May 15 -16– Idlewild Farm, Sturgeon Bay, WI -

 Clinic - Unveiling the Hoof and Neck Connection. Combination clinic with Ida Hammer and Debbie Davies.

For additional information on this training, go to the link on our website www.Equineselfexpression.com 

For additional information or to sign up, contact Janet Gerl 920-493-0909 / [email protected] / Ida Hammer at [email protected], Debbie Davies [email protected]

In this clinic, participants will have a unique opportunity to

witness ‘before’ and ‘after’ functional, and compensatory

patterns related to both hoof imbalance and neck dysfunction.

Seeking self-carriage in a horse is not only about understanding

the sequencing and function of the muscles in movement. It is

also associated to the relationship between the muscles,

particularly of the neck, as they either align or adapt to

compensatory patterns relative to hoof imbalance, pain,

contraction or restrictive trimming or shoeing forms.

“Movement, balance, weight distribution, straightness”! Are we

speaking of the function of the hoof? Or could it be the neck, often

referred to as the pendulum or rudder of the horse, the most flexible

part of the horse’s spine that allows him to carry weight and alter his

center of gravity. Is it possible that this intricate dance of a horse’s

functional posture is dependent upon the balance of both the hoof and

the neck?

Equine Self Expression & Ida Hammer

Team up to present a 2-day Clinic

“Unveiling the Hoof and Neck Connection”

Understanding the Relationship Between Hoof Balance and Functional Movement

S.H.O.W. (Stock Horse of Wisconsin) presents

Friday, Saturday & Sunday, May 14, 15 & 16

Ida Hammer – “Exploring the Equine Hoof” $100 May 14th

Ida Hammer & Deb Davies - “Unveiling the Hoof and Neck

Connection” – Two days @ $200 per day May 15 & 16th

For more information on how to sign up for this clinic, please go to

www.mackinawdells2.com   or   www.equineselfexpression.com

 For the first time, Whole Horse Trimmer, Rehabilitation Specialist, Hoof Trim Educator and

Consultant, Ida Hammer, will team up with Equine Self Expression’s Debbie Davies, to present a

combination clinic to help students unveil the relationship between the neck and the feet.

Most of you will have heard the 18th century saying, “no foot, no horse”. There are many

implications to this statement, but the most obvious awareness is that the entire weight of a horse’s body

is loaded over 4 feet while he is standing, one while he is galloping and a variation there of through the

transitions to other gaits. The foot is the foundation to all that your horse is and all that he does. 

Not only does the foot impact a horse physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.

The neck of the horse is more than just the pendulum or rudder as suggested above. A horse’s

neck is responsible for the entire balance of the body, with conformational and anatomical characteristics

that influence the form and function of dynamic and static posture. The neck itself, and in relationship

with the skull, the jaw and the hyoid apparatus, are responsible for longitudinal and lateral flexion as well

as bend throughout the horse and localized rotation. There are over 10 superficial and deep muscles of

the neck that are influenced by, and influence the hoof, the balance and trajectory of the hoof, as well as

foot fall, placement and gait. Training and straightness have a direct relationship to correct neck function

and health, and correct neck function is directly impacted by the balance of the hoof.

Students will leave this intense two-day clinic with a deeper understanding of the relationship

between the hoof and neck balance, answering many questions as to the how and why of neck posture

and foot fall, both under saddle and at liberty. So often, students experience frustration at the

displacement of muscular balance in their horses’ neck, and irregularity in foot fall and stride in spite of

supportive training methodologies. Bracing, ventro-flexion, lack of side bend, lateral flexion or

longitudinal flexion, tightness in the jaw, to name a few of the so-called training frustrations that students

experience. This clinic will illuminate some of the reasons that your horse maybe experiencing any of

these imbalances, which also affect the neurologic function of his entire system, and prevent freedom of

movement and transitions though the gaits.

Join us for an educational experience that will take you to the next level of learning and growing as a

horseman and rider, allowing your horse to find the grace, relaxation and freedom of movement that he

deserves to have, every stride, every ride.

Two Day SCHEDULE

•  Movement and balance patterns of the horse related to the neck and hoof
•  Gait analyses, functional neck release patterns and foot fall videos ‘before’
•  Evaluating the hoof and its dynamic balance
•  Evaluating the neck and its dynamic balance
•  Observations of change in the neck through trimming and rebalancing
•  Observations of change in the hoof through neck release exercises
•  Gait analyses, functional neck release patterns and foot fall videos ‘after’
•  The pathways of the hoof and neck function through the spine
•  Introducing the connection between the neck, hoof and hind quarters
•  Question and answers
•  Ida and Deb horse evaluation conversation
•  Take home exercises for the student.