Serenity Equine Therapy

08/26/2024

Sad truth

Do you ride your horse in a tie down?

The next time you choose your equipment, remember this picture.
The next time you have to choose a "harsher" noseband because your horse is "running through" your current choice, remember this picture.

Consider the fact that you may be causing nerve damage.
Consider the fact that maybe your horse can't even feel their face anymore.

These are the images of a quarter horse ridden in a tie down with a wire noseband in their futurity year of barrel racing.
This horse is now 15.

Correct infrared imaging of the horse tells us more than just a story of anatomy, more than just a story of physiology.

08/20/2024

Question for your farrier:

If adding wedges helps my horse load their heels more, then why is there more wear on the shoe at the toe than at the heels when you pull them back off at 6 weeks?

08/06/2024

This is incredible!! Recognizing disfunction and taking the steps to improve it.

Bodywork, changed the way he was trimmed, balanced nutrition and the top it off a well fitted saddle!

Incredible!! Had to share!

How much can a horse change? A lot!!!

This horse was said to have a genetic roach, with pictures as six-month-old with a significant roach already. When this horse was vetted as a two-year-old the vet’s only concern was someone being able to fit a saddle to his back but thought the roach would not affect him at all. The owner therefore did not worry about the roach, with the okay from a vet made plans for his dressage career. As a four-year-old he was progressing well by many standards, but the roach was growing bigger. The owner knew this was not sustainable, so she started looking for a bodyworker that could make positive changes with a belief that this could change, and in-hand program to support. She stopped riding for two years to give the body a chance to heal from the dysfunctional pattern that he was in and give the new muscles that he was using to heal and be strong. Her farrier was also very aware of the changes and looked for the best way to support the changes he was making in body. The owner is a saddle fitter, and when the time to start riding finding the saddle that he was happy with, was supported as well with every change. The last piece of the puzzle was bringing in a herbalist nutritionist to make sure all the nutrients he needed were bioavaible and a custom program that supported his unique issues.

What else has changed that you can’t see in a picture. The farrier no longer struggles doing his feet as his shivers are no longer there. He can now think and be an active participant when being handled instead of just being reactive. He no longer hyper-mobile in the body but has a stable true gait. When ridden before he was very much a micromanage ride to keep him balanced. Now he is balanced under saddle and can carry a load easily.
Riding didn’t create this change having TIME off was part of the team.

It is truly a team that creates change. If one of these pieces were missing, I know this amazing change would not be here today. EDA Equine - Certified Independent Saddle Fitting McFarlane Sutton

07/31/2024

07/30/2024

Bailee and I participated in a horsemanship clinic with the amazing Becki Oberg of Bold Equine on Sunday.
My goal was to help Bailee be able to regulate her stress in a quicker and more comfortable way while also showing her that being asked to do things was not going to cause her pain anymore.
I learned so much and so did bailee. We even got to where she was comfortable enough to allow me to ride her at the end of the day and she was so calm and relaxed instead of tense and holding her breath.
Got the check mark of approval from Becki to bring bailee with me to Beyond the Ride this year to develop her skills farther along and finally see what she can do now that she has healed enough not just physically but mentally and emotionally to be able to handle it without setting her back.
It’s been a long journey with this gal and she has taught me so much about patience when it comes to rehabbing a horses mind and heart.

Stay tuned! Beyond the ride is Aug 11-18 so I will be posting all her progress when I get home.

07/30/2024

6 months progress for a 10 yr old gelding after pulling shoes and frequent proper trimming to build soft tissue and live sole.

Here’s a brief history from the owner:

“I had a PPE before I bought him and the vet said he was underslung and needed wedges and pads but was sound. So the vet had [ the farrier ] come out and wedge and pad him and almost instantly his front legs would lock up and he was off at every gait. So vet came out and did numerous test only to find nothing wrong and so they adjusted the shoes. Took the pads out but still wedged up and he was still off. They told me he can’t be barefoot because he had too low angles and too thin soles. This went on for 3 months and I said I am done. He was miserable and I couldn’t tell [ why ]. So I knew in my gut it was his shoes. I found you and he was better at most of the gaits from the time you pulled the shoes. Each month I notice an improvement. The vet came out to do his shots and teeth and said he was sound and moving great, but that it wouldn’t last because he can’t grow more sole. He’s full of crap lol.”

