Equine-Naturaltherapy

10/12/2024

There is always an underlying reason for “girthiness” in horses.

Gone are the days where that horse at the riding stables was “just grumpy” when you tightened the girth. The practice of “just do it up quickly and watch their teeth!” is archaic, insensitive.

There are so many potential reasons for girth line sensitivity, so before attributing to bad behaviour or making a joke out of the grumpy faces your horse makes to tack up… please consider these and have all avenues fully investigated:

🤍 Digestive discomfort - ie. ulcers
🤍 Pain memory - ie. previous uncomfortable experience with girthing. The primary cause of this behaviour must be proven to be completely resolved.
🤍 Muscle hypertonicity - ie. tension in pectoral muscles and associated structures which make touch in this area painful. This can even be caused by something like poor foot balance. If your horse is even reacting to touch in this area before you even put a girth on, something is amiss.
🤍 Poor girth fit - ie. girth shape does not suit your horses conformation, often causes discomfort after exercise in acute cases and chronic dysfunction in long term cases.
🤍 Faulty tack - ie. cracking to girth leading to pinching.
🤍 Unsuitable girth position
🤍 Poor saddle fit - can lead to referred pain patterns through ribcage.
🤍 Injury - ie. horses that skid to stop in front of a jump, or do the splits when they’re having a little too much fun in the field can strain the thoracic sling structures.

This list represents a selection of different reasons, and whilst not being completely exhaustive it provides a starting point to investigate your horses girth line tension.

09/26/2024

Horses can’t speak, but actually, if you give them a chance to, they have a lot to say! Horses are just non-verbal communicators, meaning they use their behaviors and body language to speak!

Ways your horse may be saying they need help in their body:
❌acting out (bucking, rearing, hopping, bolting, stopping)
❌not traveling straight
❌refusing to go forward
❌biting or nipping with grooming & tacking
❌difficulty with consistent connection in the bride

Do any of these sound like your horse? Don’t ignore what they are saying for too long or else one of you, if not both, have a higher chance of becoming seriously injured!

09/15/2024

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.

08/31/2024

“Put the horse first.

Easy to say. Hard to do.

Putting the horse first requires commitment. It requires integrity. And patience. And energy. And money. And oh, does it require time.

Putting the horse first means earlier mornings and later nights. It means quality feed plans and the best hay that you can buy. And extra brushing so that coats gleam and manes and tails shine.

Putting the horse first means that you buy three extra bags of shavings for your stall at the horse show (yes, I know they're expensive!!), because even though you can "get by" with two, you want to do right by your horse. If you don't want to stand on concrete all weekend, why would she?

Putting the horse first means that you have a good working relationship with a quality equine vet. It means that every horse gets the best quality of care that you can afford to give it. Your performance horse is an athlete. Treat her like one.

And when your vet says, "Rest her for 10-14 days," be generous and give her the 14. Even if it's inconvenient. Even if you've aleady paid your stalls and entries. Even if it's the last thing you want to hear.

Putting the horse first means that if you've been rained out of the arena for two weeks and your horse isn't fit, you don't haul to the horse show. You choose to be fair to the horse and keep her home, instead.

It also means that if you haul three hours to the horse show only to find that the ground is dangerous, you load up and go home. It takes discipline, but you don't jeopardize what you want in the moment for the long-term confidence, health, and soundness of your horse.

Putting the horse first means that no saddle, no halter, no buckle, no trophy, no paycheck comes before the well-being of your equine partner. No matter what.. And it ain't an easy row to hoe.

Many will ride. Many will compete. Many will win. But few will be horse(wo)men.

Don't just be a competitor. Be better”

Written by Jessica Lash.

08/30/2024

08/18/2024

Letting the horse look at the jump, sniff it, stand near it, these are all things that decades ago, when I first started jumping I was told to never allow.

The idea back then was that a horse had to “just deal.” And if the horse quit at the jump, the horse was “being bad,” and needed to get a good smack with a crop.

But most of the time---not all, but in many cases---the reason that a horse quits is because of some sort of insecurity or fear or spookiness, and instead of punishing the horse, a better strategy is to try to get the horse to not be afraid, If a horse refuses out of fear, does whacking the horse, which adds fear to already existing fear, make a lot of sense?

Now, sure, sometimes a horse needs to be told to go, but generally a better first way is to try to let the horse have a “no big deal” attitude about what it’s being asked to do. Going back to that “old” way, I was also told this: “You have to make that horse more afraid of you than the thing he’s scared of.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard some version of that over the decades.

And while a horse does have to be taught to stay in front of the aids, the first step is to create confidence about that, and there are lots of ways to do this that work better than fear of being punished if he doesn’t, one of which is tons of trail riding with a brave and steady horse as a leader, so the younger or greener horse learns that it all that stuff it sees out in the wide world is not something to be afraid of.

