Enlightened Equine Training

05/24/2026

Control and Horsemanship
As humans we have the need to be in control, which is natural and necessary, as we are a vulnerable species, and our safety depends on it. When it comes to humans handling horses, given that they are a lot bigger, heavier, stronger than us, and have a highly developed flight reflex, we need to control our interactions with horses somewhat.
Is this always 100% necessary, in all situations? Is it even possible, realistically? The answer is no. It's not possible to control a horse 100%, ever. Horses have their own ideas, and are flight animals, and no amount of "holding down", twitching, cornering, etc. is going to work if a horse is scared or determined to move. In fact, trying to assert full control over a horse is what causes many accidents. The idea of needing to control horses is what causes forceful handling and training methods. I agree that there are moments when it is necessary to assert control, but they should be limited to emergency situation. Training through control, force, and fear, are never safe or effective, short or long-term. Scared horses are not safe horses!
A teacher of mine always said that the human-horse-relationship should be guided at 51% by the human and 49% by the horse. I generally agree with this, it is a good aim, but in reality it's not as simple, or as black-and-white as that. What about horses' needs? What horses care most about is to feel safe. In order to feel safe, horses need to have sufficient control over their environment. In order to feel in control, and therefore safe, horses need companionship by other horses, a predictable routine, environment, and clarity and consistency from us humans. As flight animals, horses are always ready to go into flight mode, which generally happens faster than an "assessment for safety" happens, which is why horses are dangerous animals to be around. So rather than trying to physically control them, which robs horses of the ability to make their own decisions and feel safe, we need to give them room for autonomy, and observe their body language and facial expressions as well as being aware of the surroundings at all times. When horses understand that we have this awareness and are paying attention to their needs, they automatically start to trust us and feel seen and taken-care of. This allows us to have less "control" over the situation, but more awareness, and therefore respond appropriately in challenging situations. Horses that feel safe are safe horses to be with!
There is an interesting concept out there called consensual horsemanship that focuses on getting horses' consent for whatever we want to do with them. I think this is a good concept, but, like with so many things, many people take it too far. It is an art to find the balance between any two extremes. I have seen people stand at a horse's stall door, waiting for "permission" to enter the stall, or approach the horse. Or, I have seen people using clicker training and giving a click and a treat for a "no" from the horse (that is a whole other subject of its own). That is where it all goes a little too far, in my opinion. It's like letting a three-year-old decide not to brush his teeth, because he thinks it's uncomfortable, or inconvenient. We cannot always give horses 100% control, or 100% deciding power. This could quickly become dangerous, or unhealthy, if it's about health care, training, or other necessary tasks that a domesticated horse has to do, or be accustomed to.
A healthy balance is to pay attention to horses' expressions, and to decide from one moment to the next whether we can "allow them to train us" by giving them what they are asking for. This can be little things, for example, I allow my mare ask me to fill a fresh bucket of water for her when we walk past the faucet on the barn aisle. She prefers this to drinking from the bucket in her stall, and it is a very easy way to let her know that I listen and understand what she is telling or asking me. Another thing I do to help her feel in control (and therefore safe) is to show her the bridle and saddle before tacking her up, and have her touch it to give her "ok" for putting it on her. These are little rituals we go through every day, and they help establish communication and trust between us. This trust goes a long way when I need to ask my horses to do something that they are not completely comfortable with. The trust means that I can ask for that little bit more, this one time, to get medical procedures done, or an emergency transport, or walking through a scary passage. I generally find that no extra desensitization training, or medical training is necessary for horses that I have this trusting relationship with (not wanting to discredit medical training - I think it's great!)
We - my husband Steve and I - work with several different horses every day. We work on their feet, which means we get into dangerous situations regularly, easily, and quickly. The scariest horses to work with are those that are scared. Those that think they may die. Standing on three legs when scared to death is not possible. I don't ever want to trim a horse that is as scared as that. Many times, taking a bit more "control" by asking the horse to back up, and then forward again, will help a horse feel safer, as it shows the horse that I am in control of the situation, and therefore taking care of him. But some horses need to be given more control in order to feel safe, so for example, letting them walk around and assess the environment can help them feel safer. Sometimes the circumstances that cause the horse to feel scared cannot be overcome in that situation, in which case it is wisest to discontinue, and take the task up at a better time, and/or building trust and confidence with more training first. It depends on the situation and the individual horse. Aiming for that 51-49% ratio is a good aim, but, as always with horses, flexibility and adaptibility to the individual situation, horse, and task, are crucial.
One starting point is to divide leadership into three different styles: • Telling Style (95% human, 5% horse)
• Coaching Style (51% human, 49% horse)
• Handover Style (5% human, 95% horse)
The "ratio of control" possibilities are infinite and can shift back and forth every moment, like a conversation. This does't mean being inconsistent, so it doesn't mean letting horses do something one day and not the next, but guiding the "conversation" one direction or letting it drift in another. What matters is that there is a conversation happening at all, rather than merely a monologue from the human's side.
What do you think? How do you handle control in your horsemanship?