The owner has been riding him in boots for about 3 months. She is currently riding him bare foot. He lives on irrigated grass pasture for 12 hours per day and the other 12 hours in a stall with a dirt run. Diet is Bermuda grass hay. We keep him on a 3-4 week trim schedule.

07/27/2024

07/18/2024

Truth!

Ever heard that saying : "A tired horse is a good horse?"
I don't agree with it. If you want to know why, keep reading. If you're dead set on that opinion save yourself the time and frustration of how wrong I am and scroll on by.
Firstly, I am well aware that yawns don't mean fatigue in horses, but are a sign of tension release. The photo of just fit the topic too well not to use.
So why don't I feel tiring a horse is a good tool to "make them behave?".
It relies on a common misconception that energy is a bad thing.
Energy doesn't cause behavioral issues, anxiety does. If there is energy and anxiety, in other words, anxious energy, you will get some short term, extremely limited results by tiring the horse out, but if you don't address the anxiety, every time you tire them out, they get fitter to fight you.
So, wet saddle blankets may work for the horses that resign themselves to defeat ( the broken horses), but this approach is one of the reasons there are so many "problem" horses. We don't actually address the reason for a behavior, or build the horses understanding, we just try ride them through it until they're too tired to argue.
I don't know
about you, but I am the least cooperative son of a gun when I'm tired.
If energy is paired with understanding, cooperation or happiness it's a good thing.
Cooperative energy
Happy energy.
Give me that in buckets, and don't spill a drop.

07/13/2024

I went for a little walk around the local show park yesterday during the season opener hunter/jumper show. I try not to look down at horse feet unless someone asks for my opinion, but despite my best efforts, I couldn’t stop noticing that most of the horses there, from the low level hunters to the 1.20m jumper class I watched for a while are very obviously NPA and/or showed obvious signs of caudal failure. NPA means “negative palmar angle” on front feet or “negative plantar angle” on hinds. It means that the back of the coffin bone is lower than the front. It is supposed to be the other way around! A normal palmar/plantar angle is 2°-10° yet soooo many horses work on feet with palmar/plantar angles of less than zero. It is so common that by most people it is seen as normal. Caudal failure means structural collapse of the caudal (back) part of the foot.

Horses may not be obviously lame with this condition, however there are often subtle signs. Reluctance to go forward, forging (stepping on or hitting the backs of the front shoes with the hind feet), overreaching, not tracking up, refusing jumps, bucking after jumps (because landing hurts), lack of hindquarter engagement, decreased gait quality all around, behavioural issues under saddle, etc. These symptoms can be easily mistaken for other things or riders and trainers can tend to use punishment to try to change some behaviours that have their root in hoof pain. It is also very hard on the legs and most specifically the DDFT (deep digital flexor tendon) and navicular area of the foot because of the biomechanics of a foot with an improper angle cause increased friction where the DDFT runs under the navicular bone to attach to the back of the coffin bone. This is why low heeled horses are at increased risk of developing navicular syndrome.

We need to retrain our eyes to know what is normal. We also need to realize that asking horses to work hard when their feet are a mess is not fair and causes sometimes irreparable damage, both to their feet and to their opinions about working.

