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Amazon Australia: Charmaine-marie
20 November 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Absolutely love this Book.
Scientific data, practical exercises, written beautifully for the reader. A book definitely for an advancing Equestrian who wants to learn more about correct biomechanics of the horse and what exercises can help develop carrying power and flexibility........
2019 Maree Hinken DVM, Wisconsin USA
I want to thank you so very much for having Simon come to Xenophon Farm in Massachusetts. He was such a pleasure to work with, and I truly feel that it was an extraordinary experience for Nemo and me that will improve the quality if our work together. I am in awe that Nemo worked so well... I didn’t have to!
This was truly a lesson like no other, and just what I was seeking.
Thank you again,
Janet & Nemo November 2019
Beverley Molter , professional trainer uk 2019
‘I use this every day and can honestly say these methods are the way forward to produce happier, stronger , sounder and more focused horses and ponies .
Easily adaptable for youngsters, rehab cases , retraining and requiring no fancy gadgets’ .
A. Allison - USA Amazon purchaser
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous excersises to help a horse strengthen, relax and respond correctly to rider aids
September 30, 2019 Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
Long review, sorry not sorry, but I REALLY like this book!! I was pretty skeptical but was desperate for help in getting my mare to relax, use her back and build more topline. She's a tense/nervous sort anyway and had been dealing with back tenderness for years (ovarian problems unbeknownst to me). This had resulted in a variety *ahem* of behavioral problems and she had really become hollow in the back... and tense! The back tenderness/ovarian issue was addressed and she was much happier in her work and progressing well, but was still a bit tense and very weak in the back. This is where the book comes in. These exercises are all to be begun at the walk and can be done by all horses, regardless of fitness. They may even be exercises you have done before, they are just to be done a bit differently. My mare LOVES these exercises and I now incorporate them into every warmup. I have been doing them 4-6 times/wk for a couple of months now and she has become much more relaxed and "up" in her back as well as having built more muscle over her back and rump. She has also gotten SO MUCH EASIER to ride and more correct in her way of going. My skeptic brain is honestly shocked by how much this has helped her. I recommend it for all horses, but especially for young horses starting out, for horses with sore/tense backs or with kissing spine and for those who pull or fight the bit or have other evasive behaviors. If they CAN please us, they generally do.... or at least they try. If they don't it's quite possibly because they can't do it physically or because they don't understand what we are asking. This book helps with ALL of that.
Lindsey Cross Culver , Catlin Farm Dressage USA 2019
Congratulations Simon, on your book release🙌🏼 Highly recommend this book! We have put his warm up methods to work with our horses the past several months and the results have been fabulous, especially for those with kissing spine and recovering from EPM! Working on clinic dates with him for hopefully later this fall!
Steffi Knoll GER
In the book "The rider forms the horse" by Dr. Udo Bürger and Otto Zietschmann this is explained in detail how different horses need different help. Nowadays more emphasis is placed on core strengthening. The conditioning method of the Viscomte Simon Cocozza makes professional training feasible for the amateur rider.
https://www.joy-with-horses.com
Hilary Turtell - UK 2016 Loved it and it's so easy to remember. At the end of my first practice at home I got a perfect canter to walk transition. He's NEVER done that before. Amazing!
