Biomec Equine - Rehab for Horses

15/09/2024

One of the truest statements ever 🙂

I hear this phrase ALL the time and every time I do my heart breaks for the horse in question.

It is a very big misconception in the industry that pain can be ruled out in the horse.

What leads to this statement can also vary drastically from person to person.

The horse might have had a quick muscle palpation, they might have just been scoped for ulcers, or they might have had a very extensive (and expensive!) veterinary work up over days or months.

Regardless, you cannot rule out pain. You might not be able to find a source, but you cannot rule out pain.

Ask any human who has not received an immediate diagnosis for their pain or not been listened to regarding their own health concerns.

Pain does not have a blood test or a specific color or feel.

Pain can be obvious, it can be concealed, it can be complex, it can be poorly understood.

There are certain things, like gastric ulcers, that can be definitively ruled in or out as a SOURCE of pain with a gastroscopy.

But it is the horse’s behavior that says whether pain is or isn’t present. And unfortunately, very often pain in the horse is not a simple thing to diagnose and cure.

When a trainer, owner, rider, or vet says “we have ruled out pain” it is often an invitation to train the horse with harsher methods to overcome performance or behavioral problems.

If the horse refuses to do something, doesn’t cooperate, struggles with tasks, has a change in behavior, or exhibits behaviors that have been scientifically studied to indicate pain in the horse (such as the equine discomfort ethogram and ridden horse pain ethogram)….ALWAYS keep in mind that just because it can’t be located, DOES NOT mean a horse is not in pain.

27/08/2024

This 👇
Great video and this is why I combine my bodywork, coaching/riding and saddlefit training as a solution. There needs to be ALL THREE combined to solve these problems. Using only one solution does not provide a long term solution, only adds a band-aid.

18/08/2024

I regularly attend courses and webinars with training centres in the northern hemisphere. This is my latest - Evidence-Based Saddle Fitting..
Note...I am not a saddle fitter, but as a coach and bodyworker am able to give advice on the suitability of your saddle for you and your horse.

16/08/2024

Olympics from a veterinarian's perspective. It's great to hear they embrace non-veterinarian modalities as part of the management plan, especially when they can't use many of the prescription drugs during competition.
The link says "429 Too Many Requests" but it works if you click on it 🙂.

"Early interventions can usually be managed with mild treatments such as massages, physical therapy, kinesiotherapy, and other nonpharmaceutical therapies, said Benoit. While veterinarians provide drugs to Olympic mounts if they need them, the aim is to provide the kind of close care that averts prescription medications, surgeries, and other “aggressive” treatments."

15/08/2024

It is the difference of perception between "training", "behaviour" and "abuse" that is the problem. More education required 😁.

07/08/2024

Great advice on girth length and placement 😊
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1rg2xdDzzxjoCKpr/

04/08/2024

This is what is under the skin, around the muscles, throughout the entire body.
This is why issues in the horses mouth when ridden may be connected to the hind end.
This is why finding the cause of pain or discomfort may be difficult as pandora's box needs to be opened and the source found after following all the connections.

The body is interconnected, there is a connection from the skin to the bones, the fascia is a continuous sheath (or sheet), and nothing exists in insolation...many statements that we use daily...can we actually imagine those structures or connections, and can we visualize the continuity?

Image of skin connections to the superficial fascia in different parts of the body...

Links to my work:
Patreon page that supports my work
https://www.patreon.com/equineanatomyinlayers

Whole Horse Dissection online (12 months access)
https://ivanaruddock.podia.com/the-equine-anatomy-in-layers

Atlas of the Equine Musculoskeletal system
https://ivanaruddock-lange.com/equine-atlas/

01/07/2024

Grain diets & gastric ulcers -
"High-grain concentrates, such as sweet feeds, can cause a spike in acid production, but you can take a few steps to prevent it. If feeding both forage and concentrate at a meal, offer the forage first so it can buffer the acid. Divide sweet feed into small meals so a reduced amount of grain is in the stomach at a time, ideally keeping it in the glandular region. If your horse needs a high-calorie concentrate to maintain weight and energy, try to find one with a higher fat content. Higher-fat feeds cause less gastric acid production and, because fat is calorie-dense, you can feed a lower quantity."

Do certain concentrates increase gastric ulcer risk? A nutritionist answers this commonly asked question.

17/06/2024

Great explanation - thanks Gillian!

02/06/2024

I'll be available at the Lovedale equestrian facility over the long weekend (Sat,Sun,Mon) for a range of services. Give me a call or message if you'd like to book? Services include:

* Riding lessons including jumping if requested
* Bodywork sessions
* Gymnastic Poles & Sure Foot Pads
* Instruction on bodywork, stretches & exercises
* Basic Horse Management
* Specialising in nervous riders and Off the Track TB's (OTTB)
* Saddle suitability assessment and Impression Pad session

Times are flexible to meet your requirements.
Phone Sue 0417 261 550 or message here.
You can book on Global Entries Online for Saturday and all funds will be fully refunded if weather is unsuitable.

https://www.globalentriesonline.com.au/event/11601

01/06/2024

An inquiring mind never stops learning 🙂

29/05/2024

Golly my job is tough some days 🥰.

26/05/2024

There is some useful visuals in this article. The gullet width should NEVER be narrowed to raise the pommel above the wither. I see this occurring far too often and damaging the horse and affecting their rideability.

21/05/2024

Great courses through Equitopia.

Basic Self Carriage For Owners

20/05/2024

Have a look at the Equitopia website - lots of good courses for reasonable prices.