How do we fix it? First we need to acknowledge that NPA is a systemic issue in farriery and we need to change the way we trim and shoe. Owners need to recognize NPA and find a farrier who recognizes NPA and knows how to fix it. Farriers need to stop trimming off the back of the foot and add frog support to our shoeing packages. Frog support needs to be normalized. More than one client has remarked to me that if we put frog pads on the horse, potential buyers will think there is something wrong with the horse. This is because what is normalized currently in farriery are open heeled regular metal shoes, which are a huge part of what causes NPA. When we lift up the foot off the ground and provide no structural support to the frog, the center of the foot collapses. This is a very simple concept, yet we are still doing things the same way we have always done and expecting a different result. This is the definition of insanity and it is killing our horses slowly. If I help to change only one thing in my time as a farrier, I hope for it to be this.

For reference, normal/ideal angles are generally as follows:
Hairline: about 20°
Dorsal wall (toe): about 50-55°, steeper on some breeds
Heel: equal to toe angle or perhaps 5° less than dorsal wall

This horse’s toe is close to 50° however the heel is 23° lower than the toe and I could not even measure the heel at the back because the bulb is sitting on the shoe! I had to measure it where I could see the angle of the tubules on the wall. The hairline is far too low. This foot is not helping this horse at all and this horse is one of many. I might get some angry messages for this, but we need to acknowledge that most of our performance horses are NPA and/or have some degree of caudal failure and then then we need to do something about it.

——-

Addendum: This post has pi**ed off some people. Fair enough. It’s also been shared all over the world, which has been great and also quite the experience. Wayne over at Progressive Equine has been writing about caudal failure and NPA for a few years now, as have others. This topic is not new. For whatever reason, this post in particular has caught peoples’ attention.

What I ask of those who are angry about it, or indignant that I dared to challenge the status quo is this: if you think I’m wrong, ok. Go prove it. If I’m wrong, why are you angry? If I am wrong, then this post is irrelevant to you and irrelevant to your work and there is nothing to be angry about. I did not (and will not) name any particular farrier. Who did the job is not even relevant, because this problem is not about one person. I am not trash talking anyone. I am saying that there is a systemic issue in how farriers are taught to trim and shoe and that it is on us, as a group, to correct it by continuing to learn and grow. That is my perspective. If you think I’m wrong then disregard it. And yes, some horses manage in regular shoes and to the owners and farriers of those horses I am glad for you. For everyone else, maybe what I wrote here will help you. That is all I am trying to do.

06/27/2024

Happy birthday to me!
31 years on this beautiful planet. Went on a gorgeous trail ride with my hubby and our two geldings Hobo and Cody.
I hope you all have had a splendid day with your horses! 🐴 🎂 🥳

06/20/2024

Posting my first hoof trimming before and afters. Been trimming my own horses for almost 3 years now.

This is Cody’s “club” foot which is not actually a club foot. Due to body imbalances and improper trimming for his first 10 years of his life his extreme heel contraction was not maintained for what he needed.

I have to keep him on a max 6 week schedule which is still too long between trims for him as this problem foot likes to grow back to its “natural” state. Which causes him further body imbalances and the contraction of his heels then cause pain (like wearing way too tight of shoes) and then he becomes lame.
The time between these trims was only 4 weeks as I want to get a handle on his heel contraction and promote a better way of travelling so his body is happier and more balanced.
I have put my notes on each photo for learning purposes.
It’s not perfect but it’s better than it was and I could tell Cody was a lot happier and travelled a lot less restricted when he was done. Meaning he was striding out and more willing to land heel first than toe first.
Learning to trim my own horses has really helped with my bodywork and training and the overall care of my horses and client horses.
Never stop learning!

06/20/2024

First photo is April 2, 2024.
Tense posture, dropped in her back, neck is short, tense and ridged with no distinction of her jugular groove. Her eye is large and peaked at her eyebrow. Her muzzle is small and tight lipped. Standing in a slight v-stance meaning front and back legs are both camped under her body. Overall bailee is not doing alright in this photo.
A lot of internalized anxiety which based on her behaviour you wouldn’t think. She had acquired the habit of shutting down in stressful situations due to her past.

