Free to Be Equine Services

06/29/2025

Cross training is not just for horses, and it's not purely physical. Most of us know the importance of cross training our horses, which means incorporating different types of activities into their routine to increase fitness, improve performance, and reduce chances of injury. Fewer of us cross train ourselves - pursuing physical activities outside of riding in order to improve our riding. Barn chores are certainly physical, so don't discount those, but non-horse-related activities are helpful and necessary too. Even fewer of us appreciate the necessity of cross training our brains and our nervous systems, and that is what I wanted to touch on in this post.

I have hyperfixated on horses for most of my life, especially on equine health care topics. Of course I've had other interests and hobbies, but they always took a backseat to my horsey pursuits, as it happens with most horse people. After I began training as an equine bodyworker, over a decade ago now, the intensity of my hyperfixation increased considerably. There have been many years during which I exclusively focused on things that related directly to my bodywork career. I only read books, watched videos, took courses, and listened to podcasts that were about equine anatomy/physiology/bodywork - even in my off hours. Most of my friendships were with colleagues, and horses and our work dominated our conversations. I was fully immersed in the world, and had very little time or interest for much else.

I learned a lot during those years, there is no doubt. I am very grateful for the knowledge and skills that I developed during that time. But it wasn't until I experienced burnout from that hyperfixation, and began cross training my brain, that I really started to experience the level of success that I was seeking. Now, a disclaimer - my idea of success may look different than yours. I did not feel like I was succeeding when I was booked out 5-6 days per week, 6-8 weeks in advance, like I was during that phase. I feel much more successful now that I see fewer clients, work fewer days, and spend a lot of time doing things that have nothing to do with horses. I feel more successful because:

- I have the capacity to connect so much more deeply with both my equine clients and their human partners.
- I have the time to support my clients beyond their appointments, and in ways that go beyond bodywork.
- I have the flexibility and resilience in my nervous system to ground and co-regulate easily and consistently.
- I have intention and mindset around support, care, and empathy, not fixing or agendas.
- I attract clients who align with this way of thinking and being with their horses.
- I have developed my ability to zoom out, to see the bigger picture, to connect the dots, in ways that I never could when I hyperfixated.

These are markers of success to me, much more so than the bursting schedule and the constant intake of information and external validation. And so I will continue to cross train. I leave intentional time in my schedule for time spent by the sea, for tidepooling, for reading fiction (so, so much reading), for playing with watercolours, for creating with clay, for reading about marine mammals and intertidal creatures, for oracle and tarot cards, for photography, for learning about mushrooms and native wildflowers, for gardening. For doing whatever I feel like doing, even if it's sometimes nothing at all.
And even better - all of those activities are cheap or free.

Thank you Two Strides Forward Equestrian for the photo! 😍

06/07/2025

I'm coming up on 11 years as an equine manual therapist, and something that has become increasingly clear to me is that there is one quality - or skill, since it can be learned - that stands out as the thing that allows me to be good at what I do.

You can have all the titles you can earn, take all the courses and learn all the modalities, hop on all of the latest bodywork and therapeutic gizmo trends - it won't get you anywhere near as far as this.

This skill is listening. If you're thinking "that's obvious", I ask you - is it really? In my experience, humans have a very hard time becoming good listeners. Not just listening to each other, but listening to animals. Listening to nature. Listening to tissue. Listening to the nervous system.

It is a quality some people are born with, and this work may come more naturally to them, but it is also something that can be learned with guidance and practice. So, so much practice.

Learning and education doesn't exist separately from listening, however. I'm sorry to say (because for some, it is not as exciting as learning techniques) that anatomical learning greatly enhances my ability to listen - in one sense of the word, anyway. Listening to tissue becomes second nature when you understand what the body is doing beneath your hands. The best education programs focus mostly on anatomy and theory. If you don't have a clear grasp of it, the techniques become empty, simply going through the motions with no depth. But you also can't develop the feel to listen without the hands-on practice, even if you struggle at first.

