SENSE Method for Horses And Riders

SENSE Method for Horses
Feldenkrais Method® for Riders
Private Sessions for Horses and Humans

SENSE Method for Horses

SENSE Method has helped horses:

Engage their hind ends and round their backs
Move with elegance, suppleness and coordination
Be balanced and comfortable whiles hooves are cleaned or trimmed
Be physically able to respond to the rider's aids
Eliminate stiffness, sore backs and other discomforts
Reduce anxiety and diminish spookiness
Make tacking up a pleasant experience for even "cinchy" horses
Lessen muscular and emotional tension
Increase relaxation and improve performance
Improve stamina and long-term soundness by reducing strain
Experience joy in the horse-human partnership

Simply put, SENSE Method practitioners touch and move the horse in gentle, precise ways to remind the horse how all his parts can work together harmoniously. Just like humans, horses develop inefficient habits of moving, with some of the joints and muscles doing more than their share of the work. Soreness, fatigue and degenerative changes such as arthritis can be the result.

The SENSE Method can be a way out of this. SENSE is an acronym for Strength with Elegance through Natural Somatic Education. Strength with elegance is the ability to play or perform athletically in a graceful, relaxed way, rather than having to counteract habitual movement restrictions or tensions. The term "somatic education" is derived from the Greek word soma, meaning body. Somatic education is learning that occurs through the refinement of one's movement and senses. The SENSE Method practitioner works with the horse to improve the awareness and use of the horse's body, resulting in enhanced movement as well as a greater ability to learn.

SENSE Method practitioners engage the horse's attention in this process by touching and moving the horse in a way that heightens the horse's awareness of her body. And once the horse becomes aware of how she is currently organized, the SENSE Method practitioner shows her more comfortable options. Instead of focusing on the human's touch, the horse focuses on the internal sensations that the touch produces. That's why I like to describe the SENSE Method as "touching a horse from the inside out."

Feldenkrais Method for Riders

Mary has helped riders:

Replace force with "feel"
Eliminate back, neck and knee pain
Improve posture, flexibility and coordination
Feel their seat bones evenly and be able to use this essential weight aid
Return joy to the horse-human partnership
Ride in a manner that encourages relaxation and suppleness in the horse

How can the Feldenkrais Method help riders improve their skills and achieve feel? Simply put, the Feldenkrais Method teaches riders how to stop interfering with themselves, taking the struggle out of riding. Years of sitting behind a desk, driving a car, dealing with stress and nursing old injuries often leads to the development of unhealthy and restrictive movement patterns which overuse parts of the body and lead to pain and stiffness. These habitual patterns become so ingrained that they are lost from our awareness. The restrictions feel familiar and thus seem "normal." We no longer realize that we have the potential to be flexible, coordinated and graceful. The freedom of movement we had as children seems a distant memory. Feldenkrais® can help you recover it.

What is so extraordinary about the Feldenkrais Method is that it does not attempt to correct or manipulate. Rather, it is an educational approach that is relaxing, pleasurable, and supportive. Using noninvasive touch and movement, a Feldenkrais practitioner clarifies for the client what he is really doing and helps him explore more effective movement options. This sensory learning approach is in contrast to attempting to make postural changes through force of will. The familiar refrains of "Sit up straight, pull your shoulders back, sit evenly," etc. often fall short of their goal as they can create even more tension in the rider.

When muscles remain habitually contracted and tense, they are weaker than softer, supple muscles. Chronic muscular contractions also interfere with free movement and can lead to pain, stiffness and joint difficulties. They also inhibit "feel."

Feldenkrais helps give riders an increased awareness of their movement, allowing them to be more aware of their horses' movement. This can significantly improve a rider's timing and coordination of the aids. As riders gain independent use of each hip, seat bone, leg, shoulder, hand, etc., they can match their action with their intention. Balance improves, confidence soars and riding becomes a true pleasure.

Many people believe that a supposed weakness or bad habit must be "overcome" through some rigorous, forceful routine. One of the most rewarding benefits of Feldenkrais is the realization that improvements in ease of movement can be learned in a pleasurable instant. Flexibility, coordination, and power then increase automatically. Feldenkrais-inspired riders understand that the same principles apply to their horses. They realize that a horse's difficulty in responding to their aids is not usually a result of disobedience, but often stems from confusion or pain. And these riders first look to themselves as a possible cause.

This understanding leads to more harmonious partnerships with horses as well as a desire to help horses learn how to move with ease and elegance, rather than riding with force and gadgets. As is true with people, improvements in equine movement prevent wear and tear on joints and increase strength and stamina.

Over the years I have helped many riders whose problems included: rounded shoulders, swinging legs, tight shoulders and hands, errant heels, stiffness, poor balance, aching backs and necks, sore knees, collapsed hips or carpal tunnel syndrome. While Feldenkrais does not take the place of proper riding instruction, it can be a remarkably effective tool for maximizing the potential of both horses and riders.

Please visit our Feldenkrais page for more information.

Private Sessions for Horses and Humans

Private Feldenkrais Sessions for Humans

The client, comfortably clothed, lays or sits on a low padded table. The session lasts about an hour and involves non-habitual, pleasurable movement and gentle touch. Benefits can include: improved flexibility, coordination, posture and elimination of back, neck and knee pain. Improvements in athletic performance and well-being are often seen. Each session is custom-tailored to the individual's needs and both riders and non-riders can benefit. Cost $85. Location: Mary's office in Encinitas, CA (north of San Diego). Contact Mary to schedule an appointment.

Private Sessions for Horses and Riders

Holsteiner Stallion America One, World Cup Competitor and SENSE Client Mary has seen the greatest improvements occur when she works with horse and rider. Her ability to help both horses and humans can interrupt the vicious cycle of asymmetry, stiffness and compensation that often occurs between horses and their riders.

In a typical horse and rider session:

Mary uses the gentle, hands-on movements of the SENSE Method to guide the horse to freer, more comfortable movement. Specific issues that may be addressed are: helping the horse round his back and engage his hind end, improving the horse's ability to bend to both directions easily, reducing cinchiness, and improving stride length and flexibility.
Mary gives a Feldenkrais session to the rider. Issues that may be addressed include: an unbalanced seat, inability to follow horse’s movement, less control of one leg, back or neck stiffness, and tightness.
Feldenkrais is also done in the saddle to help improve ease of movement, balance on seat bones, coordination, body awareness and posture, as well as integrating the newly balanced horse and rider team.

The cost for this 90-minute session is $195. If your horse is not being ridden at this time, Mary offers a one-hour hands-on session for the horse only for $125. Contact Mary to schedule an appointment.