This page is about us, Jane and Stuart Myers - Equiculture. We teach horse owners / managers how to care and manage  horses, land and the environment

• I hold an MSc (Masters degree) in Equine Science from The University of Wales (UK).
• As well as studying horse behaviour, horse nutrition, horse health and disease, horse anatomy and physiology and horse business management, I also undertook a period of research at the Royal Edinburgh Veterinary School for my thesis on The Grazing Behaviour of Horses.
• I am qualified as an instructor with Horse Safety Australia and I was an executive board member of this organisation for many years before I returned to the UK.
• I have been involved in the Horse Industry for over 45 years (both in Australia and in the UK).
• I have taught riding and horse management for more than 40 years including seven years at Glenormiston College (Melbourne University) to students on equine studies courses.
• I was the University of Melbourne (equine) representative at the Animal Welfare Science Centre meetings while working for Glenormiston College.
• I am a rider and have competed in various disciplines including endurance, dressage, carriage driving, show jumping and competitive trail riding.
• I am a qualified dog trainer with IMDT (Institute of Modern Dog Trainers).

Stuart has been a 'horse husband' for over 40 years, his background is in Social Sciences, mainly youth and community work.

Stuart has the ability to see things from a different perspective than most people.

He began to apply these insights to the way we managed our horses and our land. He challenged the traditional way of horsekeeping.

He was instrumental in developing The Equicentral System. This system encompasses equine welfare, and good (progressive) land management practices and reduces the time, money and effort that horse owners tend to spend when following a more traditional management system.

Some years ago he gave up his job to concentrate full time on our business – Equiculture - offering new insights and exploring new ideas.

In 2012, I (Jane) was seriously ill (I am now fully recovered) and Stuart took over the running of our talks from that point.

Since then he has been the main speaker at our talks in both the UK and Australia (now resumed after the Covid Pandemic).

More recently we have concentrated on delivering our talks and other courses etc. online.

Stuart is the co-author of our books.

I have been horse mad (obsessed) since very young. At age ten, I set out to wear my parents down and eventually got my first pony at age eleven. I shared this first pony with my best friend, and we paid for her upkeep by working at the stables where she was kept (we lived in the suburbs of a large industrial city in the north of England) and by doing paper rounds.

I was born with a significant hearing loss and went through school without hearing aids. Consequently, I didn't do very well at school; I only learned to read correctly at the age of eight. Throughout school, I sat at the back of the class and daydreamed about horses pretty much all of the time. I was classed as a 'slow learner' and was placed in remedial classes for most subjects.

By secondary school, I had perfected the art of being invisible, which was pretty good for a very tall uncoordinated adolescent. So I was able to carry on with my daydreams about horses uninterrupted. My (poorly rated) school did not mind if you did not apply yourself, as long as you did not cause trouble, so I managed to attend the final three years without putting pen to paper - literally. Every minute that I was not at school, I was with my horse or working to pay for the upkeep of my horse.

I left school at sixteen without a single exam pass result and started my first job with horses. After several years of backbreaking labour for very little pay, I needed some qualifications.

I met Stuart when I was sixteen while doing that first job with horses. Having had a far better education than myself, he encouraged me to go to college to obtain a degree and eventually university, where I received a Master's Degree (in Equine Science). Those two years of studying for my Master's Degree were incredible, and I will always be immensely grateful for being given that opportunity for further education.

Stuart also needed a degree as we wanted to emigrate from England, where we were both born. Stuart completed a Youth and Community Studies degree and eventually worked in Youth Services both in England and later in Australia after emigrating.

We lived in Australia for about 25 years, but we no live back in the UK, speaking, travelling, writing and researching.

Finally, getting a good education was one of the best things I have ever done, and I firmly believe that education is the key to almost everything necessary in life (along with health). Anyone can learn more at any stage in life if they desire to learn.

About The Horse Rider's Mechanic (Jane Myers MSc Equine)

I have ridden and owned horses for most of my life; I started riding young and was obsessed with learning to ride as well as possible. I was, and still am, an avid reader and gatherer of information.

I was also very competitive when young. So I competed in many disciplines, including show jumping, dressage, endurance, carriage driving and, more recently, competitive trail riding.

I have been teaching riders of all levels for many years. Over the years, I have increasingly concentrated on the subjects of rider POSITION and BALANCE as I realised that these fundamental subjects are often overlooked, particularly among instructors of beginner riders. This results in a rider having problems later on because they have missed out on certain basic building blocks in their development as a rider.

This realisation early on in my riding/teaching career resulted in me seeking out, following and learning from the teachings of numerous amazing riding coaches from around the world, also from the fields of pilates and yoga (and how they can be applied to horse riding) and of human anatomy and physiology. In addition, I have learned from my numerous students by constantly listening to and acting on their feedback.

I have taught riders of all levels throughout my career and have always been interested in improving the rider so that they can help their horse. I particularly enjoy teaching people who have lost their confidence or have position/balance/asymmetry issues.

We (Stuart and ) have owned a riding centre (twice) where I trained horses and riders. We had school horses, but I also taught people on their own horses. I also ran Horse Rider's Mechanic (HRM) clinics for many years.

I wrote the HRM books; these have been further developed into an online course and have helped thousands of people ride to the best of their ability. Consequently, I have studied and taught the subject of rider biomechanics for 35 plus years.