Second photo taken June 19, 2024

Bailee looks as though she has inflated her whole body and gained a few inches in length from her head to her hindquarters.
She has a beautiful soft crest on the top of her neck, her brachiocephalicus muscle underneath her neck is clearly seen next to her now visible jugular groove. Her back has risen up a couple inches. She does not look as downhill. Her front and back legs are where they should be minus the back right. And her whole head is completely relaxed! Bailee finally feels safe and has the ability to be vulnerable and relaxed.

This girl has not been in any work. At all. She is turned out with my herd on the back 40 in the forest and only gets grass, mineral and salt.
All I did was do two different therapy sessions on her.
First session was May 22. I only worked on her back end. That’s where she felt most comfortable letting me work on her.

Second session was May 26. I had done some studying and found some different techniques that I wanted to test out on her as my normal techniques didn’t seem to be doing the job for her. Thank goodness I decided to dig deep and experiment. The couple techniques I applied seemed to do the trick. The deepest session I’ve ever had with this mare. The processing during and after the techniques were ones I’ve never seen her do before.

This mare has been my client/horse for almost 4 years now and it has taken this long to finally break through her shell. Gaining her trust has been the hardest task I’ve ever had. She has taught me so much.

06/16/2024

Love this!

06/05/2024

Proper hoof care is so important!

05/31/2024

Thank you so much Samantha for this lovely post! I have no doubts we will be able to get a clinic put together!
I’m so glad I was able to inspire you to become an even better horse owner and trainer for your equine partners!

Is there any interest in a saddle fit clinic sometime in early July? HOSTED by us but taught by the wonderful Chantelle Martin. Details TBA, just gauging interest at the moment which will dictate whether we host a clinic or she just comes to further my own education on saddle fit with some of our personal horses. ;)

We met Chantelle a few weeks ago at one of the tack sales we had our leathercraft at while she was putting on a saddle fit demonstration for the public at that sale, which led us to come home and reevaluate some of our things and now I've decided to go even more in depth on that topic.

Chantelle runs a business that focuses on body work, saddle fitting, hoof health, rehab and equine sports therapy because ALL of that works together, or unfortunately against each other if some things just aren't inline where they should be. She can share great pieces of knowledge that would suit any horse owner, or trainer so that we can all be better horse folk. Serenity Equine Therapy

One of the many things we are doing to improve our own knowledge and skills even further so we can serve the horses in our program even better. But figured I'd help others learn too if we turned it into a clinic with Chantelle, if that was desired.

05/30/2024

This is why having a certified professional saddle fitter is so important. Doing your own research and taking clinics is always a great investment as well!

05/13/2024

Let me explain why under run heels are not a heel problem...

Every day, I receive emails from people asking how they can trim their horse's heels to stop them from running under. My answer usually surprises people because it's not actually a heel problem at all; it's either a toe problem or a pressure/posture problem.

The hoof is surrounded by tubules, long thin strands of keratin that grow down from the coronary band to form the hoof wall. When everything is kept in balance, the tubules are thick and strong. However, if the toe is allowed to grow long and leverages forward due to excess length, it will start to stretch the lamina and flare. This flaring creates pressure on the tubules and causes the heels to "flare" or run forward to follow the toe wall. So, the best way to fix under run heels in this case is to shorten the toe and remove the leverage, allowing the heels to grow in more vertically again.

If the toe is not flared or leveraging and the heels are still running under, it could be a sign of excess pressure caused by incorrect posture. A horse that stands camped under puts excess pressure on the toe, causing it to run forward even if it isn't too long. Conversely, a horse that stands camped out puts excess pressure on the heels, causing the tubules to bend under and run forward. A horse's posture can be affected by the trim, pain or discomfort in the hooves, or by body issues. Identifying the root cause of the problem requires peeling back the layers, as it's usually a combination of factors.

Under run heels can lead to crushed heel bulbs and negative palmar/plantar angles, which in turn can wreak havoc on the body. They must be addressed appropriately to avoid long-term damage.

To sum it up, there's no secret to correcting under run heels; instead, we need to identify the cause and work to change it so that the heels can grow in at an appropriate angle to provide support and stability to the back of the hoof.