05/21/2026

Horse Asymmetries
Horses are, just like humans, more or less "handed", or "one-sided", meaning that they use one side of their bodies in a slightly different way to the other. This is more or less natural, although lack of movement and the lack of ability to express themselves through movement because of domestication and confinement very likely mean that many asymmetries we see in horses are more unnatural than natural.
Why are asymmetries important to know and care about?
When we train and ride horses, we put extra strain on their bodies by asking them to carry extra weight, move in straight lines, on circles, and/or move faster or slower than they would choose to on their own. But even if we don't ride horses, they still do better in an athletically developed body rather than a body of a horse that is merely standing around most of the day. Both in the human and the horse world, one of the modern lifestyle diseases is bad posture and movement, stemming from a lack of proper movement. I say "proper movement" as just any movement is not adequate, but biomechanically-correct movement is an important factor. With existing asymmetries, just “normal” movement causes horses to put more strain on parts of their bodies that are already overloaded, leading to premature breakdown. Arthritis, navicular disease, sprains, strains, fractures, mystery lamenesses, etc., are what follow. If we can build horses up to carry themselves better, we can make a big contribution to their health and longevity. The old riding masters knew this, and well-trained and -kept horses remained sound and usable into old age.
What types of asymmetry are there?
There are three main categories of asymmetries:
There is sensory laterality, which means that horses use their sense organs on one side of their bodies for different tasks compared to the other side of their bodies. There is motor laterality, which means that some horses use the limbs on one side more than the other. This is more or less linked to the sensory asymmetries, and can change with increasing stress levels in the horse, and so can be used as a stress indicator. The natural asymmetry, also called the crookedness of the horse – a skeletal and muscular asymmetry that influences the weight distribution on the horse's four legs and therefore its movement. We can influence this in a positive (or negative) way through training.
All these physical asymmetries originate in the spine - the starting point for biomechanically-correct movement.
Spine
The spine, therefore, is the place where we can start to influence and improve them. There are three dimensions in which the horse's spine can move:
• Dorsoventral flexion and extension is the upward rounding and downward hollowing of the back. A horse flexes its back upwards in collection, when jumping, and at the canter. Horses hollow their backs when nervous, agitated, and in flight mode. It's not a healthy posture, but a "survival mode" posture that horses can get stuck in when chronically stressed out. The horse is not able to bend laterally or rotate axially when hollowing its back.
• Lateral bending, the slight side-to-side curving of the spine. All horses' spines are slightly bent in one direction, so they have a hollow side and a stretched side. The lateral bend of the spine is always coupled with axial rotation.
• Axial rotation, the subtle twisting along the length of the spine. Horses are generally able to rotate to one side better than the other. The axial rotation is always coupled with a slight lateral bend.
Issues with the spine's movement manifest themselves in the following ways:
Forehand - Hindquarters
• Width: the undeveloped/underdeveloped forehand is narrower than the hindquarters. We need to take this difference in width into account when riding in straight lines, especially along a wall or fence, by centering the forehand in front of the hindquarters (riding in position).
• Function
o Forehand: carrying weight. It is suspended between the shoulder blades by ligaments and muscles, called the thoracic sling. There are no bony connections. Because there is very little angling in the joints of the front legs, the shock absorbtion relies on the strength and flexibility of the thoracic sling. The forehand carries roughly 60% of the horse's weight. The thoracic sling cannot be engaged, or lifted, when the horse's back is hollowed or when the horse's spine is in inverted rotation.
o Hindquarters: propelling the horse forward. The pelvis is connected to the spine through the sacrum and sacroilicac joints, so the rotation of the spine influences the rotation of the pelvis. The angling of the joints of the hind legs provides shock absorbtion. The hind legs carry roughly 40% of the horse's weight; its main function is to push the horse forward and upward. During collection, there is only an additional 3-5% of body weight shifted onto the hindquarters.
• Balance shift: through stress, getting chased repeatedly, and/or a general lack of movement and proper development, horses start "moving on the forehand." This is not an actual shift of weight forward, but a falling down and forward of the horse's torso in relation to its legs. This means that the thoracic sling cannot function properly, and that the hind legs only push the horse forward rather than upward; therefore, the spine cannot allow movement to come through from the hindquarters to the forehand and up through the neck of the horse. This is what causes the loss of the deceleration phase, and therefore the loss of suspension in trot.
Legs
• Front legs: because of the asymmetricallly developed axial rotation and lateral bend, one front leg usually carries more weight than the other. The other front leg is often used more for feeling the ground, touching objects, or pawing.
• Hind legs: because of the rotation of the pelvis, which is influenced by the axial rotation of the spine, one hind leg is usually stronger but stiffer, and the other hind leg is weaker but more flexible.
Movement
• Diagonal movement: the combined asymmetries of the horse cause it to move in a diagonal manner, always moving toward the shoulder that carries more weight.
• Vertical asymmetry: in turns or on cicles, because of a lack of correct axial rotation and lateral bend, horses tend to "fall" onto the inside shoulder, leaning into the turn rather than keeping equal weight on both front legs.
The horse's asymmetries due to spinal movements are complex and unique to every horse. They can be difficult to see, feel, and assess. It takes education, practice, and patience to recognize them and develop horses correctly or unravel engrained unhealthy movement patterns.
Picture - a photo I found online showing a horse with overbending of the neck which causes an incorrect (inverted) axial rotation of the spine. This is the most difficult spinal dimensions to see, especially in movement.

