Nicola Studd - Equine Touch Instructor & Practitioner

29/02/2024

I joined this webinar tonight on equine neck & back pain with Lingfield Equine Vets Kate Granshaw for some CPD. Very helpful in understanding a Vet’s perspective on helping horse’s cope with various related conditions.

29/02/2024

A very informative post as a reminder with Spring on its way. Important points at the end, be sure to read x

🌿🌱 THE LOW DOWN ON SHORT VS LONG GRASS FOR HORSES🌱🌿

Equine nutrition has progressed in leaps and bounds these past few years. I am pleasantly surprised at how quickly things are moving in the right direction.

That said, I still hear people talk about how they want their horse to lose weight so they put it in a paddock with, ‘nothing in it’. The ‘nothing’ they refer to is usually very short, stressed grass of one or two species, with a decent spread of w**ds popping up for good measure.

Understanding the effects of grazing on short grass versus longer grass is crucial for any horse, but particularly for those with endocrine issues or a history of laminitis (usually caused by endocrine issues).

Somewhat ironically, these horses are often the ones who are purposely put on short, overgrazed grasses with the objective of keeping weight off.

🌱There are many reasons why short grasses cause issues:

⚫️ Short grass is constantly trying to grow. Therefore it will store its sugars and starches (Non-Structural Carbohydrates or NSCs) to prepare for improved growing conditions. Growing conditions won’t improve as your horse will continually keep eating it down, but the sugars will stay there.
⚫️ Because NCSs are predominantly at the base of the plant, each mouthful has a high NSC:fibre ratio. Typically the sugars are lower, and fibre higher, towards the top of the grasses, so the longer the grass, the less sugar and higher in fibre it is. A high fibre, low sugar diet is what a horse’s gastrointestinal system is designed to eat.
⚫️ The higher the grass’s fibre content, the lower the NSC intake will be.
⚫️ Eating longer grass means the horse has to chew more. This not only slows down their intake, but increases saliva production. Saliva helps to buffer stomach acid and helps to prevent ulcers and other gastrointestinal issues.
⚫️ A healthy (non-metabolic) horse eats until they have a specific amount of fibre in their stomach. Eating grass with a high-sugar and low fibre ratio means a horse consumes a lot of high-sugar grass before it feels satiated. This is why you might see horses with ad-lib hay standing around in the shade more than you will see horses with short grass doing the same. Horses with access to high-fibre hay can go and eat, then rest. Horses that need to eat all day to feel full will rest less.
⚫️ Because a horse’s front teeth (incisors) work so well, they can eat enough to stay fat on grasses that are 3cm - 4cm. Ponies can do the same on grasses that are even shorter (1cm - 2cm).
⚫️ Grasses grown specifically for lawns have their growth points very close to the ground so the plant can cope with being kept constantly short. These grasses have been selected specifically for this. Overgrazing results in only the 'lawn' type grasses surviving - so the result is a monoculture; just one or two species of grass. In addition, lawn type grasses are typically not ideal grasses for your horses to be eating a lot of.
⚫️ Horses are more likely to pick up sand while grazing short grass than they are on longer grass.

🌿 Property owners who want to take care of their paddocks should also keep in mind that:

⚫️ Short grass plants have short root systems that cannot reach far down in the soil for nutrients. A short root system results in much less organic matter in the soil, causing soil compaction and poor drainage (not to mention less carbon sequestration).
⚫️ Short, sparsely grassed areas in a paddock quickly turn to mud in wet weather and become dusty very quickly in dry weather. Both lead to soil erosion.
Short grass plants are not as able to outcompete certain w**ds as longer grasses are.

🌱 How long is short?

Clients need to fill in a form to get a diet consultation and I ask for a description of their pasture as part of the process (both written and photographic). I was once astonished at the difference between what they tell me the grass is like, and what it is actually like.

A lot of owners describe grass that’s around 3cms long as, ‘heaps of really good grass’. Because of this misunderstanding of what good grass is, they then don’t offer any additional hay. I end up having a lot of discussions with clients about grass. Sometimes we chat more about pasture and hay than the diet itself which is understandable as grass is complicated!

Short grass is generally shorter than 5cm (2.5 inches). However you need to look at the average height across your pasture as you will (hopefully!) have several species of grass available to your horses. There may also be areas they use as toilets which they won’t eat unless they’re almost starving. While 5cms is pretty short, in reality, on many horse properties, the grasses are as short as 1 or 2 cm.

