Unveiling the Hoof and Neck Connection
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.