⭑Presenter Bio Kirsten Nelsen⭑
Refining balance, learning how to use the mind and body more efficiently helps all horses, riders and owners, no matter what tasks we choose to do. Developing balance draws out the best parts of us and our horse, resulting in a mutually beneficial relationship. Training for Optimal Balance is the educational course I developed that shares how to refine balance, in mind and body, in us and our horse, from the inside out.
Gavin Scofield, my most important mentor, helped me understand why horses and riders struggle and how internal balance can make all the difference. I decided to focus on balance because it was hard to find safe, healthy, effective strategies that resolved training issues, restored soundness and developed athleticism in a sustainable way. I took a journey of learning that opened into a new world and brought joy back into training.
I was lucky enough to work with many excellent mentors, all providing pieces of the puzzle through classical traditions. Whether a cowboy or from a European school, my mentors helped me see how much we all have in common as people and horses, instead of the differences. I also found what I was seeking by doing research, reading scientific papers and studies, that explained how minds and bodies work.
Now, instead of just doing tasks and practicing maneuvers, I focus internally, cultivating ideal use of the nervous system and skeletal coordination. By simply turning classical training inside out, we can all learn how to refine balance internally, in us and our horse, in order to make any and all tasks much easier and more enjoyable.
Because Of The Horse...
I have learned how to be a better person
Kirsten Nelsen’s 2025 Presentations
DAY 1
★It's Not A Behavior Problem, It's Defensiveness
This is a dive into one of the core concepts used in Training for Optimal Balance called The Learning Frame of Mind. We look at how the use of the nervous system impacts behavior, how to recognize stress driven defensiveness and how to work through it.
DAY 2
★It's Coordination, Not Conformation
Poor conformation is often blamed for lameness issues and performance plateaus but these setbacks are more often the result of poor coordination that becomes poor posture over time. Conformation is the skeleton we have. Coordination is how we use it. Coordination is just a physical habit, muscle memory that results in what looks like poor conformation, but it can be changed. Posture and coordination are adaptable.
★Basic Balance is Essential Coordination
The 4 core concepts of Training for Optimal Balance help us look at horse training and riding from an internal perspective, what is happening inside of horses and riders. The concepts can be understood and applied immediately, no matter what type of horse or work, and helps us look at our same old horse with very fresh eyes.
Where You Can Find Kirsten Nelsen
