Equine Performance Solutions

10/21/2026

“My horse won't stretch unless I use side reins...”

This is probably one of the most common frustrations I hear from horse owners when I suggest adding some in-hand work. Right up there with, "Well, you're just so patient..." 😅

Here's the thing. Getting a horse to lower its head and neck and bring it's nose in, doesn't necessarily mean it's lifting its back or elevating its trunk.

But when you understand how the horse's body is built and organized, and how to influence the different pieces, accomplishing those things becomes a whole lot easier!

When you teach the horse how to stabilize its body, lift the base of the neck, elevate the trunk, and align its spine with the track it's traveling on, the position and movement of the head and neck begin to change as a result.

It's about understanding HOW to influence the horse's body. And once you learn how to do that, you don't need to reach for the side reins, and you really don't need nearly as much patience as you might think either!😀

For that reason, I've decided to start offering virtual consultations!

These are not virtual lessons (I reserve those for students of my Equine Posture & Movement Masterclass), but rather an opportunity for us to take a closer look at your horse together.

During our consultation, we'll:

🐴 Review photos of your horse's posture and videos of its movement.

🐴 Discuss your horse's history, current training approach, and the challenges you're experiencing.

🐴 Look at movement patterns, balance, strength, and spinal alignment, and how difficulties in these areas may contribute to discomfort, body soreness, and even behavioral issues.

🐴 Discuss common patterns and restrictions I encounter in horses and how understanding muscle function plays an important role in influencing posture and movement.

🐴 Talk about what I observe and my recommendations for moving forward.

My goal isn't to give you a quick fix or simply a collection of exercises to perform. It's to help you develop a better understanding of your horse, how its body functions, and what may be contributing to the difficulties you're experiencing.

And here's a bonus! ❤️

If you decide to enroll in my Equine Posture & Movement Training Course within 14 days of our consultation, I'll credit $75 of your consultation fee toward your course tuition!

Send me a DM or text 757-270-9112 to schedule your consultation!

I already run a full schedule with my hands-on work, which I'm not planning to change, so I'll only be able to offer a limited number of virtual consultations every month. 😊

10/16/2026

I’m off to see my sweet daughter in Chicago and some friend in Wisconsin for the weekend. Happy that my Max is in great hands with Rachael Cox while I’m away🥰

10/15/2026

10/14/2026

How often do you check in on your horse’s self-carriage during a ride?

A simple way to test your connection is to give a brief stroke along the horse's neck with the inside hand while maintaining light support on the outside rein. If the connection is true, the horse’s head, neck, and overall balance should remain completely steady, without dropping, shifting, or leaning.

10/13/2026

Creating this course has been a labor of love, and it makes me so happy when students are enjoying the material and finding value in it. ❤️

And it makes me even happier when they take the time to share their experiences!🙏

Want to join us inside the Equine Posture & Movement Training Masterclass? 🐴❤️

We'd love to have you!
https://vicke-s-site.thinkific.com/products/courses/standard

10/12/2026

After recording the Riding Checklist the other day (it was such a dark day that I'll have to re-record it 🙄), we left the camera rolling while I did a quick ride on Max. I wanted to share this little part of it. 😊

I haven't talked much about the struggles we've had with his canter, especially the left lead.

The left lead has always been difficult for Max, but especially when asking him to balance, shape his body, and lift his back. He just couldn't get himself off the inside shoulder and achieve the correct lift and rotation through his spine.

He was so crooked in his body and just had no idea how to align and stabilize his spine. He would drop the base of his neck and invert to the point where there was practically no place left for me to sit. And the feeling he would give me was one of high anxiety, borderline panic.

He would start drifting to the right while twisting his neck and pointing his nose up and to the right. I would feel like I couldn't turn or stop him, so I'd end up going into two-point and slowly try to bring him back down to a trot without pulling his head up and back.

I've always suspected that he might have kissing spine, although I've never had X-rays taken to confirm it. At the time, I didn't want to have that visual in my mind influencing how I approached his training, so I just worked with him as though he did have it.

Now that he's going so well, I'm actually considering having X-rays done, just to see...😅

Along the way, we've had our fair share of setbacks with physical ailments and other challenges, but we're finally in a really good place, and his training is coming along. ❤️

But one of the biggest lessons Max has taught me has been about the mental and emotional side of training.

In the beginning, my approach was focused strictly on the physical. Back then, I saw the problem and I wanted to fix it💪💪

But with Max, that didn't work.

