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Biomechanics of Movement
for the Horse & Rider
August 5, 2023
Advanced Program to Improve Movement in Any Discipline
$300
Limited to 10 spots
Auditors: $100/day
Located on West End of Ramona
Find the simplicity & complexity of riding
What to expect from the clinic?
First, check out the bios below! You'll quickly see that you're getting access to THREE excellent practitioners and horsemen and horsewoman: Dr. Heather Mack, Pete Spates, and Paul Seitz. As an equine sports medicine veterinarian for over 30 years, Dr. Mack will help the riders understand and help their horse’s posture and that will naturally flow into Pete and Paul’s expertise in showing how that relates to riding a particular horse.
As for the logistics of the clinic, the first day/morning will start with all three clinicians evaluating the horses and riders. Dr. Mack generally goes through acupuncture meridians and checks the horse's spine and extremes. She determines which is their dominant side and explains how we can help support their weaker side. Paul then will do some ground work and ride the demo horse and any others that need to be ridden by an experienced trainer. Pete will have plenty to contribute that will back up what Dr. Mack & Paul are finding and what the horse is showing them.
The group will likely then be broken in to two smaller groups, where Dr. Mack goes through the horses' bodies and Paul will work with the other half on on-horse movements. The groups will switch at the appropriate time. Pete will float between the two groups lending his priceless expertise.
Day 1 will be a ton of info, so we’ll do it all over on Day 2 and refine the postural rehab exercises Dr. Mack will teach on the ground. Paul and Pete will refine the things worked on in Day 1. This is a priceless opportunity to learn how to read and connect to your horse's body and movements.
3 Outstanding Instructors:
Paul Seitz, Dr. Heather Mack, & Pete Spates
Heather was one of the first women accepted at Columbia University in NYC and received her B. S. there. She spent one year in Great Britain studying Veterinary Science at the University of Bristol in Langford, U. K. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 1991. In the early 90’s she received certification from both the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) and the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA). She began her studies of Traditional Chinese Medicine and
Dr. Heather Mack was born and raised in Pennsylvania surrounded by nature and animals. She always wanted to become a veterinarian and to move out West. She began riding horses at 9 years old and they are still her #1 passion. When she is not busy with her Equine Sports Medicine practice you will find her playing with her own horses, exploring the wilderness or refining her riding and
Dr. Heather Mack, VMD
horsemanship skills. Where most recent graduates buy into a practice to secure a future she convinced her parents to help her buy a horse ranch in Idaho. For over 19 years she has been breeding, raising, training, observing herd dynamics and healing horses there at the Mystic Canyon Ranch. She often says it has been a University of education on that ranch.
Acupuncture in 1985 with Dr. Kenny Gong while attending Columbia College. Heather has been on a continual path of studying alternative medicine since then. She has apprenticed with Native American Elders, studied with South American Shamans as well as many other healers/teachers and has dedicated her life to the conscious practice of holistic medicine and lifestyle. Heather believes that in our increasingly fast paced world that horses are an important link to keep us connected to Mother Earth and her natural rhythms.
Dr. Mack teaches Balanced Mouth Dentistry and Holistic Horse Health at Balanced Equine Wellness. She has a particular interest in balancing the mouth to affect a positive change in the Temporo-Mandibular Joint (TMJ). She considers the TMJ the “Master Link” in the chain of the horses’ balance. It is a powerful convergence point for many acupuncture meridians. Also, it is the closest joint in the body to the brain and brainstem so harmonizing the proprioceptors in the jaw can have huge effects on the entire body. There is one thing for certain; you will have a keener awareness of the TMJ and its effect on the whole horse no matter what you have come to learn from Dr. Mack. What we pay attention to, we are conscious of, and this is a simple law of the universe. Once you have spent time with Heather your consciousness of the TMJ will be different. For the most part she will not employ any methods of treatment in her practice unless the mouth and jaw are balanced or at least heading that way.
Pete Spates
For over 45 years, Pete has developed a broad knowledge and deep understanding of the horse. His training methods combine the techniques of his mentors, Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt, with a lifetime of learning directly from horses.
He is the founder of Natural Responses Horsemanship. Natural Horsemanship focuses on the principles of using the nature of the horse to work together safely and harmoniously, building a strong bond between horse and rider. Pete always "meets students at their greatest point of need." His goal is to continue the values and traditions set down by the greatest horseman who have lived and came before him.
Paul Seitz
Paul Seitz is a horse rancher and trainer specializing in "problem" horses and colt starting. Paul grew up in South Lake Tahoe, California, and joined the Marine Corps right out of high school, serving his country for eight years - 1996 - 2004. For the next eight years, he served as an overseas contractor. He started working with and training horses in 2007, and is now the owner of an 85-year-old ranch
in Rancho Santa Fe, where he boards, trains and shows horses. He met his wife in San Diego and they have two grown sons in college, and a young daughter in elementary school.
Paul is an accomplished rider in the Reined Cow Horse world, having participated in the AQHA World Show. Paul emphasizes nonverbal cooperation and communication in his training.