Carr Equine Therapy

11/04/2024

Makes sense ♥️

Many people are surprised to find that pain is rarely an animals highest priority. `Humans also will endure magnanimous amounts of pain, and if not connected to trauma, the experience will not have a lasting effect.

What does happen when an animal is in pain and forced to do a job against its will? Well that is trauma.

Trauma creates a broken system of social engagement and the animal or person will now ONLY have the primitive defense mechanisms of flight/fight or freeze which makes them 'difficult'

Problem is, taking away the pain, DOES NOT now repair this system and the non painful being will continue on being difficult until the mammalian social engagement system is repaired also.

There are a lot of ways to help horses and other sentient beings find their way back to the emotional homeostasis that goes along with feeling safe.
I have worked on emotional regulation with my horses with Tara Davis through zoom and the results have been life changing for my herd.

Most of MY work addresses both systems which is why it is so effective !!

Did I mention my Nervous System Seminar has received RACE APPROVAL !!! Cant wait to share more about how to optimize performance using the nervous system in 2025 !

10/18/2024

I love the healing progress of this splint bone fracture after 12 weeks of a strict cold laser therapy protocol. Such clean lines 😁

10/16/2024

All of this 🙌
The journey has begun!!! I’m excited and also apprehensive but to better understand the horse & horse/human connection I’m all in.

To change your horse,
you must first,
change yourself.

If you have done any reading on horsemanship, taken lessons , scrolled on Facebook, or searched "Inspirational Horse Quotes" you have probably seen or heard the above quote.

This can be hard to do! We are animals of habit ourselves. We are products of our experiences, regardless of how we have chosen to handle them. Creating new patterns, breaking old and progressing is challenging and uncomfortable.
Changing ourselves to be better for our horse means potentially looking at things we don't want to see, acknowledge or admit. It can also mean looking at greatness we don't believe is worthy or possible. But by challenging ourselves with an open mind and dedication we can create shifts that are fulfilling and beneficial.
As I go further down my own horsemanship journey I dig deeper into lifemanship. I am hungry for greater understanding and insight, for my horse, myself, my family and for those I work with....it's all connected. Shining light on areas of need hasn't always been easy, but oh so incredibly rewarding.
I enjoy supporting, inspiring and guiding horse and handler. I am passionate about better understanding the horse, to help the horse be better understood.
Horsemanship isn't about the destination, but the journey.
Another true inspirational quote ;)

10/15/2024

10/13/2024

❤️❤️❤️
Let’s give thanks to all the mares that have come into our lives and have challenged us to be become better advocates for our equine counterparts. They carry so much strength and wisdom and are a mirror into our souls, so let’s embrace their power and see the beauty in their communication with us so we can continuously fine tune our listening skills.

Beware the trainer who stereotypes mares as being too hormonal, too b*tchy, too difficult…

Their aversion to an entire s*x of horses says nothing about mares and everything about how they approach training and horses in general.

Mares are hardworking, loyal and honest.

The people who tend to strongly dislike them are typically the ones who want to force mares to work through pain, stress, discomfort — or otherwise wish to ignore communication attempts.

They tend to “prove” their mindset correct by eliciting reactions from mares after ignoring warning after warning.

So, yes, they encounter a lot of “cranky” mares but the common denominator is them.

The sad thing is that the hatred towards mares is all too common in this industry.

Despite it being so female dominated.

We need to reframe the way we think about things.

A mare having pain that results in behavioural change due to her cycle is a normal thing.

It is not a sign that she should withhold communication that she’s uncomfortable.

Most of us who also cycle can attest to the discomfort of cramps and how we aren’t always going to feel our best.

Mares are a great lesson in consent and communication.

They are the matriarchs of the herd and the horses who are given the immense responsibility of educating youngsters and teaching them what it is like to be a horse.

Of course they are going to be open with their communication.

The success of their species has been reliant on them educating their young with such communication skills.

Mares have much to teach, to those who wish to listen.

And for those who don’t… well, mares serve as a great litmus test for who actually wishes to improve their horsemanship and honour the horse in the way they should.

10/13/2024

it’s not important that you never make a mistake, that’s unrealistic and damaging to growth. The most important part is how you recover : you commit to yourself to regroup and start over, because you deserve it. And you commit to the horse to regroup and start over, because they deserve it. You’re teaching them too that it’s ok to make mistakes, and how to rebalance.

Mistakes are life. Go forward, and rebalance.

09/13/2024

09/11/2024

If your horse is struggling with something, speeding it up is only going to accomplish him getting to the wrong answer faster.

Slow down.

Ask less.

Give the horse a chance to think and coordinate.

The moment you feel the need to hustle the horse might just be the moment he was preparing to offer an answer.

The moment you demand the horse "just do it" might just be right in the middle of him processing your request.

Ask most people how they feel when someone puts the heat to them and they'll probably say they stutter. They stress. Their anxiety goes up.

They make more mistakes.

You can't speed the clock up on something you ain't got. When you quit worrying so much about getting something done, it's amazing how much time you have to actually do it.

08/09/2024

When your horse extends through their AO joint [the articulation between the base of the skull and C1], their lower jaw retracts - you can feel this yourself if you point your nose to the sky, notice how your bottom jaw glides back.

When your horse flexes through their AO joint, their lower jaw protracts - you can feel this yourself if you press your chin to your chest, notice how your bottom jaw glides forwards.

When your horse flexes through their AO joint, their laryngeal diameter decreases - you can feel this by pressing your chin to your chest and taking a deep breath in, notice how much harder that is.

If your horse has tension in their jaw, they lose range of motion through their AO joint - you can feel this yourself if you clamp your jaw shut, notice how much harder it is to point your nose to the sky or point your chin to your chest - your neck feels tight and immobile.

And the same can be said if your horse has tension through their AO joint or neck, they will lose range of motion through their jaw.

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Now do all of those movements again and notice how, when you drop your chin to your chest:

It's difficult to inflate your ribs to breathe,

It's hard to round your back,

Your hips tighten up.

This is because you've impinged your deep ventral line.

We do this to horses when we ride with a rein length/tension that doesn't accomodate and support their anatomy.

So if we compress their jaw and neck, we compromise their ability to:

Breathe

Lift their back to carry a rider

Activate their hindlimb.
..Gives us quite a lot to think about with how many horses are ridden and trained, doesn't it?

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Want to learn more?

The recording for Train Your Eye - How's Your Bit Affecting Your Horse? is now live on my website.

❤️✨️

07/29/2024

Exciting new services are coming to Carr Equine Therapy!!! I have recently received my level 1 CST certification and cannot wait to implement my new skills to help facilitate healing for both humans and horses. I’ve also enrolled in Celeste’s BTMM master class and Larzaris Nerve Release self study course, striving for future certification.
Advancing those skills and always learning. 📚👩‍🏫

07/25/2024