FUNctional Movement Play

FUNctional movement play leads the way to better balance, strength, coordination, ability, agility, mobility, flexibility, confidence and connection to space and the environment. 

WE INVITE THEM TO PLAY LIKE THE HORSE THEY WERE BORN TO BE.

The invitation to play through autonomy, choice, and voice.  

Extrinsic and Intrinsic both provide opportunities to find motivation for movement.

What emotional state motivates your horse?

Emotions are directly related to motivation, and studies have shown that emotions play an

important role in the elicitation of motivation in general, and intrinsic motivation in particular.

-Extrinsic motivation involves engaging in a behavior in order to earn external rewards or avoid punishment.

Positive reinforcement and food rewards are extrinsically motivating for the horse to repeat and build behaviors. It involves rewards for a job well done just like your paycheck from your job.

I use the extrinsic motivation tools of positive reinforcement, clicker and target training, and food reinforcers to explore, find and reward those moments of highest effort for movement. 

-Intrinsic motivation involves a behavior that is driven by internal rewards.  It feels good and you feel inspired and moved to do it.

Those effortful moments are internally driven with the release of 'feel good' chemicals.                  This becomes intrinsic in motivation to move similarly again to simply get a hit of 'nature's pharmacy'.

I tap into intrinsic motivation through play and movement myself for the horse to imitate/mimic. 

I shape those playful movements with +R into functional collection/physical engagement.  Both create mental and emotional engagemet as well. 

Intrinsic motivation helps horses feel confident, brave, proud, and agile and balanced.  

Horses enjoy showing off these movements and are rewarded by the natural release of brain chemicals. Balance is found emotionally and mentally as well as physically when a horse is intrinsically motivated. 

Fun fact: After movement, especially intrinsic movements, when a horse stands or lands ‘square’, they are emotionally, mentally and physically balanced in their body and mind.

Proprioceptive Systems

Proprioception, also referred to as kinaesthesia, is the sense of self-movement and body position. It is sometimes described as the "sixth sense". 

Proprioception is mediated by proprioceptors, mechanosensory neurons located within muscles, tendons, and joints.

Proprioception, in layman speak, is the ability to know where you are, and where your respective body parts are, in relation to the environment.  

For a horse, a lack of this sensation could lead to injury. 

Many horses who show behaviors their humans find challenging have poor proprioceptive awareness.  

It can affect their ability to walk calmly and in balance on the halter and lead.  Their willingness to jump over something on the ground, like a barrel or a log, or pass through a narrow space can be affected as well. 

Sometimes they stand on top of you and are seemingly unaware of this.  

Improving proprioception improves your horse’s awareness of where their body parts are in space including limb and foot placement.

Most horses will benefit from improving their proprioception, but if your horse tends to stumble, trip or finds it difficult to negotiate poles this could be due to poor proprioception so any exercises to help increase their awareness of where their limbs are will help.

▪️If they are more aware of where their limbs are they are less likely to clip that pole during your showjumping round, loose their footing when negotiating uneven ground on a hack or on the cross country course, and find it easier to position their limbs and body as you are asking during your dressage test.

▪️If your horse is rehabbing from an injury or has a weaker limb, improving their awareness of this limb is a great way to encourage them to strengthen it.

▪️An example of this is to use a single overreach boot or a weighted bracelet on the weaker limb, making the horse suddenly more aware of the limb as it feels different and therefore encouraging them to increase the flexion in this limb.**

**This effect only lasts temporarily though as after time the horse will get used to the different feeling in the leg.

Stability Mat or Stability Pad Benefits

There are many benefits to using these in FUNctional movement training. 

These include:

• Activates core stability muscles
• Challenges the bodies' vestibular system (improving co-ordination)
• Increases proprioception (awareness of where the body is in space)
• Assists in improving joint stability
• Assists in developing a healthy and strong posture (good balance requires good      posture)
• Can assist in injury prevention
• Low intensity exercise so suitable for lots of horses (so long as they are in  general good health)
• Strengthen muscles, quickly increasing their power output which translates into the ridden work and training
• Increases body confidence
• Can assist in mental confidence and have a calming effect

No motivation or proprioceptive system challenges are possible without offering our horses autonomy, choice and voice. 

They will accept our ‘invitation’ for intrinsic play and FUNctional movement if motivated properly through fun and fair learning.