Train Your Seat

30/04/2026

I’m still taking everything in from this past weekend, it was an experience that felt full in every possible way.

Thank you Horse Expo Canada for having me and for putting on such a well-run, thoughtful, world-class event where every detail felt cared for. What stood out to me was that this event truly felt like it was built around community. You could feel how much the organizers care about bringing people together, creating a space where so many different areas of horsemanship, training, education, and horse care can be shared.

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to teach demos, Pony Club members, and coach riders at our booth on the Racewood Riding Simulator.

It was a very full few days, and I am so grateful for every person who came to learn, ask questions, ride, watch, and connect with us at our booth.

A huge thank you to Schleese Saddlery Service for providing us with the beautiful dressage and western saddles for the simulator. It was amazing to have saddles that allowed riders to feel supported, comfortable, and able to notice the difference in their own movement.

Thank you Canadian Pony Club for being so wonderful to work with. It was such a joy to teach young riders who are already learning to pay attention to their own movement and how it affects their horses. What a powerful foundation to build from. When young riders start to understand their own bodies and their biomechanics, they are being set up not only for riding success, but for a more thoughtful partnership with their horses.

My clinic riders, Ashtynn, Lark, Molly, Vanessa, and Violet, it takes courage to bring yourself and your horse into a learning space in front of an audience. Thank you for braving the weather, for trusting me, for being open to trying something new and for helping demonstrate how rider biomechanics can support both horse and rider in moving better together. Each of you brought something so valuable to the weekend with the insights you shared.

My TYS Faculty Alejandra and Trish poured their hearts into teaching, coaching, answering questions, talking with everyone who stopped by the booth, setting up, problem-solving, and supporting the whole weekend. I am so grateful for your effort, your care, and your brilliant coaching.

TYS coaches Jamie and Georgina were at the booth, sharing their good energy, and representing us well. I feel incredibly lucky to have such amazing trainers within Train Your Seat.

My bestie Kenna, came on as my clinic team member for the weekend. We had many laughs, so much fun, and was truly the best videographer, helper, and cheerleader during my demos.

One of the things I loved most about the weekend was meeting so many incredible and dedicated horse people. Everyone has their own area of focus, their own skills, their own way of helping horses and riders. And what I kept feeling again and again is that the equestrian world needs all of us, every person who is trying to do better by the horse.

For me, the heart of this always comes back to our own responsibility. Looking in the mirror and asking, “What am I bringing into this partnership?” If we want to help the horse, the best place to begin is by noticing what we can change in ourselves first.

Thank you to everyone who made Horse Expo Canada such a meaningful experience. I’m back home feeling tired, inspired, and very grateful 🤍

24/04/2026

I’ll be presenting at Horse Expo Canada this year, here’s where you can find me in the Western Outfitters Arena, Parkland Pavilion.

Friday
10:30 AM, Pelvis
5:45 PM, Pony Club

Saturday
10:45 AM, Lower Leg

Sunday
1:15 PM, Shoulders

Each session focuses on how riders influence the horse through their own movement, not just position.

If you’re at the Expo this weekend come by our booth 2204 and say hi!

09/04/2026

Riding is not about holding a position. It’s about how your body organizes in motion.

At Horse Expo Canada, you’ll have the opportunity to step onto the Racewood simulator and feel, in real time, how small changes in your seat, leg, and upper body affect your riding.

Because the simulator removes variables, it gives you clarity.

Each expert guided session is focused, practical, and specific to you. You’ll leave with a clear understanding of what to change and how to apply it when you get back on your horse.

Sessions are available over all three days and are taught by Alysen, Trish, and Alejandra.

📍Horse Expo Canada, Red Deer, Alberta
📆 April 24 - 26

Booth 2204 near the Western Outfitter Arena

Spots are limited.

Comment “EXPO” and we’ll send you the link to book.

19/03/2026

Most rider education focuses on position.
This training focuses on movement.

Inside the Shoulder Trainer Diploma, we explore how the shoulder girdle relates to the rib cage, the spine, and the rider’s ability to organize force through the upper body.

Not as a shape to hold,
but as a system that needs to move.

This is where rein contact becomes more consistent.
Where timing between seat and hand becomes clearer.
Where riders begin to feel what they are doing, not just try to correct it.

This is an online training for equestrian professionals who want to:
• Understand upper body biomechanics in the riding position
• See movement patterns more clearly in their riders
• Teach coordination, not correction
• Build more effective, transferable coaching skills

Registration is open for one more week.

