Two Strides Forward Equestrian

11/01/2026

What a fun day! All the ponies and their riders were so brave, and everyone looked fantastic in their costumes! 👻🎃🕷️

10/30/2026

This is so important! And I would expand a bit on the first point: in addition to looking into pain/health issues, is the horse allowed to be a horse outside of lesson times? If horses aren’t getting their social/ turnout/foraging needs met, or if they feel like they have zero agency, this can cause a baseline of frustration and stress that could present as nipping or crankiness in the lesson.

10/29/2026

Just a little tummy support herb mix I made. 🌱

Keagan has had a little extra stress lately (falling trees, a bear running by the arena during a ride, and his usual arch nemesis the elk being extra active), so I was already thinking about some extra ulcer prevention/healing support beyond the daily preventatives already in place. Yesterday when I did the girth up, he looked a little grumpy. Nothing major, I was tacking at liberty and he didn’t leave. No major ear pinning, kicking or moving away. Just a slightly mad face for a few seconds. But that was enough of a sign for me to get on it before anything gets worse.
I’m lucky to have Applied Kinesiology in my toolkit, so I could determine which herbs he needs and how much. When he’s done this batch we can check in again.

I wanted to share this anecdote as a reminder that when it comes to our horse’s wellness, there isn’t a one and done checklist that we can complete and then never have to think about again. (Wouldn’t that be nice if we could!)

Whether it is ulcer treatment, saddle fit, bodywork, nutrition, hoof care, or training: we need to keep an eye on all the moving parts and look for earliest signs that our horse needs a change or a little more support in a certain area.

What’s something your horse seems to need recurring support or extra attention on?

10/22/2026

I’m looking forward to “judging” this fun costume event on Halloween! Any excuse to dress up, have fun, and not take ourselves too seriously.
There’s still a bit of time to sign up if you want to join!
👻🎃🐎

10/22/2026

These are such great points! I have definitely seen and experienced all of these in spaces and programs that are supposed to be about healing and wellness.
As practitioners, this is why it’s so important that we do our own healing and inner work before helping anyone else with theirs.

10/21/2026

10/21/2026

Things I learned while healing my burnout and chronic health problems, and how my brain connects these lessons to our relationships with our horses.

1) Learning that there are many kinds of rest beyond just doing nothing. Sometimes rest means laying on the couch and reading a book. Sometimes it means going for a walk, or making art, or taking a class unrelated to my work, or having lunch with a friend. All kinds of rest are needed to truly rejuvenate our whole being. I think about this when I see horses on stall or paddock rest who are not being offered other types of enrichment while they rest their injury.

2) Learning that I cannot be everything for everyone. I cannot be the one holding space for so many horses per week, and their humans, and an online following, my friends, my family, my pets, and myself. However, I can be involved in all of those things, without being the glue holding it together. I can be a part of a wider support system. Everyone has to be responsible for their own health, and the health of their own animals. I can be a pillar without being the entire scaffolding. I'm valuable simply as myself - my value isn't based on what I can offer others. We need to see our horses in the same light. They don't owe us their magic.

3) Learning that "capability" and "capacity" are two different things. Just because I can get away with pushing through pain or burnout for a while doesn't mean that my body or my nervous system actually have the capacity to do so, and I will eventually suffer the consequences. I think we confuse our horses' capability and their capacity all the time - especially when a professional tells us something misleading, like that pain has been "ruled out" (spoiler alert, that is actually impossible).

4) Learning that saying no can truly be the healthiest thing you can do for yourself, and it's safe to do so. It's been proven to me over and over again that when a door closes, another opens - or maybe more than one! For example, it's very difficult and scary to move on from a client when you are self-employed. But every time I have parted ways with a client because we were not aligned, that space has been filled with a client(s) who is so much MORE aligned than I could have ever hoped. And by the way, "alignment" doesn't mean we agree on everything, nor does "misalignment" mean we don't get along! There are many possible reasons for these misalignments, and it can even be as simple as a scheduling or financial misalignment.
Our goal with our horses should be creating an environment of consent, where horses feel safe expressing it when they want to say no. What we want is a dialogue with our horses, and censoring their ability to have opinions will never create a true partnership - and may be stifling so many opportunities for relationship.

Thank you Two Strides Forward Equestrian for the photo 🥰

10/18/2026

It’s being aware of the little things like this that can make a huge difference for the well-being of therapy horses.
When we think about just how many times an EAS horse might experience unwanted touch in a single day, it’s no wonder why they might check out mentally, or become defensive and bitey.
Taking a moment to listen and determine if, where and how they actually want to be touched, and teaching volunteers and clients how to recognize the signs, can go a very long way in keeping the horses happy and engaged in the work.

Research Roundup!

10/16/2026

We might not be winning any hunter classes with this form, but considering he was bred to pull logs, not jump them, I’d say we’re doing pretty good!

Due to his size, conformation, and age, jumping isn’t something we do much of. But a wide variety of activities as part of a fitness or training program is so important for body and mind!

In addition to our ridden work, I try and do a session or two per week of unmounted activities. Whether that is groundwork in the arena, lungeing over varied terrain in the field, or taking advantage of a downed tree to develop mobility and coordination.

Just a few weeks ago, Keagan was stumbling over the low part of the log like a drunk raccoon. After just a handful of times over the weeks, he’s now confidently choosing to jump the higher section!

We only did it three times today, as there’s no need to drill an activity to get benefit from it. (And in fact, research shows that drilling does more harm than good.)

Keagan was extremely pleased with himself, and that dopamine hit from learning a new skill is just as valuable to a training program as any physical gains.
A horse who is excited to work with us is motivated and primed for learning. A body that practices novel movement is far more robust and less injury-prone than a body that only practices moving within a narrow range. A happy athlete is one who will move with freedom and suppleness, and be a joy to partner with.

What different activities do you incorporate into your horse’s routine?