Interested in learning more about proper hoof care and trimming techniques? Consider enrolling in our hands-on hoof trimming course to gain practical skills and insights into maintaining your horse's hooves. https://www.oksnhc.com/5-day-trimming-course.html

04/21/2024

Why are people campaigning for welfare reforms in dressage for nosebands?

I believe that dissection work can bridge the gap between the people who are campaigning and the people who don’t realise they need to know. Dissection is pretty confronting, it forces us to reevaluate what we thought was under the skin. One thing that people are always shocked by is how many of the facial nerves are directly under the skin. The largest bundle of nerves lays under the nose band and goes straight to the brain.

This again is an important message in the face of tight nose bands taking centre stage in international competition.

03/31/2024

Left is severely contracted heels. The amount of pressure inside this foot would be immense. I bet this horses feels so much better on the right.

7.5 months progress

03/05/2024

Truly amazing words as always. I felt this in my soul.

Feeling shame or guilt for not knowing

Often the first message I usually receive from an owner is the feeling of guilt or shame for not seeing things earlier

But you only know and can put into practice the knowledge you have at that moment in time and often you only gain knowledge about something when your questions have not been answered and you start the search yourself

Show me an owner of a horse with PSSM and they will hold a wealth of knowledge on the subject
Show me an owner of a horse with kissing spine and their expertise will rival any professional
Show me an owner of a horse with any issue and it won't be long before they become the expert

It is the past which will shape our future. It is the regret which will strive to make us better and its the guilt which drives us to arm ourselves with knowledge and without those things we may never learn or move forward

The past is in the past if we bring it into the future then we limit the progress we can make

Owners often worry because they didn't see yet the fact their horses issues have been recognised is proof that they did because most owners are tenacious in finding the answer

As professionals we only learn when we work with such horses, we recognise patterns and behaviours and put the pieces together a horse we may have not been able to see five years ago will not be the same now

So try not to live in regret and shame for that serves no purpose with your horse that stands before you today, the past shapes who we are the future is not yet known so make today a good day

03/01/2024

02/27/2024

Couldn’t have said it better.

We need to take a step back in the equine community and start listening to our horses.
There is so much information out there (obviously take it all with a grain of salt) that can provide the knowledge to learn how to read horse body language.
It is our job as the “loving” owners to know better and to continually expand our knowledge so we can grow and be better for our equine partners.
Yes the truth sucks. Hearing you shouldn’t be riding your horse for a few weeks can honestly seem like the end of the world when they are our escape from reality most of the time and to reach our goals.
These are the moments when we need to shift our perspective from what WE want to what our horses NEED.
The stereotyping of “oh she’s just a red mare.” “He always moves all over the place when saddling.” “She usually is easy to catch but today she wasn’t. Still caught her and rode her though and she was “fine”.”
There is so many more examples I could share cause I have heard endless excuses.
The horse tells nothing but the truth. We just have a hard time accepting their truth or the fact that we have been the cause of that truth.
There is always room for improvement and change in ourselves. Your journey can start and restart as many times as you want.
I’ve personally been on a whole new journey these last 3 years when I finally had my eyes fully opened to the truth and science of how horses operate.
It’s been hard to completely change how I interact with my own personal herd as they were all trained with my previous methods and lack of knowledge and experience.
But thankfully and gratefully horses are truly one of the most forgiving creatures ever created. My herd is still getting use to the new me and the constant new versions of myself as I continue to learn and grow for them and myself.
It’s time to let go of the dated ways of how we perceive horse behaviour and look at them for exactly what they are. Beautiful souls that just want to be heard and loved in a safe environment.

