Harmonious Healing Equine Therapy

11/22/2022

Just a friendly reminder to all my clients, I will be unavailable for appointments until after Dec 8th as we will be on our Honeymoon.

07/29/2022

Great perspective on the use of protective boots, right from the vets mouth.

Boots and bandages - are we harming our horses as we try to protect them?

Bandaging and booting our horses is becoming more and more popular, especially with the popularity of matchy matchy sets. But are we doing more harm than good? Most people will have come across the articles in magazines and comments from vets saying they are, and yet still they become more and more popular. Why is that? Why do riders still cover their horses in thick fleece bandages or fluffy boots despite the dangers? Tradition I suppose. Wanting to fit in. Or just habit, some will feel like they haven’t finished tacking up if they haven’t put the boots on.

I know this isn’t about dentistry (for which I apologise) but I am a vet first and foremost, and as a dressage rider I am asked why I don’t use bandages all the time. I’ve written about this several times now and no one pays attention, so rather than stating facts and quoting research, I’d like to take you through my journey of discovery, please bear with me. Facts and papers are at the end.

Rewind 12 years and I was in my final year at vet school. Prior to and during vet school I had a horse and we did dressage. I had planned to ODE but this horse pulled every tendon and ligament known to vet kind. He spent more time out of work than in. Each time I would up my game with the latest boots/bandages on the market. From fluffy boots to wraps to sports fetlock boots, fleece bandages to gamgee and cotton to the half fleece/half elastic bandages. I learnt new techniques for better support, figure of 8 bandaging to cradle the fetlock etc etc. I’d been there and done it. My collection was extensive.

Right at the end of vet school I had my rotations. I chose Equine lameness as one of my options. During in this I very vividly remember a wet lab with Dr Renate Weller where she had a skinned horses leg (showing all of the tendons and ligaments) in a machine that mimicked the pressures a horse applies to their limbs. She took us through walk, trot, canter and gallop, loading this leg so we could see the inside workings of the horses leg without the skin. It was fascinating I can tell you, and I very clearly remember thinking about my horse and wondering how on earth we are suppose to support this limb when it undergoes these incredible forces! Half a ton of animal pushing down a tiny spindle of a leg held by tendons barely thicker than my thumb. Craziness!

Fast forward just a few short months and I was a fully qualified vet in the big wide world. I attended my first BEVA Congress and during the break I wandered around the stalls looking at the latest inventions and technologies companies bring to these gatherings. Here I came across a company with the Equestride Boot which caught my eye. Now if you haven’t seen this boot, it’s wonderful and I’ve since used it a few times in rehabbing very severe tendon and ligament injuries with great success. The boot is a carbon fibre boot that stops the fetlock dropping, which stops the tendons and ligaments being fully loaded while they heal. This boot is super strong. You couldn’t ride a horse in it as it is limiting the range of motion so much, but they can move about easily enough at the lower settings to rehab etc. The guy on the stand (I’m afraid I can’t remember his name) showed me their research and in the straight talking Irish way explained the stupidity of expecting a thin piece of material to support a horse. And of course it can’t! Literally no bandage or boot (short of this very expensive carbon fibre rehab boot) is capable of reducing the amount the fetlock drops. Thinking back to Dr Weller’s demonstration, I could very clearly see how ridiculous I had been to ever believe a scrap of material could do anything to reduce or support that pressure.

But the boots/bandages don’t actually cause any harm do they? Surely it’s ok to use them on the off chance they might help and if we look good in the meantime, great! Well, not long after this, research started appearing that got me very worried about my bandage collection. Heat. Anyone that uses bandages and boots will not be surprised to see sweat marks under their bandages/boots after they’ve been removed. They trap a lot of heat. The horses body and legs generate a lot of heat when working. The tendons/ligaments in the leg, along with an increased blood flow generate ALOT of heat. Fleece bandages/boots in particular, hold this heat in the horses leg. Very few boots and virtually no bandages (especially if you use a pad under) allow the legs to breath adequately. This heat is easily enough to kill tendon/ligament cells. Each tendon/ligament is made of thousands and thousands of cells all lined up end on end and side by side in long thin spindles. They stretch and return to their original shape and size like an elastic band, absorbing and redistributing the pressures applied from further up the leg and from the ground impact below. All of these cells must work together as one to do this effectively.

