Bridging rider biomechanics and equine welfare
Anne Muller is an international trainer, teacher, and founder of Akasha College in the Netherlands. Specialising in rider biomechanics and equine learning theory, Anne’s work addresses the root causes of tension and miscommunication between horse and rider, helping both move with clarity, ease, and understanding.
With decades of experience and a welfare-based approach, Anne focuses on organising the rider’s seat, releasing tension, and creating clear, predictable aids that horses can understand. Her methods are ethical, practical, and immediately applicable.
At this year’s International Biomechanics Symposium in South Africa, Anne will offer one-to-one ridden sessions, daily rider body-awareness workshops, a demonstration on low-stress handling, and a presentation of her Pro Horse Performance Protocol for riders and judges.
If you’ve ever felt stuck in training patterns, struggled with tension, or wished your horse could simply understand you better, Anne’s sessions are not to be missed.
HQ: Let’s start at the beginning. How did your journey with horses begin, and what first drew you to teaching rather than competing or training full-time?
Anne: Horses have been all over my bedroom walls from the day I could walk. But due to the fact that I left a broken home when I was only thirteen, I did not get a ‘proper’ horse education until I was granted a job at a well-known, very classic carriage stable. I worked incredibly hard as a co-driver and groom. Working with horses coached me to become more self-secure and find my place in life.
In the years that followed, in pursuit of personal growth, I became involved in several New Age activities and studies. I was determined to contribute some ‘real value’ to the world. I founded a medium-sized meditation centre. We facilitated room for activities like Tai Chi, rebirthing, co-counselling, rebalancing, African dance, all kinds of therapies, meditations, regression sessions and much more. I became a Shiatsu therapist and an NLP coach.
Though I picked up some very worthwhile skills in these years, I felt strongly that I wanted to find my way back to the horses.
The first glimpse of a changing horse culture had reached the big arenas. I bought a ticket to watch Klaus Hempling at work in no way prepared for what was to be shown. I found myself crying, tears just running, ashamed, and shocked. There was so much I did not know about horses, about communicating WITH them, and about asking them how they feel. Many doubts and questions were answered that night; it all fell in place.
To make a long story short, I sold the meditation centre and bought a riding school on the other side of the country. The idea was to organise communication and competence training for teams and individuals, which was a new craze at that time. While the riding school instructors offered lessons only in the afternoons and evenings, I planned to work with the same twenty- eight horses and ponies in the daytime.
How naïve was I… I took over a very average riding school with a lot of the ponies and horses with a lot of baggage. It was going to be quite easy to provide cleaner housing, better feeding and more social contact for the animals, that much was clear, but there were more challenges than this, many more!
HQ: Was there a particular moment or experience that made you realise traditional teaching methods weren’t answering all the questions you had?
Anne: About one month after I took over the management of the riding school, while eating dinner at the kitchen table, I was looking out of the window. In the outside arena, some twelve combinations of ponies and young girls were riding dressage. A male instructor was yelling at them to put in “more effort, do better, kick more, be the leader… pull the reins!” I remember myself thinking, ‘Is this my school? I do not want to facilitate this way of teaching! How can I even think of helping people to change the way they perceive and handle situations with the help of these stunning animals, while the same animals are told to “shut up and obey” every afternoon?’ I couldn’t swallow that one; my dinner went cold.
Then out of the blue… The scene outside dramatically changed when our chestnut pony, called Nucari, decided he had had enough for the day. He went at full speed with his rider clearly hoping to make a left turn at the end of the arena, but Nucari made a very sudden sharp turn to the right. The girl fell, and the teacher shouted at her and the pony. The man was getting ready to mount the pony and “teach the animal who was boss.”
Something snapped inside of me. I rushed out and into the arena, took the pony from his hands and fired him. He left stamping, calling me a ‘witch’ and a great many more compliments, but at that stage, I couldn’t care less.
