Ride Well

The Ride Well program is targeted to help horses and riders move and perform better. Think of the musculoskeletal system as the window that looks into other body functions. By looking in this window, you can start to tell when something isn’t working optimally. The Ride Well program teaches you how to monitor, and improve, movement so you can catch medical, orthopedic, and emotional issues quickly.

Good performance starts with wellness

Ride Well is a membership program designed to give you the tools to keep your horse, and yourself, sound, fit, and ready to perform.

For your horse: You’ll learn my Soundness System method, and how to apply it to your horse. This approach creates a solid foundation so your horse moves well and is ready to handle a training program.

For yourself: Embark on a journey to improve your movement and fitness to enhance your riding experience. I design specialized programs to help improve your body alignment, strength, and coordination, so your aids can be more quiet and clear.

Choose your plan: Ride Well has four levels so you can customize the program to your needs. The details are listed below, but your options range from a DIY program to individualized physical therapy for your horse and yourself.

Membership Options

  • Ride Well Membership, Equine Only

    $7.99/month

    This level of membership is for riders who want all the horse specific trainings, but do not want the workouts. You get a monthly webinar + research review + action plan.

    This membership level is for equestrians who:

    -want quality education about horse management and biomechanics.

    -have a good support system so want to join this level for more education, but don’t need 1:1 help with their horse.

    -have a sound horse who doesn't need a customized exercise prescription.

  • Ride Well Membership, Horse & Rider

    $14.90/month

    This level of membership helps riders who want equestrian focused workouts + monthly webinar + research reviews + action plans.

    This membership level is for equestrians who:

    -want quality education about horse management and biomechanics.

    -want a well-designed fitness program targeted for busy equestrians.

    -are not struggling with discomfort, movement. restrictions, or injuries so are able to use an "off-the-shelf" workout program safely.

    -have a good support system so want to join this level for more education, but don’t need 1:1 help with their horse.

    -have a sound horse who doesn't need a customized exercise prescription.

  • Equine Performance Program

    $75.00/month. LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE, APPLICATION REQUIRED

    This level of membership is for people who want customized help with their horse. You get everything in the membership program, AND you're bringing a physical therapist to your training team.

    This is a virtual program so you can live anywhere.

    In this program, you'll submit photos and videos of your horse each quarter (or more frequently if needed). Shelley will analyze how your horse is moving, and design an exercise prescription to target muscle imbalances or weaknesses. Shelley will also complete a monthly review of your training program and help you identify potential concerns (this is highly individualied for each horse and rider).

    Want to see an example of the written report and exercise program? I did one for my own horse. Click HERE to see a sample.

    This membership level is for equestrians who:

    -have a performance horse and want to have a physical therapist on their team to help keep their horse healthy and sound.

    -want a customized exercise prescription for their horse to improve movement, strength, and resilience to injury.

    -would like guidance for how to help their horse feel better and stay sound. Shelley will suggest referrals to vets, farriers, bodywork, etc. as needed.

    -are able to submit photos and videos of their horse each quarter so Shelley can perform a movement assessment.

    -are able to participate in a monthly call to touch base about their horse and review their current program.

  • Rider Performance Program

    $120/month. LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE, APPLICATION REQUIRED

    This level of membership is for riders who need help recovering from an injury or are struggling to improve their riding due to a chronic weakness or discomfort. The price listed is for customized program and two telehealth sessions each month.

    This is a virtual program so you can live anywhere.

    This membership level is for equestrians who:

    -need a customized program to help you recover from an injury or deal with a chronic movement restriction.

    -are able to participate in video calls in a setting where you can exercise and participate in a movement assessment.

    **Please note, if you want a customize program for you horse AND yourself, you can enroll in the equine performance AND the rider performance program.

Hi, I’m Shelley

I’m excited to work with you in Ride Well! Here’s a little bit about me.

My business, Shelley Thomas Physio, focuses on performance and physical therapy services for horses and riders. I work with equestrians with the goal of helping horses and riders move, feel and perform better. I’m passionate about helping you learn how to keep your horse sound, improve your body control, get a confident mindset, and train your horse with compassion.

I have been treating people for 24 years and treating horses for 8 years. I have a busy practice and treat dozens of horses riders each month. This volume has helped me learn what works best to help both the equine and human athletes.

I am also a rider and competitor. I’ve ridden through the preliminary level in eventing, up to 4th level dressage, and spent several years pursuing goals in the show jumping arena. I’ve worked for top level riders, managed barns, run my own horse business, and had enough experience to say I’ve done a lot wrong, learned many lessons, and am hopefully working smarter nowadays. But of course, it’s horses, so the learning will never be done!

Technical credentials include:

  • Masters in Physical Therapy, Mayo Clinic, 1999

  • B.S. Psychology, University of Idaho, 1995

  • Certified Equine Rehabilitation Specialist, University of Tennessee, 2019

  • Champion Performance Specialist, 2021

  • PN Level 1 Nutrition Certified Coach, 2023

  • FEI Permitted Equine Therapist, 2020

  • Extensive training in equine biomechanics, saddle and bridle fitting, rehabilitation, and therapy techniques to treat both horses and riders. Equine Osteopath certification is in progress.

