3 of Your Biggest Flatwork Woes with Silva Martin

02/22/22 • 44 min

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We know, we know... flatwork is so crucial for training and athletic development, but boy can it be frustrating when you’re dealing with an ongoing training or behavioral issue. Good flatwork feels amazing; bad flatwork feels like the longest 45 minutes of your life.

In this episode, host Caroline Culbertson sits down with Team USA’s Silva Martin to dissect 3 common flatwork woes. Ride horses long enough, and you’ll probably encounter all three. Hooray!

The horse that jigs at the walk.
The horse that is stiff in one direction (or easier to bend in one direction).
The horse that leans on the forehand.

They discuss how to think about these problems, what is happening biomechanically, what doesn’t work (tempted though we may be), and what exercises to focus on instead. Silva has seen it all, and each of these problems can be improved greatly. There’s hope for us yet!

In this episode, host Caroline Culbertson sits down with Team USA’s Silva Martin to dissect 3 common flatwork woes. Ride horses long enough, and you’ll probably encounter all three. Hooray!

The horse that jigs at the walk.
The horse that is stiff in one direction (or easier to bend in one direction).
The horse that leans on the forehand.

Previous Episode

Are We Over-Competing Our Horses? With Max Corcoran

There are more opportunities to show and compete than ever before. If you wanted to, you could theoretically spend nearly 52 weeks of the year in the show ring, chasing qualifications and year-end awards and prize money. On top of that, we have more cutting edge veterinary knowledge and technology than we’ve ever had available to us, and much of it is geared towards performance horse soundness.

Both of these things are great! But, as the old saying goes, ‘Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should’. We have to gut-check ourselves: Are our horses paying the price for our drive to compete? Is the idea of giving our horses a real break from work becoming ancient history? What’s causing this shift, and how do we get ourselves back to a time where horses, like pro human athletes, have an on- and off-season?

Equestrian Masterclass instructor and President of the U.S. Eventing Association, Max Corcoran, joins host Caroline Culbertson to discuss:

What has contributed to the rise of competing too much, too hard, too often (finances, geography, pressure and more)
How burnout shows up in the horses mentally and emotionally
Common overuse injuries
What we can learn from human athlete performance and what it has to do with horses
Why we do need to “reinvent the wheel”
Grooms’ roles in identifying an overworked horse
Max’s rule of thumb for giving our horses time off

Next Episode

Grief in the Horse World (Pt. 1): What's Happening to Us When We Grieve?

If you’re in the horse world long enough, you’ll see or experience many, many different types of grief and loss. It’s an innate part of existing in a community, as equestrians do, and it’s an inevitable part of loving these animals who are very good at finding traumatic and expensive ways to injure themselves or die.

And yet, we haven’t gotten that good at talking about our grief. Most of us also lack the tools to support our friends and loved ones through their grief journeys, too – not for lack of intent, but for lack of understanding and fear of the uncomfortable moments.

In Part 1 of this 2-part episode, host Caroline Culbertson sits down with Dr. Jenny Susser to break down what is happening inside our brains and our bodies when we experience grief.

They discuss:

What grief, as a human process, actually is. What’s happening that makes us feel the way we feel after a loss?
Why grief can take place after events besides death and loss.
How do we find closure in grief? How long will it take?
Why it’s important to laugh during your grief
Why the first year of grief is often the most challenging