Triskele Equine Therapies - Bonnie Sweeney

15/08/2024

What Lies Beneath.

Last Tuesday and Wednesday I attended a whole horse dissection hosted at Shibumi Equestrian Centre , run by Becks Nairn . This was truly an eye opening experience that made me feel both privileged and humbled. Learning about the body of the horse in anatomy books and video dissection is one thing, but to witness a whole horse as the layers are peeled away in person is entirely different. So many things that I understood theoretically suddenly began to make sense practically.

It has taken me a week to process even a fraction of what was found and what I witnessed and I know I am a long way from being done with mulling over everything. I was fortunate enough to have familiarity with the beautiful soul whose body was used, and have had hands on work with them before, which gave me an extra layer of understanding and many “uh huh” moments as things I had felt and witnessed but not had an explanation for, revealed potential causes. I say potential because at the end of that day we will never know with 100% certainty.

The owners have asked for discretion of the identity of the subject, so I will simply refer to them as “Star”.

One of the behaviours I had identified was an inability or reluctance to raise their head high. I had felt the neck previously and noted that the musculature felt compromised, but I could not identify what the problem was. As we examined the spine on the second day of dissection the group discovered that C7-T1-T2 were completely fused beyond recognition. There was no movement at all between these three vertebrae. In addition to this there was stenosis (narrowing) of the spinal cavity. Star exhibited an ataxic gait for some time, and it is theorised that this narrowing is likely responsible.

This would have been extremely difficult if not impossible to pick up on imaging and palpation due to the deep nature of the structure.

There are so many things that I learned through this whole process and I will no doubt share more over time as my brain continues to ruminate on everything. I am so grateful to all of those involved in organising and hosting the clinic and Star’s body for imparting so much knowledge that I can use to help my clients' horses now and in the future.

14/08/2024

The changes a single treatment can yield can be profound. One of my favourite comparison views is always of the back of the horse.

In both pictures, this horse is standing square on even ground. Before, he had a distinct curve to the right through the entire length of the spine. His rib cage was bulging to the left, and the dorsal aspect of his right scapular was sitting cranially compared to the left, which was neutral.

After treatment, we see the curvature of the spine is gone. As is the bulge of the ribcage and both scapular are closer to a neutral position. There are still asymmetries present in the development of the musculature, which will need to be resolved through exercises. However, much of the alignment disfunction is resolved and the horse is in a better starting place to begin their post treatment exercises.

31/07/2024

Patty was struggling to get his canter left. Originally it was just under saddle and the owners suspected that it may be the rider's cue since he could do it on the lunge, but as time passed the problem began showing up on the lunge as well.

Upon assessment he showed significant restriction down the superficial dorsal and superficial ventral of the fascial kinetic lines, with the worst restriction centring around the TMJ and atlanto-occiptial joints. Much of his first session was focused around the head and neck.

After his first treatment his owner sent me the attached message. Even though I'd done little to nothing with the pelvis the behaviour was all but resolved. In fact, he enjoyed left canter so much he began to pop into it when not asked 😂

During his follow up I found that the work from the previous treatment had held, and I worked on the rest of the body. Quirky Patty is once again ready to offer both canter leads for his royal campaign 🎉👑

30/07/2024

📣 Upcoming Travel Dates for ✨ August ✨ 📣

Wow can't believe we're already heading into August!

3rd and 4th of August - Canberra and Surrounds inc. Yass (3rd fully booked. Some availability on the 4th)
10th and 11th of August - Albion Park, Shellharbour, Horsley and Illawarra surrounds. (10th fully booked. 2 appointments left on the 11th.).
27th and 18th of August - Central Coast
19th of August - Shibumi Equestrian Centre
31st of August and 1st of September - 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.

23/07/2024

The horse community is so quick to jump to behavioural issues being due to poor training or poor attitude, but in my experience pain is the leading cause.

A while ago, I was sent a pony for schooling that had napping (not wanting to go forward) and contact issues.

Upon its arrival, I did a through check over of its body and quickly found wolf teeth present (which cause major contact issues) and a bony change in its knee. Because of its wolf teeth, schooling was pointless at this stage, but I also wanted to investigate the knee further before doing any more work with the pony.

When I asked the owner if I could have the pony flexioned and xrayed by a vet, she told me that the pony was only going to be a kids pony anyway, so the knee wasn’t a concern for her. Yet the pony was showing significant napping behaviours, a behaviour that only presents when a horse associates major discomfort with what is being asked of them. And I had a strong feeling that, like most poor behaviours, the issues for this pony were pain related.

