The following is from a reader of Grow Young with Your Dog.

“I have a 15-year old terrier mix who was has very arthritic hips after a fall down a flight of stairs. His tail had been locked down close to his body and he walked with great difficulty. He often fell over because he was so unbalanced.

I have performed the exercises daily on my dog (and on me, as well) and am happy to report that Duffy gets better with each passing day. This morning he even ran down the hall with his tail in the air!

"I love that this book approaches healing by combining the mind, breath, muscles and nerves. The rhythmic movements trigger a response in the nervous system that opens a pathway to healing, helping the muscles re-learn how to move correctly again after months of compensating for pain.

There is nothing so fulfilling as hearing your pet breathe a heavy sigh when his muscles relax and release under the gentle touch of your hands. This book and Mary's methods are...

I absolutely love and appreciate getting messages such as this one.

Syeeda's 15-year-old miniature poodle, Sophie, was having great difficulty. She wasn't eating and her mobility and stability were very compromised. She was getting weaker and weaker. Syeeda feared the end was very near.

She bought my book, "Grow Young with Your Dog" and immediately applied the gentle hands-on "moves" from the book to help Sophie. 

Syeeda decided to do the relaxing "moves" with Sophie to help encourage her to eat. Any improvement in mobility and stability would be a bonus.  

I've had several exchanges with Syeeda and her dog's appetite, movement, stability and vitality increased after she started doing the gentle, hands-on moves she learned from "Grow Young with Your Dog."  

Here's Syeeda's first message to me. 

"Dear Mary,  

 In early October, my 15 yr old min. poodle was on her last legs, she had stopped eating and was just skin and bone. Meds at that...

FREE resources:

• Feldenkrais® for Riders videos: https://www.marydebono.com/rider.
• DF cheat sheet on How to Create Your Confidence Anchor:https://www.marydebono.com/anchorconfidence
• Join our free FB group, "Happy, Healthy Horsewomen."

Would you like to be a more confident, competent horsewoman?

There's a good chance that you do! After all, feeling anxious is one of the most - if not THE most - common equestrian problem that I hear about.

That's why in this episode, you'll learn 5 steps that'll help you become a more confident, skillful equestrian. You'll feel better - and so will your horse.

And it all starts with unlocking the power of your unconscious thoughts.

1. Choose What to Focus On

• What you focus on determines your results.
• What do you currently believe about yourself as a horsewoman?
• Will you focus on your anxiety? Or will you focus on what you WANT to experience?
• What kind of horsewoman would you like to be?
• What would you LIKE to believe about yourself?
• ...

Do you get anxious when you ride?  Or suddenly feel nervous about cantering? Would you like to feel more confident and resourceful in your life?

In this episode, I'll walk you through a simple brain hack that can help you feel more confident in any area of your life. It's helped a lot of equestrians feel more competent and joyful with their horses. It can help you too!

 Click here to grab your handy cheat sheet PDF to anchor your confidence!  

Questions? please email [email protected].

I hope you join our FREE Facebook group, "Happy, Healthy Horsewomen."

I look forward to seeing you in the group!

xo, Mary

ps: Click here to grab your FREE cheat sheet to improve your confidence!

Full transcript of the podcast episode is below:

Hello, and welcome to Easier Movement, Happier Horses. I'm Mary Debono. And I'm so glad you're here today. We're going to talk about confidence or maybe the lack of confidence. So I have a simple brain hack for you that just...

To get the FREE videos of Mary demonstrating the hands-on moves with a horse, go to MaryDebono.com/Horse.

Is your horse stiff to one side? Does your horse hollow her back or stand asymmetrically? Does he pin his ears when he tighten the girth?

In this episode, you'll learn how to identify and help change your horse's unhealthy habits of posture, movement and behavior.

You'll learn a gentle, effective way to enhance your horse's body awareness and help your horse release unhealthy habits of tensing muscles. This hands-on technique can also improve your "feel" and improve communication and connection between you and your horse. This is the first step in helping your horse experience more freedom and flexibility.  

 If you have any questions, please email [email protected].  

I hope you join our FREE Facebook group, "Happy, Healthy Horsewomen."

I look forward to seeing you in the group!

xo, Mary

Some habits are really useful. Other habits can be detrimental to ourselves and our horses. In this episode, you'll learn how your habits of movement and posture can contribute to stiffness, back pain, imbalances and even spinal damage!  

You'll learn simple ways to break out of your habitual, unconscious routine  and develop greater self awareness. With improved awareness, you'll move with more ease, comfort and choice. And when you explore non-habitual movements with your horse, your horse can become more flexible and balanced too. You'll also find out how to get my FREE videos. These unmounted exercises can help liberate you from harmful movement habits and improve your seat, position and balance on your horse.  Effortlessly!   

Podcast Episode #2 of Easier Movement, Happier Horses:  

Hello and welcome. I hope you're doing great today. Well, in this episode, we're going to be talking about your habits and I don't mean habits like...

Click here to get the FREE videos of Mary demonstrating the hands-on moves with horses.

My goal in this podcast is to help you discover how you and your horse could have balanced fluid movement or relaxed mind, and a joyful connection with each other.

And one of the ways that I do that I help people get there is to take every day routine things that they do, like leading their horse, grooming their horse, tacking up their horse, and do them in such a way that it actually stimulates more flexible, balanced movement.

It can undo past damage to body and mind. It could encourage relaxation and responsiveness can encourage and create a positive learning state and build trust in partnership because you're inviting your horse into the conversation.

Questions? please email [email protected].

I hope you join our FREE Facebook group, "Happy, Healthy Horsewomen."

I look forward to seeing you in the group!

xo, Mary

ps: Want my FREE video rider masterclass? Click here!

For a...

Are you or your horse stiff, crooked or tense? Are you dealing with aging, injury, arthritis or anxiety? Do you want more flexibility, balance or confidence?

In this introductory episode, learn how international Feldenkrais® teacher, NLP Practitioner and bestselling author Mary Debono will help you discover happier joints, freer movement and a clear path to your goals and dreams.

If you’re a horse lover who’d like to learn simple, powerful body/mind strategies to feel connected, vibrant and empowered, this show is for you.

This is the podcast your horse wants you to listen to!
Learn more at MaryDebono.com.

 For a SEARCHABLE audio file, click here.

 Welcome to Easier Movement, Happier Horses. I'm Mary Debono, your movement and mindset coach. If you'd like to have flexible, balanced movement, a relaxed, confident mindset, and a joyful connection with your horse, you're in the right place. I can't wait to share what I've learned over the past 30...

I stared at the phone in my hand.

Did I hear that right?

"Excuse me, did you say, 'yogurt?' You can't come to your brother's memorial service because you have YOGURT?"

"Yeah, I did. You know how some people have animals? And some people have plants? Well, I have yogurt.

"And I can't leave it unattended. It's a starter culture."

This was either the lamest or the very BEST excuse I'd ever heard.

I was glad that Keith, the guy on the other end of the phone, couldn't see my expression.

I had called to invite him to his only sibling's memorial service.

But he wasn't coming. Apparently, he couldn't leave his yogurt.

Money wasn't the issue. I already told him I'd take care of his airfare and hotel.

The truth is, Keith had never really liked his brother.

They hadn't gotten along since they were teenagers.

Knowing all that, I still wanted them to reconcile.

Even though one had died.

I wanted Keith to think fondly of his deceased brother. To have some...