14/05/2024

This is a very good exercise I use and teach regularly. Be sure to keep the horse's shoulders straight so you are bending the neck, not just wiggling the horse's body.

Tuesday tip - Stretching the neck muscles 🐎

This is a great exercise to use as part of your schooling warm up or try it when you're out hacking.

Ask your horse for lateral flexion in his neck to one side, then ride straight, then ask for lateral flexion to the other side, then straight.

Pick a number of steps for each, for example, 10 steps with left lateral flexion - 10 steps straight - 10 steps with right lateral flexion.

As you ask for the bend it’s important that your horse maintains his rhythm, balance, and impulsion. If he struggles reduce the number of steps you ask for.

Try this exercise in walk first once you’re both happy and confident you can try it in trot and even canter.

Lateral flexion in the neck is good for:

✅ Core stability and balance

✅ Coordination and proprioception

✅ Developing straightness and symmetry

✅ Forelimb movement and expression

✅ Reducing tension and restriction in the neck muscles

✅ Muscular strength, control and suppleness

✅ Neck joint flexibility

10/05/2024

The Sure Foot Pads produce great results 😊. Message or phone to book your horse for a session.

Using just one Pad at a time is what suits some horses.

07/05/2024

Learn some basic palpation skills you can use on your own horses 🙂. PM this page or phone/text 0417 261 550 for bookings.
I don't claim to have anywhere near the skills of Gillian Higgins with her painting horses skills, but there are a lot of basic palpation points that are indicators of how your horse is feeling, both on the ground and under saddle.
I will be available regularly onsite at the Lovedale equestrian facility and you can book in any time I am there. Upcoming dates are:
Thursday 16 May
Saturday 18 May
You can also book arena time and ride or participate in whatever activities organised for those dates. These dates there is also Six Bar (jumping) practice available.

‘If you don’t use it, you loose it’ or ‘To rest is to rust’, two phrases you will often hear Gillian Higgins share in her lecture demonstrations in reference to joint mobility and muscle memory. However, on a recent trip I took to Sweden to assist Gillian with not only a lecture demo but a...

06/05/2024

My services are now available on specific days at Lovedale equestrian facility.
Give me a call (0417 261 550) or message if I can provide any of these services onsite.

13/04/2024

A large amount of my work comes as a result of poor saddle fit. If the saddle has been professionally fitted, but is the wrong shape for your horse, it is still going to cause problems. Even once the saddle fit problem is corrected, some horses need body work to help them through the transition.
You don't need an expensive saddle - it just needs to fit!

Rider: My last saddle did not fit my horse, so I bought a new one. Why is my horse is still sore?

Fitter: Well, you bought the same brand, so…

If the new saddle you bought is the same brand/tree/design as the old one that didn’t fit — one with a similar tree/design as the old one will not fit differently or better (especially if it is a tree fit issue).

YOU CANNOT FIX A PROBLEM USING THE SAME TOOLS THAT CREATED THE PROBLEM.

If short tree points are the problem, you need longer ones that reach the Longissimus.

If the biomechanics of the saddle are the problem, you need a saddle with different biomechanics.

If the point billet is the problem, you need a saddle that has the proper fit and biomechanics for centered billets.

If your horse was injured due to the previous saddle, discontinue riding the horse in the old saddle immediately, even if this means you don’t ride at all while waiting for a new one.

If a crooked rider is the problem, the rider needs to work on becoming straight.

If the horse has poor posture because supporting the rider’s weight is a problem, the horse needs groundwork to create sufficient muscle and proper form before returning to ridden work.

Often it is a combination of these. First, we identify what is causing the problem, then we change that/those variables.

02/04/2024

Are you having saddle fit issues?
Are you insure if your saddle is right for you and your horse?
Is your horse behaving badly under saddle or when girthing up?
Does your horse appear to be in pain?
I have extensive training in saddle fit, equine biomechanics & movement and rider position and may be able to help you and your horse.
I can advise you on who to contact for actual adjustments of your saddle if needed, depending on saddle brand and your needs and I don't profit from selling saddles.
Your saddle doesn't have to be expensive, it just has to fit - and the horse gets the final say!

01/04/2024

Is there a physical reason why the horse isn't doing what we ask without using "leverage"? Always take into consideration the horses physical ability to do what you ask without "shutting down" mentally in order to comply.

“Leverage” has to do with a “force multiplier”, and using various types of leverage is often a part of getting horses to submit.

If we tie a strap to the girth of a horse and run it through the rings of a bit and then tie it to the girth on the other side, we have multiplied the force exerted by our hands so greatly that we can jam a horse’s head into just about any position we want, and the force is so great that the horse will be powerless to resist.

If we take a curb bit with long shanks and a curb chain, and attach the reins to the lower end of the shanks, we can lever a horse’s head down and in in similar ways.

Leverage creates constriction and it can also create plenty of pain, and there is nothing that the horse can do about it except to submit.

If your idea of training involves creating pain and inescapable force, leverage is your go-to solution. If your idea of correct training involves creating calm, responsive reactions and responses from your horse, you will avoid leverage like the bubonic plague.

Leverage certainly works, have no doubt about that. Leverage works so well that horses learn to do anything to avoid the pain, and it becomes very difficult to get a leverage trained horse to ever have calm and normal responses.

Sometimes weeks, months of gentle handling will heal the emotional scars that leverage training creates, but in many cases, those reactions are so built in that they never completely go away.

The best trainers almost never use mechanical leverage, The worst trainers use it daily. You have a choice.