Imagine Equine Education

Module 1: The Science Behind It All

We begin with the why behind everything that we do in the course. Learn about biomechanics, how to assess posture and movement, the basics of how horses learn, and how to progress cardio and strength training programs correctly.

Module 2: Barn Aisle Exercises

We call these the “barn aisle” exercises because they’re designed to be things that you can do in small spaces - even when the weather is bad or the footing is soup. The barn aisle series is a great warm-up for lunging or riding or a way to keep up with your progress over the winter.

Module 3: Special Considerations

Here we dive back into the theory for another module. We discuss specific topics like identifying subtle signs of fatigue in your horse, how to come back safely after injury or time off, our thoughts on training aids, information on EIPH, and how to read your horse’s body language and pain signals.

Module 4: Lunging with a Purpose

This is where we really start putting everything you’ve learned together for a purpose - lunging with a purpose, that is. ‘Round and ‘round in circles just ain’t it - you can do so much better, and we’ll show you how! Groundwork is an incredibly useful tool, there is so much more to it than mindless round penning. Learn how to use groundwork to make your riding goals come quickly and easily by teaching your horse how to move more efficiently before adding the weight of a rider. 

Module 5: Riding Beyond the Barrel Drill 

Here at NLBR we’re not the biggest fans of “drills” because they’re rarely specific to your horse’s needs and they’re so easy to overdo.  In this module we are building the foundation of healthy movement into our riding. We start you here with transitions, changes in speed, and circles. We’ll also show you how we like to  break up the barrel pattern to work on individual components to really dial things in without burning our horses out. With these foundational concepts, you can develop your own “drills” to target your horse’s weak spots and spend time working on the things that really matter!

Module 6: Tying up Loose Ends

You guessed it, this is where we tie up all the loose ends. When we ran the course initially, it was done “live” with everyone progressing through the modules together. Module 6 was a response to the most common questions our students had after going through the course. We discuss things like collection and elevation, how to integrate these concepts into the barrel pattern and your normal training routines, our parting thoughts and vision for what’s coming next!

Hi! We're Casey (right) and Barb (left) 

and we've crafted a blueprint for the lone wolf, do-it-yourself barrel racer to take them from working harder to working smarter - improving performance while optimizing their horses’ longevity and health.

This process is a culmination of our life’s work.

We’re a physical therapist (Barb)  and a professional barrel racer (Casey). Who met under difficult circumstances when Casey’s horse, Joe, was rehabbing from kissing spine and multiple stifle tears.

Casey did everything she was supposed to do, Joe had surgery and they followed his recovery protocol to the letter - but Casey could tell he wasn’t progressing like he should.

He was cleared to return to under saddle work, but he felt stiff and unhappy - he was not himself at all.

Was it time to retire him to pasture puff status?

In an act of final desperation, she called Barb - to see if anything else could be done. 

And that’s when everything changed.

Together they worked to change Joe’s biomechanics and the dysfunctional movement patterns at the root of the problem, they dialed in and strengthened his specific weak areas while always looking at the whole horse.

Joe was given a guarded prognosis from his surgeon… things were looking hopeless… but together they brought Joe back and 

Casey was able to resume competing with her best friend!