Triskele Equine Therapies - Bonnie Sweeney

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Berrima, NSW
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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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 🎊

26/11/2024

📣 Appointments for the last visit to Illawarra in 2024 📣

Due to a cancellation, there are a couple of appointments available during my next visit to the Illawarra on Saturday the 30th of November! This is my last planned visit to the area for 2024, so shoot me a message to secure a spot for your horse before the new year😊

02/11/2024

📣 Upcoming Travel Dates for ✨ November & Decemeber ✨ 📣

The end of the year is racing towards us and as I'm away for half of December I have included the travel dates for both months in this post.

10th of November - Albion Park, Shellharbour, Horsley and Illawarra surrounds. (Some space left in the afternoon).
16th of November - Darkes Forest and surrounds.
21st of November - Shibumi Equestrian Centre
30th of November and 1st of December - Albion Park, Shellharbour, Horsley and Illawarra surrounds.
7th and 8th of December - Canberra and Surrounds inc. Yass.
12th of December 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.

16/10/2024

Resharing since it's that time of year again and I'm already seeing horses that are mycotoxin affected.

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.

12/10/2024

What exercises build your horse's topline?

This has to be one of the questions I get asked the most. Horse people are obsessed with topline, and for good reason. It is essential for a horse to perform at their best. A strong topline means increased strength, flexibility and balance. It reduces the risk of back and hindquarter related injury and improves a horse's ability to carry themself and their rider.

I often hear people asking what to feed to improve a horse's topline and while balanced nutrition is important for muscle growth, nothing will change if the horse isn't working those muscles. So here are some easy exercises to help build your horse's topline.

1. Hill work. This can be both passive and active on your part. My horses used to live in an extremely steep property. I kept the water trough at the top of the hill and gave them free roam over the rest of it. This encourages them to walk up and down the hill several times a day to drink and then return to grazing elsewhere. It has the added benefit of constant posture adjustment and stabilisation as they often grazed on all angles on the slope. If you don't have a hilly paddock then riding or leading them up and down hills is also extremely beneficial.

2. Pole work. Research has shown than ground poles increase the range of motion of the limbs without increasing concussive forces. They naturally encourage the horse to lift through the thoracic sling to accommodate the extra effort. Ground poles are effective at all gaits. You'd be surprised how big a result you can get from just walk poles regularly. They also increase proprioception and coordination.

3. Backing up. I normally advice this on the ground first. Backing up in a straight line with the head in line with the chest and in a relaxed posture on a flat surface. As they get stronger you can start backing them up hills. Slower is better and only a few steps at a time. This is harder for them than it looks.

4. Transitions. Transitions both up and down gaits and within the gait require a lot of work from the horse, so increase the number slowly so as not to overdo it. If your horse is educated enough, you can also practice transitions that skip a gait (eg. walk to canter), but only when the horse is strong and balanced enough.

5. Lateral work. This requires the horse and handler to be educated in lateral work. My favourites for this are haunches-in and shoulder-in. I normally teach this from the ground before doing it under saddle. These also improve flexibility and balance and encourage the horse to step under the point of balance with the hind legs.

Never underestimate the results you can see from exercises done on the ground. You don't need to ride your horse to build topline. In fact, a rider can inhibit the horse's ability to do so.

If you've been giving them the right nutrition and been doing exercises consistently with them without any results, then they may have pain or tension which is preventing the muscles from functioning and building properly, in which case don't hesitate to get your horse checked by your bodyworker.

Image from Pixabay

11/10/2024

If you suspect your horse may be suffering from ulcers this is a great opportunity to get them checked while only paying for sedation!

01/10/2024

📣 Upcoming Travel Dates for ✨ October ✨ 📣

2nd and 5th of October - Albion Park, Shellharbour, Horsley and Illawarra surrounds. (Fully booked).
12th and 13th of October - Central Coast.
17th of October - Shibumi Equestrian Centre
26th and 27th of October - Canberra and Surrounds inc. Yass (26th fully booked, limited appointments on the 27th)

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.

29/09/2024

Another fantastic trip to Canberra done and dusted. It was a huge weekend, and I loved all of it. I'm now going to enjoy a lie down with a cup of tea and a day off tomorrow before launching back into it on Tuesday.

As always, I have a huge appreciation to all my wonderful clients, without whom I wouldn't be doing my dream job. 💖

14/09/2024

One of my favourite places to work. The horses are always so well looked after and a pleasure to be around 😊

01/09/2024

📣 Upcoming Travel Dates for ✨ September ✨ 📣

7th and 8th of September - Albion Park, Shellharbour, Horsley and Illawarra surrounds. (4 appointments left on the 7th, 8th fully booked).
14th and 15th of September - Central Coast.
19th of September - Shibumi Equestrian Centre
28th and 29th of September - Canberra and Surrounds inc. Yass (28th fully booked, limited appointments on the 29th)

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.

26/08/2024

This weekend has been an intense three days of learning and greater understanding of equine anatomy, function, form and feel.

I was privileged enough to cross off one of my bucket list items by attending a standing horse dissection clinic with Sharon May-Davis. Her mind and understand of the equine body is truly awe-inspiring.

I feel greatly humbled and honoured to have met her in person and learn directly from her. The last three days have been filled with greater understanding and "uh huh!" moments as I pieced together what I have felt and observed in my work with the "why" of the body.

I look forward to continuing to process and to take what I have learned out into the field to better service the horses that are entrusted to me for bodywork.

Greatest thanks to all involved, The Barefoot Blacksmith for hosting, SMD for her wealth of knowledge and humbling generosity and of course to the beautiful donor horse, whose teachings will go on to help many other horses.

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.

Address

Berrima, NSW
2579

Website

https://www.triskeleequinetherapies.com/

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