⭑Presenter Bio Deborah Davies⭑
My life with horses is not just a career but a burning passion and mission that is sparked from the very core of my being. From the time I can remember, all I wanted to do was be with a horse and to this day, that is still my desire.
I began riding and working at stables in my home country of England before I was even a teenager. I won stable management and riding awards, belonged to Pony Club, and remember spending endless hours learning about the care and training of a horse, but there was a gap for me. That gap was that I wanted to understand the horse from the inside out. To know him emotionally, physically, spiritually and mentally. From that day my quest, along with my desire to ride, train and compete, was to understand all I could about the whys and hows of the horse’s mind, function, movement and responses, and today I am still learning from the horse, with the horse and about the horse. My business, “Equine Self Expression, Understanding the Horse from the Inside Out,” reflects that deep soul calling that I still have within me.
After high school, I completed my BHS training exam,s then traveled to Europe and spent several years as a working student, then apprenticing with several masters who had themselves trained under former classical masters such as Nuno Oliviera. I watched, I learned, I listened, and I rode, and that is what I have been doing my entire life and continue to do so. I am a perpetual student, first and foremost of the horse and second to the Masters who hold the highest regard for our noble equine teachers.
Because Of The Horse...
I am more present and live each day experiencing my passion and mission, while learning, growing and sharing the wisdom of Equus with like-minded people.
Deborah Davies’s 2025 Presentations
DAY 1
★Observing Functional Imbalances In the Upper Level Horse
It may or may not come as a surprise, but just because a horse is competing at an upper level does not mean he is functionally sound. In this video Deb Davies shares some of the main attributes that are necessary in a horse in order to have functional movement and be emotionally and spiritually sound. Throughout the video there will be many opportunities for the viewer to observe bracing, tension and unsoundness when the horse is being asked to do basic static and dynamic postural movements.
★Preserving Vitality In Your Horse - Introduction To The Cranial System
This short intro covers the topic of the emotional intelligence that I will be discussing in the next 5 short videos segments.
★Preserving Your Horses Vitality - The Parasympathetic And Sympathetic System - Introduction To The Cranial System Part 2
To appreciate the emotional responses of the horse, a basic understanding of the Sympathetic and Para Sympathetic systems are required.
The Sympathetic Nervous System responds to the level of activity at hand and makes sure energy and processes are appropriate to the activity demanded. Deb calls this 'burning gas' and can be UP-regulated to go faster or Down-regulated to go slower.
★Preserving Your Horses Vitality - Form Equals Function - Intro To The Cranial System Part 3
When horses are having issues with movement and performance, it is easy for riders to assume it is a 'training problem'. In this short video series we are observing how 'everything is not always a training problem'!
An inverted spine often blocks and impacts cranial function. Hyperflexion can also block the spine and impact cranial function. Unfortunately once form is changed the function will also change.
DAY 2
★Preserving Your Horses Vitality - The Primary Respiratory Mechanism - Intro To The Cranial System Part 4
The Primary Respiratory Mechanism (PRM) is an independent system from the regular lung breathing respiratory system, yet is as important for health and vitality as the breathing respiratory system. It is just not discussed as much!
In this section of the video I familiarize you with what this system is and how it works toward maintaining vitality in your horse. In addition, this section will give insight as to why the mechanics of the atlas and occiput, the temporal mandibular junction and the structures of the head and neck are so important, as they facilitate the flow of the Cerebral Spinal Fluid and therefore the health of the PRM.
★Preserving the Vitality Of Your Horse - The Skull Box And Cerebral Spinal Fluid - Intro To The Cranial System Part 5
When we understand what is housed within the horses skull, we will forever look at the way we handle the head and the reins from a different perspective!
★Preserving the Vitality Of Your Horse - Cranial Movement - An Intro To The Cranial System Part 6
We do not think of the bones of the skull expanding and flexing, but they do and it is that very motion that determines the vitality of your horse.
The bones of the cranium actually flex and expand, in fact the distance the skull expands is between 15-25microns. In fact, it is such a needed and known feature of noggins that we call this tiny tiny movement, flexion and extension and it is related to respiration.
★Preserving The Vitality Of Your Horse -.Cerebral Spinal Fluid Rhythm Influences The Acting Nervous System - Intro To The Cranial System Part 7
In this section I discuss how the Sympathetic Nervous system is influenced by the Cranial Sacral System. There is a direct relationship between the occiput and atlas and the pelvis and sacrum. That gives us something else to consider regarding the position of the head and neck that can be so falsely manipulated if self carriage is not understood.
★Preserving The Vitality Of Your Horse - Why The Lick And Chew Mechanism Is Important - Intro To The Cranial System Part 8
The importance of giving your horse 'lick and chew' time is not just so he can process what is being asked. It is directly related to a rehydration of the tissue which is essential to the balance of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system.
Where You Can Find Deborah Davies
