Melanie Lausen Equine Services

09/05/2025

🍎 S E P T E M B E R S C H E D U L E 🐎

⚡September 9 - Sweet Talk Stables.
⚡Sept 11 - Larry Davids.
⚡Sept 13 - Obstacle practice and clinic at Lausens
⚡Sept 19th - shire Ridge aend south/west Calgary.
⚡Sept 25th - Larry Davids.

🎃Oct 1 - Riqueza.
🎃Oct 2 - Wheatland Equestrian.
🎃Oct 6th - Paramount.

DM me to book your ponies in for Fall 🍂 bodywork sessions!
I hope everyone had a great first week back at school 🎒

www.melanielausenequineservices.com

09/01/2025

🍂 September is here — the air is crisper, routines are shifting, and many horses are heading back into more consistent training after summer holidays, pasture time, or lighter schedules.

This transition is the perfect time to check in with your horse’s body.

Just like us, horses can build up little compensations over the summer that may show up as:
✅ Stiffness through the shoulders or back
✅ Difficulty picking up a lead
✅ Shortened stride or toe-dragging
✅ Resistance when being tacked up

💡 Tip for between sessions: Spend a few minutes each day with gentle carrot stretches — especially asking your horse to stretch laterally (nose toward girth/hip) and down low between the front legs. This keeps the spine supple and helps them adjust to the shift in workload.

Bodywork now sets them up for a smoother, stronger, and healthier fall season. 🍁

www.melanielausenequineservices.com

08/28/2025

We are very excited to have Chad Lausen CJF AJFC as the Ontario Horseshoeing Classic 2025 judge 🔥

08/25/2025

Have a kiddo headed to horse camp this summer? 🐴☀️

Add a little extra fun and learning to your camper’s week with my illustrated Horse Camp books—filled with engaging activities, stories, and horse-loving fun that keeps kids inspired at camp and at home!

Perfect for:
✅ Campers aged 6–12
✅ Homeschool horse units
✅ Rainy day learning
✅ Camp instructors looking for educational tools

Available directly through me or online via my Amazon shop. DM me to order! 📚🐎

08/25/2025

Have you noticed head tossing, bit chewing, or stiffness in the jaw?

Your horse’s TMJ (temporomandibular joint) could be the culprit—and it plays a HUGE role in how they move, carry themselves, and even digest food.

Watch for:
▫ Difficulty flexing at the poll
▫ Head shaking or fussing with bit
▫ Facial asymmetry
▫ Bruxism (grinding teeth)

🧠 Fun fact: Tension in the TMJ can affect the entire spinal column due to its neurological connections. That’s why this tiny joint packs a big punch.

💆‍♀️ Try this: Gently massage the area behind the jowl with soft fingertips, in small circles, especially after a ride. Done regularly, this helps keep the TMJ supple.

Bodywork sessions target fascial and muscular imbalances surrounding the jaw, poll, and cervical spine—bringing comfort and softness back into their movement.

08/21/2025

Client tip of the month -August

Think before you post.
Facebook can be a negative place, but it doesn’t have to be.
Before you go to social media to criticize, condemn, or complain about a farrier in efforts to smear their reputation there is a few things you should consider.
First of all, farriers are people. We are not faceless corporations. We all have friends and family that see your negative posts and ruining our personal lives because things didn’t go your way is not fair.
Second, when you make a post like that, you are sending a signal to all the other farriers in the area that you are a bad client.
You will essentially be black listed and the only farriers you will be able to hire are the very desperate ones. Good farriers will not take a chance on hiring you and wrecking their reputation. Even piling on in the comments can get you fired from your farrier as most farriers will not tolerate condemnation of a colleague.

If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all!

08/18/2025

If your horse struggles to engage behind, lacks impulsion, or has a “dropped” back behind the saddle area, they may be holding tension through the lumbosacral junction (where lumbar spine meets sacrum).

🚂This area is a powerhouse for locomotion.
When it’s stiff or weak, the topline suffers, and so does the overall rideability.

How to spot LS issues:
▫ Rigid or dipped back under saddle
▫ Lack of hind-end engagement
▫ Hopping into canter or struggling with transitions
▫ Reactivity when palpating the loin area

🔄 Try this: Incorporate ground pole work at the walk. It’s gentle yet encourages engagement of the core and pelvic stabilizers—supporting the lumbar spine from below.

Consistent bodywork improves circulation and reduces compensatory holding patterns here. Let’s help them build a stronger, happier back.

08/11/2025

Back to school is coming! These books are the perfect educational tool, or bed time reading for your kiddos!
Check out my Amazon store, or send me a message to purchase! 📚

Have a kiddo headed to horse camp this summer? 🐴☀️

Add a little extra fun and learning to your camper’s week with my illustrated Horse Camp books—filled with engaging activities, stories, and horse-loving fun that keeps kids inspired at camp and at home!

Perfect for:
✅ Campers aged 6–12
✅ Homeschool horse units
✅ Rainy day learning
✅ Camp instructors looking for educational tools

Available directly through me or online via my Amazon shop. DM me to order! 📚🐎

08/11/2025

Does your horse tend to “lean” on one rein, or have a noticeably shorter stride in one front leg?

💥Tight shoulders are often a compensation pattern for issues elsewhere in the body—like saddle fit, dental imbalance, or even unbalanced rider posture.

Common causes:
▫ Ill-fitting tack putting pressure behind the scapula
▫ Imbalanced hoof trims
▫ Lameness compensation
▫ Lack of stretching or mobility

🖐️ Owner tip: Use slow, controlled carrot stretches toward the girth and shoulder area (done after riding, not before!) to encourage mobility in the shoulder and rib cage.

Bodywork helps release the fascial tension and improve symmetry. A horse that moves freely through their shoulders is a happier, more willing athlete.