Kirsty Rawden Veterinary Physiotherapy

03/09/2026

Just because his brain can, doesn’t mean his body can.

As we progress through the scales of training with our horses, we introduce more complex movements such as half pass, collection, extension and changes.

These movements sit further up the scales for a reason: they require a certain level of physical strength, balance, coordination and conditioning to perform correctly.

Think about it like going to the gym. We might start by squatting with just our body weight. As we become stronger, we add 5kg, then perhaps a barbell, and over time we may work up to squatting more than our own body weight.

But if we then take six weeks off, sustain an injury, or simply get older, would we walk back into the gym and immediately squat the same weight we were lifting before?

Of course not.

Our brain still knows how to perform the movement, but our physical body may no longer have the strength or conditioning required to do it safely.

My grandad is a great example of this. He used to powerlift and, even after having a hip replacement at 88, he was quite happily giving the OT a lesson on how a squat should be performed! 😂

At 95, he can still tell you exactly how to do the exercise correctly. His brain knows the movement perfectly. But there is absolutely no way on earth his body could squat the weight he used to.

The same applies to our horses.

A horse may mentally understand how to perform a flying change, piaffe, passage or more advanced lateral movement, but that doesn't necessarily mean their body is currently strong or conditioned enough to perform it safely and correctly.

It is our responsibility as their humans to consider where they are physically at that moment in time, rather than simply what they know how to do.

Even after just a week away from training, I know I can't expect my own body to immediately return to the same level of strength I had two weeks previously.

Strength requires consistency. Conditioning takes time. And when that consistency is interrupted, we need to adjust our expectations accordingly.

The goal isn't simply to teach a horse how to perform a movement. It is to develop the physical strength and conditioning that allows them to perform it well, comfortably and sustainably.

01/09/2026

"Stop copying me!"

Every day on social media, it seems there’s a new method, technique or routine being presented as the next big thing in the equine bodywork world.

But perhaps we need to take a step back.

I have a saying: “There’s only so many ways you can put your hands on a horse.”

Nobody is necessarily reinventing the wheel. Often, people are discovering, refining or explaining something in a way that simply makes more sense to them or to the people they’re teaching.

I’m sure there are horsemen and women from hundreds of years ago looking down thinking, “We were doing that 500 years ago.” The difference today is that we have more science and research available to help us understand why some things work and what may be happening within the horse.

For me, the most important part is remembering where these ideas come from in the first place: the horse.

Over the past few years, I’ve tried to listen closely to the horses in front of me and let them guide how I approach them. Time and again, I’ve then gone on courses or encountered other professionals teaching something remarkably similar to what I’ve been led to through listening to the horse.

That’s actually quite reassuring.

It reminds me that perhaps we don’t need to be so focused on who thought of it first, whose technique it is, or who gets the credit.

If something helps a horse, improves their understanding, reduces stress, supports their physical or emotional wellbeing, or simply allows us to communicate with them more clearly shouldn’t sharing that knowledge be the priority?

Techniques don’t belong to us. They belong to the conversation between horse and human, and many of them have been around far longer than any of us.

So rather than “Stop copying me,” perhaps the question should be:
“Is this helping the horse?”

Because ultimately, the horse should be the one who benefits from everything we learn, discover and share.

If keeping an idea to ourselves means another horse misses out on something that could have helped them, then who are we really protecting...our ego, or the horse?

For me, the horse comes first. Always

29/08/2026

Last long run done! 💪🏼

10 miles this morning 🏃🏼‍♀️💨 and a PB at that!

Please donate generously for this amazing charity!
Here4Horses 👇🏼

https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/fundraising/kirsty-s-great-north-run-2026?utm_source=peoplesfundraising&utm_medium=referral

27/08/2026

Giving back 😂

24/08/2026

'I just used an old cheap saddle for backing'

Something I hear quite often whilst out working is, “I just used an old cheap saddle for backing.”

And I completely understand the thinking. A new saddle is a significant investment, especially when there’s a concern that a young horse may change shape, or damage the saddle.

But I think it’s worth looking at the first saddle experience from the horse’s perspective.

Horses are prey animals, and having something strapped around their body and placed across their back is a completely new experience. If the saddle fits well and is comfortable, the horse has the opportunity to gradually learn that this is something they can relax with.

But what happens if that first saddle is too narrow, too long, the wrong shape, or simply uncomfortable?

What does the horse learn from that experience?

Then we introduce a rider. If the saddle fits, the horse can begin to build a positive association with carrying someone. But if the saddle creates discomfort, the horse may respond. Sometimes subtly through tension, bracing or changes in movement, and sometimes more obviously through bucking, rearing or bolting.