One of my students once described the system I have developed (of teaching riders) as 'Brilliantly Simple, Simply Brilliant!'

So why do I concentrate on POSITION and BALANCE specifically?

Many common horse riding problems, including pain and discomfort when riding, can be attributed to poor rider POSITION. Riders are often unaware of what is happening to various parts of their body when riding. Improving your position is crucial to improving your riding. Without addressing the fundamental issues, you cannot obtain an 'independent seat' (if you have not done so already, make sure you watch the video/read my article, The Elusive 'Independent Seat').

Improving your BALANCE is the key to further improving your riding. You cannot ride to the best of your ability without good BALANCE. After improving your POSITION, improving your BALANCE will make you a more secure and confident rider.

Most riders need help with these areas of their riding life, yet they are not commonly taught subjects, as I have already mentioned.

You can continue improving your riding at an accelerated pace when you have a good POSITION and BALANCE.

So, the HRM system looks at each part of your body in great detail, starting with your feet and working upwards through your ankles, knees, and hips. It then looks at your torso, arms, hands, and head, working through any problems, large or small, and fixing them.

Then, the HRM system takes the rider through a series of balance lessons that result in the rider learning to move with their horse and have complete security in the saddle.

The benefits are enormous for the horse and the rider. The results speak for themselves.

• I (Jane) am the author of two books published by CSIRO (an Australian government publishing group). 1. Managing Horses on Small Properties and 2. Horse Safe: A Complete Guide to Equine Safety. I am also a co-author of Horse Sense - The Guide to Horse Care in Australia and New Zealand - 2nd edition – this book in particular is used as a core text on most of the equine studies college and university courses in Australia.
• I am co-author (along with Stuart Myers) of The Equicentral System Series and several other books about horse behaviour and horse management.
• I am the author of The Horse Rider's Mechanic workbooks.
• We (Stuart and I) are regular contributors to horse magazines and we are freelance writers of books, booklets and equine courses on subjects such as Rider Biomechanics, Equine Behaviour and Sustainable Horse Management.

• The BHS Equine Welfare Conference, Scotland, May 2018
• The Sustainable Equine Conference, Nottingham Trent University, July 2016 UK
• The Functional Hoof Conference Nov 2014, Aus
• Manning Valley Horse Health and Management Expo 2014, Aus
• The Equine Behaviour Forum Sept 2014, UK
• Equine Podiatry Conference Sept 2014, UK
• Horses + Climate Impacts Workshop June 2012, SA, Aus
• Ethical Equine Extravaganza June 2011, UK
• Equitana Melbourne, Nov 2010, Aus
• EquineX Canberra, 2010, Aus
• Equus Inspirations Expo Tas, 2010, Aus
• Sustainable Living Expo Armidale, 2009, Aus
• Equitana Melbourne, Nov 2008, Aus
• Eumundi Sustainable Living Expo 2009, Aus
• Beaudesert Horse Expo 2008, Aus
• Quest Maryborough, 2007, Aus
• Beaudesert Horse Expo 2007, Aus

Selection of recent conferences, seminars/workshops and courses attended:

• The Human-horse relationships in work and play: Interspecies encounters in business, tourism and beyond Conference - Leeds, (UK), June 2018
• The IAABC  (International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants) Conference, Manchester, UK, May 2018
• The BHS Welfare Conference September 2017
• The Human Behaviour Change for Animal Welfare Conference, UK, Sept 2016
• 12th International Equitation Science Conference, 2016, France
• Equine and Soil Management Workshop: Nov 2014, Aus
• 10th International Equitation Science Conference: 2014, Denmark
• 7th International Equitation Science Conference: 2011, Holland
• Dorset Wildlife Trust: Managing Grazing Animals for Conservation: 2011, UK
• RSPCA Australian Scientific Seminar: 2011, Canberra, Aus
• 6th International Equitation Science Conference: 2010, Uppsala, Sweden
• British Grassland Society - Managing Grass for Horses: 2010, UK
• ABA Fertility Control for Wild Horses: 2009, Brisbane, Aus
• RSPCA QLD World Farm Animal Day: 2009, Brisbane, Aus
• 5th  International Equitation Science Conference: 2009, Sydney, Aus
• 1st  International Equitation Science Conference: 2005, Melbourne, Aus
• RSPCA Equine Welfare Conference: 2002, Canberra, AUS

I was a recipient of a Winston Churchill Fellowship (2011) from The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and Stuart (best friend and husband) and I travelled to the USA and Canada in April 2012 to study sustainable horsekeeping management systems in those countries.

• I am a full member of the International Association of Equestrian Biomechanics. I teach (via talks and ridden clinics) rider biomechanics (as The Horse Rider’s Mechanic), and I have written a series of books about this subject.
• I was an executive board member of Horse Safety Australia until recently, but as I no longer live in Australia, I have left this invaluable non-profit organisation.
• I am a member of the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES), and I attend international conferences held by this organisation.
• I am a member of The British Horse Society (BHS), and we have conducted talks about Sustainable Horsekeeping for this organisation. Our Equiculture Course is now classed as CPD for BHS riding coaches.
• I am a member of the National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC - UK).
• I am a supporting member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC).

• I am a qualified dog trainer with the IMDT (Institute of Modern Dog Trainers).