Ridewell Trainwell

Fantastic afternoon supporting Wendi Williamson who is off to represent New Zealand in the dressage at the World Championships in Aachen.

Jess's free hip release 5 day challenge is coming up again. I do this every time it pops up - it's great to check in with what's improving (or not). If you've never done it before...what are you waiting for?

FREE Riders' Hip Release Challenge TAP HERE to save your space now!

My amazing friend Abbey Letteri's book will be published in September!

I can't wait to read it!
Abbey and I are hatching a plan for a catch up here soon as it's been way too long, and she really needs to come and share some Jezzie magic AND I will share Abbey with you, and you can find out all about her amazing travels and studies which form the basis of this beautiful book.

"When Abby Letteri first encountered free-living horses, she realised that her whole life she’d been looking at horses without actually seeing them. Wild horses spend their lives building and maintaining social bonds, moving together in synchrony, their communication constant and subtle. In domestication, we isolate them – move them from paddock to stable to yard – separating them from their companions for our convenience, then find them fragile, anxious and difficult to handle.

An immersive and transporting memoir, Perfectly Themselves offers intimate portraits of horses living freely in the company of their own kind, from Aotearoa to the Outer Hebrides, Iceland and Mongolia. Underpinning Letteri’s research is a question sparked by a 33,000-year-old carved horse that seems alive with vitality and ease: what did we once know about horses that we have forgotten?

Part travel narrative, part intellectual inquiry and part personal reckoning, Perfectly Themselves challenges long-held assumptions about human–horse relationships, inviting readers into a more compassionate way of seeing them – not as objects of human desire, but as beings perfect in themselves"

Perfectly Themselves: Horses in the Human World When Abby Letteri first encountered free-living horses, she realised that her whole life she’d been looking at horses without actually seeing them. Wild horses spend their lives building and maintaining social bonds, moving together in synchrony, their communication constant and subtle. In domesti...

Becky and her team do such a great job! I have several clients who over the years have either learnt to ride or returned to riding and gained such confidence at Mahurangi Riding School . Becky is committed to further education and professional development for herself and her team and she's created such a lovely place to develop foundation skills

Here's some more great stuff for winter education! This time around horse welfare. When we start to understand things from the lens of the horse we might find that some of our methods/gear/interactions could be more horse welfare friendly. This course is available to all involved with horses at no cost.

FEI Campus

Use the winter to work on you!
Book some simulator sessions on Feelika, the spring driven horse riding simulator.

Ideal for:
🐎 Improving your balance, awareness and skills while your horse is having a break.
🐎 Getting back into the swing of things after a break from riding.
🐎 Improving symmetry, timing, co-ordination, awareness, and feel to enhance your influence and effect on the horses you ride.

The Ridewell Trainwell simulator, Feelika, is located in Whitford, out of the winter chill, with mirrors for feedback.

You will be guided in your session by Julie Malcolm, New Zealand's only certified three star Train Your Seat embodied Rider Biomechanics coach.

Limited appointments still available Tuesday and Thursday mornings, Tuesday, Weds and Thurs evenings July and August.

Send a message here or drop an email to [email protected] or comment below FEELIKA to receive more information on Feelika.

Good advice form NZPCA I would just add that it's very, very useful to have a thermometer and make sure you know how to take your horse's temperature. At this time, if we or our horses are travelling or coming in contact with other horses taking their temperature regularly will help you spot a problem usually before symptoms are apparent.

⚠️ Waikato Strangles Update – Please Stay Vigilant

We are aware of the recent cases of Strangles affecting horses in the Waikato region. While the outbreak is currently centred on training and pre-training properties, Strangles is a highly contagious bacterial disease that can spread through horse-to-horse contact, contaminated equipment, clothing, footwear and transport.

If you are attending rallies, competitions or travelling with horses, now is the time to be extra vigilant.

Good biosecurity practices include:
🐴 Do not take a horse that is unwell to any event.
🌡️ Monitor horses daily for signs of illness, including fever, nasal discharge, swollen glands, coughing or loss of appetite.
🪣 Do not share water buckets, feed bins, tack or grooming equipment.
🧼 Clean and disinfect floats, equipment and gear after use.
👢 Wash hands and change clothing and footwear between properties where practical.
🏡 If you suspect your horse may have Strangles, isolate it immediately and contact your veterinarian before moving the horse.

At this stage, NZPCA is not placing restrictions on rallies or events. However, we encourage all Clubs and members—particularly those in or travelling to and from the Waikato region—to review their biosecurity practices and make sensible, informed decisions based on local circumstances.

Thank you for helping protect the health and well-being of New Zealand's horses.

Support our New Zealand Team to go to World Equestrian Championships in Aachen. Purchase a ticket in this winner takes all raffle.