05/18/2026

Steve talking about the individual classes in our hoof care workshop and certification program.

It's that time again! Another podcast episode is up and running. Episode 20 features a class-by-class description of our upcoming Workshop, as well as a few things about our venue - the White Stallion Ranch!

https://rss.com/podcasts/the-enlightened-equine-podcast/2782294/

05/17/2026

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We’re Steve & Dora Hebrock – a husband-and-wife team of certified professional hoof care practitioners delivering hoof care workshops to everyone from horse owners interested in proper hoof care for their own horses to zoo ungulate caretakers providing hoof care to giraffes, zebras, and other ho...

05/14/2026

Learn all that matters about hoof care. No half-truths, no unnecessary nonsense – just enough crucial theory coupled with plenty of hands-on practice!

Our next Comprehensive Hoof Care Workshop is now scheduled. Consider joining us for an in-depth education experience focused on not just the mechanics of hoof trimming, but the theory of hoof care from a science-based, whole-horse perspective, in comfortable, welcoming surroundings. You don’t even need a rental car; airport transportation to and from the Workshop venue – the award-winning White Stallion Ranch – is available at a nominal cost. And the White Stallion Ranch, with its many amenities and activities, is the perfect location for a relaxing, yet truly useful, hoof care experience. Space is limited, however, so act soon!

And if you can’t join us in person, participate in our lectures via Zoom!

Class descriptions, schedule, accommodations information, and pricing are all available on our website.

NOTE: This Workshop was recently approved by both the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association and the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association as a Continuing Education course towards maintaining licensing. Get the same education veterinarian chiropractors are receiving!

https://enlightenedequineworkshops.com/

05/13/2026

A call for clinic horses for the Western States Horse Expo!

Bringing your horse to the Western States Horse Expo?

We’re looking for horses to participate in select clinics throughout the weekend with clinicians including Jason Irwin, Dora Hebrock, Bronwyn Irwin, and Steve Hebrock.

Opportunities include trailer loading, barrel pattern work, hoof care, hoof boot fitting, and more. Some clinics require barefoot horses and good ground manners.

To participate, contact [email protected]

