Preparing your body and mind - letting go of stress, anxiety, muscular tension and distracting thoughts - can help you be fully present with your horse. You'll communicate with your horse more clearly and be less likely to be side-tracked by negative thoughts and underlying tension. 

In this episode, I teach you a simple, yet powerful, approach that can help prepare your body and mind for riding. And it only takes a few minutes! Whether you're feeling stressed, anxious or tired (or all three!), this simple approach can help. And it doesn't require any equipment or cost any money.
 
It can help you relax your mind and energize your body. So you can have a more joyful time with your horse. 

I hope you enjoy the episode and give this simple, powerful approach a try. Thanks for listening and sharing!

Want to get expert coaching on putting this into practice to help your horse - and yourself - have more flexible, balanced and confident movement?

Go to...

You want your horse to enjoy a lifetime of sound, athletic movement. But you're probably overlooking the one thing that can help your horse enjoy sound, healthy movement.

In this episode, you'll learn why it's ESSENTIAL to pay attention to how your horse coordinates his movement, rather than focusing on the individual joints, muscles, etc.

Coordination is the key to healthy and balanced movement. It can reduce the risk of injury, allow strained parts to heal and restore freer, more youthful movement. It even affects your horse's emotional state!

Click here to get a short, effective Feldenkrais® video to help you coordinate your movement so that you have more FLEXIBLE KNEES!

Want to help your horse - and yourself - have more flexible, balanced and confident movement?

Click here to join the waitlist for our online group coaching program, "Move With Your Horse."

You'll be among the first to know when we open our doors again. And you'll get special bonuses!

Questions?...

Do you rely on muscle memory to mount your horse without thinking about all the steps involved? Do you use muscle memory to post the trot or navigate a course?

In this episode, I explain why muscle memory is NOT helping you ride better. In fact, thinking about muscle memory can interfere with your ability to ride well.

But don't worry! I explain what to do instead of relying on muscle memory. And how this different approach can give you a better chance of staying balanced on your horse even in challenging situations.

Exciting News!!!

Want to feel more flexible and confident in body and mind? My new online group coaching program, "Easy Flexibility and Powerful Confidence" is opening soon! I'm looking for a small group of heart-centered horse people to join us at a DISCOUNTED PRICE.

Take advantage of our lower price during this inaugural launch. For complete details, visit https://www.marydebono.com/powerful.

Thank you so much for being here. I can’t wait to talk...

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?
• ...

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...

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...

Why I Hired a Hunky, 22-year-old Personal Trainer

Resting heart rate: 53. This healthy metric is due, in large part, to my personal trainer. But why did I, a female in my 50’s, hire a buff, 22-year-old dude to help me reach my fitness goals?

Well, there are the obvious reasons. For one, he’s easy on the eyes. As we run shoulder-to-shoulder, I can’t help but sneak the occasional glance at his muscular physique. If he notices, he never says anything.

Besides the superficial reasons, there are other benefits to working out with my guy, who I’ll call “BD,” since I didn’t get his written permission to include his name here.

First off, I don’t enjoy going to a gym. Never have. But put me out in nature, and I’m in heaven. BD is more than happy to exercise in the fresh air. That’s a big plus. We meet three miles from my home and we run and hike through the local hills and trails. Living in Southern California, the weather is...

Go grab two polo wraps, standing bandages or even a couple of hand towels out of your linen closet.

Then lie down on the floor and join Mary in a short, super effective exercise to activate your deep core muscles.

You'll learn how to both relax your back AND get stronger and more coordinated all at the same time! 

As always, do only what's easy, comfortable and safe for you to do. Less is more!

If you'd like to improve even further, go grab Mary's FREE rider masterclass. You'll learn how to have a more balanced, independent seat - effortlessly. Don't delay. Your horse is waiting for you!           

Part 1 – The Rider’s Habits

There’s one tool that I’ve seen help equestrians more than any other. It can help riders successfully navigate challenging situations with their horses. It can also help equestrians achieve long-term goals such as: improving riding skill, enhancing equine athleticism and strengthening the horse-human connection.

In short, it’s the best thing I’ve found for achieving physical and emotional harmony with your horse.

Are you curious about the tool I’m referring to? Good! The tool we all need is just that. Curiosity.

Since you’re reading this post, I’m guessing that you’re already a curious equestrian. You’re interested in helping your horse feel better in mind and body. But like all skills, we can become more adept at using curiosity.

In this post and the next, I’ll share how you can use curiosity to help yourself and your horses move and feel better than ever.

Let me start...