Knowledge and education are key.
About the project.
Horses have been a part of human civilization for millennia but in recent years the ethics of using them for sport and leisure has been put into question. There are many problems is the way we use horses today. Many of them are not properly managed and not properly trained, and many end up ending their careers or even their lives when they should be in their prime. Often this is a consequence of ignorance rather than malice. Thanks to equestrian science we now understand much more about what kind of an animal the horse is from an ethological, biomechanical, and physiological perspective. We now have the tools to do better, we just need to learn to use them. The many problems of the equestrian community cannot be solved overnight but there is something each and every one of us can do to bring positive change and that is to educate ourselves.
The Functional Horse aims to play a part in offering sound information about the way we keep, manage and train horses. It is our goal to convey information in a digestible, easy-to-understand way. By bringing the information brought forward by equestrian science into practice, we can start making positive changes.
About me.
I am an equine bodyworker and a biomechanics enthusiast from Slovenia. I finished my original certification at Equinology in 2012 after which I traveled around Europe to learn as much as possible from different equine professionals. I was lucky enough to learn from many different physiotherapists, osteopaths, veterinarians, and trainers. Through my travels, I gained a broader knowledge of not only manual therapy but the concepts of healthy biomechanics as well. It is my belief that many problems faced by today’s riding horses stem from a general misunderstanding of what kind of animal the horse is and what happens to his body when we put a rider on top. It is every equine professional’s job to educate the equestrian public and broaden the understanding of what the horse needs in order to stay sound. I believe that teamwork is the key to success when it comes to keeping horses happy and sound, which is why I work closely with a variety of different equine professionals.
Accreditations
2012 – The Equine Shiatsu Foundation Course (Croatia)
2012 – Equinology Equine Bodyworker Certification Course EEBW (UK)
2013 – NRC Plus with Dr. Eleanor Kellon
2013 – Neurological and Muscular Disorders with Dr. Eleanor Kellon
2015 – Fascia Retraining and Postural Rehabilitation Symposium (Germany)
2016 – Sports Massage Course (Higeja, Slovenia)
2017 – International Classical Dressage Workshop (Anja Beran, Germany)
2017 –» Working student « at Ylvie Fros (The Netherlands)
2017 – Bent Branderup Academic Art of Riding Clinic (The Netherlands)
2017 – The rider’s seat clinic with Tom Nagel (The Netherlands)
2017 – Centered Riding Clinic with Ylvie Fros (The Netherlands)
2018 – Rehabilitation Trainer Basic II with Dr. Karin Liebbrandt (The Netherlands)
2020 – Equine Manipulation, Myofascial, and Mobilization Techniques with Caroline Lindsay
2021 – Motor-Controlled Based Rehabilitation for Equine Spinal Dysfunction with Nicole Rombach
2022 – Fascial Manipulation by Stecco Hybrid Course for Animals Level I (Italy)