Just a little side step here to explain how tendons/ligaments heal. A tendon/ligament cell can not be replaced like for like. They always heal with scar tissue. This is why reinjury is so much more likely if a tendon/ligament is blown. The fibrous scar tissue doesn’t stretch, it isn’t capable of stretching or absorbing the impact of a horses movement. It will always be a weak spot. In a full blown sprain/strain the whole (or most) of the tendon has been damaged. But this heat injury might just kill a few cells at a time. Those few cells are replaced by fibrous scar tissue, then next time a few more etc etc. Like a rubber band degrading over time the tendon/ligament loses its elasticity and eventually goes snap. Then you’ve fully blown a tendon/ligament. The injury didn’t start to happen at that moment, but that was the final straw. The damage adds up over time, each time thermal necrosis (vet word for cell death) occurs.

So if using boots/bandages can not offer any sort of support, and using them generates heat that slowly damages the tendons/ligaments until they give way. Why use them? Protection. This is the only reason to use boots. To stop the horse brushing, injuring themselves catching a pole or over cross country. But for goodness sake make sure your boots are breathable! If the horse is sweaty under the boot but not above or below, the boot is not breathable enough. And don’t use fleece bandages just because you like the colour. These fleece bandages are the worst at holding heat in the leg, way above the threshold for thermal necrosis to the cells of the tendons and ligaments. If your horse doesn’t need protection, don’t use boots. I haven’t for the last 12 years and *touch wood* I haven’t had a single tendon/ligament injury in any of my horses. I will never go back to boots or especially bandages now. I don’t use them for schooling, lunging, jumping, travelling, turnout, stable, in fact I don’t use them at all. Ever. But I don’t hunt or XC.

I hope you have found my story useful and can make informed decisions on boots and bandaging going forward.

For more information on the Equestride boot and their research into support offered by boots and bandages, visit http://www.equestride.com/ and https://www.equinetendon.com/services/equestride/

The horses leg under the compression machine at the Irish Equine rehabilitation and fitness centre https://fb.watch/cmVMt6-iOJ/ (I highly recommend you watch this incredible video. It clearly shows the amount of force the leg goes through and demonstrates the real purpose of boots)

Other relevant papers-
https://equimanagement.com/.amp/articles/horse-skin-temperature-under-boots-after-exercise
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/8f15/0ea480edca142260d01f419f80d2e7e7fb29.pdf
http://www.asbweb.org/conferences/1990s/1998/59/index.html

Edit 1 - I am getting asked about stable wraps very frequently. This post is about riding, the tendons and blood flow create heat which is trapped by bandages/boots during exercise. This doesn’t occur in the stable stood still. If the horse has a strain/sprain resulting in inflammation, then there is an increase in blood flow and there is heat being created. In this situation you should not be bandaging. But if it’s cold and an old horse needs stable wraps to keep the joints warm and improve sluggish blood flow (filled legs) you can use the heat trapping to your advantage. But you need to be careful in summer.

Edit 2 - the other thing I’m being asked about is compression. Compression DOES NOT control inflammation. The inflammation still occurs, but the swelling can not escape the bandages and the increase in internal pressure reduces blood flow, causing ischemic damage. Like laminitis within the hoof. The hoof capsule prevents swelling so the inflammation expands inwards and cuts off the blood supply. This is why laminitis is so painful and difficult to treat. Compression is only useful in the case of leaky vessels, for example reduced blood pressure, reduced movement so the blood isn’t being pumped backup the legs, or osmotic imbalances eg low protein with diarrhoea. In these situations, compression of the legs can encourage blood to return to the vessels and continue circulating.