Over time, those experiences can influence how the horse feels about being saddled and ridden, and how they organise their body around the experience.

I’m not suggesting that you need to buy an expensive new saddle for a young horse. The price of a saddle doesn’t determine whether it fits correctly.
What I am suggesting is that the fit matters from the very beginning.

Perhaps instead of asking, “What’s the cheapest saddle I can use for backing?” we could ask:
“What experience do I want my horse’s nervous system to have from the very first ride?”

Sometimes, investing in getting the saddle fit correctly may be one of the most valuable things we can do at the start of their ridden journey.

20/08/2026

Just back from another road trip!

Lovely to catch up with Marsh Equine & Canine Physiotherapy last night too!

Drop me a message if you would like adding to my next visit south!

16/08/2026

ONE MONTH TO GO!

Until i tackle the great north run (half marathon) for Here4Horses!

This is me post 12 miles this morning! 🥵

Training has been super tricky this year with the heat!

Here's the link if you'd like to sponsor me this year, i know its a big ask but every little helps to keep this amazing charity a float!

Please give generously via the link below 👇🏼

https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/fundraising/kirsty-s-great-north-run-2026

14/08/2026

Who are we to decide that a body must let go of tension?

During my training years, we would look at horses, assess them, identify where they were holding tension, and then get to work on ironing it out.

But over the years, I’ve found myself asking a different question:

Who are we to tell another body that it doesn’t need that tension?

Tension is there for many reasons.

Sometimes it’s simply residual from past events, something that was once useful but is now no longer needed, and may even be getting in the way.

But the body also recruits tension as a protective mechanism.

Sometimes it protects a physical problem. A painful joint, an organ, an area that doesn’t feel safe to move.

And sometimes, in my experience, the nervous system is protecting the body emotionally.

Our bodies can wrap us up in tension as a way of keeping us safe. Sometimes that tension is the only safe place we know how to exist.

So who are we to walk in and say, “You don’t need that anymore”?

My work has taken me down a very different route: one of noticing and asking.

Yes, I can see tension patterns as clear as day. I can see how, if we removed all of that tension, the body might look much more “correct”.

But would it feel better to the body if I stripped all of that away?

These days, I leave that decision up to the body.

I lay my hands. I bring the body’s awareness to the area. And I ask:

“Is this something you can let go of?”

Sometimes there’s a little conversation needed. Sometimes the body needs reassurance before it feels safe enough to soften.

And sometimes the answer is a very clear, cold NO.

In the past, I might have tried to encourage the body through that.

But the more I work with horses every day, and the more I fine-tune this conversation, the more I’m learning to recognise that No.

And when I hear it, I say:

“Okay. You clearly need that right now.”

Because perhaps the goal isn’t always to remove tension.

Perhaps the goal is to understand why it’s there, what it’s protecting, and whether the body feels safe enough to let it go.

14/08/2026

I see far too many saddles that sit into the horses back.

Just take a minute next time you ride to see where your saddle sits.

Is it into or on top of the muscle?

I'm not saying you must become an expert in this, but as our horses human, we are their voice and their advocate.

To me this begins with noticing and starting to understand the how and the why and to question if something doesn't sit right with you.

Is Your Saddle Sitting Around Your Horse... or In Your Horse?

It's a question worth asking.

A healthy saddle should sit around your horse's back, not into it.

Why?

Because your horse's back isn't a static structure. Through correct movement, the back lifts, widens and changes shape with every stride. Biomechanics shows us that a horse working correctly develops dynamic muscle function, allowing the topline to expand and the spine to move freely. A saddle must respect that movement, not restrict it.

If a saddle is fitted into the shape of a horse's back when standing still, where does it go when the horse lifts, widens and engages under the rider?

It has nowhere to go.

Instead of allowing healthy movement, the saddle can create unnecessary pressure, limit muscular development, and reduce the horse's ability to work comfortably through the back. True saddle fitting isn't about matching a dropped or static back, it's about accommodating the horse's natural movement and supporting healthy posture.

As we continue to learn more about equine biomechanics, one thing becomes increasingly clear:

We should fit for the moving horse, not just the standing horse.

Because when the back can move, the horse can move.

"A horse that can move freely will always have the greatest opportunity to become stronger, healthier, and happier."

Let's build healthy backs together. 🐴💜
🌐 lmsaddles.com

12/08/2026

What a special way to watch the eclipse tonight 💜 i remember the exact time and place I watched the one in 1999, i definitely won't forget this one with my special boy 🥰