Triskele Equine Therapies - Bonnie Sweeney

Triskele Equine Therapies - Bonnie Sweeney Qualified Equine Sports Therapist and Bodyworker. Southern Highlands NSW, Goulburn NSW, Wollondilly NSW, Canberra and Surrounds
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Triskele Equine Therapies is currently run by Bonnie Sweeney in the Southern Highlands and surrounding regions. Bonnie studied Certificate 3 in Performance Horse Management in 2009. Completed equine reiki level 2 through the Tanran Lineage in 2014. This covered reiki for horses, people and other animals. Bonnie completed Certificate in Equine Sports Therapy in 2017. Currently the business offers r

emedial massage (including MFR, acupressure, Swedish style massage, lymphatic drainage and more) and reiki for horses.

A horse's digestion is a little different to ours, and knowing when and what to feed can make all the difference during ...
09/06/2025

A horse's digestion is a little different to ours, and knowing when and what to feed can make all the difference during the colder months

⏰ 𝗛𝗮𝘆 𝗢’𝗖𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸

🥶 Brrrrrrrrr…..

🌾 I am regularly asked what the best time of day is for a horse to be fed, and the answer is generally ‘whatever time is most convenient…’ however during winter, what time of day you feed hay in particular can be an important management tool for weight loss prevention and temperature regulation.

🔥 In order to keep warm during the cold, horses will burn energy to maintain their body temperature through thermoregulation. What is interesting, is that a horse has a built-in fermentation vat inside them known as the hindgut or large intestine. The predominant purpose of the hindgut is to break down fibrous matter and convert it into energy and nutrients that can be utilised by the horse. This biological process is called microbial fermentation, and a by-product of fibrous matter being broken down is… heat.

🐴 Food moves rather quickly through a horse’s stomach and small intestine (1-2 hours on average) however, it can remain in the hindgut for up to 36-72 hours during the microbial fermentation process. Food produces more heat in a horse's hindgut when it first enters as this is when the most active breakdown of fibrous materials occurs, releasing a significant amount of heat. As the food material continues to move through the hindgut, fermentation decreases, and by the time it is ready to exit, most of the fermentable material has been processed, producing less heat.

🌡️ With that mini biology lesson out of the way, how does this information influence the most appropriate time to feed hay during winter? Given temperatures are generally lowest overnight and in the early mornings, it makes physiological sense to provide a horse with hay of a late afternoon or evening, so that by the time it reaches the hindgut, it can ignite an internal fireplace to help keep the horse warm during the coldest part of the day.

🌱 As an additional bonus, legume hays such as lucerne (alfalfa) will produce even more heat during microbial fermentation in comparison to grass hays as a result of the higher protein concentrations. Lucerne can be a really handy ‘extra’ tool for the harder keeping horses during colder months.

📣 Travel Dates for ✨ June ✨ 📣 1st of June -  Albion Park, Shellharbour, Illawarra, Berry and surrounds.5th of June - Shi...
09/06/2025

📣 Travel Dates for ✨ June ✨ 📣

1st of June - Albion Park, Shellharbour, Illawarra, Berry and surrounds.
5th of June - Shibumi Equestrian Centre
19th of June - Shibumi Equestrian Centre
21st and 22nd of June - Canberra and Surrounds inc. Yass.
28th of June - Otford Valley Equestrian and surrounds
29th of June - Albion Park, Shellharbour, Illawarra, Berry and surrounds.

All other days serving the local area (Southern Highlands, NSW), unless otherwise booked.*

Shoot me a message to book in an appointment for your horse today! 😊

*I will do my best to accommodate out of area clients if I can fit them in on the way to somewhere else, otherwise a new area requires 3+ horses in that area for the day

📣 Travel Dates for ✨ June ✨ 📣 1st of June -  Albion Park, Shellharbour, Horsley and Illawarra surrounds.5th and 6th of J...
09/06/2025

📣 Travel Dates for ✨ June ✨ 📣

1st of June - Albion Park, Shellharbour, Horsley and Illawarra surrounds.
5th and 6th of June - Shibumi Equestrian Centre
19th of June - Shibumi Equestrian Centre
21st and 22nd of June - Canberra and Surrounds inc. Yass.
28th of June - Otford Valley Equestrian and surrounds
29th of June - Albion Park, Shellharbour, Berry and Illawarra surrounds.

All other days serving the local area (Southern Highlands, NSW), unless otherwise booked.*

Shoot me a message to book in an appointment for your horse today! 😊
*I will do my best to accommodate out of area clients if I can fit them in on the way to somewhere else, otherwise a new area requires 3+ horses in that area for the day

When both you and your client are nosey 🤣
14/05/2025

When both you and your client are nosey 🤣

The power of tension.People love to judge (and I don't mean that just in a negative way). We are quick to look at a pict...
12/05/2025

The power of tension.

People love to judge (and I don't mean that just in a negative way). We are quick to look at a picture and say what we like and what we don't like about the subject, especially in the horse world. Unfortunately, we're quick to label things and often incorrectly (I am certainly guilty of this at times). Atrophy, wastage, hypertrophy, over development, under development, etc. These labels are often used to describe various musculature of a horse and would take time and exercises to alter.