Listening in other ways can also be learned, but it is perhaps not as straightforward. This is where I've learned the most by looking inward, not outward to a course or book or modality. For me, I've had to learn to truly embody what it means to be a listener - not just in my career with horses, but in life. Listening to the rhythm of nature. The seasons, the weather, the insects, the birds, the sea, the plants, the mammals (including humans). It does not mean simply listening with your ears. It is a practice, something I strive to be better at every day.

Listening can also make you vulnerable. The better I get at what I do with horses, the harder it is for me to continue down this career path. I have so, so much coming in, and struggle with where to put it all. It’s something I think about every day, and work constantly to balance. I expect that most people won't understand what I'm talking about here unless you are a highly sensitive person, or also work in a way that requires deep listening to other beings.

I have no intention with this post beyond to give people something to chew on. There is so much negative discourse in the equine industry right now, to the point that my mental health sharply declines any time I come back to Facebook or Instagram to post or read something. So much feuding and black and white thinking and strong opinions, and very little listening. If these people can't listen to each other on the internet, are they really listening to anything else?

If you want to become better at listening, there is no better teacher than the horse in front of you.

06/07/2025

Great tips here. Remember also that like us, our horses haven't acclimated to the heat yet this year, and many of them have also lost some fitness over the winter. It's a beautiful summer weekend but please exercise caution with your equine friends!

06/07/2025

This 💜

When something feels off, we often call in a trusted professional, be it a saddle fitter, farrier, vet, or bodyworker, with the hope that their intervention will solve whatever issue our horse is facing.

We want answers. We want solutions. And we want our horses to feel better, fast.

But here’s what we must all come to understand: no one practitioner can fix everything, because horses don’t work that way.

The equine body is a beautifully complex, interconnected system. And real, lasting wellness requires a holistic, team-based approach.

Corrective trimming, a new saddle, joint injections, massage therapy, each of these might bring improvement, but none of them work in isolation.

Change in one area affects the whole system. A horse who receives a different trim, for example, may also need bodywork to rebalance tension patterns, time off to adjust to postural changes, and guidance through exercises that help them move in alignment again.

Every adjustment has a ripple effect. There is no such thing as a “magic bullet.”

As someone who teaches saddle fit, I want to be very clear: fixing the saddle won’t fix everything. It’s just one, important piece of the puzzle.

Yes, we talk a lot about behavioural signs that could point to saddle-related discomfort: tail swishing, bucking, stiffness, girthiness, refusal to move forward, and more. But the key word here is “could.”

These behaviours are red flags, not diagnoses. They are signals that something might be wrong, and it’s our job to investigate with curiosity, not assumptions.

Saddle fit matters. A lot. But it’s not the whole story. And it never will be.

To support your horse’s long-term well-being, you need a circle of trust, a group of professionals who communicate, share values, and prioritize the horse’s best interest above all.

At a minimum, this team might include:

👉A vet who isn’t trigger-happy with injections or invasive procedures, and who takes time to explore root causes.

👉A farrier who invites your questions and explains their decisions.

👉 At least one or two bodyworkers, ideally including a gentle modality like Masterson Method, to support physical release and healing.

👉A saddle fitter who understands the biomechanics of horse and rider, and respects the bigger picture of equine wellness.

👉And perhaps most critically, you, the owner, as a committed and informed advocate for your horse.

Each of these individuals should be continuously learning, questioning, and evolving with their field. A professional who’s “set in their ways” may unintentionally limit your horse’s options and progress.

Real healing takes time, patience, and collaboration. There are no shortcuts.

That can feel frustrating in the moment, but it’s also empowering. Because when you build a strong, aligned team, you’re laying the foundation for long-term health and soundness.

So the next time you're tempted to pin all your hopes on one appointment, one product, or one modality, remember: It takes a village.

So, who is in your horse's village? Let us know in the comments below!

