Podcast Episodes
How to Work with a Horse Who Moves Away from Your Touch
Maybe you’re learning a new form of bodywork and you can’t wait to use it to help your horse. But your horse says, “No thanks!”
In this episode, you'll hear about the strategies I use to help horses relax, enjoy and benefit from hands-on work.
Are You Addicted to Struggling with Your Horse?
Do you HAVE to try so hard? Or is it a habit? A compulsion? For many of us, we're so used to trying hard, to struggling, that we forget that things could feel easier for us and our horses. This episode discusses the common "addiction" to struggling with horses and its negative impact on the horse-human relationship.
Release Tension and Increase Flexibility by Rocking Your Horse
Rocking your horse can have positive effects on horse's muscles, nervous system, and overall movement. Rocking should be done with lightness, effortlessness, and pleasure for both horse and rider. Being well-organized and coordinated is important for effective communication with the horse.
This is Key to Rounding Your Horse's Back
Did you know that your horse’s sternum plays a key role in helping your horse round the back easily? While the sternum and ribs are often overlooked when talking about the back, you'll hear why the rib cage plays a key role in reducing stress and wear and tear on the horse’s back, neck and legs.
Girthy Horse? You'll Want to Hear This
Here's a different take on helping transform girthy horses. Mary shares her unique strategy that makes tacking up a positive experience that not ONLY can be pleasurable for you and your horse, but can be an opportunity to improve body awareness, flexibility and coordination for you both!
The Surprising Key to Freer Hips
Wish your hips were more flexible or comfortable? Learn why the Feldenkrais MethodⓇ is different from stretching and strengthening programs. To improve your hips, explore this holistic, whole-body approach to movement, so you AND your horse can experience more comfort, elegance, athleticism and harmony.
Enhancing Flexibility, Balance and Strength at Any Age
Learn why the Feldenkrais MethodⓇ is gaining in popularity among equestrians. This innovative approach can improve your flexibility, balance and strength. And it can feel almost effortless.
A Simple Way to Improve Body Awareness
Ready to improve your body awareness? Let me guide you through a transformative body scan designed to enhance your body awareness and melt away tension from body and mind. Your horse will thank you.
Tiny Steps, Big Results: Mastering Movement Through Small Actions
Would you like to be more supple, balanced and strong? Would you like to improve your horse's movement too? Learn why simply repeating movements won't help, and can actually make things worse!
Learn Practical Strategies to Cultivate Awareness and Release Tension
Learn how unnecessary effort causes most human and equine movement difficulties. Discover how to enjoy greater ease, harmony, and vitality in your life and your equine partnerships.
Are You Crooked? Tips for Overcoming Uneven Seat Bones
Uneven seat bones are a common issue for riders, affecting balance, confidence and often causing pain and stiffness.
It also impacts the horse's body and behavior.
Detecting Imbalances: What You Can Learn from Listening to Your Horse's Footfalls
Listening to your horse's footfalls can help you detect imbalances in your horse's movement, helping to prevent them from turning into more serious problems.
4 Elements of Healthy Movement - Do You and Your Horse Have Them?
Want movement to be easier and more elegant?
Learn about 4 key essentials of healthy, effortless movement for you and your horse. And how you and your horse can feel better and more easier. Together.
Mindful Movements: True Flexibility for You and Your Horse
Learn how flexibility of body and mind can be a solution to common equestrian challenges.
Discover how it can enhance the performance, confidence and connection of you and your horse.
An Exercise to Develop Feel and Improve Your Connection with Your Horse
Feel begins with being aware of your own body and movements. Here's an effective exercise that can help you become more sensitive to yourself AND your horse.
Body Awareness and Emotional Well-Being: The Benefits of Touching Your Horse
Develop your ability to tune in to your horse and promote a centered and focused mindset for you and your horse, fostering a deeper connection
Unlocking Your Potential: The Four Pillars of Healthy Movement
In this episode, you'll discover how to use the 4 pillars of healthy movement to improve your athletic ability and be a better partner for your horse.
Reshape Your Self-Image to Move with Ease, Elegance and Balance
If you want to improve how you move and feel, change your identity. The Feldenkrais Method® can help you develop a more balanced, athletic, resourceful identity.
Secrets to Moving Effortlessly at Any Age
Discover how you can break down movement into small pieces so you can develop the ability to move with ease and comfort, despite aging or injuries.
This same approach can be used to help your horse move more athletically and comfortably too!
Connection, Not Correction: The Key to Improvement for You and Your Horse
Want a kinder, more mindful alternative to improving performance?
This approach also enhances body awareness and elevates your relationship with your horse. Learn how to create effortless improvement!
A Better Way to Improve Shoulder Movement
This episode will introduce a novel way to improve shoulder movement in you and your horse. And it's all about working with the rib cage!
Learn a secret to unlocking freer, healthier movement in you and your horse.
