Equine Bodywork Solutions

I got to treat this little sweetheart, Polly, last week.

I’ve treated her “field husband” a couple of times and Polly stole a little piece of my heart from the stable next door. So when Mum called to say she’d had a very stressful dentist appointment and could I pop out to see her? I didn’t hesitate 🩷

As a rescue, she has been in a loving home for nearly 10 years, although it is a safe and predictable environment she is still holding on to old traumas and finds it difficult to relax around people, especially new visitors.

She did SO well for our first treatment together, some little snoozes after a heat pad and some red light therapy, followed by some acupressure points to promote relaxation.

Once I’d gained her trust she allowed a lovely head massage and both Mum and I were relieved that she didn’t appear to be holding on to any pain or tension.

There are some small gentle things that can be done in between treatments to help Polly slowly let go of everything she’s holding onto 💚

Box rest is a bodyworkers nightmare. I realise it’s essential in some cases, but ultimately so many problems - physical and psychological - can arise from being stabled for a long period of time.

I also realise that adding an additional cost at this point is your worst nightmare but it could be a wise investment for further down the line.

Soft tissue work during the first stages can stay on top of any tension in the muscles surrounding the injury, and spot those compensation patterns very early on.

Work on a realistic “back to work” plan with your bodyworker.

An example might look like this:

👉In hand walks - including grazing and visiting herd friends for mutual grooming - over a fence maybe 🤔

👉Bespoke static exercises e.g. carrot stretches, where appropriate

👉Begin with short spells of turnout - a fenced off area with the main herd is an ideal situation

👉Increase the time and distance of in-hand walks in small increments

👉Start by adding your saddle to the last 10 mins of your walk and move onto riding the last 10 mins

👉Gradually, and gently, increase these ridden walks always observing your horses body language and behaviour, even from tacking up stage. Try different surfaces - the school, roads, the field, to see where your horse feels most comfortable

NB: Unwanted behaviours at this stage shouldn’t be ignored without considering there is still pain

“You can’t train pain”

Every rehabilitation is unique, there will be ups and downs, it will feel boring and it will take time - that’s a sign that you’re doing it right.

Keeping videos, notes of small wins, is such a good motivational tool for the moments you’re feeling depleted. Other people on the yard and others like your farrier, will all see progress that you can’t when looking at it day after day.

I could write forever about including enrichment to encourage movement in your horse and boost the feel good hormones but you can go to my website for the enrichment download, along with the factsheet on non toxic plants and vegetables 💚
www.equinebodyworksolutions.co.uk.

That’s me, if I’m honest!! I see a full page of text and feel overwhelmed so I leave it “for later”.

I’ve changed the way I send reports quite a few times over the years and am happy - for now - that they could suit those who want a quick glance and others who like detail.

I stick to day to day language we all use on the yard and should you need a detailed report for a vet I can provide one.

After brief assessment notes and areas you need to focus on these diagrams show areas of tension from this session (on the right) and areas of tension from the previous session (on the left).

Over time we hope to see improvement, but when new areas show up it helps to know what’s happened in between sessions, have you changed anything? E.g haynet location. What has the weather been? E.g slippery mud in the fields. When did the dentist last visit?

When they can’t be explained or things start getting worse is when we call in other therapists or the vet.

Is there anything that would like to see in your report?

Yesterday I said one of the best things you can do for your horse is find the correct pole exercises that suits their needs.

However, this started a conversation where we both said we didn’t always realise the importance of this.

Which made me realise one of the bestest things you can do for your horse is be open to learning, open to changing your opinion and open to trying things a different way.

New research, studies and findings are being published regularly, we know SO much more now than we did 10, 15, 20 years ago.

Even 4 years ago I was doing things that I feel totally opposed to now!

“Do more polework”….”do more hillwork”….great things to include in your riding, whether you’re training for an event or a weekend hacker.

Ensuring your horse has developed the strength, stability, flexibility, coordination and balance to carry a rider should be our ultimate goal.

However, doing the wrong pole exercises for your horse can be detrimental and potentially lead to further weaknesses and injury.

