Horse Geeks

The Horse Geeks Podcast - Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out FREE TICKET link for the Art of the Horseman Online Horse Fair May 31-June 1, 2025 https://www.becauseofthehorse.net/a/23333/a2zsSgDH NEW: Sign up for Kirsten's email list and get all four of the horse fair videos as part of the welcome sequence and a free monthly newsletter. Sign up is at the bottom of the home page at www.kirstennelsen.com   Topic: Time is just a way to measure changes. Without changes, there is no time. When it comes to developing horses we can look at changes on a clock, feeling stressed or frustrated because our horse is not cooperating with our time frames. Or, we can measure progress through the changes that our horse makes, even if they take a while. When we think competitively, time becomes a task master. When we think of training as a creative development, time stands still or just doesn't matter so much. Enjoying the creative process of developing ourself as a rider or developing our horses has a way of getting things done faster and with more permanence. Guest: Deb Romero, Certified Alexander Technique Instructor www.optimalposture.org Host: Kirsten Nelsen, professional horse trainer Developer of Training for Optimal Balance https://kirstennelsen.com/ The workbook series mentioned is only available at: https://kirstennelsen.com/shop/

The Horse Geeks Podcast - Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out FREE TICKET link for the Art of the Horseman Online Horse Fair May 31-June 1, 2025 https://www.becauseofthehorse.net/a/23333/a2zsSgDH NEW: Sign up for Kirsten's email list and get all four of the horse fair videos as part of the welcome sequence and a free monthly newsletter. Sign up is at the bottom of the home page at www.kirstennelsen.com   Topic: Deb takes a deeper dive into what she is always saying and explains what all the joints being open and available really means. And of course, we wander a bit into how this combination of muscle and joint use affects so many other aspects of riding. Guest: Deb Romero, Certified Alexander Technique Instructor www.optimalposture.org Host: Kirsten Nelsen, professional horse trainer Developer of Training for Optimal Balance https://kirstennelsen.com/ The workbook series mentioned is only available at: https://kirstennelsen.com/shop/

The Horse Geeks Podcast - Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out FREE TICKET link for the Art of the Horseman Online Horse Fair May 31-June 1, 2025 https://www.becauseofthehorse.net/a/23333/a2zsSgDH NEW: Sign up for Kirsten's email list and get all four of the horse fair videos as part of the welcome sequence and a free monthly newsletter. Sign up is at the bottom of the home page at www.kirstennelsen.com   Topic: Training bands of different types are really popular right now. Deb and I take a look at the pro's and con's of using this type of equipment and how they work. The differences between tools that are dynamic and tools that are proprioceptive is also explained and how both can be beneficial at different stages of training - but only if they actually guide a horse and rider to the ultimate goal of self-carriage. Guest: Deb Romero, Certified Alexander Technique Instructor www.optimalposture.org Host: Kirsten Nelsen, professional horse trainer Developer of Training for Optimal Balance https://kirstennelsen.com/ The workbook series mentioned is only available at: https://kirstennelsen.com/shop/

The Horse Geeks Podcast - Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out FREE TICKET link for the Art of the Horseman Online Horse Fair May 31-June 1, 2025 https://www.becauseofthehorse.net/a/23333/a2zsSgDH NEW: Sign up for Kirsten's email list and get all four of the horse fair videos as part of the welcome sequence and a free monthly newsletter. Sign up is at the bottom of the home page at www.kirstennelsen.com   Topic: Fawning is a defensive strategy used for coping with high levels of stress, like trauma, or chronic stress. It is a strategy often used when a person or horse is punished harshly for expressing fight or flight, perceived as disobedience. Fawning is one of the newer defensive strategies defined by psychologists, but has been adopted long before it was well defined. This particular strategy is often confused as a "well trained" or "push button" horse, one that often anticipates what move we want next, but with constant anxiety and tension just below the compliant behavior. When horses are obedient but don't feel safe or comfortable internally, then fawning is a strategy for just staying out of trouble. The most common side effects for horses are food related issues or feeding time anxiety, ulcers and a tendency to colic. A horse's digestion seems to take the brunt of being obedient without calmness. Guest: Deb Romero, Certified Alexander Technique Instructor www.optimalposture.org Host: Kirsten Nelsen, professional horse trainer Developer of Training for Optimal Balance https://kirstennelsen.com/ The workbook series mentioned is only available at: https://kirstennelsen.com/shop/