07/11/2022

Hamstrings massage for the win on Sioux haha

07/11/2022

Sioux thought his hamstrings needed extra attention haha

07/11/2022

What a fabulous weekend of working amazing horses in my favourite place on this green earth! The Chilcotin never disappoints and this time I got to take my great friend Tina with me and we tag teamed it. Thank you to the C1 Ranch and the group that came from the Tatla area it made for a very productive two days. Then of course Yina and I had to have a burger at the Chilcotin Lodge and do a drive by Farwell Canyon just to round out a great day on Saturday.


06/30/2022

This handsome piece of horse flesh had a massage date with me this afternoon. Lori thank you so much for trusting me with your amazing boy. Gahhhh I could load him up and take him home he’s just so wonderful.

06/30/2022

Been a busy few days of horses, so grateful for great clients like Wettstone Guest Ranch.

03/07/2022

Well I’m sure you can all relate to how stressed I’m feeling over the recent fuel price increases. I’ve spent a long time contemplating over how I would roll this cost into my business. Most of my clients know I haven’t charged mileage unless it’s absolutely needed. However, this recent increase is not going to allow me to be as lenient with this. All trips if I can combine with others in your area, or if I’m in your area for other reasons will obviously have a deal on mileage. At this point I can suggest to expect to see a $20 increase to your visit. I want to thank all my clients for their years of loyalty and please know I don’t do this without thinking of how it may affect you too. Please reach out if you have any questions and I look forward to seeing all your fuzzy partners as we all come out of this long winter.

12/24/2021

This year a gift was given to me that took me by surprise and absolutely solidified why I do what I do. This special gift contains the hair of a horse that shaped me as a person and as a Equine Therapist. She was there from the beginning. Through all the case studies in school, through graduation, and after when I stumbled to find my feet in this industry. Money taught me to always wear my heart on my sleeve, how to be loyal and to never second guess saying what’s on your mind. She was one of those horses that “gave me sentences” and was very particular who she wanted to spend her time with. Over the years she made me laugh and made me cry and if it were not for her I wouldn’t have a dear friend in her owner now. She was a constant in my business and I’m am forever grateful to have been part of her journey. She will never be forgotten and I’m thankful so much for the incredible gift of Money and the piece of her I will carry with me forever. Thank you Tammy Lynn your friendship means the world to me.

12/10/2021

Saving to watch later 😉

11/21/2021

Using pole work as part of a rehabilitation programme is often recommended by physios and may be part of your routine, but why?

Looking at the picture and using what literature is available, lets look at the benefits of just walking over a series of poles.

Bri’s posture changes completely between the two pictures; she has to clearly increase flexion of her limb joints in order to clear the poles. But did you know, this increase of joint range of motion has been measured in every limb joint, including the shoulder and hip (Murrary et al., 2020). This is particularly useful if your horse has arthritis or ’stiff’ joints, as the increased range of motion occurring aids joint mobility.

You can also see the ‘lift’ through her back when travelling over the poles. The change in her head and neck posture combined with the muscles in her back and abdominals engaging whilst walking over the poles results in thoracolumbar back flexion. The space between the dorsal spinous processes in the spine increases when the back is flexed in comparison to when it is hollow. In cases of kissing spine or general weak top line, pole work is crucial as the back muscles are being strengthened during this exercise, resulting in a stronger, healthier back (Shaw, Ursini, Levine, Richards & Adair, 2021). Over time, top line will improve as muscle mass increases in the back and spinal posture improves.

Walking over poles will also trains a horses gymnastic ability. It has been shown to result in increases in stride length (de Oliveria et al., 2015). Ideal for any horses involved in work that tests their performance such as jumping.

Lastly, the poles are a proprioceptive challenge as Bri is using her visuomotor coordination to elevate her hooves over the poles. Not only is this exercise crucial for everyday actives ie not tripping / jumping safely, but it also can be used in the rehab of neurological cases (Brown, Stubbs, Kaiser, Lavagnino & Clayton, 2015).

