Ride Well

Wellness. Performance. Strategy.

Ride Well: Your Path to Peak Performance

Discover a program designed to elevate both you and your horse. With Ride Well, you gain the essential tools to keep your body and your horse’s movement sound, fit, and ready for performance.

Unlock the Secrets of Movement
Think of your musculoskeletal system as the window into your overall health. By fine-tuning this window, you can detect and address medical, orthopedic, and emotional issues early—before they become setbacks.

For Your Horse
Learn the exclusive Soundness System—a proven method that builds a strong, balanced foundation for your horse. With improved movement, your horse will be better prepared to tackle any training program with confidence and ease.

For Yourself
Embark on a journey to enhance your own movement and fitness. Our specialized programs focus on improving body alignment, strength, and coordination, empowering you to deliver clearer, more responsive riding aids. Experience the freedom of riding with a body that supports the demands of working with horses.

Choose What You Need
With services crafted to help you and your horse, you can create a program tailored to meet your unique needs and riding goals. Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your expertise, we can create a plan crafted just for you.

Join the Ride Well Community Today (It’s FREE)
Transform your connection with your horse and elevate your riding experience because optimal movement is the key to wellness. Welcome to Ride Well.

Ride Well Programs

  • Ride Well Community – FREE

    Join the Ride Well Community—a fun, supportive group of equestrians who are passionate about horses, their well-being, and mindful training.

    This community is for you if you:

    ✔ Want high-quality education on horse management and biomechanics.
    ✔ Are eager to learn how to train for long-term soundness.
    ✔ Seek additional knowledge but already have a solid support system, so you don’t need 1:1 guidance.
    ✔ Have a sound horse that doesn’t require a customized exercise program.

    Be part of a like-minded community that values horse welfare, ethical training, and developing a deeper appreciation for our equine partners. Get access to expert insights, valuable resources, and a supportive network—all at no cost!

  • Workouts & Ride Review

    $49/month or $490/year

    A perfect fit for equestrians who want to enhance their fitness, body alignment, and riding performance.

    This membership is for you if you:

    ✔ Need a well-structured fitness program designed for busy equestrians.
    ✔ Want expert guidance from a physical therapist to improve mobility, motor control, strength, and endurance.
    ✔ Want personalized riding feedback with a monthly video analysis to pinpoint areas for improvement and progress faster.

    **if you want to enroll in horse and rider, join each separately.

  • Horse Wellness Program

    $140 per analysis

    Designed for equestrians who want to prioritize their horse’s soundness with expert guidance and a personalized training plan. This program includes a movement assessment and monthly check-ins to track progress and refine your horse’s exercise plan. You can submit videos and photos regularly to get help with your program.

    This membership is for you if you:

    ✔ Want expert insight from a physical therapist to better understand how your horse moves—both with and without a rider.
    ✔ Need a customized exercise plan to improve your horse’s strength, mobility, and movement—whether for injury prevention or recovery.
    ✔ Value monthly check-ins to monitor progress, adjust exercises, and ensure your horse is moving at its best.

    Support your horse’s long-term health with a program designed for strength, soundness, and longevity.

    **if you want to enroll in horse and rider, join each separately.

Join Ride Well Today

By application only | Limited space available

A premium, highly customized program for both you and your horse. Ideal if you are recovering from an injury or want close monitoring of your horse.

This program is for you if you:

-Want quality education about horse management and biomechanics.

-Want to learn how to train for soundness.

-Seek a fully customized mobility, fitness, or rehabilitation program for yourself.

-Want to work with a physical therapist to improve both equine and rider biomechanics for optimal movement.

-Want a customized exercise plan for your horse to enhance strength and movement, whether for injury prevention or recovery.

-Desire three hours per month of private training sessions (in-person or virtual), tailored to your goals, with or without your horse.

The Power of Customization

Imagine this—are you like Sally?

Sally has big goals for the year with her performance horse. She’s enrolling in Ride Well’s Horse Wellness Program because she wants a customized exercise plan to help her horse move better and handle the demands of training. She’s also eager for a fresh perspective on her horse’s soundness. After a past injury, she’s been anxious about aggravating it, and having guidance from a physical therapist gives her confidence that she’s choosing the right exercises to keep her horse strong and healthy.

Why Customization Matters

Every horse and rider is unique—that’s why the Horse Wellness and Recovery programs offer a high degree of customization. These programs help you deeply understand your horse’s movement (Horse Wellness) and your own movement (Recovery). A personalized exercise plan ensures that both you and your horse are addressing specific needs for optimal performance and longevity.

How It Works

Since these are virtual programs, you can participate from anywhere. Here’s what you can expect:

✔️ Quarterly assessments – Submit photos and videos of your horse, and Shelley will analyze movement patterns to design an exercise prescription targeting muscle imbalances or weaknesses.

