The Holistic Horse SA

07/10/2025

It’s much better to feel something, than nothing at all. Many horses I come across from both a bodywork and training perspective are merely just surviving. And this is not throwing fault at their owners by any means as these horses have often been this way for most of their lives, before these owners have even acquired them..
But once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

Help your horse through this by noticing more, using less pressure, improve your timing/feel, encourage curiosity, reward often (most of these horses won’t even react to treats or scratches), show their body how to find balance, so they can then be safe in their own bodies, making them safe around you.

In saying this, you also need to address pain throughout the body - soft tissue, gut, hoof, dental, and joint. What affects one part of the body will affect the rest, whether it seems connected or not.

When a horse is coming out of this state, sometimes they can become more sensitive and reactive - this is not a bad thing. They are starting to feel again.

Then the work becomes about them finding true relaxation, true safety and true nervous system regulation.
My favourite kind of work.

A regulated nervous system is a safe nervous system, and vice versa.
That is the answer to your training problems.

Be a safe space for your horse so they can be safe for you 🫶🏼

Horses are emotional sponges. If they can’t flee or fight (their natural coping strategies), the stress turns inward.

This is what I feel is happening in those moments of freeze.

What cannot be expressed, must be absorbed.

Horses, as prey animals, are deeply tuned to flight. It’s their natural form of processing overwhelm — movement is medicine for their nervous systems.

But in domestic life, this natural discharge is often blocked:

Fences replace open fields.

Halters and ropes limit choice.

Social dynamics may be fixed.

Humans may not recognize subtle signs of stress.

So the horse can’t flee, and often can’t fight (they’d be reprimanded). What’s left?

Freeze.

The third survival strategy, often misread as calm or obedience, is actually a state of nervous system shutdown — a silent scream.

The Freeze Response as a Philosophical State

Freeze is not just a nervous system condition — it’s a spiritual and existential posture.

It is:

A dimming of agency.

A withholding of essence.

A state of holding life at bay — not fully here, but not fully gone.

In this state, the horse is not being in the present. They're surviving it.

What is lost?

Vitality. Curiosity. Authentic expression. The very soulful aliveness that makes horses who they are.

Freeze is a kind of suspension of self, a quiet grief of not being able to be what you are: fluid, alert, and responsive.

Horses don’t just feel their own bodies — they feel ours. They read:

The invisible language of our posture and breath.

The underlying emotional current, even beneath the words.

The unspoken becomes, for them, a felt truth.

When a horse lives in chronic stress (whether their own or ours) and can't move it out, it doesn’t disappear — it moves inward:

Into the gut (ulcers, colic).

Into the fascia (tension patterns).

Into the behavior (aggression, withdrawal).

Into the soul (a loss of sparkle, curiosity, connection).

We say they are “sponges” not because they are passive absorbers, but because they are relational beings — deeply attuned to the field around them, designed to keep the herd (and now, us) safe through feeling everything.

The Path Back from Freeze

Coming out of freeze is not dramatic. It’s quiet.

A lick.

A sigh.

A blink.

A moment of curiosity.

The body begins to trust the present again.

Philosophically, this is a return to aliveness.

Not just survival, but existence with agency.

And that’s a sacred gift that we can give to our horses by becoming the guardian they need in these moments.

20/09/2025

Pull back injuries are so so common, and are always of significance! This area of the body is so sensitive with extremely important structures. Spend time to teach your horses how to come forward off of pressure gently, and don’t hard tie them, even the quietest of horses.
Horses that pull back with rope halters, or those that are worked with training aids are more susceptible to these kinds of injuries.
Don’t ignore when your horse pulls back, and get them seen to by an equine professional ASAP to minimize any long term problems 🫶🏼

🧩 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘆𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 & 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 🐎

An anatomical structure that is far more clinically relevant than many realise.‼️

🔍 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆:
Myo = muscle
Dural = dura mater, the protective membrane surrounding the spinal cord
This bridge represents a direct anatomical connection between the re**us capitis posterior minor muscle and the dura mater of the spinal cord, occurring in the spaces between the atlas (C1) and axis (C2), and between the atlas and the occiput.

