DVDB Training LLC at Shevlin Stables

10/29/2026

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10/29/2026

10/29/2026

Hoof Balance, Posture, the Nervous System… and the Horse’s Ability to Learn.

Throughout my clinics, we spend a great deal of time exploring the bi-directional relationship between hoof balance and posture.

We discuss how the mechanical and sensory environment of the hoof can influence the way the horse organises its limbs and body. Equally, we explore how the posture a horse adopts changes the direction, distribution and duration of forces acting upon the hoof, potentially influencing its morphology over time.

But this raises a much bigger question.

If posture influences hoof balance, and hoof balance influences posture, what else is influencing posture?

Suddenly, our discussion has to extend far beyond the foot.

We must consider dental discomfort and occlusion, the temporomandibular joint, musculoskeletal restrictions, compensatory movement patterns, previous injuries and the horse’s physical environment.

We must consider confinement, freedom of movement, social interaction and the opportunity to express natural behaviours.

And then we arrive at something particularly interesting.

The autonomic nervous system.

The autonomic nervous system regulates many of the physiological processes through which the horse responds to its internal and external environment.

Its sympathetic division supports mobilisation, vigilance and the physiological demands of responding to challenges. Parasympathetic activity contributes to recovery, digestion and restorative functions.

Both are essential. Neither operates as a simple on/off switch.

However, when an animal experiences persistent discomfort, uncertainty or uncontrollable stress, the regulation of these systems can change.

And importantly, autonomic regulation and postural control are not independent of one another.

They are interconnected through neural networks involved in maintaining balance, regulating physiological state and organising appropriate responses to the environment.

Think about how a horse responds when it perceives a threat.

Its head and neck orientation may change. Muscle activity changes. Its centre of mass may shift. It prepares its body to respond, often before any obvious movement occurs.

These are not simply emotional responses.

They are postural and motor responses organised in the context of the horse’s physiological state.

Now consider the implications for hoof balance.

If altered hoof mechanics contribute to persistent discomfort or compensatory postural demands, they may also become one of the many inputs influencing the horse’s stress response and autonomic regulation.

Conversely, if the horse’s wider environment repeatedly promotes defensive or protective postural strategies, those strategies may influence how the limbs are loaded.

And if that loading environment persists, it may contribute to the mechanical conditions that influence hoof morphology.

This gives us another potential self-reinforcing relationship.

The hoof may influence posture, while posture is simultaneously being influenced by the horse’s physical and emotional circumstances.

But there is another connection here that I believe should be particularly important to owners, riders and trainers.

The relationship between autonomic state, emotion and learning.

The neural networks involved in emotional processing, particularly those associated with detecting and responding to threats, interact closely with the systems regulating autonomic activity, attention and movement.

These include limbic structures such as the amygdala, alongside wider networks involving the hypothalamus, brainstem, cerebellum and motor pathways.

The brain does not organise movement independently of the animal’s perception of its circumstances.

When a horse perceives danger or experiences significant discomfort, the nervous system may prioritise protection.

Attention becomes increasingly directed towards the perceived threat. Defensive behaviours become more likely, and the flexibility required for certain forms of learning can be compromised.

This is not merely theoretical.

Research in horses has demonstrated that exposure to uncontrollable stress can impair the acquisition of a training task, while exercise under different physiological conditions can facilitate learning.

So perhaps we should ask ourselves a different question when a horse struggles to learn something.

Is the horse unwilling to learn, or are we asking it to learn while its nervous system is prioritising something else?

This does not mean that all sympathetic activation is bad. A horse requires appropriate arousal to be attentive, athletic and responsive.

But there is an enormous difference between an animal that is alert, engaged and capable of responding flexibly, and one that is persistently vigilant, uncomfortable or preparing to defend itself.

And this is where our understanding of performance must evolve.

Performance is not simply a product of muscular strength, mechanical efficiency and repetition.

It also requires the nervous system to coordinate intricate movements, integrate sensory information, maintain balance, regulate attention and adapt to changing demands.

The emotional and physiological state of the horse can influence all of these processes.

Which brings us back to the hoof.

If we accept that hoof balance can influence posture, and recognise that posture, sensory feedback, discomfort and autonomic regulation are interconnected, then we must at least consider the possibility that hoof balance contributes to the wider physiological conditions under which a horse learns and performs.

Not because every hoof imbalance creates chronic stress, or because shoeing alone can resolve an emotional or behavioural problem.

But because the hoof is one part of a much larger interconnected system.

And equally, we cannot expect to understand the morphology of a horse’s feet without considering the circumstances that may be influencing how it stands, moves and loads them.

This is why, throughout my clinics, our discussions of hoof balance inevitably become discussions about the entire horse.

Its musculoskeletal system.

Its nervous system.

Its sensory experiences.

Its social environment.

Its opportunities for movement.

Its emotional state.

And the relationship it has with the people asking it to perform.