05/05/2026

The Thoracic Sling
It's a popular topic, it's an important topic, and yet I don't see many horses that have a functional thoracic sling, also called shoulder sling. It is the muscular connection of the horse's front legs to its ribcage. As horses don't have collarbones, these connections have to be pretty strong to hold up to the weight and pressures on a horse's forehand, especially when we add the weight of a rider.
There are many posts and articles describing it and naming the muscles that it consists of. This post's aim is not to do that as one can find that information easily by typing it into google. I'd like to write about what some misconceptions are that I see out there, and that many exercises that are recommended to help build up the thoracic sling don't really do so. In English, "thoracic sling syndrome" or "thoracic sling failure" are used when describing a dysfunctional thoracic sling. In German, a popular term for it is "Trageerschöpfung" which means "carrying exhaustion', which means that the horse is no longer able to carry its ribcage between its front legs sufficiently. This often gets misunderstood for the horse "merely" not being able to carry a rider, but it actually means that the horse is not able to carry itself properly.
Symptoms of a dysfunctional thoracic sling are:
• lack of muscling of the topline
• lack of muscling of the underline
• dip in front of the withers
• the horse moving "on the forehand"
• the horse's ribcage pushed forward
• abnormal compensatory posture
• moving with a hollow back
• moving with a braced back
• lack of deceleration phase in movement
• lack of engagement of the hind legs
• overdevelopment of the horse's underneck
• going against the bit
• going above the bit
• going behind the bit
• twisted front legs
• uneven hoof wear pattern in the front hooves
• difficult to sit at the trot
• difficult to turn
• stuck in the shoulders
• difficult to bend laterally
• balance problems
• front leg lameness
• general stiffness
The most common reason for thoracic sling dysfunction in horses is a lack of movement, but more precisely, a lack of healthy movement. Every horse has the anatomical ability to engage the sling muscles, but if horses don't move enough, and get stuck in compensatory patterns, either through pain, injury, lack of movement, bad training, getting chased, getting stuck in fight or flight mode, the sling weakens and is no longer able to hold the horse in a healthy posture.
This is much like humans developing a bad posture and therefore movement patterns from sitting too much, looking down at phones, etc.
Exercises and postures that are generally recommended to help build up the thoracic sling are things like asking the horse to round its back, lift its back, go over poles, belly lifts, forward-down neck posture, do not build up the thoracic sling, as horses are able to do all those exercises without properly engaging the thoracic sling.
It is generally assumed that the engagement of the thoracic sling is the same as lifting the back, but it is actually achieved by the horse lifting the base of its neck. If we ask them for a belly lift at the girth area, they are able lift up in that area, but that lifting in the girth area causes the base of the neck to drop down rather than lift up. Asking the horse to lower its head has a similar effect - the nuchal ligament pulls up the thoracic vertebrae slightly, which lifts the horse's back, but this does not lift the base of the horse's neck.
There is no "button" to ask a horse to lift up through the base of the neck, there is no way to make a horse do this. But we can set horses up to rediscover their ability to move correctly and engage the thoracic sling. When it is the horse's decision to do so.
Polework won't do it, forward-down won't do it, belly lifts won't do it, "riding a horse forward" won't do it, chasing a horse won't do it. It needs to be prepared and built up gradually, and the horse needs to be set up for success. And it feels so amazing when they discover it!

04/26/2026

It has been fairly quiet on this page. It's not because things are slowing down but very much the opposite:
I have been very busy and spending every moment I can spare on working with a new mentor. The work goes very deep and requires focus, confidence, and a lot of patience, as it is slow and meticulous.
As some of you may have seen, I have not continued to stay licensed as Straightness Training Instructor (the certification is permanent). Initially, this was by circumstances rather than by choice. Both of my horses had soundness issues, and so I was unable to keep them in work and continue with lessons. It wasn't easy to let go, but I had to, so I trusted the universe and started to look for what I can do to help my horses get better. I investigated and found a few things, some of which I didn't stick with, and some I did.
It's been 21 months since I have started with this work, and it's been slow going, as both horses had or (still) have unhealthy movement patterns, but also because I travel for work every other month. To some extent, it feels like starting from scratch with both horses every other month. But a new start is a very beneficial thing for any horse, as it always means going back to the basics. It may look like we are doing nothing, and be boring to watch, but the progress that is starting to be visible is phenomenal. There are, and always will be, setbacks in training, but as long as the improvement is visible and palpable it is proof that the work is correct.
Here are before and after pictures of Kim taken within seconds of each other.
Can you see the lift in her thoracic sling in the second picture?

04/24/2026

I'm going to do a demo on addressing equine asymmetries on the ground (before ridden work). Look forward to it! This same demo was our most attended one at the Art of the Cowgirl event, and I had lots of enthusiastic feedback. 😊🐴

04/12/2026

Our workshops contain classes on horse and rider asymmetry as well as horse keeping and training, as those are all things that influence hoof health.
Check out our workshop page in the post link for more info.

Our next Comprehensive Hoof Care Workshop is now scheduled! Consider joining us for an in-depth education experience focused on not just the mechanics of hoof trimming, but the theory of hoof care from a science-based, whole-horse perspective, in comfortable, welcoming surroundings. Space is limited, however, so act soon!

And if you can't join us in person, join our lectures via Zoom!

You can read more at -
https://enlightenedequineworkshops.com/

02/17/2026

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