Natural Presence Equine Solutions

07/31/2024

Engage in a day of acquiring life-saving skills, connecting with horses, and forging new relationships.

Join us for our upcoming course in Williams Lake, B.C.
Limited spots available, so kindly RSVP by email at [email protected] to secure your spot!

04/26/2024

Happy help a horse day!

03/25/2024

A study titled "Neigh-bours: Why every young horse needs good friends. A pilot study during the breaking-in period" by Anna Flamand and co-authors explored the significant impact of social contacts on the behavior and welfare of young horses during their initial training or breaking-in period.

This research discusses the natural social tendencies of horses and the potential negative effects of isolating them during such a crucial developmental stage.

Horses being inherently social animals, thrive in established groups in the wild. However, the conventional practice of housing young horses in individual stalls during their breaking-in period can lead to social isolation, which combined with the stress of training, can result in behavioral disorders and defensive behaviors towards humans.

The study examined 12 young horses housed individually for a month, with half being allowed to interact socially for two hours daily in a "social box," and the other half not. The behaviors of these horses were then observed during training sessions and while in their individual stalls.

Key findings include:

Reduced Stress in Socially Connected Horses: Horses with social contacts exhibited fewer stress-related behaviors during training sessions and expressed fewer abnormal behaviors in their stalls compared to isolated horses.

Improved Welfare: The presence of social interactions had a positive impact on the welfare of young stabled horses, suggesting that maintaining social contacts can enhance the training experience and overall well-being of horses.

Behavioral Differences: Despite the overall benefits of social contacts, horses in socially adjusted conditions still reacted to the discomfort of training, indicating that social interactions do not eliminate the stress of training but instead do mitigate some of the negative effects.

The findings advocate for a reevaluation of traditional stabling practices, suggesting that incorporating social interactions can align more closely with the natural behaviors and needs of horses, ultimately leading to better outcomes for both the animals and their handlers.

The research also challenges conventional practices of isolating young horses during training and highlights the potential benefits of incorporating social contacts into their daily routine.

This approach not only aligns with the natural social tendencies of horses but also promotes a more humane and effective training process.

Study details: Flamand, A., Zellenka, C., Mos, J., Starczan, A., P***k, A., & Petit, O. (2024). Neigh-bours: Why every young horse needs good friends. A pilot study during the breaking-in period. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 106190.

02/14/2024

Happy Valentines Day!

What are everyone’s plans for today?

02/06/2024

Equine Health & Emergency First Aid

Join us for a hands-on workshop focused on equine health and emergency first aid at the picturesque Aspengrove Country Resort. This event is perfect for horse enthusiasts, owners, and caretakers who want to learn essential skills to keep their equine companions safe and healthy

Whether you are a seasoned horsemen or a beginner to the world of horses you will learn something new in this one-day hands on course!

02/03/2024

12/28/2023

Great chart!
Print it out and place in your feed rooms!

I hope you all are having a fantastic holiday and enjoying this lovely weather!

12/06/2023

My website is up and running!

What a headache tho!

Certified Equine Sport Therapist and First Aid instructor provides horse owner's with education about injury reduction strategies, Equine First Aid training, preventative care and equine rehabilitation and Equine Health.

11/18/2023

Please DM before November 30th for black Friday pricing!

I also have gift certificates available for purchase in limited quantities!

09/17/2023

Connection. Alignment, strength and purpose. I think that is very fitting

Connection, Family, Miracles, Breakthrough....

What's your mantra going to be?
Borrowed from a colleague.. Lisa Ruthig

09/07/2023

I've been meaning to post this for quite some time. But this is one of my current client horses. She has been one of most challenging yet, most rewarding clients I have worked with.

When I first started with her she was sore, had major compensatory patterns, DSLD, Lordosis and her age isn't entirely working in her favour either.

But she is a sweet heart, and her owner is amazing and so open to anything that may possibly help.

She went from laying down, being incredibly sore, not acting like her normal self. Barely moving or acting like a pony at all.

To this!

This is one of my favourite texts to date, I re-read this constantly as a reminder that what I do is good, and it's texts like this that make this job worth it, clients getting their horses back and being able to watch them enjoy life!

I have had some wonderful people cross my path, from mentors who never stop caring about me to my clients! I have the best job ever!

08/29/2023

‼️Please pass on if you know someone in need‼️ Mills Vet has 2 big horse pastures & 2 full service RV hookups available for evacuees. Call our office for more information
250-546-8860

08/27/2023

So by some sort of Facebook magic, I got a notification for a payout, it’s insanely small! But it gave me some warm and fuzzies and its so cool!