Many horse owners think a paddock full of grass that is 5 cm long would be regarded as too long. At 5 cm, the plant is just about reaching the stage where it has 2 to 3 leaves, and it can now start to make a rapid recovery, using its stored sugars/starches for growth; at less than 5 cm it becomes stressed.


🌿 Why is longer grass better for horses?

⚫️ Longer grasses are healthier and typically not stressed (so they have less NSCs).
Taller pasture plants have a higher fibre-to-sugar ratio than short grass. As mentioned above, this is ideal for a healthy gastrointestinal tract.
⚫️ Longer grass typically allows for more biodiversity (i.e. less monoculture).
⚫️ Longer grasses have a longer and thicker root system. This results in more healthy nutrients being brought up from deeper layers in the soil.
⚫️ Longer/thicker roots equal better soil protection which means less mud or dust. Obviously this is good for the ground and for your horse (less mud is better for a slew of reasons), but it also means plants may be able to be grazed in wetter conditions for a longer period of time.
⚫️ Longer grass shades out and outcompetes many w**d species.
⚫️ When the roots are longer the plant can ‘trades' some sugars for other nutrients such as amino acids. When the grass is short and stressed, it hangs onto excess sugars.
⚫️ The horse has to eat from the top; this means they need to eat the higher fibre, lower sugar part before it can get to the higher sugar part of the plant (at the bottom of the plant).
⚫️ The horse has to chew more, creating saliva to buffer stomach acid.
⚫️ Horses walk more when grazing longer, more diverse pastures as they seek out different plants.
⚫️ Longer grasses mean horses are essentially also browsing, not just grazing, this variety of eating postures is good for them biomechanically.
⚫️ Horses pick up their feet more if they live in paddocks with longer grasses, this is also good for them biomechanically.

🌿 Why is longer grass better for your property?

⚫️ Longer grasses shade the soil in hot, dry conditions. This keeps it cooler and reduces evaporation. This, plus the increase in soil organic matter, helps hold water in the soil for longer. This means your grass can keep growing even when it hasn’t rained in a while.
⚫️ Longer grasses provide a habitat for insects, small mammals/reptiles, and ground-nesting birds.
⚫️ With their longer/thicker root systems, taller grasses sequester more carbon than short grasses and even faster than trees! This is improved when the plants are repeatedly grazed and then allowed to regrow (as part of a rotational grazing system), as it effectively pumps carbon into the soil.
⚫️ Taller pasture plants keep the soil warmer in cold weather.


🌿 How long is long?

In a rotational grazing system of land management, the grass is regarded as tall enough to resume grazing when it is approximately 15cm, or just before it goes to seed. When the grass plants have been grazed down to an average height of 5 cm, horses should be removed and the grass given the chance to rest and recuperate.

Won’t free access to long grass make my horse fat/ter?

This answer to this question requires a whole other very long article and is dependent on many other factors. However, provided you do it sensibly, then in my experience, no.

Of course you can’t just let your horse have free access to endless lush, early spring grass, especially if you have high sugar grass species such as rye. If however, you have grasses that are lower in sugars such as fog, and/or you wait until it’s a little drier then your horse is less likely to gain weight, AND it’s a whole lot better for your horse’s gut AND also for the pasture itself.

If your horse has had their grazing restricted to overgrazed, short grasses for a long time (particularly if they also haven’t had access to hay) then you need to make a slow transition to longer grasses. If you suddenly give them access to long, lush grass then they are very likely to gorge and then they will gain weight.

🌱 What about horses on agistment?

Having a horse on agistment makes things more difficult, but not impossible. Ask your agistment owner if you can rig up some temporary fencing (i.e. pigtails and tape) within your paddock to rest part of it, or set up a track system so you can have longer grasses. Setting up a track next to your existing permanent fencing also encourages more incidental movement and means you can restrict grazing at the height of spring and then allow your horse onto the longer grasses when it’s safe to do so. I suggest approaching them from a ‘paddock/pasture preservation’ point of view and use all the above reasons as to why it will be better for their land, as well as for your horse.