What I often see overlooked is the power of tension. Tension may be mentioned, but I feel it is often underestimated.

These pictures were taken before and after a single treatment (approx 1 hour for this guy). Not enough time to build or waste muscle. What you see is the result of releasing various areas of inappropriate tension. (Notice I say inappropriate because tension is an important part of biomechanics when it is appropriate for fuction).

So next time a post crosses your feed talking about the appearance of a horse, especially if you see the aforementioned labels mentioned in the first paragraph, consider instead how much of it is inappropriate tension.

📣 Travel Dates for ✨ May ✨ 📣 3rd of May - Otford Valley Equestrian and surrounds4th of May - Albion Park, Shellharbour, ...
05/05/2025

📣 Travel Dates for ✨ May ✨ 📣

3rd of May - Otford Valley Equestrian and surrounds
4th of May - Albion Park, Shellharbour, Horsley and Illawarra surrounds.
8th of May - Shibumi Equestrian Centre
24th and 25th of May - Canberra and Surrounds inc. Yass.
31st of May - Otford Valley Equestrian and surrounds
1st of June - Albion Park, Shellharbour, Horsley and Illawarra surrounds.

All other days serving the local area (Southern Highlands, NSW), unless otherwise booked.*

Shoot me a message to book in an appointment for your horse today! 😊

*I will do my best to accommodate out of area clients if I can fit them in on the way to somewhere else, otherwise a new area requires 3+ horses in that area for the day

31/03/2025

We can always do with more tools to help recognise and identify lameness, a great study to read.

It would be easy to say this horse was sound, but the tool and then the slowed down video highlight a different story. Now not many of us are going to have access to such things, which is why it's so important to train your eye. Can you see what can be visually identified that might indicate this horse has a lameness?

📣 Upcoming Travel Dates for ✨ End of March and April ✨ 📣 29th and 30th of March - Canberra and Surrounds inc. Yass. (1 a...
26/03/2025

📣 Upcoming Travel Dates for ✨ End of March and April ✨ 📣

29th and 30th of March - Canberra and Surrounds inc. Yass. (1 appointment in the afternoon of the 29th in Canberra, 30th of March fully booked)
5th of April - Otford Valley Equestrian and surrounds
6th of April - Albion Park, Shellharbour, Horsley and Illawarra surrounds.
10th of April - Shibumi Equestrian Centre
12th of December Shibumi Equestrian Centre
26th and 27th of April - Canberra and Surrounds inc. Yass.

All other days serving the local area (Southern Highlands, NSW), unless otherwise booked.*

Shoot me a message to book in an appointment for your horse today! 😊

*I will do my best to accommodate out of area clients if I can fit them in on the way to somewhere else, otherwise a new area requires 3+ horses in that area for the day.

📣 Upcoming Travel Dates for ✨ February ✨ 📣 1st and 2nd of February - Canberra and Surrounds inc. Yass (Fully Booked)9th ...
30/01/2025

📣 Upcoming Travel Dates for ✨ February ✨ 📣

1st and 2nd of February - Canberra and Surrounds inc. Yass (Fully Booked)
9th and 10th of February - Albion Park, Shellharbour, Horsley and Illawarra surrounds.
13th of February - Shibumi Equestrian Centre
19th of February - Southern area of Southern Highlands: Tallong, Wingello, Marulan etc.
27th of February - Shibumi Equestrian Centre

All other days serving the local area (Southern Highlands, NSW), unless otherwise booked.*

Shoot me a message to book in an appointment for your horse today! 😊

*I will do my best to accommodate out of area clients if I can fit them in on the way to somewhere else, otherwise a new area requires 3+ horses in that area for the day.

And we're back! First day back treating is done and dusted. Starting with a booked out weekend in Canberra (which is onc...
04/01/2025

And we're back! First day back treating is done and dusted. Starting with a booked out weekend in Canberra (which is once again trying to give me heat stroke). So grateful for this life and my fantastic clients that make it possible.

Here's to another great year of growth, learning and helping your horses through a hands-on touch.

That's a wrap for 2024!This year has been amazing, the business grew at an unprecedented rate, making this year the most...
17/12/2024

That's a wrap for 2024!

This year has been amazing, the business grew at an unprecedented rate, making this year the most successful to date and it is all thanks to my wonderful clients who trust me time and time again with their horses and ponies.

Whether your one of my regulars that's been with me since the beginning or a new client just jumping on board, I have so much gratitude and appreciation for all of you and your beloved equines.

For the first time since before the big C I am taking a short holiday so I can rest and recoup and come back ready to continue into 2025.

Though I'm taking time to rest, I am already taking bookings for January. The confirmed dates for travel are as follows:
4th-5th January - Canberra and surrounds
11th-12th January - Illawarra
16th of January - Shibumi Equestrian Centre

My inbox is still open though I will be a little slower to reply than normal.

I look forward to seeing you all again in the new year 🎊

Address

Exeter, NSW

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