Balance and Bodywork for All Animals

Balance and Bodywork for All Animals Improving balance, function, comfort and relaxation in all animals, specialising in horses and dogs. Is your horse underperforming?

Educating owners in developing relationships with their animals through true relaxation, and providing therapy for their own horses and dogs. Has your horse’s personality changed? Is your horse continually unwell or injured? Does your horse: grump at you during girthing up or rugging, go on two tracks when it should be one, have a lazy or weak hind leg, refuse to go forward, have a poor top-line n

o matter what your feeding or work regime, buck or pigroot regularly, refuse jumps, or struggle with lateral work? These common problems are often not related to poor training and temperament but are directly related to pain. Horses performing in all fields can be helped by Robyn, bringing them back to full health and performance. Often horses recover so well they exceed all previous performances and expectations. Give Robyn a call to find out how she can help your horse today - 0431 387 787

Lovely to see Stormy relaxing and processing his bodywork session. The T Touch wrap on his neck is to help him relax and...
09/11/2025

Lovely to see Stormy relaxing and processing his bodywork session. The T Touch wrap on his neck is to help him relax and to release neck tension, the tape is to assist in muscle repair.
After many years as a bodyworker, and 45 as a horsewoman, I bring a lot of skills to every session.

Nowra to Milton Wednesday afternoon Nov 12, your chance to book an initial session and unlock your horse's true potenti...
05/11/2025

Nowra to Milton Wednesday afternoon Nov 12, your chance to book an initial session and unlock your horse's true potential:
Assessment of movement, posture, joint range of motion and muscular/fascial/skeletal discomfort and unevenness.
Bodywork includes, fascial release, t-touch, AOE, JENT, red light therapy, taping and sure foot pads.
Simple aftercare advice to take your horse to the next level.
Did you know I am the Australian trainer for Sure Foot and Vetkin taping? I also teach fascial release and relaxation. Teaching and regular professional development mean you get a thoroughly experienced and dedicated therapist.
Sms or phone 0431387787

To everyone who gives a racehorse a safe and happy home, thank you.
04/11/2025

To everyone who gives a racehorse a safe and happy home, thank you.

02/11/2025

The team were trying to make a comeback to win a 3rd Canberra Cup with local hero, Macknuckle. But the horse was not back to his full potential despite appearing to be fully recovered from a forelimb tendon injury.
His vet asked me to co-consult. While everyone was looking at the front limbs I, as usual, watched the whole horse.
The vet asked my opinion and I answered with a question, 'when did he fracture his pelvis?'
There was much consternation within his team as no one had appeared to notice. By this time it was not a new injury, it was healed but the pelvis was unlevel and Macknuckle was clearly not using each hind leg equally, and likely to be excessively loading the forelimb.
I did some work with the friendly and quiet Macka, and suggested some exercises, but he never made it back to his former best, and he was retired.
I believe the pelvic injury came before the tendon injury and if the pelvic injury had been noted and addressed he may have stayed sound.
It's just a theory of mine, but one based on a lot of anecdotal evidence.
How can such a significant injury be missed? Depending on where the fracture occurs the horse can sometimes compensate and keep going, often in hindsight there will be that lightbulb moment, oh that's why so and so was a bit lame back then.
Initially, the pelvis can appear normal, due to swelling and the body's own splinting effect. So when a mild lameness shows up in the hind limb/s it is put down to other causes such as a hoof bruise etc.
However, a thorough whole body assessment should always find the injury as the gait is changed, there will be localized pain and compensatory posture.
Later on, muscles atrophy, the bones are no longer in alignment and the injury becomes obvious, if you are looking for it.
I cannot count the number of times I have asked that same question of a horse owner, who has also had no idea their horse suffered such a big injury.
This is why I am passionate about teaching owners, and other therapists, how to assess their horse.
In all of my bodywork clinics we spend considerable time in assessing the horse using various methods.
Upcoming Intro to Fascial Release clinics, Feb 21/22 Jamberoo, NSW. March 21/22 Taree NSW. April Townsville, QLD.https://share.google/images/Vdx5OhaSR60hxYpNn

What does this remind you of? Map of the caravan park I am staying in!
26/10/2025

What does this remind you of? Map of the caravan park I am staying in!