What’s included in the Ride Well membership?

  • $7.99/month

    Horse content:

    -Access to The Soundness System course

    -Monthly webinars about equine management, performance, and biomechanics

    -Monthly research review with useful information you can apply to your program

    -Action plans that help you evaluation your horse, incorporate new exercises, and assess their soundness. You can submit your action plans for review if you’d like some help.

    -Access to the membership portal where all the recordings are stored.

  • $14.90/month

    The horse content from the "Equine Only” membership + the following:

    -A fitness program designed for equestrians, including strength, cardio, and mobiity work.

    -Access to TrueCoach, an app that delivers the rider workouts. You can track your workouts and communicate with Shelley for help in this app.

  • $75.00/month

    The content from the “Horse & Rider” membership + you’re adding a Physical Therapist to your horse’s program, which means:

    -Comprehensive movement and performance analysis of your horse each quarter (or more frequently if needed). Click HERE for a sample report. Shelley did one for her horse, Pangloss.

    -Customed exercise prescription for your horse to address movement restrictions and compensations.

    -Monthly reviews of your horse’s soundness and performance.

    -Access to Shelley for help with your horse, such as help designing fitness programs, navigating veterinary/soundness concerns, and tack fitting guidance.

  • $120.00/month*

    The content from the “Equine Only” membership + customized fitness/mobility/rehab program for you.

    -In-depth movement analysis to identify restrictions and compensations.

    -Virtual sessions to work on mobility, motor control, and fitness with Shelley

    -Customized exercise program addressing your movement restrictions.

    -Monthly review of riding videos to assess your position, strength, and body control.

    -Access to Shelley for help with your program as needed.

    *Price may be adjusted after your plan of care is created.

What are the workouts like?

Ride Well workouts are designed to build foundational strength for equestrians. You can do the workouts at home with minimal equipment. The workouts are designed in supersets, so if you do all the sets, they take about 45 minutes. However, if you’re short on time, you can do less sets. I advocate that “something is better than nothing” so I give you lots of options when you’re short on time. Equestrians are busy people!

The workouts are delivered through TrueCoach, an app that lets you easily track and make notes about your workout. There are videos to show you how to perform each exercise.

If you’d like to try the workouts, send Shelley an email at info@shelleythomasphysio (or complete the contact form). We’ll set you up with free workouts for a week so you can give them a try. 

Ride Well Webinar Schedule

Which Ride Well membership is right for me?

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Which Ride Well membership is right for me? *

It’s called Ride Well because good performance starts with wellness. As a physical therapist specialized in treating horses and riders, I understand how to help you and your horse get healthy, which results in better movement and performance. The recipe is a mix of monitoring health, performing exercises to improve you and your horse’s movement and strength, and mental training for nervous system regulation, and appropriate referrals for other services.

Perfection is never the goal, rather enjoying the process of improving you and your horse, a little bit at a time.  As Maya Angelou said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

Not sure which level of Ride Well is best for you? Send me an email and tell me about your horse and what you need help with, and I’ll suggest a membership level. We can always adjust it later if you want to switch.

  • Maggie enjoys learning about horse and rider biomechanics and applying that information. Her horse is doing well and has been sound, but Maggie wants to keep it that way! She also loves getting a workout program targeted for equestrians, written by a physical therapist. It’s a nice mix of fitness, balance and mobility drills which is helping her riding.

  • Laurie’s loves learning about equine health, biomechanics, and exercise. She’s been riding her horse for years and wants to help him feel good into his golden years. Laurie doesn’t need the workout programs because she goes to yoga and Pilate classes and rarely works out on her own.

  • Sally has a performance horse and has set some fun goals. She’s really excited about enrolling in the Equine Performance Program because she wants to get a customized exercise prescription for her horse to help him move better and handle the stressors of training. She’s also really excited to have someone look at her horse with fresh eyes and help her monitor his soundness.

  • Jen is struggling to recover from an old injury. She fell off her horse last year and her body has never felt quite the same. She feels stiffer when she rides and often limps a few steps when she first stands up or gets off her horse. She’s tried exercise programs, massages, and chiropracter treatments but is still struggling. She’s excited to get some specific help with her riding and movement patterns to get back to feeling like herself in the saddle.

FAQs

  • Yes! It will give you an excellent foundation for training and managing your horse.

    The workouts for riders can be modified for any fitness level.

  • Yes! It will give you a new perspective and some additional tools to use in your program.

  • Yes, no matter your sport, this information is useful. You can apply this to any sport or training program.

  • Absolutely not! Veterinary care is critical to your horse's health and success. This course will help you have better conversations with your vet, but does not replace veterinary care in any way.

  • No, I don't offer a free trial (sorry, it's mostly because my system can't do it). I do offer a 14-day money back guarantee. Give Ride Well a test drive and if it's not a good fit, I'm happy to refund your subscription fee. Just contact me at info@shelleythomasphysio.com.

  • Yes! I do offer a 14-day money back guarantee. Give Ride Well a test drive and if it's not a good fit, I'm happy to refund your subscription fee. Just contact me at info@shelleythomasphysio.com.