As we can see, just walking over poles has a huge range of benefits! Pole work is a useful addition to your horses exercise regimes, and for rehabilitation of injuries. I always recommend in hand poles initially to allow your horse to work without the weight of a rider, and to work independently. Your physio may recommend trotting poles, raised poles and different pole layouts as part of a progressive therapeutic exercise programme for your horse. As always, consult your physio to see what is appropriate for your horse at this stage.

Get in touch for more information

📞07551271289
✉️ [email protected]
🌐berkshirevetrehab.com

References

Brown, S., Stubbs, N., Kaiser, L., Lavagnino, M., & Clayton, H. (2015). Swing phase kinematics of horses trotting over poles. Equine Veterinary Journal, 47(1), 107-112. doi: 10.1111/evj.12253

Murrary, R., Walker, V., Guire, R., Spear, J., Newton, R., & Tranquille, C. (2020). Effect of walking over ground poles and raised poles compared to no poles on limb and back kinematics in horses with different postures. Equine Veterinary Journal, 52(S54), 9-10. doi: 10.1111/evj.10_13365

de Oliveira, K., Soutello, R. V., da Fonseca, R., Costa, C., Paulo, R. D. L., Fachiolli, D. F., & Clayton, H. M. (2015). Gymnastic training and dynamic mobilization exercises improve stride quality and increase epaxial muscle size in therapy horses. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 35(11-12), 888-893.

Shaw, K., Ursini, T., Levine, D., Richards, J., & Adair, S. (2021). The Effect of Ground Poles and Elastic Resistance Bands on Longissimus Dorsi and Re**us Abdominus Muscle Activity During Equine Walk and Trot. Journal Of Equine Veterinary Science, 107, 103772. doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2021.103772

10/12/2021

Hello to all my clients… Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I want to say I’m very grateful to have you all in my life. I am planning a trip south to Williams Lake and 100 Mile House next week, and Alexis Creek if numbers are good the weekend of 23-24. This will be my last trip for awhile as I go for surgery on the 29th and will need a bit to recover. Please pm me if you would like your pony pampered and I’ll make sure your on this trip.

09/27/2021

Hello to my wonderful clients! I have been informed that my wonderful friend and equine chiropractor Tina Colter is headed north on Oct 6-7th. She needs a few more to make the trip official to Williams Lake area. If anyone is looking to get in with her message her on FB or hit me up for her cell number.

09/26/2021

She’s turning into quite the ham! Chevonn thanks again!

09/22/2021

Training of the eye.

09/10/2021

Awe! Love when my clients post such sweet things! Thanks Chevonn!

09/01/2021

Trip south to 100 Mile/WL coming up next week, pm to book

01/25/2021

To all my clients, this has been a hard decision but due to being stretched with my commitments working at the vet and a few other personal changes in my life I will only be available to existing/regular clients. I apologize in advance to anyone that has recommended me and I appreciate your immense support. However I’m feeling stretched at this moment and can no longer take on a larger clientele. If you have had me work on your horse once before please consider yourself a regular and reach out if needed. I may be a little more flexible in the spring with times and new clients. Again thank you all for your understanding.

06/11/2020

Very interesting!

02/02/2020

Food for thought!

11/27/2019

So cool!

11/10/2019

10/12/2019

Interesting!

French researchers found horses with simulated C6-C7 nerve compression had shortened strides, tightened gaits, and a general lack of shoulder tone.

09/18/2019

I recommend Aloe often. So many benefits and usually cost friendly too.

Aloe Vera has long been known as a natural healer for skin and inflammation. As a kid, I remember snapping the fleshy leaves off of our household plants and squeezing the gel onto my many burns, cuts, scrapes and bee stings.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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But this is something you may not have known about aloe… it not only helps with skin and inflammation but can also benefit the digestive system. Aloe can:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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✅ Help repair damaged intestinal membranes⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
✅ Balance the pH of the gastrointestinal tract⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
✅ Help promote the production of digestive enzymes⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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✅✅✅ It is also an anti-bacterial, anti-parasitic, anti-inflammatory and 100% natural.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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With over 70% of domestic horses suffering from gastric and hindgut ulcers, ALOE might be something that can benefit your horse! 🌱⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The horses that I work with who have a history of ulcers, or even if I suspect ulcers, I often recommend Aloe in powder or in liquid form and they LOVE it! 💚⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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AND...as an added bonus it also provides many important nutrients such as vitamins A, C, and E! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Have you ever used Aloe for your horse? 🌿 🐴

08/26/2019

Great reference images of your horses anatomy!