I looked at the pony, the whip marks on his butt and shoulders and felt a twinge in my heart: “Never again, little fellow! I promise I will find better ways… ”.
Now, thirty years later, I can say I was able to keep my promise, though I could not have imagined at that time where these words, silently spoken to a panting pony, would take me and how much they would cost. But a promise is a promise, no matter what…
That day I became a full-time riding instructor, and that night I started to dig deep into the theory. With a background in acupressure, fascia-stretching, bodywork, and communication training, I knew I should be able to make a step-by-step programme to for young and/or novice riders.
In 2004, my book about the objectives of the rider’s seat, with loads of very simple (objective) visuals and illustrations, was published in the Netherlands (15,000 copies sold today). I couldn’t have written it without the help of the horses and riders of our school.
HQ: Your work focuses heavily on the rider’s body and internal awareness. How did your interest in biomechanics and movement develop?
Anne: The more I taught the riders about offering balance, changing their attitudes, from ‘make the horse listen’, towards ‘what can you do to contribute to the situation’ the more the horses started to ‘talk’. I was making suggestions to the riders, and the horses were allowed (and very able) to ‘tell’ right from wrong. It immensely changed the horses’ attitudes. They were not punished anymore when leaving the track or speeding up or slowing down because I made the assumption that the horses were only doing what the rider consciously or unconsciously was asking. So, instead of telling the animals to “shut up and behave”, problems were solved by changing the riders’ balance, attitude, seat and aids. That’s the point where we, the horses and I, became ‘partners’.
This all led to the development of Akasha techniques. Akasha techniques work to optimise the biomechanics of the riders’ seat and are based on simple physics. Working with nature’s laws of gravity, speed, mass, impact, ballistics and so on, we try to explain how body parts could work together.
HQ: And then how did you come to incorporate the learning theory and ‘feel’ elements of your work. How do these elements complement one another in practice?
Anne: It must have been around 2007 when I first heard learning theory discussed as a scientific discipline. With the Akasha techniques, we were already able to seat riders properly on their horses. Even so, many questions remained. How does a horse think? How can I explain something to a horse in the simplest possible way? How does shaping and conditioning work?
In 2011, the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) organised a conference in the Netherlands. There, I was introduced to the First Principles of ISES and met Machteld van Dierendonck, a Dutch clinical ethologist and one of the founders of this institution. She took me under her wing and continues to support my work with her knowledge and guidance to this day.
Alongside the biomechanical aspect, we were able to seamlessly integrate learning theory into our lessons. The two can no longer exist without one another. Correct posture is step one, but working toward minimal aids, riding through reward, with precise timing and no more effort than strictly necessary to create a happy healthy horse beneath a happy rider is the true goal.
HQ: You went on to found Akasha College in the Netherlands. What was the motivation behind creating a dedicated place for this kind of education, and what gap did you feel needed to be filled? Can you tell us a bit about the college today?
Anne: I noticed that the situation at many schools and stables was just as poor as it had been when we first started. Training relied heavily on pressure, punishment, and coercion, and it was always the horses who were expected to improve. The fact that riders themselves were stiff or insecure, unclear in their communication, or even working against the horse, was rarely part of the story. This is the gap I felt needed to be filled.
Now, Akasha has grown into a well-known and recognised training institute for ‘the horse minded instructor.’ Since 2009, we have organised a training programme covering subjects such as biomechanics, learning theory, didactics, communication techniques, and much more.
Akasha’s law for trainers:
“If the rider does not understand your teaching, it is your teaching that must evolve.”
Akasha trainers are especially creative in explaining, using images, metaphors, analogies and smart exercises. It does not matter how you explain things, as long as you get the message across.
HQ: Many riders come to you feeling stuck – not because they don’t try hard enough, but because their bodies are working against them, or at least not working ‘with them’. What are some of the most common patterns you see?