Each pole exercise targets a specific muscle or set of muscles and identifying your horses weaknesses before introducing new exercises, will be one of the best things you can do for your horse 💚

I hear a lot of people blaming themselves for their horses sudden change in behaviour:

💭I’ve just had a baby
💭I haven’t spent as much time with him as I should
💭I’ve been busy and stressed at work

And while it’s true that our horses do pick up on our change of energy, it’s unlikely to be the only reason or the root of the problem.

Unlike our household pets it’s impossible to keep eyes on our horses 24/7 and therefore pin pointing the very beginning of a behavioural change can be a challenge.

Trigger stacking is a common problem and we could arrive at the yard ready to hack out while our horse is at a 5/10 and we don’t even know it.

⚠️Another horse on the yard was kicking his treatball all night
⚠️A group left early that morning on the trailer
⚠️Sheep in the field nextdoor were unsettled all night because of foxes
⚠️Breakfast was late!!
⚠️There was a storm overnight

All small everyday events, but one after the other and the ability to relax becomes more difficult.

It can be the same for us when our alarm doesn’t go off for work, it’s raining and there’s more traffic, roadworks, and then you spill coffee down your white top….someone asks you for something the minute you walk in and you snap their head off 😤

Chronic pain can also increase a horses tendency to spook, their nervous system has changed and their fight or flight mode easily triggered. Nerve racking for us watching our chronically lame horses do zoomies round the track in the mud 🤦🏻‍♀️

It’s not a miraculous recovery, it’s the adrenaline of a prey animal, in that moment, it’s more important to stay alive.

Combining massage and trauma informed care can help you to look at your horses behaviour in a different way, self reflection without judgement and implementing small changes for long lasting impact.

If you’ve noticed something different about your horse and you’re feeling frustrated at the lack of a reason leave me a comment below and we can have a chat 💚

An enjoyable networking event this morning organised by Becci at HorseSense UK. It’s always great to meet like minded people but as I moved from one conversation to another the same topics came up:

⭐️There is a noticeable shift in how we are keeping our horses. More and more people are using track systems and opting for 24/7 turnout, with access to shelter and constant forage

⭐️Nervous system regulation
Ours, our horses’, doing it for our horses, asking our horses to do it for us and how much is owner behaviour/personality affecting their nervous system and emotional health?

And the horses gave us a pretty clear answer…when asked if we wanted to do some energy work with the horses they all slowly left and retreated behind the barn, where there was no food or shelter!!

Maybe there was “too much” energy in the group for them, maybe they were having an off day 🤷🏻‍♀️

I find myself thinking about all the times I’ve asked horses to do something for me, because I’d made plans, because I had certain goals or expectations, I can’t go back and change but I definitely feel more aware that our pets are sentient beings and should have the freedom to express their feelings 💚

One of my favourite muscles because it’s so easily overlooked yet crucial for balance, stability, flexibility, healthy stride and movement.

If your horse struggles with lateral work, or travelling, this muscle is worth checking.

Is it too tight? Not developed enough? Being overused to compensate for asymmetries elsewhere? Or has there been an injury? A slip in the field for example.

If your horse is comfortable with touch in that area have a feel around and let us know what you find, you’ll know when you’ve found it because you’ll either see one of these facial expressions or leave with a hoof print on your leg ☺️

Always keeping me on my toes, Toby reminded me today that just because something worked before doesn’t mean it’s always the right thing for him.

Before I’d finished taking my coat off he was nudging me to get a move on and start 🤦🏻‍♀️
However, he couldn’t shake the fidgety, itchy feelings, despite wanting his massage.

His breathing struggles at certain times of the year and today he had some interesting cough/fart episodes.

We removed the heat pad, got him a haynet and a couple of blasts on his inhaler and after a bit of red light therapy I opted for a gentle massage of his abdominal muscles and rib cage, focusing on the muscles used for inspiration and respiration.

His Mum and I reflected on the year they’ve both been through and taking all of this into account, he’s doing brilliantly 💚