Importantly, this region is one of the very few places in the body where the spinal cord is not fully protected by bone.

Alongside this muscular-dural connection, the greater occipital nerve (arising from the dorsal ramus of C1) traverses this region, making it particularly vulnerable to mechanical irritation, strain, or compression.

⚡ 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:
Because of the proximity to the brainstem, dysfunction at the cranio-occipital (CO) junction and the myodural bridge can create widespread neurological consequences.
The brainstem governs essential autonomic and sensory functions — including auditory processing, swallowing, extraocular muscle control (vision), and muscle tone regulation.

⚠️ Chronic irritation here can therefore manifest as heightened hypersensitivity (sound sensitivity, light sensitivity, swallowing difficulties, abnormal muscle responses).
This partly explains why horses with poll trauma or pull-back injuries can present with long-term behavioural and physical signs that appear disproportionate to the initial event.

⚠️⛔️ PLEASE PLEASE TAKE NOTE
IF YOUR HORSE OR YOUR YOUNG HORSE PULLS BACK AND SHAKES THEIR HEAD IMMEDIATELY, get a qualified equine osteopath to see the horse within a week or 2 if possible.
Young horses 🐎 ❌️❌️ DO NOT TEACH TO TIE UP VIA A SOLID ANYTHING! ❌️❌️

💥 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲:

𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺: horses that spook excessively or become intolerant to normal environmental noises after poll injury, likely due to altered brainstem auditory processing.

𝘖𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘴: difficulty with tracking, changes in blink reflexes, or a horse appearing “head shy” around the eyes

𝘚𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦: horses that suddenly resist the bit, choke more easily, or develop tongue thrusting behaviours — often linked to brainstem-mediated swallowing reflex disruption.

𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨: persistent bracing of cervical and poll musculature, even at rest, due to ongoing nerve irritation.

𝘜𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴: anxiety, head tossing, or hypersensitivity to light touch around the poll.

⚠️ 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:
This is precisely the region over which a halter or bridle headpiece lies. A single pull-back incident can cause profound trauma, not just to the soft tissues, but directly to the spinal cord and brainstem integration. These injuries often require years of careful management to recover, if at all. It also explains why palpation of the poll can elicit exaggerated responses — the tissue here is not just “muscular” but deeply neurological.

In practice, I have also observed training techniques in dressage where riders pursue the so-called “nuchal ligament flip.” This is not a desirable training adaptation — it is an induced strain on the nuchal ligament and supporting suboccipital musculature. Deliberately training a dysfunction in this region risks perpetuating cycles of instability, pain, and neurological irritation.

🚫 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆:
Any disturbance of the CO junction and myodural bridge is not an isolated lesion. It can trigger an ongoing cycle of neurological stress, pain amplification, and compromised sensory integration — in other words, an unrelenting loop of agony.❗️

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻, 𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗶𝗱𝘀.

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗹, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰.

𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: https://helenthornton.com/contact

05/08/2025

There is a subtle difference between, taking things slow, and hesitating.

Taking things slow, builds confidence and creates clarity. We help the horse build an alphabet that they will forever pull from to create beautiful words and sentences. This process cannot be rushed, or we risk having jumbled up conversations for the rest of the horse's life.

Hesitation is slightly different. This may arise when we ourselves, are uncertain. Hesitation involves inaction and creates ambiguity, and doesn't create confidence. I think of it is the hot/cold game. If you're searching for something, but I don't give you feedback on whether you're hot or cold, you will get frustrated, confused, or wonder if we are still even playing the game. Clear guidance provides structure.

What does this look like in practice? Maybe my horse pauses by the door and looks out. If there is something there to see, I allow them to look, and even if there's not something, I allow them to look, the first time. But after that, I gently redirect them when I feel them starting to get distracted. This may feel like tension in the back, drifting on the line of travel, or not looking in the direction we are going. Using my physical aids, this could be voice, seat, hands, legs, or a combination, along with my intention, I give the horse something else to focus on. This could be a change in the direction we're headed, change of gait, or if caught early, just a reminder to continue with what we are currently doing.