The Horse Geeks Podcast - Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out FREE TICKET link for the Art of the Horseman Online Horse Fair May 31-June 1, 2025 https://www.becauseofthehorse.net/a/23333/a2zsSgDH NEW: Sign up for Kirsten's email list and get all four of the horse fair videos as part of the welcome sequence and a free monthly newsletter. Sign up is at the bottom of the home page at www.kirstennelsen.com   Topic: There are as many different ways to actually ride a horse as there are people and horses. While we all learn how to not fall off with our basic training, moving from one level to another in riding often feels like we have to start over again. What works to keep us on a horse in the early levels of riding are actually skills that hold us back from advanced riding, where we learn how to influence the movement and balance of a horse. Balance as a rider, without gripping, is more like surfing - where there is nothing to hang on to. Balance is more about soft, subtle weight shifts than anything else and we have to let go of all those tight muscles, jamming our heels down, thrusting our shoulders back in order to even feel what we need to feel from a horse. If you want to really advance your riding skills, then be prepared to feel like a beginner all over again. Guest: Deb Romero, Certified Alexander Technique Instructor www.optimalposture.org Host: Kirsten Nelsen, professional horse trainer Developer of Training for Optimal Balance https://kirstennelsen.com/ The workbook series mentioned is only available at: https://kirstennelsen.com/shop/

The Horse Geeks Podcast - Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out FREE TICKET link for the Art of the Horseman Online Horse Fair May 31-June 1, 2025 https://www.becauseofthehorse.net/a/23333/a2zsSgDH NEW: Sign up for Kirsten's email list and get all four of the horse fair videos as part of the welcome sequence and a free monthly newsletter. Sign up is at the bottom of the home page at www.kirstennelsen.com   Topic: When we decide to look a little deeper at horse behavior, we begin to become aware of what is driving the behavior - what thoughts or emotions horses have that is motivating any action they take. Demanding obedience means gaining compliance without ever considering the emotional state of another. Some horses will comply while others will defend and escalate the defensive actions over time. Developing a mutually beneficial relationship with horses starts by understanding what they are thinking and feeling more than what they are doing or not doing. Until we understand our horse's emotional life, we typically continue to have "horse problems". Guest: Deb Romero, Certified Alexander Technique Instructor www.optimalposture.org Host: Kirsten Nelsen, professional horse trainer Developer of Training for Optimal Balance https://kirstennelsen.com/ The workbook series mentioned is only available at: https://kirstennelsen.com/shop/

The Horse Geeks Podcast - Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out FREE TICKET link for the Art of the Horseman Online Horse Fair May 31-June 1, 2025 https://www.becauseofthehorse.net/a/23333/a2zsSgDH NEW: Sign up for Kirsten's email list and get all four of the horse fair videos as part of the welcome sequence and a free monthly newsletter. Sign up is at the bottom of the home page at www.kirstennelsen.com   Topic: Learning how to see and feel muscle use in our horse can be really helpful at understanding the underlying coordination. When the outer muscles are tight and hard, like well done meat, then we know the core muscles are weak. When chronic tightness shows up in one area, we know that too much weight is habitually carried in the opposite direction. Coordination is what dictates muscle use throughout the body. So no matter how many massages we give, the chronic tightness is perpetual until coordination is improved. Guest: Deb Romero, Certified Alexander Technique Instructor www.optimalposture.org Host: Kirsten Nelsen, professional horse trainer Developer of Training for Optimal Balance https://kirstennelsen.com/ The workbook series mentioned is only available at: https://kirstennelsen.com/shop/