Because I wasn’t prepared to work with a horse I didn’t think was structurally sound, I paid for x-rays myself and the findings weren’t good. The pony had several bone spurs in the knee and substantial arthritic changes. More than enough findings to suggest that ridden work was extremely uncomfortable for it and retirement was the kindest option at that stage.

Sadly, this is an issue I see frequently when working with horses with behavioural issues. Most commonly, an owners first ‘go to’ is to have the horse ‘trained’ through the issue, but most of the time the problems we deal with as riders and handlers are not a training issue, but rather a discomfort or pain issue. Sure, a dominant trainer can override the issues for a while, but it doesn’t actually fix them and it severely affects the welfare of the animal in the process.

Before a behavioural issue is addressed through training, the horse should be well evaluated by an expert; including having their teeth checked, feet rebalanced, tendons flexed, legs and spine xrayed, scoped for ulcers, eyes checked, blood tests, seen by a chiropractor or body worker, properly saddle fitted and bit changed and then an assessment of the rider should be made to see where mistakes might be happening in their training. Even if nothing is found in these checks, you cannot rule out deeper pain issues such as adhesions, tumours, muscle tears, reproductive issues, misalignments, digestive issues etc. which can be nearly impossible to find without an autopsy or highly specialised appointments.

At the end of the day, horses are extremely willing and forgiving animals, so if they keep expressing poor behaviour, it is just because the cause of that behaviour has not yet been diagnosed and fixed. We always try to live by the statement, ‘Find the solution, don’t punish the symptoms.’ All behaviour is a form of communication and it’s our job to figure out what our horses are trying to say.

14/07/2024

They always wait until you've stepped away to grab something for just a second 🤣

05/07/2024

📢 Travel Update for Illawarra! 📢

Due to interest for the month of July, I have added a second trip to the Illawarra! 🎉

In addition to the currently planned trip on the 13th and 14th, I will also be down again on Sunday the 28th!

If you were unable to make next weekend, the 28th has been opened up. Appointments left in the late morning and during the afternoon.

Message the page to secure an appointment!

04/07/2024

A fantastic opportunity for owners and professionals who wish to learn more about the anatomy of the horse with one of New Zealand's leading experts in dissection and musculoskeletal system.

Already booked my place but there are some spots remaining!

With the Sydney dissection selling out quickly we have added a second dissection in!

Get in touch with Shibumi Equestrian Centre to secure a spot.

03/07/2024

In a conversation with friends Rorschach ink blots were briefly mentioned. Out of curiosity I decided to look some of them up. For the vast majority of them all I could see were equine anatomy structures. Does this mean my anatomy obsession has reached critical mass? 🤨

I labelled some of them with what I saw on first impression. Obviously if any horse presented with anatomy exactly like this, I would be extremely concerned about them. Luckily this is just what my mind conjured and is by no means the real thing 😂

03/07/2024

Another wonderful piece of feedback from a client about her young horse.

Often, young horses get overlooked for bodywork because they haven't had much done with them by people, but there are many reasons why a young horse might need extra support. The leading ones I come across are birth trauma and paddock accidents. Bodywork can support a young horse's development and head off problems before they even have a saddle on their back.

So happy for this owner and her very handsome young gelding. He's going to be a superstar.

28/06/2024

📣 Upcoming Travel Dates for ✨ July ✨ 📣
6th and 7th of July - Canberra and Surrounds (1 appointment left on 6th. 3 left on the 7th)
13th and 14th of July - Albion Park, Shellharbour, Horsley and Illawarra surrounds. (1 appointment left on each day).
20th and 21st of July - Central Coast
25th of July - 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.

27/06/2024

Anything that puts the horse in a fixed posture is going to hinder, not help your progress. The body is designed to move, especially in collection.

17/06/2024

Had a booked out weekend in the Illawarra, full of new clients trusting me with their horses, as well as following up with past clients.

One of those clients sent me this short little video. It was wonderful and humbling to see this mare go from pinning her ears at me to trusting my touch. She definitely won the award for droopiest bottom lip.

Every session is a conversation. A horse that's in pain is likely to be guarded and as a therapist it's my job to understand and respect that at the same time as finding a way to help them.

09/06/2024

Canberra brought out it's best weather for me, ☀️ rather contrary to usual! Perhaps it felt bad about soaking and freezing me last visit. 🤣

05/06/2024

Getting feedback always gives me a lift. Hearing about the progress clients are making is exactly why I love and am passionate about my work!