So, generally, if a fence looks different, let him have a look first. If he stops, maybe let him look some more, or follow a braver horse. Some horses seem to be brave right from the beginning, and if so, lucky you.

But others are more spooky, and these usually need many more baby steps. Letting them have baby steps is often smart training, not a weakness or a surrender, and that’s something I had to learn as I unlearned what I’d originally been taught.

08/16/2024

08/12/2024

What is the optimal number of improved or correct repetitions for efficient learning?

New neural pathways cannot sustain repeated stimulation due to the massive oxygen and glucose demands of brain tissue and their lack of maturation. Thus, training presents a dilemma: while more repetitions can consolidate learning, excessive repetitions may lead to a decline in learning and welfare.

However, it is known that in naïve animals, learning can begin to manifest after a few repetitions (Skinner, 1938). This suggests that trainers should terminate practice after eliciting three to five consecutive correct, improved, or corrected responses.

Although it is an age-old maxim in horse training to always "end on a good note," it is likely more efficient to conclude with a short series of correct or improved responses.

- A passage from Equitation Science, 2nd Edition. Andrew McLean, Paul McGreevy, Janne Whinther Christensen & Uta König von Borstel.

08/01/2024

Walking backwards - rein back - step back

This has always been an exercise I recommend and a recent article has used 3D motion capture to explore back and pelvis motion during the movement - Jobst, Zsoldos and Licka, 2024

'A significantly larger maximum and a greater ROM was reached between the withers, thoracic region and sacrum (labelled D-angWmT16S2) in Backwards Walking compared to Forwards walking, indicating a lifting of the back, an effect necessary to facilitate strengthening of the horse’s core and therefore often desired in equine physiotherapy and in equestrian sports (Clayton, 2016; Shakeshaft & Tabor, 2020)'

A few steps backwards - Unmount SD Cardnted - as part of groundwork and before mounting are a really good idea to mobilise your horse's back.

Link to article:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090023324001412?via%3Dihub

07/25/2024

Toxic positivity is not how we’re going to improve the horse world.

Ignoring the bad because it’s hard to hear and focusing on the good you can find doesn’t allow for the bad to be addressed.

It protects those promoting the bad by taking the spotlight off of them and once again slipping into the comfortable apathy that has helped the horse world get to where it is currently.

The apathy and the actual abuse work in tandem with each other.

Apathy helps those who are doing worse things by holding them less accountable, quieting discussion and making it easier to hide what they’re doing.

We need to talk more about what’s going on in this industry.

We need to talk more about the pressures to remain silent in the face of witnessing treatment of horses that makes us uncomfortable.

We need to talk about the fear involved with speaking out when you are coming up against prevalent people in the horse world.

We need to talk about the shame of doing as you’re told, when an “expert” horse trainer instructs you to do something cruel to a horse and you follow the instruction, assuming they must be righteous.

We need to talk about how many of us have been conditioned to respond to horses with harshness from a very young age.

Sparkly whips with stars marketing to children to make the concept of hitting horses more palatable and less scary seeming.

Being told that it “doesn’t hurt” the horse when we hit them because they’re so big.

Using herd dynamics as a justification for why repeated striking horses isn’t bad because “they hit each other way harder in a herd!”

There is no shortage of excuses available.

There is a whole bible full of extremely common justifications to downplay the occurrence of harshness towards horses.

It occurs on a very frequent basis.

We need to honestly look at these things for what they are and understand that part of remaining positive means maintaining the perspective that we can make meaningful change.

But meaningful change requires work and openly acknowledging where the problems lie.

It isn’t negativity to look at the problems that exist.

It’s reality.

And looking at them through the lens of seeing how much more improved the horse world would be if we address them IS the positivity.

A better world is possible but we have to work for it.

Enough of the apathy and clinging to the comfort of ignoring the elephant in the room.

It results in prolonged discomfort, though it might be lower grade than looking at problems head on, it never deals with the issue.

So, look the problem in the face so we can address it and hopefully one day have the peaceful positivity everyone likes to pretend to have currently

07/24/2024

Thank you for a really informative webinar! Your updates are next level making theeee best app out there for practitioners and clients!

07/24/2024

‘If you make an excuse for the human you are ignoring the horse.’