*credit to the Equiculture website which was used as a resource for this article

28/02/2024

I’ve been listening to this podcast recently and have found it interesting and educational, I recommend a listen x

‎Show The Humble Hoof, Ep The Pros and Cons of Stall Rest, Sponsored by Equithrive - 23 Feb 2024

26/02/2024

❤️

A friend said recently that horses really like a ’Long Hello’. That many horses feel immediately rushed by us, and this can really set us onto a path of misunderstandings and conflicts with the horse. 



Out on a trail ride the other day, my horse carrying me calmly, carefully, steadily, he waded into the river, and splashed his nose in the water, lifted into a Flehman’s Response, then pawed at the water. It made me laugh. The sun was shining. It was perfect weather, cool enough for a jacket, sunny enough to not get cold. I reached down and rubbed his shoulder. My body flooded with all the feel good things I almost always feel around horses.
"Thanks buddy”, I said.

Gratitude. 

I wake up. I go to my horses. I am grateful. Already won. Why?



There are plenty of voices out there telling us, and our horses, that they are not good enough. Not correct enough, fit enough, collected enough, shiny enough, natural enough, healthy enough, calm enough, cooperative enough.



It is enough.



I am grateful before the horse because that is my long goodbye to the horse. We never know when we will have our last moment with our horses. And under normal set of circumstances, we will all outlive our horses, and if we are REALLY lucky, we will be there with them, in gratitude and dignity, at the very end. 



So I stay grateful, so that I do not have to GET grateful. Because that is my long goodbye to my horses. No matter if it was to be today, or in 30 years from now.

There is a training principal that permeates equestrian culture at almost every level and wears many disguises. It is the principal of trying to win. It sets the human against the horse and see's the working relationship with them as something competitive. Who wins, who loses, who gets their way. Who gets what they want.

The reason why I try to steer away from that, and you should to, is that it sets you up on a pathway of diminishing gratitude. That diminishing gratitude will eventually leave you utterly burnt out with horses.

So what to do about it? How to express your gratitude to a horse in a way they understand?



1. When the horse doesn’t give you what you want, try smiling about it. Breathe-in. Wait. You can always repeat the question in a moment. And maybe they didn’t understand you, or can’t do that thing today. Or maybe their lesson for you today is not about you getting what you want, but something else



2. When the horse does give you what you want in two seconds or less, permit yourself to feel joy about that. Smile like a maniac. Don’t be entitled or demanding (Unless in an emergency of safety). Tell that horse, in your language, that it was wonderful what they did. And feel what you say, so that the horse feels you too. 



3. The 1-Minute Ride. Once in a blue moon (For established, hard working saddle horses). Catch, groom, tack, warm up, mount. Sit for one minute quietly. Get off. Finish. Say THANK YOU to the horse and give them some extra hay that day. 



4. When correcting a horse whom has problematic posture, movement issues, or behavioural issues. Remember that it is their body not yours. Maladaptive responses exist for a really good reason and taking those away from a horse too quickly and absolutely could deprive the horse from an important coping strategy that is holding them together. Go slower in your reformation of what you deem incorrect, so that the horse has a chance to contribute to it too. They may not adhere to the rules of the system you are using, so give them a chance to SHOW you, what they need. 



5. Give your horse the absolute best quality of life you can. Try to relocate if your barn doesn’t have good living conditions for your horse. Stop giving money to people who know better, but can’t/won’t do better. It doesn’t have to be perfect. But never give up trying to give your horse a life that they enjoy living, outside of their time with you. Even in the most compromised of conditions, you would be amazed what some creative thinking can do to totally change the environment, improving your horses life outside of training.

https://www.emotionalhorsemanship.com

22/02/2024

Helping this beautiful older ex-dressage mare with The Equine Touch bodywork. Gently and effectively releasing compensation patterns, encouraging relaxation and bringing suppleness and greater mobility to her body. She is a joy to work with 💜 x

17/02/2024

This beautiful mare enjoyed some very gentle Equine Touch bodywork. She is the sort of horse you know would have many stories to tell if she could speak. A brave, gentle and forgiving nature. Her body holds her past and she works through it with her wonderful human.

I worked slowly, carefully and lightly with the Equine Touch moves, watching and listening to her feedback of each touch. Warming the fascia, loose connective tissue and ground substance of the superficial layers of her body. Seeing her release, relax and process 🧡

15/02/2024

🧐💩 Did you know that an average 16hh horse can produce around 18kg of dung a day or 6.5 tons every year! Some beetle species will fly in from up to 10 miles away for the right pile of poo! They are nature’s waste disposal teams and if the dung in your field looks similar to these pictures, then take a closer peek - you may just see them!

