Whole Horse | Observing posture and behaviour to meet your horse where they are with Equine Physiotherapist Yasmin Stuart

This week I was joined by Equine Physiotherapist Yasmin Stuart, who is also a BTMM apprentice trainer with Celeste Lazaris. As I recently enrolled in Celeste Lazaris’ self-study Nerve Release Technique course, it felt very aligned to connect with Yasmin for a chat about her work and the patterns she’s been noticing amongst her clients through the lens of posture and nerve impingement. She thoughtfully explained her findings on the relationship between posture and behaviour, and outlined the need to consider these two variables in tandem in order to make informed assessments about our horses’ suitability for being ridden.   I have been delving into this work with my own girls for a little while now, so I was excited to hear Yasmin’s perspective on my observations and queries, such as the difference between conformation and posture.  It was wonderful to discuss our mutual love for these important and nuanced aspects of health, welfare and wellness for horses. I hope our conversation leaves you feeling empowered to pick and choose methods and modalities that resonate for you and your horse, and to meet your horse where they are.  Yasmin is an internationally sought-after practitioner and lecturer in Equine Physiotherapy, who has taught clinics in the USA, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Italy and Spain. Yasmin has been in practise as an Equine Physiotherapist for over 8 years and was the Programme Manager for Equine Physiotherapy at the Open College of Equine Studies, where she spent 3 years in charge of the training and development of the next generation of Equine Physiotherapists. Yasmin is passionate about welfare-led interactions with all animals and this is evidenced by her thirst for evidence-based practice which truly puts the horse’s perception of their experience first - not only during treatments but also through educating their owners to make well-informed choices which contribute to their horse’s overall emotional and physical wellbeing via their management and exercise. She firmly believes that there is a better way to do things for our horses. A humane way, that puts the needs of the horse firmly at its centre and she is excited about how the equine industry is beginning to change in light of this. Yasmin connected with Celeste-Leilani Lazaris - better known as the Travelling Horse Witch - and studied her Nerve Release Technique and has since become one of Celeste's apprentice trainers. Yasmin has recently released an online course - The Fundamentals of Horse Posture - which aims to educated horse owners and professionals alike on horse posture and how to identify presentations outside of the norm. www.yasminstuartequinephysio.com