✔️ Monthly training reviews – Get expert insights into your program, helping you spot potential concerns early. This is highly individualized for each horse and rider.

✔️ 1:1 coaching with Shelley – Ongoing support and guidance throughout the month to refine your approach.

Want to see an example of a written report and exercise plan? Download the one I created for my own horse below!

2025 Ride Well Learning Lab

  • Movement is the window to understanding your horse’s entire system. To monitor effectively, you must first understand how they move. This quarter’s content focuses on equine movement, designing effective training programs, and assessing progress. It might sound straightforward, but these foundational principles are often overlooked—making this quarter essential for building a solid base of knowledge.

  • In the second quarter, the content explores how to balance your horse’s strength patterns and how the shoulder and pelvic muscle slings function. This knowledge will provide valuable insights to enhance your training program and train for soundness.

  • This quarter, we take a deep dive into the hoof and its role in balance. We'll also explore in detail how foot mechanics influence overall body mechanics.

  • This quarter, our content will address medical issues in horses. While orthopedic problems are often the focus, it's important to note that medical conditions can also present as lameness or mimic orthopedic symptoms. These sessions will guide you through the various systems in a horse and show you how to monitor overall health effectively.

Interested in the Workouts & Ride Review Program?

Here’s the workout details.

There are three workout levels, and you can switch between them anytime. Find the right level for you—whether you're rebuilding after injury, training for strength and endurance, or just need quick, effective workouts to stay strong.


Ride Well: Recover 30

Rebuild Strength. Regain Confidence. Return to the Saddle.

Program Goals:

  • Improve mobility and restore balanced movement

  • Optimize nervous system function for better coordination and control

  • Build foundational strength and stability

  • Regain confidence in your body’s ability to move

Who is this for?
You’ve healed from an injury, but the gap between where you are now and where you want to be feels overwhelming. Recover 30 bridges that gap, helping you regain strength, control, and balance so you can confidently return to riding. This program focuses on mobility, control, and strength with four structured workouts per week, each lasting 30 minutes—enough to make real progress, without pushing too hard too soon.


Ride Well: Enhance 45

Strength. Endurance. Resilience. Ride at Your Best.

Program Goals:

  • Improve motor control and movement patterns under load

  • Increase strength and endurance for better performance

  • Enhance energy levels and stamina

  • Build resilience to handle the physical demands of riding

Who is this for?
You’re not dealing with an injury, but you know you could be stronger, more controlled, and more resilient in the saddle. Enhance 45 is a comprehensive program designed to level up your fitness with a strategic mix of mobility, strength, control, and endurance training. With four workouts per week, each lasting 30-45 minutes, you’ll develop the physical capacity to ride better, longer, and with greater ease.


Ride Well: Maintain 15

Stay Strong. Stay Fit. Stay in Motion.

Program Goals:

  • Target key muscle groups for strength and stability

  • Improve cardiovascular fitness in minimal time

  • Support an active lifestyle without adding workout stress

Who is this for?
You’re constantly on the move—riding, walking, working—but you want to stay strong and fit without spending hours in the gym. Maintain 15 is a time-efficient program designed for active individuals who easily hit 12,000-15,000 steps per day. These quick, focused workouts (15-20 minutes, 3x per week) target essential muscle groups and elevate your heart rate so you can maintain your fitness without sacrificing time.

All workouts are delivered through TrueCoach, where you can track progress, watch exercise demos, and submit notes or videos for feedback.

Want to try Ride Well? Email Shelley at info@shelleythomasphysio (or fill out the contact form) for one free week of workouts!

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.

Which Ride Well program is right for me?

*

Which Ride Well program is right for me? *

Welcome to Ride Well – where good performance begins with wellness.

As a physical therapist specialized in treating horses and riders, I’m here to help you both achieve optimal health. When you focus on wellness, you unlock better movement, strength, and overall performance.

Ride Well’s Framework

  • Health Monitoring: Stay on top of your horse’s well-being with regular assessments.

  • Tailored Exercise Programs: Improve movement and build strength for both you and your horse.

  • Mental Training: Enhance nervous system regulation for a calm, focused partnership.

  • Expert Referrals: Shelley will make recommedatiions to specialists when needed.

Embrace the Journey

Progress is more important than perfection. As Maya Angelou wisely said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” Enjoy every step of your improvement journey, one small victory at a time.

Find Your Perfect Fit

Not sure which Ride Well program is right for you? Send me an email with details about your horse and what you need help with, and I’ll recommend the best program for your goals. We can always adjust it later as your needs evolve.

Experience the difference that true wellness can make – for you and your horse. Welcome to the Ride Well community!

FAQs

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

  • 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 30-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 30-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.