Jo Kavanagh Equine Massage Therapy

06/18/2024

Ontario will be experiencing a HEAT WAVE this week!

HEAT STRESS can affect any horse but particularly affects equine athletes.

The BEST way to COOL a horse with HEAT STRESS is with the continuous application of COLD water by hose or bucket.

Don't stop to SCRAPE.

COLD water will NOT cause a horse to tie-up!

Signs of HEAT STRESS in horses include:

• High re**al temperature (>40⁰C or 104⁰F)
• Rapid, shallow breathing with flared nostrils
• Unpredictable (sometimes aggressive) behaviour
• High heart rate
• Dark or “muddy” mucous membranes
• Colic due to ileus (intestines stop moving)
• Poor performance / slow recovery from exercise
• Sudden weakness / collapse
• Dark urine / reduced amounts of urine

If you suspect HEAT STRESS, immediately cool your horse and and contact your veterinarian.

05/22/2024

12/13/2023

❗️IMPORTANT UPDATE - December 14, 2023❗️

The Divestment of Horses Program didn’t expect to receive so much interest. 🥹 While we appreciate it, we cannot accept any more applications at this time. Please note that if you applied, you will only be contacted if your application is retained for consideration. Due to the very small number of horses that qualify for this Program, there is no guarantee you will be offered a horse.

_____________________________________________________________________

Are you interested in owning a retired Musical Ride horse? For the first time ever, the RCMP’s Divestment of Horses Program is accepting applications from individual Canadians. The Program matches people who are capable of providing excellent care with a former Musical Ride horse that’s been retired from active service due to health conditions or injuries.

The top priority is finding the best possible home for each available horse based on its specific needs. Find out more about giving a retired Musical Ride horse a good home:
https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/corporate-organisation/musical-ride-carrousel/divestment-horses-program-programme-dessaisissement-chevaux-eng.htm

… and go tell your horsey friends! 🐎

08/29/2023

Madahoki Farm ♥️

🔸Sign up now for this FREE opportunity to be part of our first public Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) Program at Mādahòkì Farm.

🔸Learn and grow with the sacred Ojibwe Spirit horses as your teachers. This program is open to Indigenous children (10+), youth and families who want to learn new personal and team building skills, gain more confidence and understand the teachings the Ojibwe Spirit Horses have to share.

🔸To register or for more information contact: Della Meness | [email protected]
🔸Find out more about EAL here: https://madahoki.ca/eal/

Madahoki Farm The Odawa Native Friendship Centre Ontario Trillium Foundation

08/28/2023

Superb demo!

06/06/2023

Please be aware!

Many people are wondering about the safety of riding or exercising their horses in the current conditions. Air quality index data can be found on the weather network for your area. The chart below is a good guideline to follow until things clear up! Consider stall rest/no exercise at AQI of 10, mild exercise at 5.

03/24/2022

Amazing ♥️

Check out the article to find out how & where to order yours!

The Ottawa Humane Society and the Ottawa Fire Service have partnered to produce vinyl decals to alert authorities to the number of pets in a home in the event of an emergency.

03/14/2022

🦴 The importance of understanding skeletal development can’t be understated! 🐴

Before backing your young horse, please read -

I wrote the first version of this post many many years ago now, every spring I tweak it, update it and reshare as owners are beginning to think about starting their youngsters. It has been stolen thousands of times, usually without the image, which irritates me as Naomi’s image was my inspiration to write this piece and I feel the words lose a lot without it, so please share rather than steal.

There are strange tables around that lead the reader to think horses age more quickly when they are young and slower as they get older. There is no evidence to support this. Why would the horse be the only animal in the world that ages in a non-linear manner? It doesn’t even make sense. It is an excuse for impatient owners to justify working their immature horses.

Sitting on a horse before they are mature is risking kissing spine, especially if the horse is not conditioned slowly. Sending a horse away as a 3 year old to go from unbacked to ridden daily in 6-8 weeks is a recipe for disaster. Riding in circles on 3 year olds damages the hocks. Jumping large jumps on 4 year olds is asking for stifle injuries. Pounding the roads pulling traps with 2 year olds damages every joint in their legs. Any joints asked to take excess pressure before maturity increases the risk of irreparable damage. Perhaps a young horse puts down more long bone in response to work, but a child heals quicker than an adult, it’s no excuse to cause them damage. An adult is still fully capable of adapting to the work load, just slower, without the collateral damage to the rest of the body.

For every horse that is backed at 3 and lives a long working life until they are 30, I can show you thousands, tens of thousands that are euthanised before they hit their teens because their bodies are broken. The exception makes the rule.

Now for the post -

A horse ages roughly 3 times faster than a human.

So a 90 year old human is a 30 year old horse. Both very old, usually arthritic, don’t have many of their original teeth left, and very likely retired and enjoying the finer things in life.

