Equine Align

01/04/2025

A little something to encourage the first round of exercises! ;)

Are you looking to give your horse an extra treat (or two) this holiday season? 🐎🎁 Well, look no further! Here is an excellent recipe from the Equine Cushing’s and Insulin Resistance group with an NSC of 2.4%—perfect for horses with metabolic concerns. You can even add salt to help keep your horse hydrated during the chilly winter months. ❄️🌾

✨ Remember, all treats should be fed in moderation.

Try making these at home and let us know what your horse thinks! 🥕💚

01/04/2025

We hope that everyone enjoyed their holiday season! 🤍 🦄

Thank you again to all that applied & we hope for the opportunity to meet you soon via one of our clinics ( which are now available for booking)!

For those who were accepted into the case study, congratulations! We hope you are ready to kick things off with us next week. That being said, please remember to upload your "Before" Images to the private group as soon as possible. (If you wish to remain anonymous, you can send your photos through messenger to Equine Align, and we will post them for you!)

Additionally, we are asking that each case study participant please fill out this form at your earliest convenience.

https://forms.gle/VLMiihtkPPpH8vYC7

Once we receive your response, the first round of in hand exercises will be released!

12/19/2024

🦄🤍

12/18/2024

"He loves his job."
"She just gets excited when we enter the ring."
"He paws because he can't wait to go."
"She's reactive because she loves to work."

A big thing that we will be addressing in this project is projecting human emotions onto our horses....and it may not be an easy thing to do.

There is always a reason behind the behaviour - horses are amazing for therapy sessions because they provide immediate feedback to the clients.

So why, when it comes to riding horses, does the narrative change?

In short. It doesn't change. They still provide us with immediate feedback, we may just not always like what we see.

When you take away the tack, the training aids, the pressure - when you give your horse the choice, what would they choose?

Would they choose to stay with you or would they choose to walk away?

Would they still perform the same movements, or would they carry themselves differently?

To address the horse as a whole, we need to take a look at these behaviours that are often brushed off as "excitement" or "being sassy" - and we need to acknowledge them for what they are.

Buckle up - we're about to open your minds to a whole new view on communication!

12/17/2024

Since we're all about giving horses choices & voices 💁‍♀️ Casper & I would like to talk to YOU about how a multi modal holistic care team actually works!

So the first photo is a screenshot from shortly after he arrived here in October 2022! The rest of the photos here are all from the last few weeks.

We essentially started using these modalities about a year or so ago & feel like now would be a great time to discuss some of our findings! We are still far from perfectly conformed , but the changes have been so significant that we know we are well on our way to creating balanced movements!

How did we do it? There is no gate keeping here. Folks, get ready for all the details because you CAN help your horses at home as well.

- Of course, we started off with all of our routine maintenance done by our local vet!

- Top notch forage first nutrition program featuring Canadian brands like Hoffmans & Madbarn. No GMO, Sugar, Soy, Canola, or Corn welcome in our feed room. We focused on feeding real food with real locally sourced ingredients. This keeps nutrient levels up without all of the nasty by products. Our supplements are tailored to each horses specific needs, Casper is very fond of his Vitamine & Mineral Ration Balancer ( Omniety ), Visceral, MSM, Salt, Pepper, Turmeric, Cinnamon, Copper Bioplex & Hyaluronic Acid. Topped with a soupy serving of his favorite gmo free hay cubes & his organic shredded beet pulp with no molasses.

- We found our beloved farrier Maddie Wagar in early spring 2024 who helped us sort out a whole mess of problems that we didn't even know we had! This resulted in 3 week trim cycles to get things under control without causing discomfort.

- Regular massage therapy with C.C.EquineTherapy

- A few appointments with our local Equine Osteopath

- At least one, if not more than one full adjustment session per season, by one of our lovely local- ish chiropractors. ** Another reason that we are super excited to have Dr. Allie Fairbarn DC- Animal Chiropractor on board now**

- Stretches, In Hand Exercise & strategic balanced riding by the gang at The Bureaus Barn

- As well as multiple Western and English saddle fittings with a wide variety of equine professionals almost as frequently as every 2-3 months. With his body changing so rapidly, this was something we thankfully anticipated. We are just extremely lucky to have access to a wide variety of different sized saddles in both disciplines to keep him comfortable through every stage.

Now, since Casper is part of our case study, he will begin all of the same in "Challenges" as the rest of our case study applicants as of January 1st.

Can't wait to see what the next few months will do for not only this guy but all of your horses as well!

