Mac and Me

Tag: Equipilates

  • Transforming Horse and Rider: A Journey with PSSM2

    Enter Lindsay stage left – Because every pony deserves a fairy godmother………..

    The first lesson, we walked. And walked. In fact, we halted for most of it. I remember thinking, This is a bit weird… I mean, I know we’re not exactly Grand Prix ready, but a whole lesson at the walk?

    But here’s the thing – I was completely fascinated. What Lindsay was teaching me made sense in a way nothing else had. Let’s be honest, the traditional “he should be able to do this by now” approach hadn’t exactly been a roaring success, had it?

    Working from the ground with Lindsay. With focus on Mac’s very stiff shoulders.

    Finding Our Feet

    One of the many bits of luck in this journey is that Lindsay’s yard is only about 15 minutes from me. So I was able to travel there for lessons, much easier logistically, and a lot more inspiring.

    The first time I arrived, though, I’ll admit I felt a bit overwhelmed. I walked through the smart stable yard, big dressage horses peering over the doors at me and Mac. There we were: my little Connemara and me, a 50-something rider who’s a bit of a jack of all trades, and definitely not a master of any.

    But Lindsay quickly put me at ease. She said she was happy to teach most horses and riders, as long as they were open to learning. That mattered. That meant something.

    Hooked on the Walk

    We booked a second lesson later that month. Again, we walked. Again, I was hooked.

    Lindsay has this quietly brilliant way of communicating. She brings with her an encyclopaedic knowledge of horse bodies, human bodies, and how they move in harmony. Add to that her calm confidence and an instinctive understanding of what both horse and rider need, and you’ve got a pretty powerful combination. It’s all delivered with empathy, kindness, and a good dose of humour.

    By the end of that second session, I knew two things:

    1. I had a lot to learn.
    2. I’d found the teacher I’d been looking for.

    A Diagnosis

    At the start of our third lesson, Lindsay gently suggested something I hadn’t considered, she thought Mac might have PSSM2. It’s a condition more commonly seen in warmbloods, and she recognised the signs right away; two of the horses she rides have a confirmed diagnosis.

    At one point, Lindsay rode Mac herself. I was both relieved and horrified to see that even with her in the saddle, he still moved down the long side like a banana, curved and bent when he should’ve been straight. On one hand, I was secretly pleased, it wasn’t just my riding. On the other, I was worried: If he’s still like that with her, surely there’s something seriously wrong…

    By the time the results arrived, we were already managing him as if he had PSSM2. Daily low level exercise, we added high-quality magnesium, amino acids and liquid vitamin E to his diet. Sure enough, the test confirmed he was n/P2.

    I was devastated.

    But Lindsay was calm and reassuring.
    “Don’t worry,” she said. “He can still have a normal life. You just need to manage the symptoms—and accept that it will take him longer then other horses to reach each milestone.”

    A New Routine

    The results came in December 2023. By then, I had already:

    • Started moving him daily—sometimes just 30 minutes in-hand
    • Adjusted his diet with PSSM-specific supplements
    • Watched the weather forecast like a hawk and rugged him accordingly

    We continued to visit Lindsay a couple of times a month, focusing on groundwork to build strength. In between visits, we kept hacking the hills.

    And gradually, over the winter, we began to see improvement.

    Changing Me Too

    But the transformation didn’t stop with Mac.

    Lindsay also found me a place in her Equipilates class. I’d done a year of online rider Pilates and dipped in and out of yoga over the years, but this was something different. Weekly, live, in-person classes with the same person retraining my riding? I was thrilled.

    And I had no idea how much it would change me.

    Eighteen months in, I’m straighter, more flexible, and stronger than I’ve ever been. It’s always been said I walk like a farmer (fair!), and my shoulders were notoriously rounded. We’ve worked on those shoulders a lot. A lifelong friend, who’s also a physio and has known me since I was 11, recently noted my posture is better than she’s ever seen it.

    I’ll admit it: I’m a little obsessed.
    I have all the equipment at home and aim to complete two additional online classes from the Equipilates library each week. I even have a pre-ride routine to get myself ready to be the rider Mac deserves.

    As Lindsay would say: “Be the rider your horse would choose.”

    And outside the yard? I’m pain-free, strong, supple, and found myself dancing around the kitchen last weekend feeling more like a ballerina than a farmer.

  • Signs of Struggle: Understanding Horse Fitness and Wellbeing

    Year 5 – Down to the bottom and back again – The Restart: Signs We Couldn’t Ignore

    Mac had the winter of 2022/2023 off, time to rest, grow, and hopefully come back stronger. We brought him slowly back into work in the spring of 2023, starting with plenty of roadwork and gentle hacking.

    In hindsight, he was noticeably worse, steadier, stiffer, and less forward than before. But I pushed on, thinking maybe he just needed to rebuild fitness.

    About 8 to 12 weeks after we restarted, Mac went for his first proper lesson.

    At first, he managed to canter, just about, on the right rein. He got around the arena and even pulled off a 20-metre circle, though it was hard work. On the left rein, though, the canter was barely there. Disjointed, weak, unbalanced, like he simply couldn’t get his body to do it.

    For the next few months, we returned to hacking and strength work. I was under no illusion, at five, Mac simply wasn’t ready to work consistently in the arena. So, we focused on what he could manage, and what we both enjoyed.

    We hacked out with friends, took our time, and began to rebuild confidence. Mac even competed in a TREC competition with a friend and her horse. He was brilliant with the obstacles, especially the gate, the bridge, and the rein back. Calm, clever, and focused.

    But there were still signs of discomfort. During Day 2, particularly while completing the PTV (Parcours en Terrain Varié) phase, an obstacle course designed to test control, obedience, and partnership over varied terrain, we noticed a lot of tail swishing, we were now riding in his third tree’d saddle. Something still wasn’t right.

    That weekend, I was introduced to SMART Saddles, they are treeless but look like a traditional tree’d saddle, and I brought home an ex-demo to try. It was a game changer. Mac moved better almost immediately, straighter, freer, and noticeably more comfortable. For the first time, I felt like the saddle was helping, not hindering him.

    On the first day of TREC, he did run out of energy toward the end of the 12km ride. We finished the last section mostly at walk, and our scores reflected the slower pace. Still, we came away with a very respectable second place, and a quiet sense that we were finally starting to piece the puzzle together.

    Just as I was beginning to accept that Mac might never be the pony I’d hoped for, everything changed. I met Lindsay, the founder of Equipilates® and LWR Dressage & Equitation Science Training, a brilliant dressage trainer and coach who uses Pilates-based techniques to help riders become more balanced, aware, and effective in the saddle.

    It was the beginning of something completely different, not just for Mac, but for me too. Lindsay didn’t see a difficult pony. She saw a body that was struggling, and a rider who wanted to help. Her approach, insight, and empathy opened a door that changed everything for us……………………….

    mac in his trec gear