On one hand poo picking is the best way to break the lifecycle of parasites on the pasture without having to rely on chemicals. But fresh dung is also essential for our dung beetles, little critters who could play an important role in managing animal waste naturally. Horse health and the environment are both equally important considerations, so how do we get the balance right?

Here's are our top tips on how to make a good start 👉 bit.ly/poopicking-dungbeetles

15/02/2024

Very helpful information especially in an emergency situation x

13/02/2024

Limited Spaces Available on next Foundation Complete 3 Day Course - 23rd to 25th March !

Drop me a message for details x

13/02/2024

Dr. Lizzie McCready has heaps of helpful tips for the horse owner x

10/02/2024

We were graced with this beautiful rainbow 🌈 appearing right in front of us during a bridle fitting today 🥰

05/02/2024

Helping my own horse through the trauma of his current lameness with The Equine Touch Bodywork.

I started with a Spinal Body Balance then focused some Area of Concerns targeting the ribcage & diaphragm, iliocostalis, thoracic and cervical serratus muscles, plus pelvic and TMJ releases.

His lameness is in the left stifle, usually his left side is his better side but today that wasn’t the case. After having completed the body balance, I focused on the right hand side (best side) first. Normally I would mirror each AoC move on both sides before continuing to the next but on this occasion, due to his injury I did not want to keep moving him around when he was comfortable where he stood so I completed the right side first before moving to the left side.

Also, you can see how he has moments where he was less comfortable with the moves. My pressure was very light but with intent, his body is currently in a protective state so more reactive. This would be a good example where less is best and to follow up with another session in a few days. Clive is a well experienced Equine Touch receiver but you have to work with the horse that is in front of you in that moment.

The video is sped up x5 with moments of real time.

02/02/2024

Would you like to try an effective approach to bodywork that works differently to massage, can greatly benefit your horse’s health, comfort and wellbeing? I have some availability for Equine Touch bodywork appointments coming up. Get in touch for more information and availability x

30/01/2024

I find this incredibly interesting to watch and understand how a CT scan and myelogram of the cervical spine is performed, demonstrated by B&W Equine Vets

“GA CT of the neck, including myelography. At B&W we are privileged to have access to world class Equine medicine specialists, who regularly perform neurological work ups on patients. We are able to perform CT scanning of the equine neck, most commonly from the poll to the first or second thoracic vertebrae. A plain neck CT allows us to image the bony structures in a cross sectional and 3D format, and provides an incredible level of detail. This is commonly followed by a myelographic study. This involves inserting a sterile needle into the vertebral canal, and replacing some of the cerebrospinal fluid with a radioopaque liqiud. We then repeat the CT scan. The radioopaque liquid surrounds the spinal cord, and allows detailed assessment of any soft tissue compression of the spinal cord, which may be contributing to the patient's neurological issues. Imaging the soft tissue structures is not currently possible in any other modality in the UK, so this service is incredibly beneficial for determining the cause of neurological problems and neck pain.” B&W Equine Hospital, YouTube Channel.

GA CT of the neck, including myelography. At B&W we are privileged to have access to world class Equine medicine specialists, who regularly perform neurologi...

24/01/2024

Now taking appointments for bridle fitting of Horsemanship Saddlery UK Ltd. bridles in the South East from 5th February onwards.

22/01/2024

A great visual of the facial nerves and we can see why it’s important to have a correctly fitting and comfortable bridle for the horse.

21/01/2024

“The typical sports horse we see today is too round in the neck, too deep, over-bent…this horse is automatically stressed…”

20/01/2024

From day dot, The Equine Touch has always looked at the horse holistically - whole body & mind and all the influences surrounding them.

And the first article about the ET in the US magazine. I loved the old Natural Horse Magazine. It was the first magazine that published articles about all that 'crazy stuff'...you know...it was the year 2000.
It wasn't 'normal' at that time to say, that when we want to help a horse we have to look at the whole body and mind, that we need to take notice of its teeth, feet, saddles, nutrition, training, riding and environment....Natural Horse magazine gave us the space.

20/01/2024

How incredible is this! We are so lucky that this lady who creates these educational pieces is our founder of The Equine Touch bodywork. We can learn so much in order to improve the lives of equines.