If you’re ready to learn design, function and teach anatomically informed lessons…

Comment SHOULDER and we’ll send you the details.

Save this if you’re shifting away from teaching position and toward teaching movement.

16/03/2026

Excited to be presenting at Horse Expo Canada 🇨🇦

Who’s coming? 😃

Introducing our clinicians! First up is Alysen Starko-Bowes!

Alysen Starko-Bowes is the founder of Train Your Seat®, a methodology dedicated to embodied rider biomechanics and the refinement of horse and rider communication through movement science. With a degree in Kinesiology from the University of Alberta, she has spent more than a decade translating human biomechanics into practical, observable improvements in the saddle.

At Horse Expo Canada, Alysen brings a science grounded, experience driven perspective. Her sessions are interactive, anatomically precise, and designed to give riders concrete strategies they can implement immediately. Her goal is to help riders develop clarity and awareness in their movement, creating a partnership where both horse and rider feel balanced and responsive, and where riding becomes an experience of ease, freedom, and genuine enjoyment in moving together.

To apply to ride with Alysen, follow the link below.

https://horseexpo.ca/2026-clinicians-trainers/ -clinician-showcase-modal-10

09/03/2026

Many rein contact issues begin higher in the body than riders realize.

The arms do not attach directly to the spine. They connect to the trunk through the clavicle at the sternum, which forms the only bony link between the upper limb and the torso. The scapula then glides on the rib cage, allowing the shoulder girdle to organize the arms in relation to the moving trunk.

Because of this structure, the clavicle and shoulder girdle need to move with the torso and thoracic spine. When the upper body moves elastically, the arms can follow the motion of the horse’s head and neck, allowing the hands to stay responsive rather than fixed.

When this movement is restricted, the arms often stiffen and the rein feel becomes inconsistent for the horse.

Improving rein contact is not simply about soft hands. It begins with how the rider organizes the shoulders, clavicles, and spine so the arms can follow the movement of the horse.

In the Shoulder Trainer Diploma, we go far beyond position. We study applied upper body biomechanics, breath integration, rib mechanics, scapular movement, rein connection, and how to teach this to riders in real time.

Online or In-Person
Hands on embodiment.
Riding application.
Advanced trainer level discussion.

If you are ready to teach shoulder centered biomechanics with clarity and confidence, comment SHOULDER and I will send you the information.

27/02/2026

The Shoulder Trainer Diploma is a hybrid in person intensive plus online education designed for equestrian trainers who want to:

• Understand scapulothoracic mechanics in the riding position
• Teach elastic, stable rein contact
• Improve thoracic mobility and upper limb coordination
• Reduce bracing patterns that block the horse’s back
• Integrate breathing and shoulder mechanics
• Confidently teach upper body biomechanics in clinics and lessons

📍 Olds, Alberta, Canada
📅 April 27 to May 1, 2026
Small group. Limited spots.

This is advanced biomechanics for professionals who want to see more clearly and coach more precisely.

If you want the full details, curriculum, and application link,
Comment SHOULDER below and we will send it to you.

02/02/2026

If the exercise does not work for the rider or the horse, there is permission to change it.

Exercises are tools, not rules.

In movement and motor learning, the focus has shifted away from reproducing a “correct” shape and toward achieving a meaningful outcome. The purpose of an exercise is never the exercise itself. It is what the exercise is meant to develop, whether that is feel, coordination, range of motion, responsiveness, or a new movement option.

Pedagogy is the study of teaching and facilitating learning. Good pedagogy prioritizes understanding over compliance, experience over repetition, and adaptability over rigid application.

It doesn’t ask, “Can the rider perform the exercise?” instead we should ask, “Is the exercise supporting learning?”

When an exercise creates tension, frustration, or awkwardness, it is no longer serving its goal. In those moments, insisting that the rider conform to the exercise can block learning. The nervous system does not organize efficient movement under strain or confusion.

Exercises may be effective in principle, but they are not always appropriate for every rider in their current state. When the physical demands of a task exceed a rider’s available range of motion or coordination, the learning objective is often lost. Thoughtful modification preserves the intention of the exercise while supporting the rider’s ability to engage without strain.

Good teaching adapts the exercise to the human and the horse in front of us. We all bring different structures, histories, and movement capacities. Shaping the rider to the exercise often leads to compensation. Shaping the exercise to the rider allows for better learning.

If the outcome you are seeking is better feel, clearer communication, or more fluid movement, the path there should invite exploration, not force compliance.

Adaptation is not a lack of discipline. It is skilled pedagogy.

If the exercise does not yet fit the body, we have full permission to modify.