We cannot create confidence, balance, or focus, but we can facilitate helping the horse find it on it's own ❤

01/08/2025

Wishing all the horses a big 𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗬 𝗕𝗜𝗥𝗧𝗛𝗗𝗔𝗬 🥳

Make sure you give them all extra cuddles and carrots 🥕🫶🏼

30/07/2025

𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 & 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿
𝘎𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘺 🫶🏼

I am in the midst of submitting my case studies for my nerve release course that I am currently studying, and I thought I would share the before and afters of my girl Gilly after one session 🤩

In less than 2 hours, Gilly has been able to find and access a whole different posture. Look at that inflated thoracic sling, which looks like it has changed her whole conformation, and helped her stand square! 🥳

It always amazes me how such light and gentle techniques can make such a profound difference. You do not have to always use deep pressure to create an impact for your horse, emotionally and physically. 🥰

Nerve release sessions will be available as a stand alone service in the near future, however my current bodywork sessions still incorporate the techniques where needed. Please get in touch if you want more information 🤎

16/07/2025

Anyone who has had a lesson with me would have heard me talk about boundaries and how important they are when interacting with your horse.
Boundaries are not a negative, they are the best thing for your relationship; for clarity, and to keep everyone safe and sound.
This post has a really great way of putting that down in words 🥰

Using kind methods to train horses doesn’t mean having no boundaries in place

And boundaries don’t mean that you are being mean to your horse or make him upset.

What does "kind" mean:

It does NOT mean to allow your horse to do whatever he wants - or doesn’t want.
It does NOT mean you’ll always back off as soon as the horse communicates discomfort, displeasure, disinterest.
It does NOT mean to only do activities your horse enjoys.
It does NOT mean to be wishy-washy for the sake to not upset your horse.

Kind means to be clear. Do not let the horse be in doubt about your question.

Kind means to give your horse time to figure out the answer to a question - this also means you don’t give up before he FINDS that answer!

Kind means to consider your horse’s point of view and to phrase your questions according to that. But it doesn’t mean to NOT ask questions anymore out of fear your horse won’t like it.

Kind means to help your horse find peace about those difficult topics.

Kind means to have boundaries in place. Consistent, clear - just there like the most normal thing in life.

Boundaries aren’t mean - boundaries give clarity.
Boundaries create the frame within which we can move freely.
Boundaries create confidence because suddenly the world becomes predictable.

Using kind methods doesn’t mean that you won’t sometimes ask your horse firmly to give it a try, to stop an unsafe behavior, to put in an effort so he can find the solution and find peace with a topic!

I have met many horses who had learned avoidance/defense behavior because their owners always backed off as soon as the horse showed the slightest bit of worry or resistance.

If you do that consistently, your horse will get very stuck on certain topics. Because you never give him the chance that the fly spray/shower/trailer/whatever isn’t that bad after all.

You never teach him that there is a peaceful solution to be found!

So, next time your horse shows irritation, defense, lack of motivation - just don’t give up!

You can back off a little, think about how to phrase the question differently - but go and ask again so your horse has a chance to find out that life can be ok.

And: Start putting those boundaries in place. Consistently. Ever moment you are with your horse. Its for your safety, its for your horse’s peace of mind.

Don’t let your horse do whatever he wants and doesn’t want for the sake of being “kind”.

ODH Members can see especially in teh real time horse training documentaries included in the program, how I set clear boundaries to horses I get in training, how I handle it when a horse shows defense, tension, misunderstands my questions. How I keep myself safe in case a horse "has a moment".

Its real time - real horse training done with kindness and boundaries.

26/05/2025

𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 ⛈️
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴..