07/24/2019

Great pics and description of laminitis.

07/17/2019

Fascinating! Squeamish don’t look.

This elderly horse with chronic arthritis became more and more difficult to trim, especially in the last year. Dr. Jeremy Frederick and I were granted permission to harvest the fore limbs for scientific and educational purposes, for which we are both very grateful to the owners. These photos show the process and what arthritic changes we found, primarily in the carpus, articular and periarticular.

06/20/2019

Great info!

Why do ‘cresty’ necks suddenly go rock hard?

This information is relevant and useful to people who own horses with Equine Metabolic Syndrome and are in danger of laminitis or whose horses are intermittently ‘footy’. Understanding this has helped with rehabilitating, not only all the ponies at Jen Heperi’s Mini-HaHa Rescue Haven but many more horses and ponies all around the world.

We learned from Dr Deb Bennett PhD (who has conducted many dissections), that “the horse's "crest" is made of fibro-fatty sub-cutaneous (adipose) tissue similar in texture to high-density foam”.

Have you ever wondered how it is that the ‘crest’ of the neck can harden so rapidly? Sometimes overnight?

The actual reason is because it goes ‘turgid’ (it fills with fluid). Like foam, the crest tissue can take up water like a sponge; so it swells and hardens because fluid ‘leaks’ into it, filling the interstitial spaces until it is hard as a rock, and ‘softens’ when electrolyte balances are corrected thereby allowing fluid to be resorbed.

When the crest swells with edema, other parts of the horse's body like the abdomen and the hooves (significantly the digital cushion is made of similar material, it is a thick wedge of fibro-fatty subcutaneous tissue) -- are liable to be in trouble, too.

Hardening of the ‘crest’ coincides with not only spring and autumn growth spurts but also potassium and nitrogen spikes in autumn and winter grasses. It coincides with early signs of laminitis which are ‘stiffening’ of gait and being ‘footy’.

It is a sure indication that one cause of ‘pasture related laminitis’ is as much to do with mineral imbalances, (particularly potassium and nitrogen excesses concurrent with salt deficit) as sugars and starches. It explains why short Autumn grass can cause laminitis when analysis shows soluble sugars + starch content is only 7.5% while potassium is 3.4%, sodium only 0.154%, nitrogen 5.8%, nitrates 2290mgs/kg (far too high, in mature grass/hay they are undetectable).
It is one of the many reasons clover is such a ‘no-no’ for EMS/laminitis equines and a likely explanation why there are some insulin resistant/elevated insulin horses that can't tolerate Lucerne (alfalfa) and is why Lucerne can perpetuate laminitis when everything else is being done ‘right’.

People who own horses with EMS are aware they need to pay attention to this vital sign: that just before a horse has a bout of laminitis, the normally soft and spongy crest stands up firm and hard. Then they can immediately reduce potassium/nitrogen intake by eliminating short, green grass replacing it with soaked hay and make sure they add salt to feeds and not rely on a salt lick. If action is taken quickly enough in these early stages, laminitis can be averted, you can ‘dodge a bullet’.

Soaking hay for about an hour not only reduces sugars but also reduces potassium levels by 50%.

Therefore a very important aspect of EMS and laminitis is that identifying and addressing mineral imbalances (particularly high potassium/nitrogen & low salt) are equally as important as sugar and starch content when rehabilitating individuals and assessing suitability of forage for these compromised equines.

05/29/2019

If your looking to get ahold of me for booking horses I will be on vacation till after June 4th. Please contact me after that to book.

04/29/2019