WISE OWL Equine

02/03/2025

Today's session was with Polly. Polly is such a character and shared exactly who she is with me.

She had thoughts about her former career as a driving horse and how she now feels as a ridden horse. She spoke about her human friends and how she has been instrumental in making one of her riders the horsewoman she is now.

Polly also explained how her riders can communicate with her without the use of aids or even leg or hand movements, something one of her riders is going to try tomorrow.

Polly spoke about the other horses she lives with as well as her knowing about her place in the hearts of her human friends.

Such a lovely session filled with laughter as well as wisdom. Thank you for connecting with me Polly, I look forward to hearing how the ride without aids went.

24/02/2025

Scars, there is a lot of great info about scars being shared however I never see a mention of the branding scar.
'But!' I hear you say, 'My horse is freeze branded, that's not a scar.'
Unfortunately, it is a scar; it can effect your horse's movement and it can hold a traumatic memory. It is also relatively easy to release, usually.
I can prove that it is a scar, you don't even need me there.
With your horse standing still and quiet, not eating, take your pointer finger and think of that fingertip as an eyeball. Then, ever so gently, follow all the contours of your horse's scar. Try to take your eyes out of this process and 'see' through your fingertip. Go over the scar a few times, getting slower and slower. After a few passes around the scar, take note of your horse, have their eyes softened or started blinking? Are their nostrils wider? Have they started taking bigger breaths? Is their head lowering? All of these are signs your horse has scarring in that area.
Your horse may not show any of these, if they are shut down to the scar, or simply thinking of something else, like what their friend is doing over there, they may not be tuned into their body.
So really 'feel' under your fingertip, don't press harder, if anything make your touch lighter. The things you are likely to feel are tiny bumps or hollows, hard spots, or cold spots, rough areas, ropey spots, sticky spots, changes in the hair pattern, perhaps even small bare areas. All the above are the result of scarring.
Now, think about how mobile the skin and fascia of the shoulder area need to be for your horse to perform at their best.....
Or, your horse's brand may be on those huge hindquarter muscles, how important are they to performance?
In my Intro to Fascial Release clinic I teach how to release scars, sometimes the only scars students can find on their practice horse, is a branding mark. It is always amazing, how a first time student can initiate a huge healing response to working on that branding scar.
I am not saying, don't brand your horse, if you think it is necessary then that is your choice. Just make that choice with the knowlege that it does create pain at the time, and there will be scarring.
Be a responsible owner and learn how to release this for yourself, or ask your therapist to check for, and address any issues.
Remember the connectivity of fascia, especially that fascia just under the skin, and also the ability of fascia to hold on to trauma.
Check events on my page for clinics this year, or contact me about organising a clinic in your area.

18/02/2025

18/02/2025

16/02/2025

This , ditch the cruel carriage rides… because forced labor isn't romantic 💔

15/02/2025

Well this is a photo that really says we are in the depths of winter! Lovely Apache bless him. We have to keep telling ourselves that this the worst slog part as we break the back of February. The days are getting longer but the rain the last couple of days really took its toll on the pasture.

Frodo and Arthur came in for the afternoon. So much hay has gone out. Bobby is allergic to the hay so I need to try and find a way to switch him to haylage. One of our £350 fencers did get swept away in the floods, the retrieved one has gone for fixing to see if it can be resurrected from drowning...And the much cheaper replacement I've had delivered doesn't seem to be working properly. We just can't outlay that sort of money just to lose vital equipment like that but I also can't have to ponies wandering off down the river.🙈🙉

As usual we are doing extra feeds and now so many oodles of bowls of hay. One of my hates is trying to get the mud off the bottom of the feed bowls as it gets into a thick layer.

The loss of grazing and weather meant that last year our basic feed bill - ONLY hay and basic feed such veteran vitality was £2000 MORE than our usual outlay. It's a big increase in cost of basic outlay.

For those of you who are part of our sponsorship scheme, thank you SO much for helping towards the cost of the feed...It's all essential to help keep the ponies happy and healthy.

12/02/2025

Super 🐴🌸

Be careful of the Good Horse.

I have a young Rocky Mountain Horse cross, he’s 50% RMH, the rest is PRE/Luso/Arab - he’s actually registered PRE fusion. And I’ve met and worked with a lot of Rockies; they’re becoming increasingly popular largely due to their fabulous colour schemes, comfortable rideability, and what they’re most famously known for - their temperament. They're renowned for being good natured, kind, human focused and easy going. They often get described as the dogs of the horse world, equine golden retrievers.

But they are not dogs. They’re horses. And we need to keep this in the forefront of our minds. Words are important.

And just because you can put your granny/toddler on them when they’re newly backed - it doesn’t mean you should.

Because what I see a lot in these horses, and other quiet minded, easy going horses, is they too get worried and concerned. They also feel overwhelmed and confused, but they keep it on the inside. They take it into themselves and over time that takes its toll. We get to ride and do things with them, when really we shouldn’t. Not if we were really paying attention to the horse.

These kind of horses are much less likely to choose flight and more inclined to go to freeze. They’re less likely to spook and more likely to slow down. Now, there is a lot to be said for a horse who chooses to go slower when he’s worried, but it means we may miss the feeling which sits behind this. We ‘don’t mind’ what the horse does - so we don’t notice how he feels.