Anne: As soon as we are born, we develop movement patterns. To move around, to stay alive. Many of these patterns are formed unconsciously. Many of those patterns are ‘doing the best they can’. They are ‘sufficient’ but not always as efficient and healthy as we wish them to be. By not moving, walking or lifting in an optimal way, we create injuries. Backpain, worn knees and hip joints, osteoarthritis and related degenerative conditions.
There is not one explanation that fits all; we all move as individuals. Riders are endlessly creative in making diverse solutions to ‘stay on the horse’. Akasha’s foundation training for riders always starts with making your bones work together. Putting ‘one above the other’ gives muscles the opportunity to relax when possible and optimise their actions only when asked.
More people than you might think secretly feel like they are ‘stiff as a board.’ Can you touch your toes with straight legs? Or sit in a full squat with your heels flat on the ground? You should see the riders’ faces when they try it!! Usually, it is just a ‘mechanical’ issue. If you, for example, do not know how to fold your hip joint ‘to the max’ ALL your movements on the horse will be restricted, and you will definitely not be able to touch your toes effortlessly. That doesn’t mean you’re stiff! It just means we have to educate you in using all the qualities and opportunities of your body.
HQ: You often speak about how horses respond to clarity rather than pressure. Can you explain how a rider’s internal state affects a horse’s way of going?
Anne: If I were a horse, I wouldn’t be happy either if someone kept forcing me to do one thing or another. For me, and for the horses as well, it is far more pleasant to work when you are kindly asked to do something. A rider who takes a firm hold of the reins and, through forceful influence, gets the horse to go left or right may get quite far, but will not experience the harmonious partnership we are all truly looking for. The rider who has learned how to ask a question has also learned that when the answer does not turn out as intended, it is the riders question that needs to be asked differently. The horses become mentally more relaxed to begin with. As soon as the rider starts rewarding good behaviour instead of demanding it, there is a big shift. If you give the horse a voice, paying respect to its signals and way of moving, the horse will teach you all about himself.
HQ: Many riders believe they need to be stronger or more athletic to improve. In your experience, what actually makes the biggest difference to effective riding?
Anne: For a period, we heard a lot about core stability training. It gave me the shivers, to be honest. A stronger rider, but still making the same mistakes in his movement patterns? What’s the use of that?
Akasha techniques focus on core coordination: training the riders’ core to feel or adjust balance and restore straightness, for example, to help the horse that’s a bit stiff on one rein. The biggest difference can be made when riders learn to be ‘silent’ in their body language. We ‘talk’ too much, repeating aids often unconsciously without waiting for the answer. Strength is not the key, but conscious movement.
HQ: In your experience, why is it so difficult for riders to feel what they are actually doing in the saddle, and how can they begin to develop better awareness?
Anne: For one, if we do not teach them how to feel, how would they improve to begin with? It starts with getting aware of what you are currently doing and making decisions about what you would like to do instead. Step by step, body part by body part. Then the real work starts. We all want insights to occur instantly, and yes, that sometimes happens, but rarely. For the bigger part, we must mould our usually very stubborn movement patterns to new ones, and that takes time and effort. Countless repetitions, never reluctant, never giving up. With your body, as ironic as it sounds, you can tell it ‘to shut up and do as told’.
HQ: What changes do riders usually notice first when they begin to understand their own movement patterns more clearly?
Anne: First thing is they stop blaming the horse. That’s huge! Second is confusion and some frustration. They often get the feeling of starting all over again. Then, if we can inspire them to keep going, they will experience how the horses react to this approach, the different aids and smooth movements. When that interaction is started, we know the rider is ‘hooked’.
HQ: You work with riders across disciplines and levels, from grassroots to professionals. Are there challenges that seem to appear regardless of discipline or experience?
Anne: It is common knowledge that if anything gets stuck on any level, it usually lacks in the foundation. There might be a challenge in the rider’s mechanics, but problems can also originate in the foundation training of the horse. The use of bad timing, rewarding unwanted behaviour, and trying to force the horse are problems that arise all the time and at all levels. A bad leg yield will evolve into a bad half pass. The same goes for the other way around.