Its only a buck, but its a buck I prefer lol

08/21/2023

Here’s a few ways you can help horses and yourself with the smoke

Rivas remedies bronc-aide

https://rivasremedies.com/search.php?search_query=Bronc+aide

Alpha & Omega Respi-free
They have a few respiratory products that can help

https://www.omegaalpha.ca/products/equine-products/respi-free/?doing_wp_cron=1692644002.0810420513153076171875

Also peppermint essential oil and eucalyptus essential oil can help by let the horses smell them often they will smell with one nostril and then the other, sometimes they will sneeze or you can see visible mucous.

Peppermint tea is great for people it helps open the airways and with the menthol it gives a slight cooling sensation. Eucalyptus oil in the shower is also really good to help breathe and the humidity can help cough out some of the smoke and ash found in the air aswell and help with throat dryness.

Mullein tea is also really nice to put into there mash along side peppermint leaves and magnesium which helps with muscle activation, nerve health and also heart health which is also important during this time

I hope this helps, stay safe!

If your horses are nervous during travel you can hang lavender or use a few drops on your hand for them to smell during loading, or use in there feed along side chamomile and spirulina and milk thistle for support, you can buy these at local health food stores in the herb section.

08/19/2023

Here are some things to watch out for, bc wild fires is a good resource for information regarding fires and you can download the app.

Please keep an eye on DRIVE BC, to avoid road closures.

For recent updates on fires and to check and see if your location is on alert you can input your address on the site.

https://www.cordemergency.ca/

For more information on what to look for and animal distress and how to help avoid it

https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/guidelines-horses-exposed-wildfire-smoke

If your location is on alert or you not sure what to pack please look at this pdf it will help you with necessary items.

08/12/2023

I'm planning on hosting some equine first aid classes at my barn, who would be interested in participating?

If this one goes well I'll do small classes every second weekend

I'm thinking about mid September on a Saturday?

Depending on how many people I have wanting to do it we can do a full weekend for basic and advance classes.

07/17/2023

🚨Huge announcement!🚨

I am so excited to share that we have partnered with eq-active to use there strength and conditioning software to use with all of my clients both 4 legged and 2 legged!

I have been looking at software like this for a while, it’s been an ongoing search and after talking with the company for well over a year and dabbling with it on my own horses I have been very impressed with the quality of the product and how supportive they are as a company. The owner is wonderful and extremely knowledgeable.

Not only will this make doing “homework” easier but also provide you with more value with the addition of well written descriptions easy to understand parameters to help walk you through it when I’m not there to help!

Not only is this used for conditioning horses and helping them stay stronger but it can also be used for post surgery rehabilitation and injury recovery which is what I was doing in vet med!

How exciting!?

I cannot wait to implement this into my program, the videos are beautiful and it will save me so much time scrolling through youtube to find useful and quality videos to help you with your horses. And I can do it in less time!

06/27/2023

Little life update, I lost a bit of momentum due to some really intense personal life changes and I have noticed that it’s impacted parts of my life alot even over the last few years. I’m rather private when is comes to certain situations but my family is going through a lot.

I’m doing my very best to continue as normal but I have noticed some small slip ups and I believe businesses should be run through integrity first and I try my very best to hold myself to a high standard. With that being said session reports have been taking longer then normal to get back to you. And I do apologize.

This is only a temporary setback and I do hope I can get back to my regular old self soon. I have very big plans and I have alot going on behind the scenes and I’m trying to learn how to balance it all while working full time aswell.

I hope you have a wonderful week and continue to

06/19/2023

Out of curiosity how many people would like to host equine first aid if you knew you could attend the course at no cost for yourself?

I’m looking for hosts for summer classes and I want people who would genuinely benefit and want to learn and maybe thought they couldn’t afford it, I want to help you learn and possibly remove some of the financial burden. At the end of the day it’s the horses that benefit from it. I can’t offer my services for free but I do my very best to meet people where they are at and help find a way to make things work.

I run every aspect of my business this way. Because I know what it’s like. I know what life is like.

I want to have fun and teach and most horse people I have encountered love to learn so let’s just do it!

Your welcome to contact me here
Or on my page

Natural Presence Equine Solutions

If you want to learn a bit more about my services or courses check out my website!

www.naturalpresence.ca

06/01/2023

It's nice to be important

05/31/2023

Check out my blog post

Discover the limitless possibilities of equine massage and unlock the way to a calmer, healthier, and better-performing horse.

04/05/2023

I'm looking for 5 motivated Dressage riders who want their horse to feel looser and more supple in the next 90 days!

What are you struggling with?

Let’s start off spring on the right foot!
Dm me ‘Results’ to claim your spot!