Wow just wow

We cannot defend the indefensible
*an error of judgement* a mistake, a moment in time, out of character, never done it before
How long will the victim who is the horse by the way have to put up with it
If you make an excuse for the human you are ignoring the horse
If you think this is a one off you are ignoring the horse

By speaking out we are not bringing an industry down we are simply saying this is not right
The public are shocked the video has been shown those of us who own horses tick off another one who's public image is not the private one with whip in hand

When will it change well how long and how many times have we been here before, those who speak up are told to be quiet for we are damaging a sport yet all the while the irreversible damage is being done to the horse

In all this people not the horse has been discussed
Read the statement then watch the video does it look like an error of judgement to you because it doesn't look like it to me when people get comfortable abusing an animal that is the time they should never be near one
Stop normalising animal abuse

07/08/2024

06/27/2024

One of the biggest misconceptions is that forwardness refers to speed, which leads novice riders to kick on and make their horses go faster. Sadly, all this does is push the horse out of a suitable rhythm and tempo, often causing him to lose his balance, fall onto the forehand, get tense and tight through his back, and/or come against the contact.

Another common misconception is that a fast-moving "hot" horse is also a forward horse; this is incorrect. A horse moving at speed can still be "behind the rider's leg," thus, not working forwards from the leg but rushing away from it.

Lastly, don't confuse "forwardness" and 'impulsion." From the first moment you sit on a newly-backed horse, he should be encouraged to work forwards and be forward-thinking, even though he will be unable to produce any meaningful impulsion at this early stage in his career.

Stock image from Shutterstock.
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05/29/2024

I see a lot of people recommending chiropractors and pemf and excluding massage therapists. I want to give you a few reasons why I believe a massage therapist should be used regularly at times in a horse’s life:

We all have different skills to contribute to your horse’s care. Bodies need different kinds of help at different times.

Remember that it’s the muscles that create tensile strength and hold the bones and organs in place. They are also what pulls the body out of optimum, by strength or weakness, which combine to create imbalance and potential unsoundness. This is especially true and important when a horse is coming into increased work, coming back into fitness, or when a horse is older and needs a little help staying loose and comfortable. You can be a great trainer, your horse will still build strength unevenly, it’s simply what happens when out of shape horses are put into exercise. It’s natural, normal and expected.

By being proactive and working with a great massage therapist you can help your horse be more balanced and comfortable and so sounder, more mentally balanced and train more easily. We can help the horse through the process by manually suppling, helping him learn his body, improving awareness and letting him use himself the best he can while he works to build and become, hopefully, the best version of himself.

Learn more here - https://koperequine.com/why-hands-on-massage-is-the-best-way-to-for-sore-care-muscles/

Massage Speeds Exercise Recovery - https://koperequine.com/massage-speeds-muscle-recovery/

05/29/2024

04/20/2024

Klaus Balkenhol talking about problems in dressage judging:
'It is a worry, I see some horses that are really nice and relaxed, but they don't get the good score, and other horses are not always regular, especially in the passage, but still they score too much. The problem a lot of the time is the judges, and the judges' schooling is not good enough. We need one judge who can say 'this is correct', all the people coming to him asking what is the correct way - but now we have many many judges, and no leader."
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2022/06/klaus-balkenhol-which-way-for-dressage/

04/08/2024

After seeing multiple videos posted by various breeders bragging about their 2 ½ year olds/recently turned 3 year olds and sharing videos of them cantering around in the arena, I have decided to once again circulate the below article.

First of all, breeders *should* have the knowledge to understand a horse’s fragile and slow maturing musculoskeletal system. Breeders should not condone their own horses let along anyone’s horses being cantered around under saddle at an incredibly young age. Period. This sets a terrible example and is quite honestly animal abuse. Just because a horse does not object does not mean it is right. And quite frankly, most of the videos posted show animals that are already in pain or developing pain…

As breeders, we should strive to produce healthy and sound animals. We should promote horsemanship that produces long term soundness. No, starting a horse later does not guarantee soundness. But it certainly helps.

I am a firm believer in scientifically backed approaches to horsemanship. You can’t argue with science that has been proven time and time again. Let’s dispel some stupid rumors:

1. There is no such thing as a (skeletally) slow maturing horse or one that is fast maturing. No horse is skeletally mature before the age of 6. And that is on the low estimate for age.

2. Growth plates are not just in the knee. Every bone behind the skull has a growth plate. Not every single one needs to be converted to bone before starting. There is a schedule of when bone fuses…this is the information needed to know when to start a horse. Not their outward appearance. It is a known fact that during growth, proprioceptive awareness can regress, greatly increasing the risk of injury.

3. Starting a horse is not the same thing as riding a horse. Starting a horse does not mean cantering it 3-4 days a week in an arena.

4. Injecting a horse that is in pain does not mean you fixed a problem. You masked it.

5. You can build correct muscle and teach a horse how to move their body from the ground. This creates a solid foundation to work from once your horse is ready to actually be backed. Teach a horse to use its body correctly before backing and you’ll save yourself a lot of vet bills down the line.