Perhaps the most important shift in our thinking is recognising that the conditions necessary for optimal biomechanics, learning and performance are not separate from the conditions necessary for good welfare.

They are profoundly interconnected.

We cannot reduce the horse to a collection of independent anatomical structures, any more than we can separate its physical function from its experiences of the world.

The science has not yet established every causal pathway connecting these systems. But the relationships already demonstrated give us compelling reasons to investigate them together.

And perhaps that is where the future of equine performance lies.

Not simply in asking how we can make the horse move better.

But in understanding what the horse needs, physically, neurologically and emotionally, to be capable of moving, learning and performing at its best.

Some links for further reading and watching

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/future-podiatry-farriery-neuromuscular-health

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/domestication-posture

https://www.theequinedocumentalist.com/physiological-implications-of-domestication-on-the-horse/

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/bundles/how-can-the-equine-industry-maintain-its-social-licence-to-operate

— The Equine Documentalist

10/22/2026

This!!!

I have been riding long enough now to be embarrassed by something I once believed, which is that there is a place beyond the basics, a country one enters after years of faithful work, where the rules are different and my horse has become something other than what he was in the first month. I thought this because I was told it, and because the movements at the top of the sport do look like a different language, the piaffe, passage and the pirouettes and the long, floating half passes, all of it seemingly far from the plain business of walking a young horse around an arena and asking him to go forward.

But I've watched incredible riders for a very long time, and I have come to think that what they are doing is not something new. It's the first thing, done with such attention that it has become nearly invisible. The horse goes forward because he was asked, once, long ago, to go forward, and the asking has been refined over thousands of repetitions until it has no more weight than a thought. The straightness that makes the changes possible is the same straightness a green horse was first taught to find against the wall. Nothing has been left behind. It's only been deepened.

I find this a consoling idea, though it took me some time to see why. If advanced work were truly a departure, then every year spent on the fundamentals would be a kind of waiting, a long vestibule before the real thing began. But if the basics are the real thing, then there was never any vestibule. Every ride was already inside the house. The first honest halt and the last were made of the same material, and the difference between them is only how much of the rider’s own interuptions have been taken out.

That is what the years actually accomplish, I think. They do not add so much as they subtract. The hands grow quieter. The seat becomes stiller. The aid that once took a whole leg becomes a breath or a thought. I have come to think a very advanced rider is simply someone who has learned to be honest about the basics at a depth most of us never trouble to reach, because the work is unglamorous and no one applauds a good transition from walk to halt.

And yet our horses know. They know the difference between a halt that was merely arrived at and a halt that was prepared, though no spectator could tell them apart. This is one of the quiet mercies of the sport, that the standard is held by someone who cannot be flattered or tricked.

So I no longer think of the upper levels as a summit to be reached. I think of them as the same ground, walked more carefully, by someone who has finally understood that there was never anywhere else to go.

We do not outgrow the first lesson. We are, if we are fortunate, eventually worthy of it.

10/16/2026

Our thoughts and prayers are with our Bend community. 5 souls didn't make it home yesterday. 1 man showed incredible courage making a decision, I'm sure, he didn't think he'd ever have to make; altering his life as well. Silver Rail Elementary School faced an unimaginable tragedy yesterday. To everyone impacted: the students, the teachers, the families, law enforcement, the responders and those who treated and cared for the victims.... our hearts are with you. 💔🙏

10/08/2026

💯 This applies to any discipline. Why does an Amateur rider benefit from having a good Trainer regularly ride their horse? A good Trainer should "Make the horse better. Make the rider better. Bring the two closer together." Worth Reading

Why does an amateur dressage rider benefit from having a trainer regularly ride their horse?

This doesn't mean a trainer has to ride your horse but it can make your journey easier, and help you get to your end goal quicker!

There is a common thought that if an amateur owns and rides their own horse, the horse should be trained exclusively by them. But dressage is a partnership—and partnerships don't mean both partners have to be equally skilled at every single thing.

One of the most valuable roles a trainer can play is filling in the gaps between what the horse knows, what the rider knows, and what the rider is physically or technically capable of asking for consistently. Your horse doesn't stop needing training because you're an amateur or because the horse was previously trained to a certain level. Adult amateurs are constantly learning.

- You may understand the concept of collection but still be developing the feel to produce it.

- You may know what a correct half-pass should feel like but struggle to maintain the correct balance through the movement.

- You may understand the aids for a flying change but not yet have the timing to consistently produce a clean change.

- You may be working on your own position, balance, timing, coordination, and feel—all while simultaneously trying to communicate with the horse.

That's a lot to manage and that's where having a trainer ride the horse becomes incredibly valuable.

The trainer can fill in the gaps.

- Maybe the rider struggles to keep the horse truly in front of the leg.

- Maybe the rider's position becomes inconsistent when the horse becomes more collected.

- Maybe the rider has difficulty maintaining straightness.

- Maybe the rider doesn't yet have the feel to recognize when the horse has lost the connection.

