Relaxed by Default—3 Keys for a Supple Back, an Expressive Horse, and a Harmonious Partnership

Have you ever felt the magic of through-ness?

When your horse is so soft in their back that they're able to lift their spine like a suspension bridge, creating the space for their hind legs to reach so far underneath them it's almost like their front feet barely touch the ground?

Even if you've only dreamt of such suppleness, I don't have to tell you how important it is for your horse to have a soft back. But do you know what happens beneath the layers of muscle and bone when your horse is supple?

By the end of this article, you will:

• Uncover the hidden reasons why a soft back is so important

• Learn 3 keys for your horse's supple back—without the wear and tear

• How to ground your horse so that relaxation is their go-to

• Have the tools to create a more supple and responsive horse—before you even sit on their back.

A horse with a supple spine is more expressive in the dressage ring, more athletic in the show jump arena, and more efficient on the racetrack.

Imagine the rise and fall of a cheetah’s spine as it lifts its body out of the way in order to cover an impressive distance of over 20 feet with each stride as they glide across the earth at 75 mph. For reference, Secretariat's stride was just shy of 25 feet!

A supple spine is a prerequisite for suspension, engagement, and efficiency—let alone relaxation and rhythm.

Physically, a supple spine promotes fluidity, movement, gracefulness, and effortlessness. But what’s even more important is what’s going on beneath the surface, for this is where your horse's suppleness begins. By the time you see a soft back (or lack thereof) it has already been created...energetically.

Mobility requires space. Space between the vertebrae, space between the muscle fibers, and space between the cells, neurons, and atoms.

Space is what creates the environment for energy to flow.

Why else do you think light travels faster in space than it does on Earth?

Imagine a freeway with many lanes, off-ramps, and on-ramps. When there’s space between cars, traffic is flowing. Vehicles whiz down the lanes, and dance in and out of the traffic stream effortlessly…

Until one car breaks down—then all hell breaks loose.

Congestion ensues, collisions add to the fray, and engines overheat as the pileup continues.

Just like traffic on a highway, energy is either allowed to flow or it gets stuck. And, whereas the highway serves as a vital route in and out of the city, so too does the spine serve as a vital route for the entire central nervous system.

Whether supple or stiff, the state of the spine doesn’t just affect muscle and tendon—it affects the efficiency of every organ, nerve, oxygen, clarity of mind, response time, motility, brain function, and even emotional regulation.

And here’s what you may have already come to know:

You cannot force suppleness—

You must create the space for suppleness to exist.

You can spend your time responding to the traffic jams with weekly bodywork, "warmups" on the lunge line, or sedation—I mean, calming supplements—but they will never be more than temporary fixes if you don't remove the cause of the breakdowns in the first place.

Create the conditions for spaciousness to exist at the energetic layer, and the physical layer will have no choice but to manifest suppleness that's longterm and system-wide.

The root of all tension is caused by stress.

Stresses on the system create breakdowns—whether mechanical, biological, emotional, or mental.

Think of the engine of a car and all it's moving parts. When one part starts to wear down, friction occurs. Friction leads to inflammation, stiffness, and eventually chronic disease or recurring injury if left ignored. Mind, body, or machine—all are governed by the laws of energy.

Want a supple, soft, healthy horse?

Remove the friction. Remove the stress.

While you cannot helicoptor protect your horse from all the potential stressors out there—you can develop a horse who's default setting is suppleness.

When relaxation is your horse's baseline, tension becomes a fleeting moment that hardly registers itself on the radar.

Are you ready for a more soft, responsive, and resilient horse?

3 Keys for a Supple Back, an Expressive Horse, and a Harmonious Partnership

1. Notice Your Emotions

Ease your horse's burden by paying attention to your own subtlety

Whether you're aware of them or not, your horse carries the emotions that you bring to them. This is actually one of the very powerful reasons they are here. They truly want to help you move through your own stuck emotions, but when you hide your emotions from them (or even from yourself), they end up carrying a great burden—and often unknowingly store this stress within their own bodies as they attempt to find relief.

Bring ease to your horse's body by noticing dis-ease in yours. Begin every session with a body scan:

1. Close your eyes

2. Scan your body from head to toe

3. Just take notice of any places in your body that have tension

That's it—You don't need to fix anything, just notice. Tension in your body is the result of a buried emotion. By simply bringing your awareness to your own tension, you show your horse you're paying attention.

2. Ground, Shield, Clear

Create a safe space for your horse to inhabit with a grounding visualization

Visualizations are a powerful way to communicate with your horse, and a potent way to embody your intention. Symbolism is an ancient language used to direct the flow of energy to manifest it in physical form.

Help your horse feel safe wherever they are with this powerful visualization:

1. Close your eyes and breathe

2. With every exhale, see roots growing from the bottom of their hooves

3. Then, see a glowing white light develop and expand from the center of their chest

4. With every inhale, the light expands until the glowing orb surrounds their entire body

3. Receptive Rider Routine

Open the channels of communication with this 3-minute series of spinal exercises

Your horse mirrors your state of being. Whether you plan to ride or not, a supple spine is a fluid line of communication—not just with your own nervous system—but with your horse's as well.

If you want a relaxed, resilient, and responsive partner, practice this 3-minute routine regularly:

Sit in a chair, mounting block, or tack trunk, feet flat on the floor.

1. Spinal Flex | 1-3 minute(s) Hands on knees, inhale pelvis forward, exhale pelvis back

   

   
   

2. Spinal Bend | 1-3 minute(s) Hands on shoulders, inhale bend left, exhale bend right

   

   
   

3. Spinal Twist | 1-3 minute(s) Hands on shoulders, inhale twist left, exhale twist right

Now that you know the deeper reason why a supple spine is so important, you have the power to make relaxation your horse's default setting.

By simply noticing your emotions, visualizing your horse grounded and protected, and opening up the communication pathways in your own spine—you guide your horse into a regulated, responsive, and resilient partner.

Now, ride on and prosper!

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