Hocks are “late” for maturity. The growth plates on the tibial and fibular tarsals do not fuse until a horse is 3-3 ½. Ever wonder why so many horses seem to have hocks issues?? Horses need to learn to carry themselves and their own weight well before adding a rider.

The growth plates that are LAST to close are at the base of the neck. This area is where we ask a horse to raise the base of their neck and come round. If under too much stress, the growth plates can fracture or be permanently damaged.

There are DOZENS of activities you can do with a young horse to build healthy muscular development. None of them involve a saddle or your weight on their back. Teaching a horse to carry themselves correctly BEFORE adding a rider is essential and cannot be done in a week. A 2 ½ year old horse is a baby. Mentally and physically. We see far too many injured performance horses at VERY young ages - broken down and/or sour from work. It’s wrong. Period. They need slow and steady work and need time to recover from even the slightest of injuries.

PLEASE, if you are considering when you should start your horse and what that work load should look like, please read the below. There are some wonderful things you can do with your young developing horse. Please don’t rush a year out of greed.

http://www.equinestudies.org/ranger_2008/ranger_piece_2008_pdf1.pdf

04/03/2024

"I can't afford a new (different) saddle"

Shifting the focus.

Our horses, regardless of what we paid for them, regardless of pedigree, experience level or career, deserve the absolute best care.
Proper care extends well beyond feed, farrier and veterinary. It includes compassionate training, additional supportive therapies, adequate time-off for recovery, suitable turn out in a herd and properly fitting tack.

We often hear the complaint "I can't afford a new (different) saddle" which for some reason is accepted as an excuse to ride your horse in a saddle that causes physical and psychological stress.
If someone were to say "I can't afford a vet", they would be looked at as negligent, but for any other area of care the excuse is widely accepted.

The hard truth is, horses cost money. It is by no means a cheap sport, and just like with having a pet, you take on the financial responsibility when you purchase/adopt that animal.

That said, we have seen pet owners sell whatever they could to afford the veterinary care their animal needs. We have seen people save whatever they can to put towards the care of their animals, horse or otherwise. But when it comes to saddles, something that can cause an incredible amount of physical and behavioral issues, few are willing to make the sacrifice.

The narrative needs to change. Saddles are not a luxury item, they are not just a piece of tack, they are integral parts of proper care for your horse, whether you like it or not.

03/23/2024

I was saddened to see this image and others circulating on social media.

As you know, I'm always a little hesitant to comment on "moments in time". But for the tongue to turn that dark blue, there must have been a significant restriction of blood flow for some minutes. It doesn't look good.

It isn't good, and this is an easy aspect to comment on. The restriction is so tight as to overcome arterial pressure and prevent arterial blood supplying the free section of the tongue beyond the bit. At the same time, there would be no venous return. So, the oxygen in the tongue would be used up, changing the colour from red/pink to blue.

Restriction of this kind for a number of minutes could lead to pain, tissue damage and tissue death, even with permanent changes to the tongue - try putting a peg on your tongue for 20 min if you don't believe this.

The horse looks tense, stressed and unhappy at this point in time. The tension and the eye appearance may be gone in the next second, but the prominent veins and sweating (in the absence, I believe, of it being hot?) are highly likely due to a stress response. It could be due to the intensity of exercise and relatively high body temperature if this was an eventer going XC.....but it's not.

I’ve been asked to comment on the noseband tightness, but whilst the top looks tight, I can’t see the bottom half. Not a nice image and I would be interested to see a full video and appropriate action taken. Easy evidence of abuse should be dealt with.

Dr David Marlin

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This photo caused quite a stir in the Animaleweb office, and so we asked our independent Bitting and Bridle Fitting expert, Emma Busk, to comment also.

"I saw this image last night and have been thinking about an appropriate reaction. I think David’s comments are excellent and wholly right to focus on the arterial and venous supply to the tongue. It is impossible to determine the exact tightness of the noseband (the horse has been able to move the jaw to a certain extent – I’ve certainly seen tighter, unfortunately), but this is not the primary factor leading to ‘blue tongue’. In my opinion, trying to cover all the bit/bridle issues present in this picture is impractical, and it may be worth noting that noseband fit/tightness is for a separate discussion.

Looking at the picture as a whole, rather than just at the tongue, what ‘stood out’ is the extreme activation of the parotido-auricularis muscle. A sure sign of stress leading to extreme tension."

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
We always encourage discussion and debate - BUT KEEP IT FRIENDLY!
Any nastiness will see you blocked/banned, so keep it polite, please.
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03/18/2024

Rachel Greetham, the British team’s equine veterinary physiotherapist, shares her top tops for cooling down your horse after riding