When we speak about a long nerve...
I dissected a tibial nerve, not all its branches and not its whole lengths - as this nerve branches into plantar and continues as digital nerves and will end up in the tissue of the hoof. But even when it is not complete, it is impressive.

19/01/2024

Something I wrote a few years ago but still stands today. VHT has always been the best bodywork modality that makes real improvements in my own body and mind x

I’m going to muse with you now. Bear with me, there is a reason for the egg...

Since I’ve been having the human version of Equine Touch myself recently, which is called Vibromuscular Harmonisation Technique (VHT), someone who’s horse I have been seeing asked me, ‘what does it feel like?!’ and to which I felt a bit stumped to give the best description. After some thought and whilst laying on the massage table in my most recent session yesterday, I asked myself how does this actually feel?? 🤔

Each move seems to instantly release the areas that are being worked over. It feels like every bit of your body is covered, nothing is less important to the big obvious muscles. Suddenly you’re aware of all the tiny attachments and deep tight fascia that you never consciously thought about or really knew you had, which has been stuck from years of neglect and taken for granted with poor posture and compensation. It’s a wave of calm that comes over you, triggering a positive feeling in your body and a new found compassion that you really ought to look after yourself better.

Imagine you’ve just boiled an egg and you’re about to peel it. You tap it on the surface to break the shell, then you pick off the little bits, suddenly a big piece comes away, and few other small bits, then a nice satisfying chunk comes off and the egg is peeled.

Essentially, this is how I see ET/VHT. The first tap is the first body balance, breaking through the shell changing the fixed structure, you then see little changes and sections that ‘come away’, suddenly a big change happens and it feels like progress. You might find you go between the smaller pieces and the bigger pieces until you really get those results that are breaking through!

The great thing is, it also lasts. I’ve now had 4 appointments for VHT and having been in quite a bit of pain, after my first session the right side of my body has been pain free since. The left side of my body (the culprit) has continued to feel better and better, despite the long hours I’ve recently spent at a desk not moving. When I first started, I could not feel my left seatbone when sat on a hard chair. Since then it’s progressed and now, I have got equal feeling on both sides, I feel much more balanced and moving more freely but most importantly, my pain has greatly reduced.

So, you can’t help but wonder...is this what the horse is feeling?! 💞

🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚

16/01/2024

7 years apart…almost to the minute! Anyone want to have a go at what’s going on here?

This is my horse 🐴

16/01/2024

14/01/2024

Please like-follow-share our new official Equine Touch fb page since the last one was overtaken. Please show your support, thank you 🙏🏻

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555281345765&mibextid=LQQJ4d

The official page for The Equine Touch

13/01/2024

Taking Equine Touch bodywork appointments for the Bexley area on Saturday 3rd February. Message to book in x

11/01/2024

I’m excited to announce I am now a registered bridle fitter for Horsemanship Saddlery UK Ltd. for the South East, having been passed the baton from the wonderful Vicki Wise whom some of you may know.

I am getting myself set up and hope to be ready to take appointments for bridle fittings early February. Through 2023 I have been in training and feel that The Horsemanship Saddlery bridles offer many horses greater comfort and improved performance.

These unique anatomical bridles offer flexibility to help you find the best fit for your horse because of their interchangeable parts meaning you can fit to measure and without breaking the bank. I am available for a fitting appointment, carrying a comprehensive kit, helping you to find the correct shape and size, giving you peace of mind that you are ordering the correct bridle for your horse.

In The Equine Touch we are very aware of outside factors that can influence your horse’s wellbeing. Tack, including bridles, being one of those that can have a significant effect if you get it right (or wrong!).

By looking at the anatomy of the horse’s head, the intricate nervous and vascular systems, the joint of the jaw (TMJ), the eyes, ears and musculature, plus tongue and hyoid apparatus, you can appreciate how incorrect fit can cause pain and discomfort and have a huge knock-on effect throughout the whole body. For example, the anatomy of the nostrils show how a flash can be detrimental to the horse’s ability to breathe. The Horsemanship Saddlery bridles are all ‘Flash Free’ to allow greater comfort for the horse. It is important to me that I consider these influences when providing bodywork, so offering this new service will give my clients even greater confidence in helping their horses.

I will be looking to offer a combined service package for both Equine Touch bodywork and HS bridle fitting as well as offering these individually.

Feel free to message for more information.

https://www.horsemanshipsaddlery.uk

Please note, this is only for bridle fitting and not bit fitting.