These horses become ‘kick along’ not because they’re any less inclined to move than any other horse, but because when they’re unsure they slow down. And if we don’t notice and start using our legs, that insidious little habit is instilled. They’re actually trying to tell us something, but we just enjoy the quiet.

These kind of horses all too often drag a little when lead. Or in some cases, drag a lot. And again that’s because their chosen go to is ‘if in doubt go stiller’ and if we don’t notice, before we know it, they’ve constantly quietly got the hand brake on.

And with these kind of horses it’s really easy to give them way more responsibility than they are actually ready for. I could probably have sat on my RMH and ridden him out as a 3 year old with barely any training. His good nature would have carried us through.

Until it doesn’t.

Until the lack of preparation and understanding which I haven’t provided him with results in ‘something I didn’t see coming’. An unexpected bolt. Or, a growing internal disquiet in the horse. And bad internal feelings have to go somewhere, often ulcers - but their whole body can be impacted

It’s been a real challenge to make sure I’m paying just as much attention to the feelings of my RMH as my ‘wear it on your sleeve Luso’. When my little guys top lip is a tad tight that means something just as important to him as something much more dramatic from my Luso - it’s just easier to miss. When his feet get a tiny bit stuck I need to pay as much attention to that as Luso feet moving very fast. While the couple of slow steps don’t actually give me any problem, they’re showing me that HE has a problem.

There is a huge amount to be said for these types of horses and I’m very grateful for mine. But I try not to take it for granted.

09/02/2025

Muscles do not exist without other muscles, nerves, connective tissue, tendons and bones.
Recently I have heard of horse and dog owners being told their animal has a weak such and such muscle, multifidus is popular in horses at the moment.
And while that may be true my question is ALWAYS 'why'?
What has caused this weakness/pain/atrophy?
A rehab program or bodywork session that doesn't address the why is likely to create other problems as people go about targeting one particular muscle.
An interesting case for me recently was a young dog needing large amounts of pain relief and weekly acupuncture for his back pain.
When I assessed his posture a stand out were his enormous hamstring muscles, they were worthy of Arnie at his best.
When I watched him move he was using his back musclesvand hamstrings to move his legs. Further investigation revealed he has neurological deficit in both front and back legs.
His back is so overworked in ways it was never meant to do.
So we started with very simple balance and awareness exercises, without doing any therapy for his back I reduced the pain and tension in less than 30 minutes.
I returned 3 weeks later to a dog taking almost no pain meds, whose back pain was visibly reduced, and those awful hamstring muscles were softer.
Luckily this dog has an owner not prepared to give up and willing to work with him daily.
My point is, targeting those back muscles was never going to help. Once his function is better we will add some core and back strengthening exercises.
In my experience, which is a lot, horses with back pain will have very tight, painful and dried out thoracolumbar fascia. Without addressing this connective tissue you will never strengthen the muscles as they are compressed by the fascia.
You also need to mobilise the spinal joints.
And check for any gait abnormalities/lameness.
I am assuming you checked saddle fit 😜
The list goes on.
Bottom line, ask WHY. That is your first step, second step is to come up with a program that targets the underlying issues.
Pictured the lovely Janet and Phoenix, both of them will ask why!
Love their work.

09/02/2025

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!”

08/02/2025

Here is some very timely and important information courtesy of the horse doctors at Pine Ridge Equine Hospital:

As we are in the midst of foaling season, let’s talk about what is normal and abnormal. The placenta is made up of two major parts: the red bag (chorioallantois) and the white bag (amnion). The red bag attaches to the uterine wall, which allows the exchange of nutrients and oxygen to the fetus. In a normal delivery the amnion is visible and characterized by a white appearance. A red bag delivery is characterized by a red velvety appearance.

A red bag delivery is considered an EMERGENCY as it signifies premature separation of the placenta leading to a lack of oxygen to the fetus so **you need to intervene immediately.** The red placental membrane should be opened carefully to release fluid, the foal should be delivered/pulled with your assistance and then stimulated to breathe. Foals may develop problems associated with lack of oxygen even though they appear normal at birth.

If your mare is having or had a red bag delivery, you need to call your horse doctor ASAP!

08/02/2025

04/02/2025

What a great idea to help make drivers more mindful on the roads!

31/01/2025

Are Nosebands Necessary? 🤔

Nosebands are often used to keep a horse’s mouth closed, preventing behaviors like opening the mouth, crossing the jaw, or evading the bit—things that can get penalized in the show ring.

But instead of just stopping these actions, shouldn’t we ask why they’re happening in the first place?

Horses communicate via their behavior, so is a horse gaping his/her mouth, grinding his/her teeth, evading the bit or whatever other behavior is unwanted from the rider perspective, simply communicating discomfort, confusion, or tension?

Is this not something that we, as owners, trainers, riders and equine professionals should STOP and consider the underlying reasons for such behavior?

Research shows that tight nosebands can increase stress, reduce chewing, and even affect breathing (McGreevy et al., 2012).

Instead of masking the symptoms, we should focus on rider skill, bridle/bit fit, and training clarity.

In terms of horse welfare and skilled riding, the best results come not from restriction, but from understanding.

What if, instead of strapping a horse’s mouth shut, we listened to what he/she is trying to tell us?

Learn more about this topic and more, from an evidence and research perspective, at www.equitopiacenter.com