Regardless of rain, wind or shine, our horses still need caring for. Both this morning and evening when letting my horses out into the paddock, I realised that all of them were handling the situation differently. Bentley and Gilly were quite calm and content, just trying to get their heads out the rain. Jeorge had one spook at a tree branch cracking, and then settled down to be led out. But my poor mare Fi was having a really really hard time.
I could tell she was trying her absolute hardest to hold herself together. Snorting, jig jogging next to me, moving around backwards and forwards.. yet the poor thing was still trying her best to self regulate by looking to me, licking and chewing, and staying out of my space. We got to the paddock and back in one piece, however this started quite a big train of thought for me.

Previously, this behaviour probably would have frustrated me, maybe even annoyed or angered me. Lack of understanding and education creates frustration. But all I felt this time was empathy, for the clear panic attack that she was trying to not let unfold in front of me.
& I realised, my priority was to try my best to be cool, calm and collected to help support her through some really big feelings.

Being flight animals, horses greatly rely on their senses to keep them safe. During stormy or windy weather, these senses must be extremely affected, causing many horses to likely feel quite unsafe.

One of the few things horses care about, is safety. If horses don’t feel safe, these can cause “unwanted” behaviours such as lack of focus, spooking, running over the top of their handler, sometimes even rearing and completely losing their marbles. This of course can scare us as handlers because then we fear our safety. In turn, we try to control more, add more pressure, more restraint. What is the last thing horses need in this moment..? More pressure and restraint.

And just a gentle reminder, that even when the severe weather has passed, it doesn’t not mean that your horse’s threshold has returned to normal. Their stress thresholds are likely still high, and they probably haven’t had a lot of sleep during this timeframe. I certainly know how irritable and unfocused I can be on zero sleep!

Training sessions in the days following should be handled with patience and care, focusing on lowering your horse’s threshold, and instilling a sense of safety back into their lives.

Some suggestions for training sessions may be:
- Focus on gentle yet clear boundaries, to instill relaxation, with lots of rest and reward time between questions.
- Start with groundwork before riding.
- Only ask questions you are confident your horse knows the answer to.
- Don’t try to teach anything new until your horse seems like their normal self.
- Focus on bonding, grooming or fun games/patterns.
- Don’t be reactive, be understanding that your horse may still be having a rough time.
- Fake it til you make it … sometimes pretending you have confidence and asking clear questions instills confidence in your horse, which then in fact actually makes you feel like you have control!

If you have any other tips and tricks that has helped you and your horse recover after a bout of severe weather, please comment below. Stay safe, warm and dry everyone and go give your ponies a big hug tomorrow! 🫶🏼

30/03/2025

𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 🫶🏼
𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺 31𝘴𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 - 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺 7𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘭 📆

I will be away on holiday during these dates for some much needed R&R with my little family 👨🏽🐶

Contact may be limited during this time, but if you need an appointment, please send a message and I will get back to you when able. 📞

VERY limited appointments available for April, and taking bookings for May for new clients. 💚

I look forward to getting back to teaching and treating your unicorns 🦄

20/03/2025

FREE PPID (CUSHINGS) TESTING!

Yes it’s that time of year again when we recommend testing older horses and ponies for Cushings disease (PPID).

Symptoms of PPID include:

💇🏼‍♀️ Long hairy coat, failure to shed in summer or patchy/delayed shedding

💪 Muscle wasting and/or a “pot” belly

🦴 Weight loss and lethargy, exercise intolerance or poor performance

💧 Increased water intake and urination

🦶 Laminitis or “founder”

😅 Excessive sweating

💕 Abnormal reproductive cycles and reduced fertility

🦠 Increased susceptibility to infections such as skin disease, hoof abscesses and dental disease

🩸 Reduced healing ability

To qualify for our available free testing your horses or pony must be:

⭐️ Demonstrating some of the symptoms listed above

⭐️ Not been previously diagnosed with Cushings (PPID)

Tests are limited in number and we do prioritize our regular clients - however please get in touch if you are new to our clinic as we reserve a small number of tests for new clients!