Serenity Equine Therapy

02/08/2025

Powerful words!

I don’t think people realize just how many horses out there carry trauma with them.

With that, I don’t even mean severely abused horses that have been starved, or beaten heavily. There are plenty of those around, and those usually cause a lot of outrage (as they should).

What I am talking about though, is the horses whose trauma is never really recognized as such. The ones who tolerate humans and their requests, but never learned to trust them. Those who get extremely obsessive about food which are labelled as “bossy” or ”dominant”. Those who deal with severe Separation anxiety, which are said to be “dramatic”. Those who cannot self-regulate, or co-regulate and constantly carry tension. Those who try to express their pain, which get punished for it because “just a mare”.
Those who are “perfect” until they finally get a choice.

Between Unethical weaning practices, unsuitable welfare, constantly moving homes & and ownership, and aversive training/handling approaches, most horses at some point experience trauma. And this trauma can present itself in a variety of ways. Some are more subtle than others.
Trauma doesn’t have to be this huge explosive reaction. Just like people, horses can carry trauma and move on with their lives fairly normally. It can shape their personality just like it can shape ours.
However, that doesn’t mean doing so is healthy.

The horse that has been in 6+ homes before the age of 10, and thus can’t cope with changes. That is Trauma.
The horse that has never had consistent companionship and becomes obsessive with certain herd mates. That is Trauma
The horse that has only known corrections when they tried to express their confusion, fear, or dislike, and turns from “a perfect beginner’s horse” to “Don’t touch me” the moment you stop using corrections. That is Trauma.
The horse that never had a chance to learn from other horses or connect with people and thus can’t trust people to make good choices for them, can’t self-regulate or co-regulate, and can’t think their way through a situation. That is Trauma.
The horse who was only ever fed 2 times a day and was left without food for 6 hours each night, and has thus become food-aggressive. That is Trauma.
The horse who experienced highly aversive training techniques, and thus now gets frustrated, tense and severely stressed out anytime they are handled in a similar manner. That. Is. Trauma.

Sometimes, awareness of this can be a frustration and defeating realization. I think as equestrians we are often blind to this reality, because sadly, it’s just so common to see horses like that.
It’s not until you work with young, untraumatized horses, or rehabilitated horses, that you realize: “Oh! This is how it should be!”

02/02/2025

01/25/2025

What is the best trim cycle for your horse and why am I constantly talking about this?!

As a trimmer, one of the most common issues I see is horses being trimmed on to long of a trim schedule. Honestly, anything over 6 weeks is too long. While it may seem like it’s working becuase you don't see cracks or chips, the truth is that hoof growth equals leverage, and excess leverage can wreak havoc on the hoof wall connection. The longer you wait between trims, the more leverage builds up, and that leverage is the enemy of healthy hooves.

When the trim schedule is too long, the hoof wall begins to stretch and flare, creating visible distortion. Flares are not just a cosmetic issue—they are a sign of stress and damage at the lamellar level. The white line begins to stretch, and with it, the connection between the hoof wall and coffin bone weakens. Once flare is visible, the damage has already begun.

Frequent trims on a 4-6 week schedule allow for smaller, more precise changes that keep your horse’s hooves in perpetual balance. By addressing minor growth before it becomes a problem, we prevent big, invasive corrections that can cause soreness or discomfort. This approach supports the horse’s natural biomechanics, leading to better fluidity and movement throughout the body.

This is why I focus on *educating horse owners to trim their own horses*. When owners learn to do regular, simple maintenance trims, it becomes much easier to keep hooves balanced and healthy. Regular micro trims also prevent the cycle of distortion and correction, which can lead to long-term problems like flares, sole pressure, mechanical founder and even lameness.

If you’re seeing flare in your horse’s hooves, it’s a clear sign that your trim schedule is too long. Flares don’t happen overnight—they are a result of cumulative leverage pulling on the hoof wall. By shortening the time between trims, you can stop flare before it starts and protect the lamellar connection, which is the foundation of a healthy hoof.

If you have been following my page this year, you can review my recent previous posts about the connection between flare (disconnected hoof wall) and solar concavity and why it is absolutely so important to maintain that hoof wall connection.

Educating owners and empowering them to take an active role in their horse’s hoof care is the key to healthier, happier horses. Small, frequent changes create lasting results, while long intervals allow problems to build up. Let’s work together to keep your horse’s hooves balanced, connected, and moving fluidly!

👉 If you’re ready to take control of your horse’s hoof care, check out my courses both hands on and online that teach you how to trim your own horse confidently and effectively! 💪

https://www.oksnhc.com/online-learning.html

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post diving deeper into flares and just how detrimental they can be.

01/25/2025

Before you head to the barn this morning, remember, your horse is trying to understand you as you try to understand them. Its a relationship that is constantly working towards a mutual understanding - just be kind!