He seemed to take it as a challenge whenever I pointed out his weaknesses, and he'd immediately become defensive and aggressive.

So I had to learn how to reach him on a mental and emotional level first. Only then would he grant me access to help his body.

For a long time, between the tension, body soreness, and his emotional responses, I felt like I had to ride him as though he were made of glass. Physically, mentally, and emotionally, I had to be so careful about what I asked of him and how I asked.

He was fragile...

But we've finally reached a point where he feels genuinely trainable. And I feel like he's actually really enjoy working and the way he's able to moves these days.

I was laughing with my trainer the other day because now it's ME who needs to step up my game and actually start really riding again, or I'll be the one holding us back! 😂

And what a pretty great feeling! ❤️

If you'd like to learn more about the Riding Checklist I use to bridge the gap between in-hand work and ridden work, join me in my Equine Posture & Movement Training Masterclass!

Link in bio. 🐴❤️

10/09/2026

This is something I’ve been saying for years, and Yogi Sharp reinforced it during the clinic I attended.

Muscle tension, fascial restrictions, and a horse’s mental and emotional state all influence posture and movement, which in turn influence the feet. Likewise, the feet influence posture, so it’s not simple. 😅

Learn to look at the whole horse. Learn to recognize what normal posture and movement should look like, and then work toward helping the horse achieve it.

Don’t simply adjust the feet to accommodate abnormal posture. Balance the feet according to correct posture, not dysfunctional movement.

Address posture and movement through bodywork, movement training, saddle fit, pain management, and other appropriate interventions. Address the mental and emotional aspects through how you treat and interact with the horse, as well as through living conditions, social interactions, and other aspects of their environment.

Don’t lose sight of the forest because you’re looking too closely at the trees. 😅

Same hoof, 4 weeks apart, both mid trim. The right is on the 12th September, and shows imbalance in the lateral toe quite clearly. Horse was wearing laterally due to upper body tightness and soreness. A week or so after that trim the mare got some body work done my Michelle at Horse In Hand, and the left photo is mid trim today. Almost no imbalance in the toe, and wear is minimal. The horse is moving much straighter and more correct.

Hoof work and body work go hand in hand with diet and ridden work. You've got to have all of these things in order for your horse to perform!

10/09/2026

😅

10/08/2026

Yesterday I recorded “The Riding Checklist” for my Posture & Movement Training Course, and I ended up recording it on Max!! It was a rainy, dark day, so I may have to re-record some of it, but it felt like such a full-circle moment. ❤️

Anyone who has followed me for a while knows the struggles I’ve had with Max. When I first started creating this course, there was absolutely no way I could have used him to demonstrate this material. He was simply too difficult to work with.

Yesterday, I arrived at the barn at the same time as the videographer. I’d been too busy to ride, so Max had already had two days off. I pulled him straight out of his stall and started filming.

No prepping. No warm-up.

🥰And there he was, calmly and willingly helping me demonstrate the exercises I use to uncover holes in a horse’s training and places where they’re confused about an aid or fall back into old patterns.

It’s how I transition horses from the in-hand work to the ridden work, and what I come back to when I feel them reverting to their old patterns (they almost always do) and becoming anxious or stressed again.

That’s when, instead of punishing them for not understanding what they’re supposed to do with their body, or how they can control and respond to the pressure, I try to say:

“Don’t worry... We’re not doing it like that anymore. I know you’re confused... Let me show you another way.”

For Max, like many OTTBs, downward transitions, halting, and especially rein back used to be incredibly difficult. Asking him to rein back once felt risky and pretty much impossible... It was this balancing act where I felt like he was on the verge of panicking, running backward, rearing, or even flipping over. IYKYK...😅

So if you had told me a couple of years ago that I’d one day pull him out of his stall after two days off and calmly use him to demonstrate these exercises for my course, I’m not sure I would have believed you.

Thinking about that afterward made me pretty emotional🥹

Because this is what this course is really about.

I feel this material can benefit any horse capable of light work, and especially performance horses, but it was developed through my work with the struggling and misunderstood horses.

I’m not working with six-figure horses while filming this course. I’m working with horses that have struggled to succeed, horses that have failed out of training, and from there I look for a way to guide them toward finding another, better version of themselves.

Max—you’ve been my biggest teacher, and I’m so incredibly proud of you and grateful that you came into my life. ❤️

10/07/2026