A 25 year old horse is a 75 year old human. Some are still happily working but some prefer retirement and an easier life. Often depending on just how hard a life they’ve lived.

A 20 year old horse is a 60 year old human. At that point where the body doesn’t work like it use to but the brain is all there and wants to be active.

A 13 year old horse is a 39 year old human. Middle aged, prime of their life where their knowledge and physical ability are about equal.

So let’s get down to the babies and work our way up.

A 1-1.5 year old horse is getting their first adult tooth, this happens at 6 years old in a human child.

A 3 year old horse is a 9 year old child. A child. Not ready for work by a long stretch. We have moved past sending children down the mines.

A 4 year old horse is a 12 year old child. Often will do odd jobs for pocket money, maybe a paper round, mowing lawns etc. Basically a 4 year old horse can start a bit of light work experience to learn the ropes.

A 5 year old horse is a 15 year old teenager. Think they know it all, cocky, and ready to up their work and responsibilities. Still quite weak and not fully developed so shouldn’t be at their physical limit but can start building strength.

A 5.5 year old horse has just cut their final adult tooth, this happens at 17 years of age in a human.

A 6 year old horse is an 18 year old human. An adult. Ready to work.

An 8 year old horse has achieved full fusion of their final growth plates. This happens at 24 years of age in a human. This is the age it is safe to push a horse for their optimal performance.

Pushing your youngster too hard too young will result in the failure of many body parts. Joints, spine, tendons, ligaments as well as their brains. Waiting another year or two at the beginning could give your horse an extra 10 years of useful working life. Be patient with your pride and joy!

Written by Vikki Fowler BVetMed BAEDT MRCVS

Graphic credit to Naomi Tavian , check her out on Pinterest

11/03/2021

Super proud to be an REMT ♥

10/21/2021

I'm having trouble sending and receiving messages on Facebook Messenger. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me via text @ 613-858-2276.

09/19/2021

We are having SO much fun this weekend at the Richmond Fair! 🎠🍂🍁

Come check out the International Federation of Registered Equine Massage Therapists booth Brittany Coxford-Brown& I are hosting in the Agriculture Awareness building🦄🙌🏻
The building is open 10-5 but I am on the grounds again all day 🎟

You can also check out Indigenous Experiences & Hoofbeats and Heartbeats in the same building! 🐴♥️

09/18/2021

🎠✨♥️

09/16/2021

As many of you know, I’m off this week to help run the !!
I will also be running a booth for the in the Agriculture Awareness building!
We hope to see you there 🎠🎡🎟

09/03/2021

08/18/2021

I am so proud of completing this program & so thankful for the knowledge it gave me 👐🏼🦄
I couldn’t have said it better myself ♥️

One of the most important questions that my clients ask me is: Where did you get your education and how long of a program was it?

I absolutely love this question and feel like we should all be asking every single person who does anything for our horses or ourselves! To me education is the most valuable part of any career.

Now to answer the question, I went to triOS College in London Ontario. ( The program used to be at D’Arcy Lane Institute )
The diploma program is a full 2 year, 2200 hour program! Classes consisted of;

Equine Anatomy
Equine Physiology
Equine Massage Theory and Techniques Equine Massage Treatments
Equine Behaviour
Equine Management 1
Equine Management 2
Professionalism and Ethics
Equine Pathology
Conformation and Kinesiology
Equine Hydrotherapy & other Complementary Therapies
Equine Remedial Exercises
Equine Research
Business Management

I am proud of the education I have and encourage everyone to seek out the best available education you can get for whatever field of work you do!




https://www.trios.com/programs-courses/healthcare/equine-massage/

08/01/2021

🐾 Knowing your pet’s joint fusion timeline is super important information that’s often overlooked! 🐶

When you get your 8 week old puppies, please keep these images in mind. Their bones do not even touch yet. They plod around so cutely with big floppy paws and wobbly movement because their joints are entirely made up of muscle, tendons, ligaments with skin covering. Nothing is fitting tightly together or has a true socket yet.

When you run them excessively or don't restrict their exercise to stop them from overdoing it during this period you don't give them a chance to grow properly. Every big jump or excited bouncing run causes impacts between the bones. In reasonable amounts this is not problematic and is the normal wear and tear that every animal will engage in.

When you're letting your puppy jump up and down off the lounge or bed, take them for long walks/hikes, you are damaging that forming joint. When you let the puppy scramble on tile with no traction you are damaging the joint.

You only get the chance to grow them once. A well built body is something that comes from excellent breeding and a great upbringing-BOTH, not just one.

Once grown you will have the rest of their life to spend playing and engaging in higher impact exercise. So keep it calm while they're still little baby puppies and give the gift that can only be given once.

By Patricia Crespo
Photos Veteriankey.com @62 days

*Many Bones are not fully fused until 13mo of age.