The Horse Geeks Podcast - Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out FREE TICKET link for the Art of the Horseman Online Horse Fair May 31-June 1, 2025 https://www.becauseofthehorse.net/a/23333/a2zsSgDH NEW: Sign up for Kirsten's email list and get all four of the horse fair videos as part of the welcome sequence and a free monthly newsletter. Sign up is at the bottom of the home page at www.kirstennelsen.com   Topic: It is actually quite literally true when we say that our body sort of has a mind of its own. Our nervous system is more than just our brain, it travels to all areas of our body and picks up information all the time. The power of our brain is to interpret information gathered by the nervous system and make sense of it, remember past stress events in order to avoid them and normalize whatever becomes habitual, even if it is not healthy for us. Fear is the visceral response that often gets us to tap into our body intelligence and start listening. But the nervous system outside of the brain can also be our best source of information regarding our balance, our relationship with gravity, especially while we are navigating the movement of a horse. This incredible resource of information is always available to us, we just have to learn how to listen to it instead of always trying to use our brain for every single job. Guest: Deb Romero, Certified Alexander Technique Instructor www.optimalposture.org Host: Kirsten Nelsen, professional horse trainer Developer of Training for Optimal Balance https://kirstennelsen.com/ The workbook series mentioned is only available at: https://kirstennelsen.com/shop/

The Horse Geeks Podcast - Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out FREE TICKET link for the Art of the Horseman Online Horse Fair May 31-June 1, 2025 https://www.becauseofthehorse.net/a/23333/a2zsSgDH NEW: Sign up for Kirsten's email list and get all four of the horse fair videos as part of the welcome sequence and a free monthly newsletter. Sign up is at the bottom of the home page at www.kirstennelsen.com   Topic: Deb and I discuss what suppling horses means - which is to increase flexibility - but making our horses do yoga poses does not really help if our horse has a habit of moving with unbalanced body weight. Tension through the soft tissues always increases when body weight becomes unequal in any direction. In order to sustain healthy, supple muscles horses must learn to balance and control their body weight distribution during motion. Guest: Deb Romero, Certified Alexander Technique Instructor www.optimalposture.org Host: Kirsten Nelsen, professional horse trainer Developer of Training for Optimal Balance https://kirstennelsen.com/ The workbook series mentioned is only available at: https://kirstennelsen.com/shop/

The Horse Geeks Podcast - Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out FREE TICKET link for the Art of the Horseman Online Horse Fair May 31-June 1, 2025 https://www.becauseofthehorse.net/a/23333/a2zsSgDH NEW: Sign up for Kirsten's email list and get all four of the horse fair videos as part of the welcome sequence and a free monthly newsletter. Sign up is at the bottom of the home page at www.kirstennelsen.com   Topic: We get to geek out a little in this podcast talking about rotation, which is a function of the spine, and how different it is ideally coordinated in horses compared to people. Addressing rotation issues is not part of any classical horse training and yet it is a reality that becomes a major source of lameness or poor movement if we don't know about it and how to address issues in horses. Hope you can stick with our wandering conversation that involves a bit of physics in order to understand a very important part of balance for horses. Guest: Deb Romero, Certified Alexander Technique Instructor www.optimalposture.org Host: Kirsten Nelsen, professional horse trainer Developer of Training for Optimal Balance https://kirstennelsen.com/ The workbook series mentioned is only available at: https://kirstennelsen.com/shop/

The Horse Geeks Podcast - Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out FREE TICKET link for the Art of the Horseman Online Horse Fair May 31-June 1, 2025 https://www.becauseofthehorse.net/a/23333/a2zsSgDH NEW: Sign up for Kirsten's email list and get all four of the horse fair videos as part of the welcome sequence and a free monthly newsletter. Sign up is at the bottom of the home page at www.kirstennelsen.com   Topic: Navigating changes in coordination, for both people and horses, can feel like a tricky process. Bodies do not change in a straight progression, they change randomly and in unexpected ways. There are some overall changes that are really significant for both people and horses so we talk about the difference between stabilizing movement through good skeletal coordination compared to doing the same with muscular effort. This transition from muscular stability to skeletal stability is a big deal and a tricky process for all people and horses while improving balance. For horses, there is another big transitional change from stabilizing on the forehand, muscle or bone, into stabilizing through the back and hindquarters. This transition of coordination from the front to the back for horses is also a very big deal and happens gradually when it is authentic. Guest: Deb Romero, Certified Alexander Technique Instructor www.optimalposture.org Host: Kirsten Nelsen, professional horse trainer Developer of Training for Optimal Balance https://kirstennelsen.com/ The workbook series mentioned is only available at: https://kirstennelsen.com/shop/