12/14/2024

Wow! This was not an easy decision.

Thank you to EVERYONE who applied to be apart of our case study! While we are only taking on 5 applicants at this time, there will be opportunities for lesson barns, lesson programs, riding clubs, etc to learn from the Equine Align team!

Stay tuned for more information on upcoming clinics!

If you would like to be a host - do not hesitate to reach out!

12/07/2024

All we can say, is wow.

We look back at long all those, heartfelt conversations. The conversations of wanting to create change for the better for our horses: To be better. To do better. To promote better. To explore new techniques, to give our horses a voice.

The hard conversations about the “normal” things that we see and have been told that had never sat quite right. The conversations about how we have been viewed, past and present, based on wanting to do things differently.

Who would have thought, these conversations between two young, new business owners would lead to something as big as this.

It is one thing to dream, but to watch this dream become a reality in front of our eyes is something else entirely.

We want to thank the members of our team, who took a chance with us to dive into something we hope only continues to grow. It means the world to us to have the support of professionals across the different fields of the Equine Community.

And most of all - we want to thank YOU.

In a world so full of competition and judgement - Thank you for giving Equine Align a chance to gain its wings.

We cannot wait to undergo these case studies, to continue to learn from one another, and to continue to build and grow this supportive community for others.

Here's to the future - let's make it a positive one. 💖

Sincerely,

Carly & Drew
Founders of Equine Align

12/07/2024

Thank you to everyone who has applied to be apart of our case studies!

We are blown away by the amount of applications we have received for this project - THANK YOU!

We will spend the next week going through each and every application. Those selected to be apart of the case study project will be contacted by Friday December 13th!

12/05/2024

Reminder - Applications close at Midnight tonight!!

Make sure to get your applications in! ☺️

Applications for the Case Study group will be open for one more week!

Applications will close Friday December 6th at 11:59pm.

To apply, please follow the link below and complete the form in full. 😊

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScBnvAE3HIegZunPeFzNiXHqL5kuuAT7tO3HGokkNtQ5Mob6g/viewform?usp=sf_link

We look forward to hearing from you!

12/03/2024

12/01/2024

Applications for the Case Study group will be open for one more week!

Applications will close Friday December 6th at 11:59pm.

To apply, please follow the link below and complete the form in full. 😊

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScBnvAE3HIegZunPeFzNiXHqL5kuuAT7tO3HGokkNtQ5Mob6g/viewform?usp=sf_link

We look forward to hearing from you!

11/30/2024

Ok, well here goes! I enjoy reading, riding and research, not necessarily in that order. I live in Chisholm township and own a 50 acre farm and 8 horses, 5 of which are 25 or older.

I first decided to enrol in courses for Equine Bowen training. When COVID shut everything down, I pivoted to cranial and myofascial work. I am currently taking an equine massage course, just to add to my skill set, and because I think there is just so much to be learned in the journey to help horses! I have done some courses to learn about trimming, because proper trimming is such a huge piece of the puzzle.

I’m so honoured to have been asked to be part of this team, and look forward to collaborating with everyone, to bring the best options possible to horses in this area!

11/28/2024

Meet Maddie!

Maddie is a farrier who started her hoof care journey over 6 years ago in order to better support her personal horses - dealing with founder and various soft tissue injuries.

She has studied under anyone and everyone who is willing to teach, including barefoot specialists and traditional blacksmiths across North America.

As a farrier, Maddie is well travelled and fully booked! She is a advocate for pain-free movement from the dirt up and specializes in slow, non-invasive corrective barefoot trimming for performance horses.

Maddie is a Symmetrical Gait & Wear Pattern Analyst, and also does composite showing and hoof boot fittings.

Through this program - Maddie is willing to take on new clients!

We are so excited to have her as a part of the Equine Align Team!

11/26/2024

Meet Drew!

Owner/Operator of The Bureaus Barn Riding Academy
Co-Founder of Equine Align

Drew has over 10 years of hands-on experience as a horsewoman, and is described as the "Friendly Neighbourhood Hippy Dippy New Wave Horse Riding Instructor"!

Drew is certified by the University of Guelph in Equine Management and is actively, doubly certified in Equine First aid through both the University of Guelph and Equi Health Canada.

She also holds certifications through the University of Guelph and Equestrian Canada in:
- Equine Sickness & Prevention
- Horse Care & Wellness
- Equine Business 101
- Stepping Stones to Indigenous Sport & Physical Participation
- Concussion Awareness
- Fostering Health Equestrian Environments

With these certifications, being an active member of the "BTMM Masterclass to 'Train For Soundness'" it is no surprise that Drew is a strong advocate for equine welfare and owner education.

