Equine Axis

06/06/2026

Do you know the difference between these two images? 👆👇

⬆️ From back to front — open frame, poll as the highest point: The hindquarters drive actively forward, the hand receives softly. The horse moves in an open, natural posture where the poll is free to rise as the highest point. Energy flows from back to front through a free, swinging back. This is how you build a strong, supple and truly relaxed horse.

⬇️ From front to back — round, forced frame: The hand pulls the head into a round, closed position. The result? The third cervical vertebra collapses, breaking the connection from back to front entirely. The hindquarters disengage, the back blocks and because of that the horse can no longer use its muscles and body correctly.
Over time, this leads to injuries and a horse that works with tension and resistance instead of freedom and relaxation.

The foundation is always the same: ride from back to front, keep the poll as the highest point and ride in an open, honest frame.

Only then does a horse develop the way it should, building strength, suppleness and true relaxation with every training session.

06/05/2026

06/05/2026

Walking is a critical part of my horses’ warmup and cool down for each and every ride. I strive for at least ten minutes of walking before I do anything else, to give the muscles and ligaments time to come to ready for best athletic performance, and also to reduce the risk of injury. ⁣🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️
⁣
What that walk looks like varies from horse to horse, but I strive for as close to a loose rein as I trust that horse to be on, and as big and ground covering as possible, but I also absolutely will NOT nag my horse with my aids to create that walk. Even on a loose rein just starting out, my expectations about my horse’s reactions to my leg and seat are always the same. On the less inspired horse, that means that if I put my leg on, it means GO, and if I half halt, it means WHOA, no matter what my reins are doing. It sets the tone for the whole rest of my ride!

06/02/2026

Use Katie Monahan Prudent’s four-step guide to understand and control your horse's stride length on the approach to and between obstacles.

06/02/2026

There in a couple openings this month through end of August!

Wednesdays: 4:45pm and 5:45pm

Thursdays: 6pm and 7pm

Saturdays: 12pm-3pm

These are slots for lessons and or training rides on your horse at your facility as I currently do not have lesson horses.

Located in Woodinville Wa, abilty to drive within an hour. Note we do have a travel fee for further locations past Monroe and Redmond.

Please inquire directly for rates and setting up your first session with us!

05/23/2026

Learning to ride isn't a straight line. It never was.

If you've ever felt like you were getting worse just when you thought you were getting better, this one is for you.

Learning any complex skill - and riding is one of the most complex there is - doesn't follow a smooth upward path. It feels more like a rollercoaster. And understanding why that is changes everything about how you experience the process.

When you start learning something new, it's hard. Your brain and body are working flat out just to process what's being asked of them. Gradually, with repetition and time, it starts to click. Things that felt impossible begin to feel possible. You find your trajectory and progress feels real.

And then you plateau.

This is not a problem. This is the point.

That plateau is where the skill embeds itself properly. Where what you've learned stops being something you have to think about and starts becoming something you just do. Staying in that place for a while - consolidating before moving on - is not stagnation. It's the foundation for everything that comes next. Think of each point of consolidation as a gatekeeper - building a buffer around your progress so that if you have a wobble further down the line, you won't go all the way back to the beginning. You'll only ever regress to your last point of embedding.

This is also why rushing that process works against you. Ask too much too soon and the nervous system doesn't just struggle - it pulls back. The comfort zone shrinks rather than grows. And what felt like a shortcut becomes a much longer road.
Then we ask something new of you. And for a while, it feels like you've gone backwards.

You haven't.

Nobody learns a new skill without getting it wrong first. That's not a detour from the process - it is the process. You're gathering information. Working out what works and what doesn't. Your brain is doing exactly what it's supposed to do, it just doesn't feel that way from the inside.

This is why we don't rush progression. Not because we don't believe in you. Because we understand what learning actually looks like - and we'd rather you embed something properly than move on before you're ready and spend twice as long unpicking it later.

The rollercoaster isn't a sign something is wrong. It's a sign something is happening.

05/22/2026

The horse moves in diagonal pairs, with one pair providing stability while the other maintains mobility—a pattern remarkably similar to how humans move. Developing off-horse fitness is essential to staying supple and responsive in the saddle, ensuring our own movement doesn't hinder the horse's natural rhythm.

I am currently developing a new course focused on my personal off-horse warm-up routine, designed to share how I stay fit, supple, and functionally mobile in the saddle.

05/14/2026

05/11/2026

I may not be taking new clients currently but the clients I do have I adore and look forward to seeing and getting stronger connections with their horses each week!! Thank you for always bringing a smile to my face guys! Your what makes my dream possible!