06/06/2025

06/04/2025

You see a video of a horse receiving bodywork in a state of inner zen on social media.

Their bottom lip is all droopy, they look all snoozy and blissful.

It gets you feeling all warm and fuzzy.

You feel the inspiration with your horse. You want that for them. You want that moment for you, too.

And so you have a go. And your horse hates it. They want nothing to do with you. They'd rather be anywhere but where you are right now.

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You're not alone here and so, after being prompted by a question on one of my posts, here are my thoughts/experiences:

(I am making the assumption that for people who have a horse like this, they have their ethological needs met e.g. friends, forage and freedom, meaning they get adequate time being a horse, with other horses, having ample access to forage and aren't hungry when youre trying to do this with them.

For some horses, doing this work during their quiet time, with a full belly will be helpful so you're not competing with food and their nervous system is already primed for a snooze.)

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I meet a lot of horses that are always 'on' because they're always doing something with their human with the intention of getting stuff done, e.g. grooming in prep to work, going out on a hack to for hacking sake, being led to the field as another job on the to do list to get done.

Often, there isn't much time being contributed to doing nothing or the horse getting to do horse things in the presence of a human. An example of this would be going for an in hand graze/treat scatter/forage or hanging out with your horse in their field or stable where they don't need to do anything other than horse.

A question I will often pose to myself is how often do I have quiet time with my horse?
How often do I hang out without any expectations vs how much time do I spend 'doing'?

Equally, in a bustling human world it can be very challenging for a horse to feel safe enough to or even have the opportunity to downregulate and accept a light touch. Particularly when that light touch might highlight areas of tension/discomfort/pain.

What energy do I bring to the table?
Am I upregulated?
Can I downregulate?
Am I dragging my horse into upregulation?
Can I mind my own energy and will that help my horse?
Is the environment my horse is in conducive to them feeling relaxed?

Next up I would be thinking "how does my horse feel about touch?"

Often when we are touching a horses body we are caught in the act of 'doing'. Touch is associated with us doing human things to the horse.

We touch their face because we like to touch their face.

We groom them because we want our horses to look clean.

Do they actually like being groomed?
How do we know they like it? Compliance isn't consent.
What brushes do they prefer?
Have they ever been given the option for preference?

This is where I find use of intention with bodywork techniques will help too - not so much from an "I am fixing this broken part of my horse" perspective but from a "can I create a blanket of safety for them to let their guard down?"

A fact finding mission:
Where is my horse happy for me to touch?
What pressure do they prefer?
What might this mean?

I find young horses have a short attention span. But equally I find horses with a "full threat bucket" also have a short attention span.

This is where I would be inclined to do a little, yet meaningful, and fairly often approach. For example, 5-10 mins x3 per week and I would stop before they have a chance to cook.

This is not an exhaustive list of ideas, but hopefully it gives you some threads to pull!

📸 by Olivia Rose Photography of me touching Cat's face because I'm human

06/01/2025

I have been enrolled in 's Whole Horse Apprenticeship online for several years, but it wasn't until this year that I finally had the opportunity to attend the 3-day in-person retreat. It helps that it was here on the island, just down the street! What a fantastic experience. Of course I'm feeling very grateful for Alexa's teachings as well as the guest instructors who attended - including sound healing with Jacquie Seinen, a hoof talk with Nicole Jory .hoof.fairy , observational horsemanship with Shannon Beahen , flower and sea essences with Sabina Pettitt , and animal communication with Mariana . But most of all, I'm feeling immense gratitude for the experience of spending three days with incredibly kind, intuitive, empathetic and like-minded horse people. Building a community is so deeply important, and what a community Alexa has brought together. I will remember this weekend for a long time. ✨️

05/26/2025

I enjoyed this talk so much - especially the specimens! Thank you so much, Nicole. I'm having a great time at the retreat - today is the third and final day. I will definitely be doing a wrap up post at the end to share about what I have learned.

05/21/2025

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