22/05/2024

📣 Upcoming Travel Dates for ✨ June ✨ 📣

8th and 9th of June - Canberra and Surrounds
15th and 16th of June - Albion Park, Shellharbour, Horsley and Illawarra surrounds.
22nd and 23rd of June - Central Coast
27th of June - 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.

15/05/2024

One of my favourite things about my job is meeting the animals at client's places. These cuties are only a few hours old and seeing them definitely made my day 🥰

11/05/2024

🌧 Canberra likes to save the best weather for my visits 🥴 But rain, hail or shine, if I can get out and you have shelter, I'll be there. All part of the fun of having an outside job.

Thinking of offering a new service. If you need rain, just book me in and it'll be sure to follow 😌

07/05/2024

Myofascial Kinetic Lines, it’s all connected!

The topic of Myofascial kinetic lines (MKL) is vast and would require more than a social media post to cover, but this aspect of the anatomy is so powerful to keep in mind when doing bodywork I can’t simply not write about it.

When we look at the horse from a dysfunctional point of view, it is so easy to break them down into parts and forget about the whole. The owner tells us the horse is having problems engaging the hind end, so we look at the hind end. Equally they say the horse has tension in the poll and is struggling to flex, so we look at the head and the top of the neck. What if I told you the same anatomical connection could be causing both these problems.

The more I delve into anatomy and its complexity, the more I realize nothing in the body is in an island, and it’s all interconnected. MKL is a fantastic example of this.

Fascia, in a very simplified explanation, is a type of connective tissue in the body. Where it was once thought to be relatively unimportant, we now know that it is an interconnected web. This web contains force transmission and dynamic and static contractility. Thus it affects posture, balance, and movement.

MKLs are interconnections of muscle, tendon and fascia and create basic motion patterns in the body. They are the lines upon which movement, posture and balance is created and maintained. Because of their interconnected nature dysfunction anywhere along these lines of interconnection can create dysfunction further along the same line. Considering these lines create and influence flexion, extension, lateral bending and rotation, the effect on the body can be profound.

In horses seven lines have been identified:

Superficial Dorsal Line (SDL)
Superficial Ventral Line (SVL)
Lateral Line (LL)
Functional Line (FL)
Spiral Line (SL)
Front Limb Protraction Line (FLPL)
Front Limb Retraction Line (FLRL)

I could easily write a post about each of these lines, the structures involved and their function, but to return to our example, a horse that’s struggling in the hind end and in the poll likely has dysfunction somewhere along the SDL. This is probably the most common line I see dysfunction in. In the images labelled as “2” this line is marked in green. Contraction of the SDL will extend the spine and create a hollow outline. While relaxation of the line paired with contraction of the SVL will create a lifting of the back and flexion of the neck. In the images labelled as “2” this is the blue line.

To go even further, some of these lines cross over the midline of the horse, onto the opposite side from which they started. The FL as an example, crosses the midline twice, once at the lumbar, then again back via the p***c bone. FL dysfunction could explain the diagonal pattern of compensation often observed between the hind and forelimbs. Eg, dysfunction in one hind limb may show up as compensation in the opposite forelimb, and vice versa. In the images labelled as “3” these are the blue and light blue lines.

These lines have been identified in humans, horses and dogs, and while there is still much more we can learn about them, they provide an fabulous insight into how the body functions as a whole.

Resources:
Elbrønd, Vibeke Sødring, and Rikke Mark Schultz. "Myofascia-the unexplored tissue: Myofascial kinetic lines in horses, a model for describing locomotion using comparative dissection studies derived from human lines." Medical Research Archives 3 (2015).

Neven, A. Colles, C. Paolo, T. (2020) Animal Osteopathy: A Comprehensive Guide to the Osteopathic Treatment of Animals and Birds. Handspring Publishing.

07/05/2024

I really should prioritize my own health as much as I prioritise my client's 🤣

Slight alteration 😀😀

04/05/2024

Due to not enough hours in the day and popular demand I'll be down in the Illawarra area both the 18th AND 19th this month!

✨ Woohoo! ✨

There are some morning appointments left on the 18th and afternoon ones on the 19th. Message me to secure a spot so your horse can feel and perform at their best!