D. Isaacson USA 2017
Chaussette is absolutely amazing! I’ve been doing what you suggested diligently.... I have not missed a day since June 1st with her! Even if it was just stretching and bending! My vet/ chiropractor came this last week to check her... the one that worked on her on July 5th! Well she is doing soooo fantastic! He had me look at her back and he could move every single vertebrae back and forth with not one touching! She was totally fixed this july! Yes I cried I was so thrilled! He was in awe... he said we were doing amazing things that most horse owners would not take the time to do! So I Just really wanted to express my gratitude to you and your extreme kindness and willingness and all of your wisdom in her journey! I’m so excited... I have a completely different horse now! I will continue working with her I know we still have so much to do to completely heal her! But this was huge! Please keep sending me info to help her in the very best way! I truly am so very grateful to you and look forward to more of your wisdom and knowledge! You would be shocked at her muscle from all her backing and such! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Jill Dainton GB 2017
My horse was diagnosed ks in March after stopping jumping. has also been diagnosed with mild hock arthritis too. have chosen not to operate. horse is 10. have had chiro, physio, carrot stretches and ridden exercises (viscount cocozza) haven't stopped riding. changed to a wow saddle. my horse is straighter and stronger than she has ever been and back jumping again. I have just had her injected with equidronate which should help ks as well as hock arthritis. she will need on going physio I'm sure, but is like a new horse. x
Marina Kallioniemi 2016 - Finland
Warmly recommend everyone to join. :) I started my journey 18 months ago with the remote advices of Visconte - this journey has been amazing, my horse has KS, but these exercises can really transform your horse no matter what kind of horse u have. Mobility and self carriage, easiness in working and natural balance - simply feels great. I am so happy that Simon has also visited Finland and helping us to do the exercises correctly and it is amazing how even the basis exercises evolve with the time - u can really perfect them further when your horse is getting stronger.
Jana Vojtová and Pretoria Essen :) November 2017
I am writing you in order to thank you for supportive information online and for giving me any feedback previously about my horse.
We followed rehab exercises and a different hoof trimmer started to take care of him. We did some control xrays and it showed the space between the processes is maybe 3 times bigger than in 2016! The head posititon was high, no sedation and the horse was standing downhill to make sure we see the real thing. I was super pleased with the result.
Thank you again for the information you spread such as core activation. It is by far the most valuable thing I learned around horses.
Dear Simon
Thank you for the wonderful lecture and clinic last weekend. It was massively informative and only limited by limit to absorb the material available.
The quality of your teaching really is first class. Very clear and easy to understand instructions delivered at the appropriate moment, resulted in Jack and I having a 'light bulb moment' in the middle of our 'leg yielding'. It really provided a key to unlock the door into the potential of mine and Jack's dressage ability together. We both got quite excited about it and will have to work on calming down about our new found side ways movements! Thankfully, we have the relaxation exercises in our tool kit, so we are all set for our winter training, weather permitting.
Thanks once again for a wonderful weekend of learning.
Best wishes
Christina and Jack
Hi,
i just wanted to say a huge thankyou to you and Simon for allowing me a slot on saturday morning . i'm sure that i seemed pretty clueless in the session (coloured horse in first session on Saturday.) However i came home and i have really thought about everything Simon was trying to teach me and have read around the whole subject of engaging core muscles.
Today Kido and i had another practise and everything seemed to make sense. Simon said on Saturday that you would know when your horse was actually working correctly and today i did! it felt completely effortless, and soft , a bit like sitting on an airbag( best analogy i can think of).
Now of course, i'm not quite sure what i do next.
I hope that Simon returns to Somerset next year, do you let past course participants know of future clinics? i would certainly like to come back for more.
Once again, many thanks, Karen
Beverley , UK its core strengthening and works for everything . Buzzy ones become calm and focused and lazy ones become more energized !
Jo Lintern, UK
Thank you so much for organising the lecture last night, it was fantastic in in simplicity and straightforwardness. Please pass on my thanks to Simon for a great presentation (as a physio and now Pilates instructor as well as having worked with equine behavioural problems in my 20's it was exciting to see so much sense in his simplicity). I had managed to get your flier to a friend Rebecca who came today with her Grey and was so appreciative of the tools it has given her.
Please do keep me informed of your October dates, as I would love to come and watch if I am unable to borrow a horse to bring (although I have 2 in mind!).
Beverley, England
What an inspiring weekend it was ! Thank you so much I came on foot at the last minute with Naomi W and have spent all week playing with all the horses and ponies in my care with fantastic results . They range from just backed to well established and the exercises suit all ...including ponies ! Also several I have been a bit stuck with ( not progressing ) have really benefited and I can see a clear path forward . I will certainly bring horses next time ! Excited and Inspired .