Stubborn No More: Unlock Your Horse's Enthusiasm by Matching Movement
Leading can be a fun way to connect with your horse and have an enthusiastic partner.
Done mindfully, leading can refine your communication, improve movement and elevate your relationship.
Simple Haltering Changes to Improve the Relationship with Your Horse
Why You Should Lead Your Horse From the Wrong Side
A Common Cause of Back Pain in Horses and Humans
Dissolve Your Anxiety in Minutes
Here's a quick, sure-fire way to tame your anxiety. It's a simple, powerful exercise to help you feel happier and more confident.
Whether you are stressed about your horse, your job or anything else, you can stop your "worry habit" in its tracks and maximize your joy and resourcefulness instead.
Help Your Horse Feel Better About Anything
Whether you want to improve your horse's athletic performance, confidence or comfort, there's a KEY step you need.
In this episode, you'll learn all about this key ingredient. And all the benefits you and your horse can experience from it!
Using Everyday Situations to Build Trust with Your Horse
This episode explores what to do when your horse expresses displeasure when blanketed, groomed or tacked up.
You'll learn how certain responses can damage your relationship with your horse. While other responses develop your communication and build trust.
Movements that Make You Happier and Healthier
Want to move with greater ease AND be happier too?
Feldenkrais Method movements not only help improve posture, flexibility and balance, but may help you cultivate greater happiness, optimism and well-being too.
What You Believe About Exercise is Wrong
What if I told you that your exercise habits could be increasing your risk of strain, stiffness and plain old boredom?
Learn what key elements you can add to your movement program to make it healthier and more effective. And even more interesting. You can apply these elements to your horse too!
Going to Your Limit Can Limit You
You've probably have heard that if you want to improve, you have to push beyond your comfort zone. You're encouraged to go to your maximum, to develop more willpower.
In this episode, learn when it's more effective to stay WITHIN your range of ease and comfort. And how you can use this mindful approach to improve your horse's performance too!
Improve Your Movement by Changing How You Initiate It
You can develop better body awareness and coordination by pausing and changing the very BEGINNING of a movement. In this episode you'll learn how to apply this to any movement, including riding, leading your horse, walking or any other movement.
How Limiting Beliefs Keep You Stuck
Do you think you lack the talent, opportunity or confidence to ride better? Do you think your horse is too stiff, spooky or lazy?
In this short episode, you'll get action steps that will help you dismiss limiting beliefs from your mind. So you can create the life you want!
Gratitude From the Trenches
In this episode, Mary shares inspiring thoughts from members of her Happy, Healthy Horsewomen community.
You'll hear what they learned from their horses. And how their horses gently (and sometimes not so gently!) pointed out where and how they could improve.
What Type of Horse Person Are You?
Do you want more flexible hips? Or do you wish you were more balanced, relaxed and confident in the saddle?
In this episode you’ll learn why identifying the type of horse person you are, at your CORE, will align your intentions with your actions and allow you to reach your equine goals and dreams.
These 3 Question Help You Reach Your Goals
Learn 3 questions that'll transform your mindset and help you reach your equestrian goals. You'll get clear on what you really want.
Then You'll learn how to harness the power of your brain to challenge your so-called limitations and start creating the reality where your dreams DO come true!
The Final 2 Keys to Unlock Your Horse’s Superpowers
The FINAL 2keys! You'll hear how you can release your limiting beliefs that may be holding your horse back.
And how to use novel experiences to get the attention of your horse's brain. And how this newfound attention can create fresh, exciting possibilities for how you and your horse move and feel.
The 4th and 5th Keys to Unlock Your Horse's Superpowers
This episode explores the 4th and 5th keys to Unlocking Your Horse's Superpowers. Learn how to release tension and develop FEEL, which is one of the most important skills to have as a horse person. You'll learn how to lay the foundation for easier, healthier ways for you and your horse to move together.
The 2nd and 3rd Keys to Unlock Your Horse's Superpowers
There are 7 key things to enhance your horse's body and mind. I call this improvement Unlocking Your Horse's Superpowers. This episode will explore the 2nd and 3rd keys. You'll learn how to start helping you and your horse move easier and feel better while you deepen your connection. Don't miss it!
The First Key to Unlock Your Horse’s Superpowers
There are 7 key things to enhance your horse's body and mind. I call this improvementUnlocking Your Horse's Superpowers. This episode will explore the first key. You'll learn how to start helping you and your horse move easier and feel better while you deepen your connection. Don't miss it!
Why Your Horse Cares How You Dress
Not the KIND of clothes you wear. HOW you dress. Learn why the way you put your shirt or pants on can create an unbalanced seat, a leg that creeps up, and even pain in your back, neck and shoulders. And discover what to do instead!
How Relaxation Creates Healthy Movement in You and Your Horse
Want to get rid of a common cause of stiffness, soreness and fatigue? In this episode, you’ll learn a NEW way to use relaxation to improve suppleness, generate more power, and enhance well-being. And t his works for you and your horse!
