Rivalé Equine

It’s been a few moons since I spent a whole day treating horses 🥵
Boy I earnt my bikkies today.

9 horses in one day is definitely my new record and I’m very treatment unfit after so much time off.

But, grateful for the gorgeous ponies new and returning that I got to see, the sunshine and brilliant people I got to see and chat to today 💕

The nuance of training is knowing the moment to add in and take away to change the progression or development.

It seems logical, when reconditioning a horse to reach straight for pole work but there was a couple of things this girl was doing in her work that made me hold off a little to start with.

However, after 3 months of solid 4 day per week ground and ridden work I decided today was the day.
And in the efforts of tracking things properly I decided to count how many knocks we got on raised poles so that I could measure in the future what improvements we got.

I was surprised.
I was surprised how bad it actually tracked 🤣

But, now we have something to measure and track. And progress, stagnation or regression is going to tell me how things are developing and what to add/take away over the next few weeks.

I saw a quote today “observation is the best tool in the horse owners toolbox”.
So true, I think observing the horse infront of you is so important to help you decide which direction and in what timing you add or remove exercises from their program. Some of it is gut feel and some of it is observation, over and over and over again.

I need it to heat up so I can get this girl into the water.
But also not heat up because I flipping HATE summer 🥵

I couldn’t share or say this loud enough!!

It’s shocking how often we show up for a saddle fitting appointment only to meet a horse who is in no condition to be ridden at all. Even scarier is how many riders simply do not realize that their horse currently lacks the foundational strength required to carry weight safely.

To be clear, this is never about pointing fingers or assigning blame. The owners who book these evaluations are doing so out of love and responsibility, eager to do right by their partner and ensure their tack is as comfortable as possible. But having to break the news that riding needs to pause is always a delicate and tough conversation.

More than anything, it highlights a critical gap in our industry, recognizing whether a horse can or cannot be ridden in their current physical state, ought to be a foundational skill within every owner’s toolkit, rather than a surprising revelation delivered by a saddle fitting professional.

We need to recognize that a horse’s back was never naturally “designed” to carry weight and that riding isn’t what builds a horse’s topline.

Asking an unconditioned horse to build postural strength while carrying the weight of a saddle and rider is the human equivalent of getting off the couch after months of inactivity, walking straight into a gym, and attempting heavy barbell squats.

You won't build healthy muscle, you will compensate, strain your body, and inevitably hurt yourself. Expecting a horse to "ride into fitness" creates that exact same cycle of strain and physical breakdown.

You have to build the bridge before you drive over it.

A horse’s inability to carry a rider comfortably is rarely a simple fix, because a weak topline is usually a symptom of a larger, systemic picture:

👉Posture and Pain: If a horse is experiencing underlying discomfort, whether from joint soreness, dental issues, or soft tissue tightness, they will hollow their back and brace to protect themselves, making healthy muscle development impossible without manual bodywork.

👉Hoof Balance: Improper hoof angles disrupt the entire kinetic chain, altering how the horse places their feet, affecting posture and movement.

👉Nutrition and Metabolism: Without the proper balance of amino acids, minerals, and digestible energy, the body physically cannot synthesize muscle tissue, no matter how much work you do.

👉Environment and Movement: Extended stall confinement drastically limits natural movement. Horses need regular turnout and low-impact motion to maintain basic core tone and joint mobility.

Developing a horse that is genuinely fit to carry weight requires time, patience, and structured preparation from the ground. Long-lining, in-hand work, and targeted core exercises teach the horse how to lift their thoracic sling, engage their abdominals, and lift their back before we add extra load.

Even when a horse is fully fit, riding alone is never enough to maintain that strength. Groundwork and cross-training must remain permanent pillars of your weekly routine to protect their long-term soundness.

Ensuring your saddle fits is a vital part of horsemanship, but being a responsible owner also means stepping back, looking honestly at the horse in front of you, and asking the most important question first: Is my horse physically ready to carry me today?

Giving them the time, foundation, and conditioning they need from the ground first, is the greatest investment in their longevity you will ever make.