01/17/2025

01/16/2025

Amazing work as always!

01/08/2025

01/06/2025

12/18/2024

Very interesting!

Asymmetrical whorls

When assessing horses before euthanasia I try to be as thorough as possible, gathering information is a huge part of the process. Something I have noted in a number of the ECVM cases I’ve seen is whorls on the pectoral muscles that don’t match. The theory is that whorls form in relation to the tissue below it.

This guy was certainly asymmetrical and you can also note the rib cage rotation in both the points of the shoulder and the sternum sitting to his left side. In fact he was so destabilised that his p***s symphysis was completely unfused at over 8 years old.breaking it in half was easy because there was zero fusion occurring to strengthen the area. This horse had multiple lower hind joint injections that on dissection were relatively clean. The sloppy appearing joints in stifles and hocks were coming from the pelvis in my opinion. He was a well bred 17.2hh warmblood gelding.

To follow his dissection findings he has an album on my patreon page.

https://www.patreon.com/collection/857132/edit

12/11/2024

Made of a composite material that does not compress but is flexible to conform to the underside of your saddle tree. Inserts right into your saddle between the tree and the bottom side of your saddle underneath where the fender attaches.
I always have multiple sizes on hand for saddle fitting sessions.
Available for purchase alongside a booked saddle fit session.

12/11/2024

Love your before and afters!

12/05/2024

This

One of the biggest things I see is people wanting to know what to do for an underdeveloped topline…

Well let me tell you what, an avid rider hates to see me coming because the first thing I’m going to tell you is to GET OFF OF THE HORSE’S BACK.

Get out of the saddle and stay out of the saddle until the muscle comes back.

You don’t build a topline by riding… meaning,

You can’t strengthen something that isn’t there to begin with- so if your horse’s top line musculature is depleted, you aren’t going to fix the problem by riding.

You add a rider once you have foundational muscle.

And I think that’s where the disconnect lies. Riders, trainers, breeders etc. have all convinced themselves that underdeveloped muscle is just fine and they call it ‘fitness’.

If you want real results you have to do real work.

You start building muscle once you’ve stopped the pain cycle. Once you’ve addressed tensional patterns.

Look at the situation for what it is.

These horses are started too young, they’re ridden in tack that doesn’t fit with restrictive training aids that don’t allow for the appropriate muscles to build and engage. On top of that, most don’t receive enough natural movement in their routines because they’re confined to a stall.

The formula is easy folks. We’ve created the problems. Just modify a few things and you’d be surprised how good that horse’s topline looks. You don’t need to make it harder than it has to be.

Poor topline= get off the back

⭐️You can check out my ‘rehabbing the topline’ freebie here- it has a few helpful tips. This is something I’m going to be going into a lot more detail about in a project I’m working on🤭 stay tuned

https://stan.store/abequinetherapy?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAabvCH-69u_CN5SKDBf_5lM_kU4dalF5a3AYGjMygLAsth4hFe7RApPEV-s_aem_hjVz7GmOrGgBeRkAWuE9hw

11/27/2024

Get off my energy.

Climb down out of my mind.

Get out of my business.

Detach from my story.

My needs are not yours to change.

Your needs are yours and mine are mine.

Don't push your life onto my life. Don't push your choices onto my choices.

Get off.

From that distance, I can love you better. And more importantly, you can love yourself.

Stop looking for "You" in others. Look for others in others. Understand them, without your filter.

You are not entitled to have the whole world, designed for your needs, your preferences, your tastes.

Your horse needs you to know this. Your horse feels claustrophobic from you and you're not even in the field yet.

You've projected. You've attached without rapport.

You have inserted yourself, inappropriately. Zero awareness that your behaviour is outrageous.

The horse pushes back, and you are shocked. You're the victim of the push. Because you had no awareness that you pushed first. Some horses have a volatile response to this type of energy. And to be frank- if I was a horse, I would be in this category. All the way.

So the horse goes down fighting. Or goes down dissociating. They disconnect from their identity, because you pushed your identity onto them. Bumped them off their personality because you wanted their talents, skills and services, but you didn't want the being that housed those talents skilled and services, because you frankly lack the social rapport to understand an other.

Like a driver on the highway, tail-gating, flashing their high beams at you to drive recklessly like they are.

Sticky beak. Meddling fingers. Intrusive energy and invasive entitled mindscapes.

Climb down out of it. And you'll find, the grass is much greener on the other side. Where everyone has space to be themselves. And you are able to connect, and honestly build rapport. And communicate without being pushy.

11/27/2024

What an incredible journey between human and horse. This is such a powerful video. Showing how much impact loving and compassionate energy with no hidden agenda can accomplish.