30/04/2024

📣 Upcoming Travel Dates for ✨ May ✨ 📣
2nd and 3rd of May - Shibumi Equestrian Centre
10th and 11th of May - Canberra and Surrounds (10th is full. 1 spot available on the 11th in the afternoon).
18th of May - Albion Park, Shellharbour, Horsley and Illawarra surrounds (3 spots available).
25th and 26th of May - Central Coast
30th of May - 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 4+ horses in that area for the day.

22/04/2024

Often, I'm smiling, but sometimes I need to mentally picture what I'm feeling and then you get this face 🤣

21/04/2024

✨ Priorities ✨

21/04/2024

Mycotoxins

I've been meaning to do a post about Mycotoxins for a while, however, we're getting to the end of their season and it felt superfluous to be posting about it so late. That was, until the weather has continued to create a perfect environment for them to proliferate and I'm still seeing mycotoxin affected horses during treatment.

So, let's get into it.

What are mycotoxins?
According to the world health organization "Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxins produced by certain moulds (fungi) and can be found in food."

These moulds or fungi can also be found on certain pastures, in hay and in grain products. Some of the fungi have a symbiotic relationship with particular pastures. Unfortunately, the same thing that helps protect and proliferate the grass can be toxic to your horse.

Where are mycotoxins found?
Black or sticky head seed is a warning that the fungi is present. This includes species of grass such as: paspalum, rye, and fescue. However, the fungi may be present without any indicators we can observe.

As previously mentioned, they can also be present in hay and grain.

The fungi grow in warm humid environments. Just like the summer we've just had. As the weather dries out or the temperatures drop the fungi will die off. Making this a seasonal problem (discounting that which is found in feed).

Symptoms of Mycotoxin poisoning include:
❗️ Itchy skin / skin irritation
❗️ Photosensitivity (sun burn / stubborn greasy heel etc)
❗️ Heightened reactive behaviour (increased spooking etc)
❗️ Poor coat / skin condition
❗️ Weight loss and general poor health
❗️ Head tossing
❗️ Neurological symptoms (loss of co-ordination, proprioception, staggers etc)
❗️ Muscle and / or facial twitching
❗️ Infertility / poor fertility, poor milk production

Your horse may suffer from all or only a couple of these symptoms.

So how do you treat it?
The answer is quite simple thankfully. You treat it with a toxin binder. There are many toxin binders on the market but Mycosorb A+ has been formulated specifically for mycotoxins. As an added bonus it won't bind to the nutrients of the horse's food.

If your horse is suffering from mycotoxins, you should see an improvement in their symptoms within a couple of weeks. Sometimes much sooner than that.

Qualified Equine Sports Therapist and bodyworker with over 6 years of experience.

10/04/2024

“I have some crazy stuff like this going on in some vertebrae owing to early onset OA and can tell you that some days, I would never know, some days, it’s a little uncomfortable and then some days, it is excruciating.

Thinking about all the “naughty” horses out there.” — Taryn C

WE OWE IT TO THE HORSES TO INVESTIGATE THEIR DISCOMFORT, instead of anthropomorphizing them. There is always a reason why a horse misbehaves or is behavioral.

01/04/2024

📣 Upcoming Travel Dates for ✨ April✨

4th and 5th of April - Shibumi Equestrian Centre
13th and 14th of April - Canberra and Surrounds (1 spot available on the 13th, 2 spots available on the 14th).
20st of April - Albion Park, Shellharbour, Horsley and Illawarra surrounds (3 spots available).
27th and 28th of April - Central Coast

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 4+ horses in that area for the day.

22/03/2024

Back pain is one of the leading symptoms I find in horses I treat, from all disciplines and experience levels. Horses are an expert at hiding pain, until their tolerance has been broken down, leading to "bad" behaviours. Such as bucking, bolting, refusing to go forward, napping, running out on jumps or stopping. Girthiness, "cold backed", pinning ears, trying to bite when being saddled are all signs that your horse may be experiencing back pain. Anyone who's experienced chronic backpain knows how debilitating it can be.

Every horse deserves to be pain free.

If your horse is girthy, behavioral during saddling, has a kissing spine diagnosis, shivers, stringhalt, or any other pathology that affects their comfort under saddle, it is INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT that your care team addresses these issues until they are resolved.

If they are unwilling to treat them until the horse is comfortable, find people who will.

Every horse deserves to have their pain investigated and treated so they can be comfortable under saddle.

Asking a horse to carry a rider when they have unresolved back pain/issues sets everyone up for failure. Let’s do it right, and put the horse’s comfort first.

Denali Equine Rexos Inc