The Horse Geeks Podcast - Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out FREE TICKET link for the Art of the Horseman Online Horse Fair May 31-June 1, 2025 https://www.becauseofthehorse.net/a/23333/a2zsSgDH NEW: Sign up for Kirsten's email list and get all four of the horse fair videos as part of the welcome sequence and a free monthly newsletter. Sign up is at the bottom of the home page at www.kirstennelsen.com   Topic: Changing habits of coordination is not an easy or quick process and there are many bumps in the road. Understanding the process that always includes a little difficulty, resistance to change, thresholds of physical changes and uncovering the mechanical issues that have been hidden helps us navigate through the process. Rehab, which involves altering patterns of coordination in both horse and rider, is often a messy process with lots of trial and error and wobbles along the way. It's sometimes good to know that is just how things go. While we seek the path of least resistance by adjusting in order to reduce defensiveness and increase cooperation, changing physical habits and restoring function to under used parts of the body is not easy for people or horses. The balance, comfort and ease that is on the other side of the these changes in coordination is something that we can understand as people but our horses will not understand until we work through the challenge and our horse experiences the ease first hand. Guest: Deb Romero, Certified Alexander Technique Instructor www.optimalposture.org Host: Kirsten Nelsen, professional horse trainer Developer of Training for Optimal Balance https://kirstennelsen.com/ The workbook series mentioned is only available at: https://kirstennelsen.com/shop/

The Horse Geeks Podcast - Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out FREE TICKET link for the Art of the Horseman Online Horse Fair May 31-June 1, 2025 https://www.becauseofthehorse.net/a/23333/a2zsSgDH NEW: Sign up for Kirsten's email list and get all four of the horse fair videos as part of the welcome sequence and a free monthly newsletter. Sign up is at the bottom of the home page at www.kirstennelsen.com   Topic: Today we venture out of the normal and look at working with energy, reiki and horses. While energy healing is still considered a bit woo woo, there is actual science behind the invisible forces that we can learn to tune into. Horses have a highly refined sense of touch and seem to respond to invisible forces that are so subtle we think they are magical. But just like wind, humidity and temperature, we can sense these invisible forces or at least see our horse respond to them in order to understand the existence of what we cannot see or grab. Amy explains her work with horses and how they show her all the time that the energy work she does is both real and helpful. Guest: Amy Potter, Reiki Master and Intuitive From the Earth Creative www.fromtheearthcreative 540-270-8546 fromtheearthcreative@gmail.com Host: Kirsten Nelsen, professional horse trainer Developer of Training for Optimal Balance https://kirstennelsen.com/ The workbook series mentioned is only available at: https://kirstennelsen.com/shop/

The Horse Geeks Podcast - Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out FREE TICKET link for the Art of the Horseman Online Horse Fair May 31-June 1, 2025 https://www.becauseofthehorse.net/a/23333/a2zsSgDH NEW: Sign up for Kirsten's email list and get all four of the horse fair videos as part of the welcome sequence and a free monthly newsletter. Sign up is at the bottom of the home page at www.kirstennelsen.com   Topic: When we think of training horses we tend to think of putting information into a horse, teaching cues, conditioned responses and maneuvers. But the only real honest answer to any horse training question is, "It depends" because every person and horse is an individual. In order to know how to train as a rider or how to train our horses, we have to spend a little time exploring, especially when things are not going the way they are supposed to go. How an individual responds to any stimulus or how a body coordinates doing any task is wildly unpredictable. Including some exploration time during training is how we know what strategies are actually getting us where we want to go with our horse, or not. Guest: Deb Romero, certified Alexander Technique Instructor www.optimalposture.org Host: Kirsten Nelsen, professional horse trainer Developer of Training for Optimal Balance https://kirstennelsen.com/ The workbook series mentioned is only available at: https://kirstennelsen.com/shop/

The Horse Geeks Podcast – Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out Topic: Balance as a function of intelligence, a paper by WHM Carrington, notes how poor […] The post Horse Geeks Episode 24: Balance As a Function of Intelligence appeared first on Kirsten Nelsen.

