Transcript: Horsefulness Training podcast-episode 22

Title: body and self awareness

Date: [01-08-25]

Host: Karine Vandenborre

Hello lovely horsewoman,

Welcome back to the Horsefulness Training Podcast.
Today’s episode is one that is very close to my heart, because it’s about something that affects every single moment we spend with our horses, even if we’re not aware of it.

It’s about body awareness.
And it’s also about the subtle, yet powerful language we speak through our posture, our breath, and our energy.

Your Body is Always Speaking

Whether you’re standing next to your horse, walking beside them in liberty, or asking for a movement on the lead rope, your body is always saying something.
And your horse… is always listening.

Sometimes, without realising, we send out unclear or conflicting signals with our body. Our hands may say one thing, our breath another, and our tension another still. When that happens, the horse doesn’t know what to trust. This can cause confusion, frustration, or even shutdown or overreaction.

But when you become aware of what your body is doing, how you're standing, how you're breathing, how you're feeling inside, then something changes.
You become more grounded, more clear, more calm.

And your horse?
Your horse will feel that, and respond to that.

What is Body Awareness?

Body awareness is simply becoming conscious of how you are being in your body.
It’s noticing:

• How you're breathing
• Where there is tension
• What your posture is like
• How you're standing or moving
• What your energy is doing

And then gently adjusting, softening, grounding.

This doesn't mean controlling everything or becoming stiff. It's the opposite, it's about becoming present, relaxed, alive in your body.

A Simple Practice: Standing Together

One of my favorite exercises to develop body awareness is something I call “Standing Together.”
You can do this in a liberty context or on the halter.

1. Go stand with your horse. Don’t ask anything.
2. Just be there. Feel your feet on the ground.
3. Notice your breath. Is it fast? Shallow? Can you allow it to deepen?
4. Relax your shoulders.
5. Close your eyes for a moment and feel your horse beside you.

You can even place your hand on your chest or belly to help connect with your breath.

You’ll start to notice that as you shift internally, your horse often shifts too. Maybe they sigh, lick and chew, take a deeper breath, or move closer.
This is where connection begins, in being, not in doing.

Why Body Awareness Matters in Training?

When we are grounded and clear in our body:

• We give more precise, softer aids
• Our timing improves
• Our horse feels safer and more understood
• We reduce confusion and frustration
• We start to “feel with” instead of “do to”

It’s also incredibly important when we work with pressure, whether physical or driving.
If we lack body awareness, we often use too much pressure, or we deliver it in an unclear way.
Listen to my previous podcast episode to learn more about pressure.

If you use pressure in an unaware way, it’s possible that your horse goes into push-back, evasion, or freeze.

But when your energy, your posture, your breath are aligned with your intention, and with what you are asking or saying, the communication becomes smooth and often very subtle… it’s magical.
That’s true “feel,” and it starts with being present in your own body.

Body Awareness and Emotion

I also want to mention that our body holds our emotions.
If you're nervous, hurried, tense, or doubtful, your horse will feel that through your body.

But that’s not a bad thing. It’s simply something to notice, not to judge.
When you bring kindness and curiosity to what’s going on inside, and give yourself the space to breathe and shift, you’re already doing the work.
And your horse will notice and appreciate that too.

What if You’re Not Good at This?

You don’t have to be perfect.
This is not about doing everything right.

It’s about practicing awareness, about slowing down, about feeling instead of rushing or doing things in an automatic way.
Even just pausing for a breath, relaxing your jaw, feeling your feet on the ground, that’s enough to begin.

The more you do this, the more natural it becomes.
And it will completely change how your horse experiences you.

In My Own Journey…

When I started to pay more attention to how I was breathing, where I held tension, and how I moved, I noticed that my horses became more at ease.
Even when I wasn’t doing any “training.”

I remember a few days ago this moment with my mare Lila. I was simply standing with her, and I realised my shoulders were up by my ears, and I was holding my breath.
I’d had stress that day, because of too many chores to do, and I didn’t take enough time to relax and pause.

But the moment I realised that my shoulders were up and my breath was tense, I let out a long exhale, softened my arms and shoulders, and felt my feet.
I connected with myself again, going out of my head, into my body.

She immediately lowered her head too, sighed, and stepped closer to me.
It was such a small moment, but at the same time such a powerful one.

It reminded me again that presence is always the foundation of connection.
And I also always say: connection with yourself is key, first connection with yourself, then with the horse.

And this is the same in liberty work, in groundwork, and even in riding.
I had an amazing moment a while ago with a student of mine who was fearful when riding her horse.

So we focused on sitting on the horse with awareness, connecting with the breath and her body, feeling the saddle, and from there on feeling towards the body of the horse, all in standing.
And from that moment of connection, we started riding in walk, and then in trot, and it was beautiful to witness that even a fearful rider can ride with so much relaxation if the rider knows how to connect with herself.

Ready to Go Deeper?

If you want to explore this more deeply, I’d love to invite you to join my Liberty, Connection & Beyond program.

In this unique program, we go far beyond techniques and step-by-step plans.
We focus not only on liberty connection work but also on inner work, like breath, body awareness, energy, intention, and how that influences the connection with your horse.

We’ll do guided body and breath exercises, learn how to use our posture and energy clearly, and I’ll help you feel confident, relaxed, and centered in your body…

So your horse can trust you more fully.
So you can be the confident horsewoman your horse needs you to be.
And so you can enjoy training your horse in a truly connected way.

If you are interested in this program, the *Liberty, Connection & Beyond* program it’s called, you can already join the Inner Circle List (which of course is obligation-free!).

As an Inner Circle Member, you’ll be the first to know when the doors open, receive an exclusive invitation, and get access to a special Inner Circle discount and extra bonuses ♡

I hope to welcome you on the list!

Till then!

© Karine Vandenborre - Horsefulness Training.  All Rights Reserved