- Maybe the rider can execute a movement but doesn't yet have the timing to train the movement.

None of those things mean the rider is a bad rider. They mean the rider is still learning!

A trainer can ride the horse and reinforce the correct responses while the rider continues developing those skills. The horse can also learn something from the trainer that the rider isn't quite able to provide yet.

A professional may be able to:

• Improve the horse's straightness
• Strengthen the weaker side
• Develop better self-carriage
• Improve the quality of transitions
• Maintain correct connection
• Develop collection
• Keep the horse responsive to the aids
• School movements the rider is still learning
• Address resistance or evasions
• Improve the horse's adjustability
• Maintain the horse's overall fitness and strength

Then the amateur gets back on a horse that has had those concepts reinforced. That makes the rider's job easier!

Instead of having to simultaneously teach the horse something new and learn how to ride it themselves, the amateur can experience the correct response and learn how to reproduce it.

Think of it as creating a bridge.

The trainer rides the horse at a level the rider is working toward. The rider rides the horse at the level they are currently developing and the horse's training helps bridge that gap.

Over time, the rider's ability catches up. That's the goal.

The trainer shouldn't create a horse that only the trainer can ride. The goal should be to create a horse that is educated enough to help the amateur become a better rider. It also prevents the rider's weaknesses from becoming the horse's weaknesses.

This is an important one!

- If a rider consistently struggles with straightness, the horse can learn to compensate.

- If a rider consistently struggles with the timing of the aid, the horse can become less responsive.

- If the rider has difficulty maintaining the connection, the horse can develop a habit of coming above the bit or becoming heavy.

- If the rider doesn't have the strength or timing to maintain collection for very long, the horse may gradually become less comfortable carrying itself in that work.

The trainer can periodically come in and reset the horse's training so those compensations don't become ingrained. Professional rides also create consistency.

An amateur may have a week where they ride five days. The next week, work gets crazy and they only ride twice.

Then they go on vacation.

Then the weather doesn't cooperate.

That's life—and that's okay.

But the horse still benefits from consistency.

For a horse being worked approximately five days per week, 2–3 professional rides and 2–3 amateur rides can be a useful starting framework, depending on the horse, rider, goals, fitness, and workload.

For example:

2 trainer rides + 3 amateur rides

can give the rider plenty of time to develop their own skills while allowing the trainer to maintain the horse's training and fill in the gaps.

For a more advanced horse, a rider who is still developing their skills, or a horse that needs more professional maintenance, 3 trainer rides + 2 amateur rides may make more sense.

But there is no magic number.

Make sure to work with your trainer to determine the best schedule for YOU and YOUR horse.

The right balance depends on the individual horse, the rider's experience, the horse's fitness, the horse's training level, competition goals, and what the pair are currently working toward.

And if you're struggling, there is nothing wrong with increasing the trainer rides.

This is something that deserves to be said out loud. Sometimes an amateur gets frustrated because something isn't clicking.

The horse becomes confused.

The rider becomes frustrated.

The same problem keeps showing up.

And the rider may feel like having the trainer ride more means they aren't good enough.

It doesn't.

Sometimes the best thing you can do for your partnership is let your trainer take a few more rides.

The trainer can clarify the response for the horse.

They can work through the confusion.

They can rebuild the correct reaction to the aid.

They can establish the balance, connection, straightness, or movement again.

Then the amateur can get back on and feel a clearer, more understandable answer.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with saying: "I'm having a hard time communicating this. Can you ride him a little more and help us get back on the same page?"

That isn't failure.
That's good horsemanship.

The goal isn't to prove that the amateur can do everything without help. The goal is to create the best possible partnership between horse and rider.

The trainer isn't just correcting the horse.

They are also identifying where the rider's gap is. Sometimes the solution isn't:

"The horse needs more training."

Sometimes it's:

"The horse understands this, but the rider needs a different exercise to learn how to ask for it."

That's where good instruction becomes so important. The trainer can choose exercises that allow the rider to feel the correct answer without overwhelming them.

This is why professional rides and lessons work so well together. The trainer maintains and develops the horse. The rider develops themselves. The trainer can introduce or maintain the more advanced work while the rider gradually learns to reproduce it. Eventually, something that once required the trainer's ride becomes something the amateur can successfully produce on their own.

That is progress.

Having a trainer ride your horse isn't an admission that you aren't capable of training your own horse.

It's recognizing that you don't have to be the most experienced person in the partnership in order to be the right person for your horse.

A good trainer doesn't take the partnership away from the amateur.

They help make that partnership stronger.

The trainer fills the gaps until the rider is ready to fill them themselves.

And sometimes, when the rider is struggling, the fastest way forward isn't to try harder.

It's to let the professional step in, clarify things for the horse, and then give the rider a better foundation to build from.

Because ultimately, good training should:

Make the horse better.
Make the rider better.
And bring the two closer together. 🤍

09/28/2026

Great job Rebekah Warbington!

09/28/2026