Ros Maindok - Equine Functional Solutions with Biomechanics

17/06/2026

😍😍

15/06/2026

I love when relatable perspectives help people be more curious …

Years and years ago … not me nahhh

ummm yeah right 🙈🤷‍♀️

Working within overachiever and hypersensitive

The journey is so different now
😊

Learning to Sail

*(I know this sounds irrelevant, but stay with me 😜)*

I sometimes think horsemanship is a lot like sailing.

Many people buy a horse for the same reason they might buy a sailboat.

They're drawn to the dream.

The freedom.

The beauty.

The adventure.

The feeling of gliding effortlessly through life together.

Then one day the wind picks up.

The boat tips sideways.

The water gets rough.

Boat capsizes.

And suddenly the dream feels a whole lot less romantic... and you nearly drown 😱

A novice sailor often experiences the sea as unpredictable.

The boat suddenly turns.

The sail suddenly flaps.

The wind suddenly changes.

Everything feels like it's happening to them.

Many horse owners experience horses in much the same way.

The horse suddenly spooks.

The horse suddenly bucks.

The horse suddenly refuses.

The horse suddenly becomes anxious.

And sometimes you fall off and get hurt.

Everything feels unpredictable.

So we start looking for explanations.

Maybe it's the horse's temperament.

Maybe it's ulcers.

Maybe it's the feed.

Maybe it's the saddle.

Maybe it's hormones.

And while all those things can matter, something much more important is often being overlooked.

The sailor.

An experienced sailor faces the same wind, the same waves, and the same uncertainty.

The difference is that they understand the system.

They notice subtle changes before they become problems.

They recognise when conditions are changing.

They know when to push on and when it's time to make an adjustment.

Most importantly, they understand how their actions influence the outcome.

The sea hasn't changed.

The sailor has.

Great horsemanship develops in much the same way.

As we gain experience, horses don't suddenly become predictable.

We simply become better at recognising patterns.

What once looked like a random spook now looks like a horse that had been getting worried for the last ten minutes.

What once felt like an explosion out of nowhere now looks like a series of events that had been building for some time.

We start noticing things that used to fly straight past us.

A change in focus.

A change in posture.

A loss of confidence.

A horse becoming mentally disconnected.

The greatest shift in horsemanship comes when we stop asking:

*"Why did my horse do that?"*

And start asking:

*"What conditions made that outcome likely?"*

Because that question changes everything.

It helps us realise we're not just passengers along for the ride.

We're participants.

Every interaction is teaching the horse something.

Every experience is shaping how they see the world.

The better they understand, the more confident they become.

The more confident they become, the more willing, relaxed and resilient they tend to be when life throws something unexpected at them.

The funny thing is, horses are still horses.

The world is still the world.

Kangaroos still jump out of bushes.

Tarps still flap.

Unexpected things still happen.

The storms never disappear.

But over time we become better at reading the weather.

Better at recognising risk.

Better at understanding what the horse is telling us.

The horse hasn't changed.

The world hasn't changed.

The sea hasn't changed.

The sailor has.

Collectable Advice 234/354. Please hit SHARE or SAVE. Please no copy and pasting🙏

15/06/2026

One of the most favourite lessons I like to do is work with riders and their horses whilst in the saddle.

Helping identify and raise awareness with the biomechanics/nervous system patterns of the horse (how they move in life) plus within the rider of the same.

When we want to assist our horses in balance, strength to help prevent repetitive strain, or rehab from injury, we need to understand our impact, so that we are guiding rather than hindering.

We can utilise our bodies to help redirect forces that we are receiving from the horses.

We learn what rotation, bend, balance, connection, contact is.
Telltale signs of a weak sling, locked pelvis, preferred transversal rotation, using rotation to turn.

What it looks like and feels like when the horse is excessively using the forelimbs to “stay upright and move”.

How teeth, head, hooves and the body is interconnected.

How the exercise is not always the exercise, the ability to be able to try and coordinate within purposeful, brain engaged attempts.

😊

14/06/2026

So good to see inside us to understand how compression, laxity, meshed fascia is possible. Motor nerves, peripheral nerves, blood supply, lymphatic systems, besides just the “muscles”.
Our horses have these layers and systems within systems going on too ! 😊