Change Yourself, Change Your Horse
What do you do when your horse feels stiff or resistant? Do you use stronger aids? In this episode, you’ll learn how to turn the focus off your horse and onto YOU. Many excellent riders do this intuitively. Learn how to get started here
What Do You Feel When You Touch Your Horse?
I’ll give you a simple, powerful exercise you can do to improve your feel. And with your improved feel, your hands will naturally pick up more information about your horse. You may even sense WHY your horse is stiff, resistant or sore..
Get Rid of Limiting Beliefs
Are you sabotaging yourself with negative self - talk ? Do you want more confidence, success and joy with your horse? This simple solution can transform your limiting beliefs into ones that help you get you want you want.
How to Communicate with Your Horse
Tired of trying to force your horse to l i s ten to you? L earn simple body/mind tools that ’ll help you understand your horse better and develop a deeper connection . You ’ll both feel better and move easier too !
Are You Designing Your Future? Or Recreating Your Past?
Learn a simple strategy that can jumpstart your creativity and help you design a more joyful, satisfying life for you and your horse. And if you don’t think you’re a “creative person,” be prepared to become one!
Goals vs Results: Why the Difference Matters
There’s a big difference between achieving a goal and getting the RESULT that you want. A simple mindset shift can help you get the satisfying outcome you dreamed of.
How to Move with Your Horse
Did you know that your horse is included in your brain’s “body map?” If horses are an important part of your life, your brain has most probably mapped your horse in your brain.
Better Than Intuition
Wouldn’t it be great to ride and handle your horse with ease and natural feel? And to intuitively know what your horse was thinking and feeling? In this episode, you’ll learn how tapping into your own body and mind can help you understand your horse more.
How to Make Better Decisions for Your Horse
Tuning into your sensations will guide you to make decisions to benefit your horse. Learn why staying true to your values is essential to creating a joyful connection with your horse.
A Simple Way to Prepare Your Body and Mind for Riding
Preparing your body and mind - letting go of stress, anxiety, muscular tension and distracting thoughts - can help you be fully present with your horse.
Improve Responsiveness with Mindful Movement
Mindful movement improves your coordination, flexibility and confidence. It helps you and your horse become more attuned and responsiveness to EACH OTHER.
How Small Steps Lead to Big Results
Whatever equestrian challenge you’re struggling with, you can take steps towards turning it around. Into something that feels easy. Even fun.
Talk to Your Horse's Brain, Not Muscles
This is the third episode in a 3-part series of using the gentle, yet powerful, Rhythm Circles with your horse.
This Small Move Has the Power to Heal
Would you like to know a no-cost, EASY way of helping your horse feel better and move more freely? You're in the right place!
How Your Hands Can Improve Your Horse's Mood
Does your horse interact with you because he HAS to? There's a surprisingly simple hands-on movement that can help your horse feel calmer, more focused and WANT to interact with you.
What Relaxation Really Means
You want your horse to be relaxed and responsive. But do you know if your horse TRULY is relaxed? Some horses appear relaxed, but they’re NOT. Learn how to help your horse be both relaxed and ready to respond.
Don't Overlook This if You Want a Sound Horse
Hello, and welcome to Easier Movement, Happier Horses. My name is Mary Debono, and I'm so glad you're here today.
How Mistakes Improve Your Riding
Everyone makes mistakes, right? But it's HOW you make mistakes that determine if those errors help you reach your goals or hold you back.
Why Riders Can't Use Muscle Memory
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?
Imagine THIS to Effortlessly Improve Your Confidence
Would you like to be a more confident, competent horsewoman?
Why Stretching Can Make You and Your Horse Stiffer
Are you doing stretches with your horse? Do you stretch yourself to stay limber?
Why We Connect, Not Correct
If you're like most people, there's a thing or two you'd like to improve. Maybe it's your posture or maybe it's the way your horse uses her back.
The Value of Getting Started
You want to improve your balance, flexibility and confidence, right? And you want your horse to be supple, sound and relaxed too. But you're already pressed for time! How can you pack more into your day?
Improve Your Confidence with a Simple Brain Hack
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!
Your Horse Has Habits Too - Here's How to Change Them
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?
Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life
Did you know that you have about 60,000 – 70,000 thoughts a DAY? And around 95% of those thoughts are unconscious? That means that you’re telling yourself the same things over and over again. And since most of that self-talk is negative and unhelpful, you’re programming yourself to fail. Yikes!
Are You Hurting Yourself or Your Horse with This Common Habit?
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 Have to Do This Before Your Horse Can Improve
Welcome to Easier Movement, Happier Horses. I'm Mary Debono, your movement and mindset coach. If you'd like to have flexible, balanced movement or relaxed, confident mindset, and a joyful connection with your horse, you're in the right place.
Introduction to Easier Movement, Happier Horses
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.
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