Willow & Withers Stables Blog

Where Rider Meets Rehab: A New Approach to Equestrian Performance at Will-oh!

Written by Melanie | Apr 4, 2026 3:00:00 AM

What if improving your riding wasn’t just about time in the saddle?

What if it started with your body — your alignment, your strength, your awareness — before you ever picked up the reins?

At Will-oh!, we’ve been exploring exactly that through our collaboration with Jessica Bergevin of Remedia Health — and the results have been powerful.

A Different Kind of Session

Over the past few months, Jessica has been joining us at Willow & Withers approximately twice a month, offering equestrian-focused physiotherapy sessions right here in the barn.

This isn’t traditional physio.

It’s rider-specific, movement-focused, and deeply connected to what happens in the saddle.

Jessica’s approach looks at:

  • Posture and alignment
  • Core strength and stability
  • Mobility through the hips and spine
  • How your body functions while riding

Her work is rooted in evidence-based physiotherapy, combining assessment, movement, and hands-on treatment to support how riders move and perform

Why This Matters for Riders

Riding is one of the most biomechanically complex sports there is.

Small imbalances in your body can:

  • Affect your position
  • Disrupt communication with your horse
  • Limit your progress
  • Increase risk of discomfort or injury

What we’re seeing through these sessions is simple but powerful:

👉 When the rider’s body works better — everything improves.

From Awareness to Application

What makes this collaboration so unique is how it integrates directly with Will-oh!.

Riders can:

  • Develop awareness through physiotherapy
  • Reinforce correct movement patterns
  • Then step onto the simulator to feel those changes in motion

This creates a bridge between:
rehab → awareness → riding → performance

It’s not just about fixing something — it’s about building a better rider.

What We’re Seeing So Far

We’ve had some incredible sessions already.

Riders are:
✨ Gaining a deeper understanding of their bodies
✨ Identifying patterns they didn’t know existed
✨ Making meaningful changes in how they sit, move, and ride
✨ Feeling more balanced, more effective, and more confident

And perhaps most importantly — they’re starting to connect the dots between how they move and how their horse responds.

A Collaborative Approach to Rider Development

This partnership reflects something we care deeply about at Will-oh!:

Supporting the whole rider.

By bringing physiotherapy into the barn environment, we’re creating opportunities for:

  • More personalized support
  • Better education around biomechanics
  • Safer, more effective riding
  • Long-term rider development

It’s a more thoughtful, integrated way to approach training — and we’re just getting started.

Interested in Joining a Session?

Jessica joins us at Willow & Withers approximately twice a month, and sessions can be booked directly through Remedia.

If you’ve been feeling stuck, unbalanced, or just curious about how your body is influencing your riding — this is a powerful place to start.

Final Thought

At Will-oh!, we’re always asking:

How can we help riders understand more, feel more, and improve faster?

This collaboration is one of the most exciting answers yet.