The fascia of the horse holds memories and emotions. Over and over I have seen these unwind and release, freeing the hor...
25/10/2025

The fascia of the horse holds memories and emotions. Over and over I have seen these unwind and release, freeing the horse to be themselves.
I was asked to see a very aggressive mare, a sturdy Palomino girl, Myst had been confined for weeks due to an injury. She appeared angry and aggressive to all those around her, both horse and human.
Notes from previous bodywork sessions, even prior to her injury, had her as 'be aware' she bites and kicks.
I quickly sent the owner outside the large yard, I needed all my focus for this troubled mare. I used some of my training skills to bring her front feet back to the ground, I asked her to trust me, she could feel better. I placed one hand in the only place she was ok with, on her neck.
She relaxed and reacted, she relaxed and reacted, I calmly met her at each place.
Suddenly, she went deep, her eyes closed, her head down. I called a bystander to just hold the lead rope, and I moved to focus the release in the area of her head and neck.
She was incredibly emotional. Sad and angry. Her owner was crying, I sent her owner away, Myst needed a neutral zone to release and process.
Tears poured down her face, her eyes stayed closed, her nose ran.
After a long time Myst started to return to the world.
She shook herself and looked around, her golden coat now glowed. Myst stood square, no longer leaning, no longer looking lame from her injury.
The next day she returned to the herd, a herd she had lived alongside for many years but not interegrated with. Myst joined the herd and a year later she was herd leader, no longer alone, no longer an outsider.
She was still guarded with some people but no longer dangerous.
Sounds like a fairytale but it's not. This has happened more than once.
I can help your horse. You can help your horse by learning how to do this in a clinic.
Comment below if you are interested in attending a clinic next year.
Ph me for bodywork bookings 0431387787

23/10/2025

Postural feeding, more than worth the small effort. #

02/10/2025

I see a lot written about muscles, they are important and easy to observe for weakness or overuse.
But there is not anywhere near as much written about fascia, and how important it is to develop the ability to observe the fascia itself.
Without fascia, muscles could not function in any way. Fascia forms posture and informs the nervous system. Fascia is often termed the 'bodystocking' which is a good analogy for only one function of the superficial fascia, but it is an important function. The superficial fascia holds everything together and connects the outer layer of the horse with the nervous system, the skeleton and the organs. It assists in the 'glide' as the horse moves forward, and it also protects the horse when there is an injury, pain or weakness.
When fascia is in protective mode it becomes more visible to the observer, if a problem persists the fascia gets tighter and thicker and less elastic, it becomes even more visible. Scar tissue due to a cut is an easily visible example of this protection in action.
Another commonly occurring, and easily seen example of superficial fascia that is overworking to support damaged structures, is in the hindquarter.
Quite often, when I watch a horse walk away from me, I see what I call, 'the shimmering effect'. The skin appears to shiver in a very subtle way.
For me, this is an important marker of dysfunction in the pelvic area and I am not happy until this disappears.
Once you know to look for it, it is easy to see.
Of course, I never have the right videos to show people on my posts. I always get so hung up on getting on with helping the horse and forget to get visuals of what I am seeing.
So, if you have some video of your horse walking away from the camera, please share it in the comments. If you don't mind me utilizing it!
After much Google pics searching I did find this video from many years ago. I think the shimmer effect is quite obvious and not contained just to the hindquarter.
What do you think?

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Nowra, NSW

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Tuesday 7am - 7pm
Wednesday 7am - 7pm
Thursday 7am - 7pm
Friday 7am - 6pm
Saturday 7am - 7pm
Sunday 7am - 6pm

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+61431387787

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