Comments for Kirsten Nelsen

Comment on Horse Rescue Work by Kirsten

Kirsten — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:45:45 +0000

Thanks Norma. Having skilled riders who can re-start horses at a rescue is always a problem. At ERAF we have come a long way with retraining the horses using groundwork. The groundwork is safe both for horse and human and develops the skills needed for riding by both. Kudos to you for being involved and helping at a horse rescue. Your skills and dedication are so very valuable and every horse you help will also become an amazing teacher!

Comment on How the Horse’s Spine Lifts by Kirsten

Kirsten — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:33:41 +0000

Thanks for the spelling corrections! Pole or Poll has been confusing. It seems each book I pick up has it spelled differently. Great insight about the muscles involved in lifting the withers.

Comment on Horse Rescue Work by Norma Miller

Norma Miller — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:07:52 +0000

Hi Kirsten! What a great job you do! I have read & enjoyed learning through your books: “Basic Handling” & “Ground Work.” I volunteer with rescue horses here in NC.
Joanie Benson started the rescue organization in 1991 & it is her web site I have given you above. She has done a remarkable job and we currently have 45 horses which survive solely on donations & grants. Joanie spends most of her time raising $’s to keep the horses fed, vet, ferrier, dental and chiropractic care current. Under her direction we volunteers muck, feed (each horse is on a special diet), treat wounds & skin conditions, etc. As you can imagine it is a huge undertaking daily. All the horses are allowed to roam free in pastures (geldings separate from mares, etc), and all are barefoot. The only time they are in their stall is for feeding & treatments. I am one of only two people who is involved with training & riding. We have a huge problem of finding experienced riders under 145 lbs to help us with this part of the rehabilitation. We keep trying! The web site is quite comprehensive & when you can find the time you may like to review it. Some of the newsletters show before & after pictures. I have shared your great web site with many!

Comment on How the Horse’s Spine Lifts by Laurie Higgins

Laurie Higgins — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:31:39 +0000

In an otherwise well-written and informative article, it is marred by two typos: The top of the horse’s neck is the “poll”, not the “pole”. And the base of the skull is the “occiput”, not the “oxiput”.

What fascinates me is that to lift the base of the neck, the pectoral muscles must work with the scalenus muscles to lift the root of the neck but also to pull the front legs down relative to the ribcage, thus allowing the withers to rise.

Comment on Tom Dorrance and Horsemanship by Janis Podesta

Janis Podesta — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 02:23:27 +0000

Kirsten, I’m a first-time visitor to your site, & am very impressed with Dr. Scofield’s knowledge about the horse’s biomechanics & how you’ve integrated it into your horsemanship program! This essay on your meeting with Tom Dorrance was very interesting to me, as well; I think that all women can savor the fact that Tom was small & worked with horses past “spring chicken” age, because he used brain, not brawn! Thanks!

Comment on Classical Horse Training by Kirsten

Kirsten — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 11:15:14 +0000

Yes. Please fill out a form under “contact me” and let me know your mailing address.

Comment on Riding a Horse with Collection by sandy

sandy — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:54:24 +0000

also can you send me a pdf file on the riding your horse with collection. ontop of classical horse training. thank you very much for your help.

Comment on Classical Horse Training by sandy

sandy — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:53:13 +0000

i was wondering if you can send me a copy of this article so i can finish my report on classical training. the article is the first thing that comes up when you go on your website. i am looking up information on classical hore training for my report however i don’t have internet access at my place of residence. so i have to print off everything so i can complete at home.

Comment on Prima by admin

admin — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 02:22:09 +0000

This is a test

Comment on Course-3 Rider Balance by Kirsten

Kirsten — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 12:43:12 +0000

Sorry for the long delay – have been slogging through spam and missed your comment!!

If only your horses back was sore then I would first check the saddle fit as a contributor to a sore back. Since it is multiple horses then you can check a few things with the saddles and how you are riding.

Saddles
When you place the saddle on the horse without any pads make sure it is level in the middle of the seat where your seat bones would be.
If the seat is slanted up in front and down towards the rear then it is too small and no amount of good riding will alleviate a sore back.
If the saddle is slanted down in front and up towards the rear then it is too big and you need
to add padding to the front to level the saddle or it will put pressure on the withers. Padding will help in this case.

Riding
With chronically sore backs the rider is generally either too heavy in the seat or the stirrups and not equalizing the weight between.
Firstly check your balance left-right by looking down at the tops of your thighs while you are riding. If you are balanced then your thighs should look equal to each other, even if that means you have to have more weight on one side to do that. If the horse is unbalanced than you will have to “feel uneven” inside to maintain equal thigh position and your own straightness over gravity.
Second check your weight distribution top to bottom. It helps to give each contact a “number” to describe the weight or feel of how you carry your weight. Give the feel of your seat a number – 1= very light and 10= very heavy. The number is subjective so it doesn’t matter, just what it feels like to you. Then compare that number or feel in your seat to the weight in your stirrups. Are your legs heavier or lighter? They need to be equal. You will probably find that they are not. If they are, then also involve the weight of your arms. This number assignment and internal comparison will help you determine if you favor your seat, legs or reins for balance. All three contacts ideally should feel equal to distribute your weight comfortably for the horse.
Too much leg pressure causes a sore back by concentrating it on the stirrup bars. Too much seat pressure will restrict the back from moving and too much rein pressure will jam the neck backwards causing a sore back. You just need to find the source of imbalance.

It would also help a great deal to have some short rides bareback to discover where you tend to put your weight and/or tension. If you hold too much tension in general or are very unequal in your body weight then you will have a difficult time staying on bareback. A few backpack rides can be a real eye-opener regarding balance.