Dana, UK
I just wanted to say a massive and heartfelt thank you for the weekend... whilst intense, the whole hour was amazing and to come away and look at the photos, you can see his frame physically change as the hour goes on! I rode tonight just for 35 minutes and from the second we started it was like riding a different horse!
Onwards and upwards and I will of course keep you posted on our progress. Should you come for another clinic in October, I will be there with hopefully a much changed horse!
Thank you again, Dana & Ollie
Thank for sharing your expertise with us last weekend, it was very thought provoking & the response I got from my horse was amazing. Dougie transformed throughout the session, each exercise unlocked some magic! We have a long long way to progress but we were certainly more harmonious at the end of the session. I actually felt some free forward movement. This is what I've been searching for. I will be practicing as much as possible & very keen for next time.
Lassi started his competition season (one level higher than last year) in the beginning of May with a second place :-) he scored 7 and 8 in canter and I'm really happy with that improvement! Still doing better every day.
I've only done one session with Simon, so I'm a true novice in Horse Yoga. I don't often do an entire session just yoga but I typically start warm-up with the yoga exercises I learned and I do some to end the riding session. Sometimes I also do a little bit of yoga when I give her a break during a training session. The funniest thing has started happening: Quintana has started "asking" for yoga when I give her a break - she stretches her head way down and starts walking a small circle. It must mean that it feels good for her :D
Rebecca, UK
Thank you so much for having me and Gaston at the clinic yesterday! It was really exciting to make such progress in one session. Will keep up the work! I'm a definite to bring 3 horses in October please! Many many thank yous and everyone was so friendly yesterday and positive! Best, Rebecca.
Salo, Finland
Filuri is all ready 18 and has arthrosis both in front knees and sesamoid bones. He has been several years on devil's claw and during the breaks he has also felt a bit stiff. This spring he has started to move in the different way feeling more supple and in May I first time in 3 years left the devil's claw from his feed for a month without noticing that he would start to go stiff. Lovely to notice that as he has started to use his body in better way his legs are also healthier and I don't need to feed him "painkillers" all the time :)
Lassi started his competition season (one level higher than last year) in the beginning of May with a second place :-) he scored only 7 and 8 in canter and I'm really happy with that improvement! Still doing better every day.
Christine, UK
Thank you very much for organising the clinic on Saturday, plus the lecture on Friday with Simon Cocozza. I really felt both my horse and I gained a great deal, and feel we now have some very useful 'tools' in our tool box to help us both improve. Please do let me know about the clinic in October, as am very keen to build on what we have learnt. Hope you had a good day on Sunday, and look forward to seeing you soon. Meanwhile, we shall keep going with the exercises!
Hanne Rainesalo - Physiotherapist
Hello! Due to some health-issues we've only been doing yoga for about a month now, but I'm super excited about it! My 8 yr old gelding Åke is a big mover but apparently has even less core strength than I had imagined. In the beginning we did the volt for 10 min and he got all wobbly in the hindlegs like he'd worked really hard! He figured out the low stretching of the neck immediately (I had to switch to an old pair of graman reins because his neck is so damn long), it's the hindquarters that's difficult for him to balance. The small volt calms him down nicely (he can be quite fidgety) and he seems to enjoy the work but he has to do it almost in slow motion to be able to bend through the body and step in under with his inner hind.
Outi Laaksonen
I rode yesterday first time after the yoga session. It's amazing how it affects the horse that he doesn't have that much muscle tension in his body. It has also a huge impact on horse mentally. I have had a tensed, worried horse and now it seems like I have a horse that is confident in the stable and during riding. It also seems like his back would have changed a lot during the past couple of weeks.
I'm really happy about getting to know about this method as I think it's not just for something for horses with back problems but it's also great for finding out what there is in our horses and helping them to work with us in a relaxed way. Already now I feel like with this horse the weaknesses starting to change to be strengths and there are more opportunities than threats waiting us in the future :)
1 1/2 years of Yoga core work with Roope by Outi Laaksonen on 2017-10-31.