04/03/2023

Buccinator muscle



Function: As a horse chews food this muscle contracts and relaxes helping to push the bolus (food) toward the tongue to help control where the food is directed. This also protects the inner lining of the cheek from being bitten by the teeth. The buccinator is also involved in other actions, such as blowing, swallowing, sucking, and the secretion of saliva from the parotid duct. It is believed that this is the secondary mechanism involved in mastication.

Because this muscles function is to puff out the cheeks, it is also called the "trumpeter's muscle." It lies deep to the skin. Superficial to this muscle lies the anterior border of the masseter and more superficial facial muscles.

Dysfuntion of this muscle can be signs of wanting to eat but struggle too, not being able to maintain a bolus, and interior scarring of the mouth.

03/29/2023

Sometimes I like to take a step back and remember what I’m proud of and some of my accomplishments. Helps keep me feeling a little bit more sane and grounded.

Staying grounded isn’t just important when working with horses, it’s valuable in our everyday lives aswell.

03/09/2023

You can help reduce your vet bills by taking our courses. Wait! Before you think that we teach people to just duct tape their horses back together so they don’t have to call a vet, that’s not how we work at all! We save you money on vet bills in the following ways:

1. By knowing when to call a vet so you aren’t making a situation worse and costing more in the end;
2. By knowing when you can go it alone. We will teach knowledge and skills to confidently to handle minor wounds and injuries that prevents suffering and promotes recovery;
3. By being able to take vital signs and read the signs of injury and illness so that when you call your vet, you’ve done your homework. By being able to communicate credibly with your vet and build a good relationship, it can save you on unnecessary call out fees;
4. Ongoing wound care can add up $$$. We will teach you about safe, sterile, vet accepted products and pantry solutions to save you money; and
5. By implementing our preventative strategies, you will save money by not having to deal with injuries in the first place or they won’t escalate to the point requiring major medical intervention.

03/09/2023

INDIVIDUAL STABLING FOUND TO ALTER IMMUNE RESPONSE

A recent study has found that horses moved from group housing to individual stabling showed changes in their white blood cell counts and plasma cortisol levels. These changes could mean they are at a higher risk of infectious disease.

Equine scientist Sonja Schmucker and her colleagues at the University of Hohenheim in Germany studied 12 warmblood geldings aged 2-3 years old during several management changes, monitoring their behaviour and immune response.

The horses used were all living in a group, turned out at pasture. For the first part of the study the group was then split into two, each kept in a separate paddock so that the horses in one group could not see the others. After a trial period of eight days all the horses were returned to their original group, living together. They were then were left out at pasture for eight weeks.

For the second part of the study the horses were all moved into individual stables, where they could see and touch their neighbours through bars. During the first week of being stabled, the horses were given 30 minutes of turnout in an indoor area. From the second week onwards, the horses were lunged.

Throughout the study the research team collected blood samples from the horses to analyse their immune cell numbers and cortisol concentrations.

The results showed that moving the horses to individual stabling led to acute stress-induced immune changes. However, dividing the larger group into two smaller groups at pasture did not.

“The number of eosinophils, monocytes and T cells declined, whereas the number of neutrophils increased resulting in an increased N:L ratio. This pattern of change resembles the well-known picture of an immunomodulation induced by acute social stress.”

The plasma cortisol concentrations didn’t change after dividing the group into the two smaller groups at pasture, but there was an increase in cortisol concentrations one day after stabling which then returned to the previous levels eight days later. However, the researchers said “Although cortisol concentrations returned to baseline level after 8 days, the alterations in most immune cell numbers persisted, pointing to a longer-lasting effect on the immune system of the horses."

The team also found, unsurprisingly, that some of the horses started to perform stereotypical behaviours as soon as one week after stabling.

The team reported that the results “strongly indicate that social isolation is a chronic stressor with negative impact on welfare and health of horses and highlight the advantage of group housing systems in view of immunocompetence."

The researchers concluded that “relocation to individual stabling represented an intense stressor for the horses of the present study, leading to acute and lasting alterations in blood counts of various leukocyte types. In contrast, fission of the stable group did not result in behavioural, endocrine or immunological stress responses by the horses."

This sudden change from group turnout to individual stabling with training being introduced is a very common scenario for horses being started for the first time. Again this study gives us yet more evidence that stabling horses individually is stressful and detrimental to their physical and psychological wellbeing. The majority of the horses I see are stabled for the bulk of the day. I do wonder how much evidence is needed before horse owners and professionals act on this information and change their management to increase turnout and group living...

The research is free to access and is a very interesting read: Schmucker S, Preisler V, Marr I, Krüger K, Stefanski V (2022) Single housing but not changes in group composition causes stress-related immunomodulations in horses. PLoS ONE 17(8): e0272445.