We had some visitors for an overnight stay on Friday. I have had horses with big ears before but they were nothing compared to these 🤭
🫏

The Riverland is an INSANE place right now for horse riders!

I cannot remember another time where the lineup of incredible instructors and outings looked so FREAKING GOOD!!

We have some very hard working individuals and groups in our region that work tirelessly to bring amazing instructors and opportunities to our doorstep and truthfully, if we don't support them the opportunities will disappear.
Support our little horsey community, this is some incredible momentum and energy that we have not seen in such a long time. Book the lesson, book the clinic, enjoy the sunshine and the ponies, the reason we all do this in the first place!!!

Jarado Park Julie Robertson Lizzy Ritchie Riverland Equestrian Centre Vicki Oliver Loxton Horse Riding Club

Just a thought — we probably shouldn’t expect horses to spend 16 hours every day in one single feeding posture. 💭

In free-ranging horses living in a natural environment, feeding involves continual changes in:

• neck angle
• limb position
• body orientation
• roaming
• reaching
• turning
• grazing on slopes and varied terrain

We often fixate on the groundwork/ridden work, however do we really give enough attention to how our horse eats for the rest of their day?

The way in which our horse eats adds to their daily “postural load”, it influences how their tissues are recruited, and it really does deserve as much attention as their exercise.

So, haynets?

A study comparing horses eating from the ground, hay racks and elevated hay nets found that higher feeding positions consistently altered head and neck posture. Horses fed from elevated systems spent significantly more time with their neck held above wither height and showed greater head twisting while grasping forage (Hernadez Garbati, 2025).

Looking at the morphology, neck posture was affected by feeding position… but crucially, the mandibular angle was significantly wider when horses were fed on the ground.

In a study by Zebish et al. (2014), hyperflexion of the neck in ridden horses led to changes in the width of the mandibular angle as a welfare stress factor. It was associated with an increase in neck circumference and in the thickness of the jaw muscle, with a consequent compression of the larynx, thus reducing air exchange and producing higher flow resistance. From this, research has extrapolated the data and drawn attention to the fact that high haynets could affect the jaw joint over time, in addition to the functionality of the horses breathing, back and neck posture (Hernandez Garbati, 2025). Even though a lower hay net promoted a better back posture than a high haynet, it was not sufficient to maintain a neck posture and mandibular angle similar to that obtained from horses fed from the floor.

However — we do need to look beyond the haynets, and consider varying feeding postures to mimic their natural environment as much as possible.

The difference between a rubdown and a massage is an art form—an art form called accuracy.
—Jack Meagher

Effective massage begins with accuracy. It requires trained hands, a thorough understanding of anatomy, and the ability to locate specific structures with confidence. The goal isn’t simply to touch the horse—it’s to touch the right tissue, in the right way, for the right reason. That precision is what transforms a routine rubdown into a skilled therapeutic practice.

https://koperequine.com/why-hands-on-massage-is-the-best-way-to-for-sore-care-muscles/

Some very good info in this article reminding us that the tiny details in our workouts matter.
Longer spacing of poles showing increase in following of the back and shorter spacing the opposite. 🌞

Go Go Go its time to worm your horse and remember - ALL horses should be wormed now regardless of their current FEC results.
Before you worm your horse here a few things we want you to do:
• FEC before you worm and 14 days after - If you don't FEC before there is no point getting a FEC(RT) afterwards. Doing both tests allows us to monitor for resistance, uncommon parasites, and monitor your horses health.
• Know the weight of you horse - to avoid under or over dosing with the wormer
• Use one of the following wormers - Ultimum, Equest plus Tape, Neovemox plus Tape and Equigel with Tape.
• Don't move paddocks after you worm, you need to wait 1 to 2 weeks and then move - otherwise you are building a population of resistant parasites.
• Keep dogs away whilst worming and from the horse poo of horses that have been wormed for at least 11 days - ALL wormers are toxic to dogs.
See our previous post for more helpful hints around worming.