🥇 FLY THE FERN ONLINE RAFFLE IS LIVE! 🥇

Our online raffle is live now, with prizes valued at over $3,000 up for grabs, and every dollar raised goes straight towards helping our New Zealand Team horses get to the FEI World Championships in Aachen this August.

Here's what's on offer, and a huge thank you to the generous businesses who donated:

👉 Full pallet of Fiber Protect, thanks to Fiber Fresh Equine - New Zealand
👉 $1,000 Petrie Boots NZ voucher, thanks to Summit Grains and Saddlery
👉 Two weeks with the Equissage Edge, thanks to Equissage Therapy New Zealand
👉 $200 Canter for Cancer voucher, thanks to Canter for Cancer
👉 $100 Equine America voucher, thanks to Equine-America NZ limited
👉 Two sets of Veredus B-Rest bandages in black, thanks to The Saddlery Store - NZ

Tickets are $20 for one or $50 for three, and every entry helps get our Kiwi combinations and their horses across the line to Aachen.

🎟️ Enter here: https://form.jotform.com/OTG_Creative/fly-the-fern-online-raffle
⏰ Raffle drawn by Team NZ Dressage Rider, Wendi Williamson Sunday 12th July 4PM

Let's Fly the Fern 🇳🇿

Dressage NZ
ESNZ Eventing
ESNZ Jumping & Show Hunter
ESNZ Endurance

RIDEWELL TRAINWELL WINTER TRAINING DAY 2 at Bartleys Riding Academy, Indoor arena Whitford. SATURDAY 18 JULY.

RIDERS: Book an individual or group lesson, "Dressage With Purpose" and optionally join the off-horse rider biomechanics/awareness workshop. Social time and Q and A
AUDITORS/SPECTATORS: Book to observe lessons, join in the worksop, social time and Q and A.

Something for everyone.

Individual, shared or group lessons available in the fantastic covered arena with sand and fibre ebb and flow surface.
Off horse rider biomechanics movement and awareness workshop. 45 mins around midday with a different focus each session . Open to lesson riders and auditors.

Group ridden sessions: Dressage with Purpose. Come and enjoy a group session with a maximum of 4 riders with exercises involving, cones, poles and working equitation obstacles to improve suppleness, confidence and joy in dressage work. Group session length will be approx 90 mins Organise your own group or pop your name down to join a group. Min 3 riders, Max 4. Group session only: $90/rider including arena fee. Group session plus Rider biomechanics workshop session: $110

Individual in hand lesson: duration 30 mins $90 including arena fee, $110 with off-horse rider biomechanics session.

Individual ridden lesson focussed on rider biomechanics and/or dressage. Lesson Duration 45 mins. $115 including arena fee or $135 with off-horse rider biomechanics session.

Auditors/fence sitters:
Not riding but want to take part? Come and observe lessons, join in the off-horse workshops and social chit chat $30
Auditors must pre register.

Off horse workshop and social time:
Hot and cold drinks and biscuits available all day in the kitchen. BYO drinking vessel.
Watch as many lessons as you like in the viewing area - riders, handlers and auditors.
Lunchtime social chit chat and Q and A for all riders and auditors. BYO lunch or something to share.

Off-horse Workshop will be around midday.
A morning and an afternoon group Dressage With Purpose session will be available subject to minimum numbers.
Individual ridden or in hand lessons will be available before and after Group sessions/workshop.
Timetable will look something like this:
9am-10am individual ridden lesson or two in hand sessions
10am Group Dressage with Purpose session
11.30 am individual ridden or in hand session
12.15 Off-horse rider biomechanics session.
1pm Lunch break
1.30 Group Dressage with Purpose session (or individual ridden/inhand lessons)
3pm Individual or shared ridden or inhand lesson
Finish 4pm

Dates:
Saturday 18 July
Saturday 8 August
September date tbc as I'm now off to do some training in Canada.

Off-Horse rider biomechanics movement and awareness session focus points:

Day 2 18 July: Hand and arm central axis. Connection!
Day 3 8 August: Pelvis
Day 4 date tbc: Feet

Flick me a PM, or email [email protected] to book your spot!

This paragraph from Dr Steve Peter's books Horse Brain Science is so important to consider in how we train and the equipment we use.

"Since horses rely heavily on head position to regulate their centre of gravity, any restriction to natural head and neck movement- often caused by overly restrictive training practices or equipment such as tie downs, martingale and other limiting headgear- can significantly impaired neurological integration. These restrictions interfere with the cerebellum's ability to maintain balance and execute smooth movements, disrupting proprioceptive feedback essential for co-ordination and spatial awareness. Consequently this increases stress on the musculoskeletal system and compromises the horse's overall motor co-ordination."