HQ: For riders who feel frustrated or stuck right now, what is one small shift they could make immediately that would create more harmony with their horse?
Anne: Loosen up and look at your horse! If the head and unrestrained neck can move in a downward tendency, you are on the right track! All other stuff comes after that!
HQ: Your teaching places strong emphasis on ethics, low-stress and long-term soundness. How do you define ethical riding in today’s competitive environment and what does ethical training look like in day-to-day practice?
Anne: Ethical riding, for me, starts with a very simple, but demanding premise: the horse is not a tool for our ambitions, but a living, thinking, and feeling partner with limits, preferences, and a long physical life ahead of him. In today’s competitive environment, that is not a soft position: it is a disciplined one.
Ethical riding means that performance is never separated from soundness, mental well-being, and sustainability over time. A result that compromises the horse’s body or emotional state is not a success; it is deferred damage. Competition should test education and harmony, not how much pressure a horse can tolerate.
In day-to-day practice, ethical training looks very concrete. It starts with the rider. The first place I look for a solution is always in the rider’s seat, balance, timing, and clarity of influence – never in ‘fixing’ the horse. Training is based on understanding how horses learn, how stress accumulates, and how movement chains function biomechanically. Low stress does not mean low standards; it means clear questions, consistent signals, and sufficient recovery.
Ethical training also accepts limits. Not every horse is built for every discipline, and not every day is a training day. Rest, variation, correct management, and honest observation are part of the work. When the answer we get from the horse is not what we expected, ethical riding requires us to change the question, not increase the pressure.
Ultimately, ethical riding is future-oriented. It asks not only ‘Can we do this today?’ but ‘Will this horse still move willingly, soundly, and with confidence in five or ten years?’ If the answer to that question is unclear, then the training needs to change.
HQ: At the International Biomechanics Symposium, what can participants expect from your sessions?
Anne: At the International Biomechanics Symposium, participants can expect sessions that are practical, precise, and immediately applicable, rather than abstract theory.
My work focuses on the rider as a biomechanical factor. I translate functional biomechanics into clear, observable principles that riders can feel in their own bodies and recognise in the horse’s way of moving. The emphasis is on the rider’s seat, balance, timing, and influence, and on how small changes in posture and coordination can significantly reduce tension, improve movement chains, and lower physical stress for both horse and rider.
The sessions are grounded in learning theory and ethics but always connected to day-to-day practice.
Rather than offering a single ‘correct position,’ I work with individual differences. Riders will leave with a clearer understanding of how their own biomechanics interact with the horse’s body, and with practical tools to train in a way that supports long-term soundness, low stress, and sustainable performance.
HQ: What continues to inspire you about this work, and what do you hope riders take with them after training with you?
Anne: Mulisch, the famous Dutch author once said, “I have no goal, I have a cause”. As long as there are horses who are in trouble because of humans, I will continue to do my best to help those horses and their owners as elegantly as I can.
I hope participants will reflect on what has been said and shown as they enter their arenas the day after. It is nearly impossible to make huge lasting changes overnight. I will already be very happy when a small seed is planted. When small pieces of my teachings start echoing in your ears to support you through the countless repetitions which are necessary to change movement and behavioural patterns.
HQ: Do you have any future plans you’d be happy to share with us?
Anne: My latest project is the ProHorse Performance Protocol. It is meant to guide the eyes of he or she who is judging to what it all comes down to – true harmony between horse and rider. Based on objective visuals this Performance Protocol will bring an end to a lot of confusion. A picture explains more than a thousand words. During the International Biomechanics Symposium, I will explain how the protocol works for all levels and disciplines.
International Biomechanics Symposium
8th – 13th May 2026
Kyalami Equestrian Park, Johannesburg, South Africa
Visit www.centrelinecollective.co.za to book.