22/08/2026
I'm letting you in on on a secret.....
Why is your session so relaxing ?
I know many of you think its magic and in a way it is.
Well my starting point is calming the Nervous System for horse and rider
My work draws on music psychology and sport psychology to regulate the vagus nerve ,the key pathway controlling calm in both horse and rider.
Three core techniques:
Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation —
Using a sound system, I play specially curated musical tracks tailored to each horse and rider. Over thirty years of working with horses, riders, and music has given me a deep understanding of which musical styles and instruments work best for calming each individual — it's an exacting science, not guesswork.
Breath Control —
Steady, diaphragmatic breathing prevents breath-holding and panic, directly stimulating the vagus nerve.
Rhythm
Once the horse relaxes into the rhythm we are encouraging the horse's low-stress mastication which boosts vagal tone and supports healthy digestion ( I know many of you worry about the build up of acid in your horses stomach)
This relaxation in the horses jaw allows them to make contact with the bit and take it softly forwards.
The rider now also relaxed,conveys this through the reins to the bit ,creating a much softer conversation.
With the rider and horse now moving without tension both find it easier to work together.
The riders seat becomes more effective.
For riders, tension often shows up as a tight jaw, so I use a separate release exercise to unlock that bodily tension.
The key insight: these techniques work on the same vagal pathway in both horse and rider. Calming one helps calm the other — creating a shared state of relaxation that improves performance under pressure.