Happy healing everyone! ❤️🙏

My horse is unhappy to be ridden I will do anything for them but I won't stop riding because I love them so much 🤔

Sometimes I struggle with the concept of that paragraph how can we profess to love something yet continue doing the one thing that makes it unhappy

Pinning ears, bearing teeth, kicking, biting, striking, are all things which some people find a normal part of their relationship with their horse for me it must be exhausting for both the horse and owner both physically and mentally and we need to stop everything until you find the why, for often there is never one issue but a whole cascade of issues and to find them we need to go right back to the beginning

First we need to change the way we view horses and be less emotional and more practical. We are so used to normalising, unwanted behaviour that the lines become blurred if you met a horse you didn't know and it went to bite you your automatic response would be first stay safe and do not go near it and second why is the horse doing this amd that should be the correct response yet often we do not react with the same response in our own horses

Pain, if your horse is in pain then all of it needs to be addressed first before you hop back on board for its hard enough for a horse to begin a normal pattern of movement once the pain has been addressed and its nearly impossible if the pain is still there we cannot train away pain, we must never push past the point of pain and we must never ignore the signs of pain

Emotional. We have to face it that sometimes a horse might be unhappy and we may be the issue, it could be the horse is not happy in the environment we have created, I see so many videos where people think it's funny if their horse is trying to bite the horse stalled next to it. Weaving and putting music to it, it is not funny and stress will always take a toll on the body

We have to sometimes look at ourselves and see how we fit into the equation of doing what is best for the horse and sometimes that means the horse has so many issues or one major issue that means we can't keep going forward until we start at the beginning rechecking everything twice and checking in with the horse to make sure they are a partner in our lives and not just a means of transport

We have to begin with honesty and reality because we do know we sometimes just choose not to see

Pic from Google

02/19/2024

This.

The truth can be evasive.

I am only ever going to tell my clients what I am finding with their horses and provide suggestions about how to address pain, imbalances, deficiencies, etc. I am here for your horse first, and this means that I’m going to tell it like it is.

If your horse needs dental work, I will tell you that. If your horse’s hooves need attention, I’m going to point that out. If I suspect that your horse is dealing with a metabolic issue, I’m going to suggest that your vet run some tests.

If you’re looking for someone who will proactively help you address problems, actively engage you in your horse’s well being and refer you to and work in collaboration with other quality professionals as needed, I’m all about it.

But you need to ask yourself: are you up for learning some new things and carrying out some homework on your own? Are you willing to consider new-to-you ways of addressing problems?

Most importantly, to paraphrase Jack Nicholson: can you handle the truth?

We spend too much time putting bandaids on issues with our horses, addressing the symptoms and not core issues. Not recognizing behavior that is caused by pain. Not actively advocating for what is best.

If I show up and tell you that your horse needs dental work or the attention of a saddle fitter and you don’t address those issues, there’s really not much I can do to help your horse going forward. And I’m going to tell you that, too.

I have found over the years that the right people find me – those people who are truly interested in improving the well-being of their horses, and are willing to learn more to actively sustain that well being.

Caring for these amazing creatures is a process of constant growth and learning. The owners who want to feel empowered to do better, you are my jam. And I am grateful for every single one of you.

01/05/2024

It’s not always about saddle fit… well yes yes it usually is. But! It’s important that any piece of equipment you put on your horse fits! Bridles, bits, boots, saddle pads, breast collars, even things you don’t use to ride. Like blankets, fly masks, grazing muzzles, halters.
Literally anything that touches your horse needs to be properly fitted.
You don’t wear ill fitting clothes, shoes, socks etc.
So why should we expect our horses to.

Continue to be better for our horses by filling your brain with knowledge!

01/03/2024

Absolutely beautiful day down at my barn! Had a beautiful lesson with my client who rode Hobo and helped him through a scare of my son playing in our boat. Who would’ve thought horses would spook at a boat but really how many see a boat in their life times!

Did some Back on Track therapy on spirit and bailee and then trimmed up the old boys Spirit and Buck and also had time (and willpower) to trim Hobo.

Finished off with feeding everyone and collecting eggs from my chickens who finally decided to start laying again! Got 7 eggs today!

What a blessed day to do all the things I love!