The Horse Geeks Podcast – Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out Topic: Thinking in terms of balance and looking at problems as simple imbalances can […] The post Horse Geeks Episode 23: Balance As a Concept appeared first on Kirsten Nelsen.

The Horse Geeks Podcast – Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out Topic: Professional therapist and new horse owner dealing with spouse that has significant brain […] The post Horse Geeks Episode 22: Life Lessons with Horses appeared first on Kirsten Nelsen.

The Horse Geeks Podcast – Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out Topic: The words we use inside our own head with self talk or to […] The post Horse Geeks Episode 21: Words Matter appeared first on Kirsten Nelsen.

The Horse Geeks Podcast – Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out Topic: What to expect and how to experiment with making changes to the mechanical […] The post Horse Geeks Episode 20: The Practical Side of Improving Balance appeared first on Kirsten Nelsen.

The Horse Geeks Podcast – Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out Topic: How body mechanics and forces of motion interact and how bodies perceive balance. […] The post Horse Geeks Episode 19: Biomechanics and Laws of Motion appeared first on Kirsten Nelsen.

The Horse Geeks Podcast – Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out Topic: All 3 Laws of Motion are constantly at play during all motion, even […] The post Horse Geeks Episode 18: Laws of Motion During Simple Actions appeared first on Kirsten Nelsen.

The Horse Geeks Podcast – Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out Topic: Newton's 3rd law of motion states; for every action there is an equal […] The post Horse Geeks Episode 17: Newton's 3rd Law of Motion appeared first on Kirsten Nelsen.

The Horse Geeks Podcast – Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out Topic: Newtons second law of motion states Force = Mass x Acceleration. Force is […] The post Horse Geeks Episode 16: Newton's 2nd Law of Motion appeared first on Kirsten Nelsen.

The Horse Geeks Podcast – Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out Topic: Discussion about the Law of Inertia and how it relates directly to riding […] The post Horse Geeks Episode 15: Newton's 1st Law of Motion, Inertia appeared first on Kirsten Nelsen.

The Horse Geeks Podcast – Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out Topic: Basic methods for all types of training involve positive and negative reinforcement. The […] The post Horse Geeks Episode 14: Training Methods appeared first on Kirsten Nelsen.

The Horse Geeks Podcast – Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out Topic: There is a direct relationship between what we feel and experience as force […] The post Horse Geeks Episode 13: How Forces of Motion Relate to Balance appeared first on Kirsten Nelsen.

The Horse Geeks Podcast – Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out Topic: How we easily misinterpret behavior and reactions from horses when we expect a […] The post Horse Geeks Episode 12: How Horses Perceive Through Their Five Senses appeared first on Kirsten Nelsen.

The Horse Geeks Podcast – Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out Topic: How to tell if we are strong auditory, visual or kinesthetic learners just […] The post Horse Geeks Episode 11: Different Ways We Learn appeared first on Kirsten Nelsen.

The Horse Geeks Podcast – Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out Topic: Using very simple concepts like pausing, redirecting and spending excess energy, we can […] The post Horse Geeks Episode 10: Actively Changing Towards Balance appeared first on Kirsten Nelsen.

The Horse Geeks Podcast – Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out Topic: How feeling safe is a precursor to learning but learning new things always […] The post Horse Geeks Episode 9: Why is Change Scary and Learning Hard? appeared first on Kirsten Nelsen.

The Horse Geeks Podcast – Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out Topic: How our fear of making mistakes can be the biggest stumbling block for […] The post Horse Geeks Episode 8: Overcoming the Fear of Mistakes appeared first on Kirsten Nelsen.

The Horse Geeks Podcast – Where we look at horses and riding from the inside out Topic: Actions are the “words” we use during nonverbal communication with our horses. How […] The post Horse Geeks Episode 7: Translating Words into Actions appeared first on Kirsten Nelsen.