible and she was very skittish in the field.
Since we have been taking lessons with Johanna once a month, Isrun has changed a lot. Thanks to Johanna’s calmness training and equisensomotoric training tailored to Isrun, ground work and instructions on how to use treats correctly and in a targeted manner, I now have a different horse.
Isrun has become much more relaxed.
She even rides out safely with me on her own and she leads the way bravely in the group.
She shows curiosity when something appears that would have made her run away in panic a year ago.
During training, she is now able to carry herself well and can walk at a steady, calm pace .
She can now also trot tactfully on both hands and canter on the circle on both hands.
What I particularly like about the lessons is that Johanna explains where, when and how I can use the aids correctly and what effects they have on the horse’s musculoskeletal system. I don’t know anyone who can recognize these connections as well and explain them as clearly as she can. In order to develop a feeling for when the horse has good moments in the movement, I find it very helpful that Johanna always gives me immediate feedback. Her precise powers of observation never cease to fascinate me. Teresa and Isrun are looking forward to many more lessons with Johanna.
Warmblood Viva & Evelyn
Dear Johanna,
A few years ago I discovered a flyer from you in a store that somehow appealed to me so much that I took it with me and then put it away with my horse things – out of sight out of mind. About a year later, I came across this flyer again – how fitting: because at that very moment, my 16-year-old mare and I were faced with a major problem: lameness in her right hind leg – Viva hardly put any weight on her right hind leg when cantering to the left, she was practically limping along. After x-rays and examinations, the diagnosis from a recognized orthopaedist was: probably a tendon/ligament/muscle problem in the right knee joint. Apart from that, I became more and more aware of how many problems she actually had: Viva often showed unwilling behavior, was tight in her mouth, very crooked, dragged her toes, had a hollow back and often stood in compensatory postures….
Since I wasn’t getting anywhere with “normal” dressage work, the lameness wasn’t getting any better and I was feeling more and more uncomfortable when riding, I was ready to try a new approach and contacted you – what a blessing 🙂 . Today, almost a year later, I am convinced that this was/is the only right way: apart from the fact that after almost 20 years of riding I have gained a completely different understanding and feeling of “riding” through you, your approaches and teaching methods, and I realize how fine and wonderful this way of riding can feel, I can also see clear changes in Viva: She can now do her first sound canter jumps again – what a huge joy for me :). In addition to this great success, she is now standing closed again, with the same weight on all 4 legs, her toe dragging has improved significantly and she seems much more relaxed and joyful.
I often think about how grateful I am that I was able to learn so many new, horse-friendly, respectful and harmonious approaches through you, dear Johanna, and that I was able to rediscover riding and working with horses for myself. I wish I had started on this path, your path, and now my path, years before.
I experience you and your way of teaching as incredibly appreciative of people and horses and I’m really looking forward to seeing you again in the riding arena after my baby break 🙂 THANK YOU!
Quarter gelding Brownie & Isabella
Last fall I bought a young, western-ridden gelding who practically chose me.
Although my attention was actually focused on another horse, he nudged me from behind and then never left my side in a herd of about 15 geldings.
Unsere ersten Wochen verliefen zwar relativ ruhig, aber mir fiel schon in dieser Zeit auf, dass er “aus dem Nichts heraus” panische Fluchtreaktionen zeigte. Dann beim ersten Mal Aufsteigen stand er zwar zuerst still, als ich ihn dabei jedoch Abklopfte, ging er Fullspeed panisch durch, warf mich ab und war von dem Zeitpunkt an nicht mehr zu beruhigen. Auch am Putzplatz und im Handling tänzelte er nervös und zuckte ständig zusammen. Ich war danach ziemlich verunsichert und wir haben viel Bodenarbeit und Desensibilisierungstraining mit Horsemanship-Trainern gemacht. Allerdings ohne Erfolg, denn er war weiterhin unberechenbar und ich hatte immer im Hinterkopf: „Wovor fürchtet er sich als Nächstes?“. Dazu kamen die Unkenrufe und gut gemeinten Tipps aus dem Stall.
Completely unsure as to whether he wasn’t a size too big for me, I contacted Johanna. As soon as Johanna dropped the lunge line into the meadow as a test, he made a huge leap backwards. We then started with Johanna’s trauma resolution exercises and even though comments like: “What’s the point?” were made, we both enjoyed the calm exercises. We practiced diligently and things gradually improved. In the second lesson, I really hoped that I would be allowed to ride. As he was much rarer, but still flinched from time to time, Johanna thought that the time had not yet come and gave us more exercises. In the third lesson, the time had come – I was allowed to practise mounting and dismounting and Johanna led me on the lunge – he was deeply relaxed and I was overjoyed!
I continued practicing dutifully, but then he somehow started to regress and I didn’t know why.
In the 4th lesson that followed, Johanna explained to me that he had now come to terms with his traumatic experiences and had built up enough self-confidence to put me to the test a little.
She showed me how I could set my boundaries gently but clearly and what it means to be really consistent, even with very subtle body language.
Both things that were not my strengths before.
With her support, I managed it and it quickly became clear that this subtlety and clarity on my part did him a lot of good.
From then on, he worked with motivation and was calm again.
In the 5th lesson I was rewarded for my efforts and I rode completely free for the first time :-)! He no longer showed any stress reactions at all on the ground or under saddle – even when the fly hood fell on the floor in front of him 🙂 In fact, he had become so calm that I sometimes wondered whether he was doing well anyway, because he was now so calm and balanced.
An unpredictable, skittish, traumatized horse had become a reliable riding partner in just 5 sessions with Johanna. With my little daughter he now goes through every course without any problems, lets himself be groomed and also likes everything else she can think of.
Thank you so much Johanna for your patience, your encouraging words and your support at all times – also with regard to equipment, choice of bit etc. It’s rare to find a riding instructor who is so attentive to horse and rider and who notices every little thing.
FaQ 1:1 Online Lessons
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