It is Drew's goal, along with the team of Equine Align, to promote healthy relationships between us and our equine partners. From working with horses on the ground, to under saddle, to showing, and everything in between, Drew has opened doors for her students and their horses to explore and thrive in this new world.

She is very excited to see Equine Align come to life!

11/21/2024

Meet Carly!

OTA/PTA, CEMT
Owner/Founder of CC Therapy
Co-Founder of Equine Align

Carly was born and raised in the North Bay Area, and has over 15 years of horse experience. She has experience working with anything from lesson ponies, to babies, to actively racing thoroughbreds, show horses, and more.

In 2016, Carly graduated from Canadore College with a Diploma as an Occupational and Physiotherapy Assistant, and has worked in an interdisciplinary clinic for just over 8 years now. With experience in orthopaedic, vestibular, neurological, and concussion management, she has a strong understanding of how important working with other professionals can be. In 2019, she also graduated from Canadore College with a Diploma in Recreation Therapy.

In 2021, she completed her studies in Equine Massage with the National School of Equine Massage and CC Therapy was born. Since then, she has continued her education by taking courses in biomechanics, conformation, myofascial release, anatomy for equine professionals, cupping, blades and is also certified as an Equine CranioSacral Technique Therapist.

Carly currently has horses of varying ages, disciplines, and backgrounds under her care. From rescues, to therapy horses, to national level competitors - all horses can benefit from bodywork.

As an owner of 2 rescue horses herself, Carly has a soft spot for horses who are known to be a little more reactive or "difficult". She strongly believes that there is always a reason behind a behaviour, and ensure she takes the time to give each and every horse a voice in their treatment - even if this means allowing them to say NO.

She is very excited to see the dream of Equine Align coming to life!

11/13/2024

Originally from North Bay, Allie graduated from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in June 2024. Before earning her Doctor of Chiropractic degree, she completed an Honours Bachelor of Kinesiology at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2020.

Dr. Allie's further pursued her passion for animals with the completion of specialized training in equine and canine Veterinary Spinal Manipulative Therapy at the Veterinary Chiropractic Learning Centre, Canada's only accredited institution in this field.

Allie is thrilled to bring her expertise to help equines of Northern Ontario achieve their best health through collaborative care with the team of Equine Align!

11/12/2024

* ~ The Benefits of an Interdisciplinary Team ~ *

Interdisciplinary - defined as: "relating to more than one branch of knowledge."

It takes a team to keep our horses happy, healthy, and feeling their best. We have our vets & farriers, our chiropractors & massage therapists. The list goes on.

There are a number of benefits to working with an interdisciplinary team:

* Access to experience & expertise in each field:
Each professional has a different educational background and different experiences. When you have a team committed to working together towards a common goal, you gain access to not only the knowledge of one professional, but to the knowledge of many.

* You gain a whole horse view:
Each profession may look at the same horse and see different things. A bodyworker may see compensatory muscle patterns. A trainer/coach may see a decrease in performance under saddle. A farrier may see a change in the wear pattern on a foot.
All these aspects can be clues as to where an underlying problem may be, and where it may be originating.

* A collaborative team focused on achieving a common goal rather than competition:
Personally, this is a big one for me. I have experience first hand, in the human world, at just how beneficial working in a team environment can be. Different professions who are comfortable LEARNING from one another, who are comfortable COLLABORATING with each other - and who are comfortable enough to know that they do not know everything. And that's okay.

* Access to up to date information & studies:
Each professional will have access to different information. Different governing bodies release up to date information to their members, that is not always available to just anyone. By having a team behind you, you will in turn benefit from all this new information brought to the table.

* A guilt free, strong inter-referral program:
How many times, have you as a horse owner felt like you were "cheating" on one of your equine professionals? In a team environment, you are more likely to be referred to others!

* New perspectives & ideas:
This relates back to our first point - each professional has had different experiences and with different experiences come different perspectives. One team member may have had extensive experience with high anxiety horses where others may have more experience treating horses with a specific ailment. It doesn't mean that one professional is better than the other, it just means that they are able to draw more ideas towards finding a solution together than they would be able to apart.

At the end of the day, when you have an interdisciplinary team working for you, you have a variety of tools added to your tool box. I strongly believe that it is impossible to know too much - you cannot learn everything there is to know about everything, and the best part is - you don't have to.