Equestrian Bowen

15/11/2025

Please help the team by completing this survey

🧐DO YOU DO POLE WORK EXERCISE?🧐

Are you a horse owner, rider, trainer, or therapist who uses polework in training, riding or rehab?

Dr Vicki Walker, Dr Russell MacKechnie-Guire, Professor Hilary Clayton, Dr Jo Winfield, Professor Jane Williams and Dr Rachel Murray
are studying international polework practices — and your experience advance our understanding on pole work exercise.

SURVEY ➡️ https://uwe.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5i05P0WNAvWtEeq

🕒 Takes less than 10 minutes

🐴 Focuses on just one horse

🔒 No personal data required

Your contributions will help advance evidence-based horse training!

Thank you 🙏 for supporting equine science!

04/11/2025

Study: Scientists found that Bayer-Monsanto's GMO Bt toxin corn is NOT substantially equivalent to its Non-GMO parent. While Monsanto claims there is no evidence of toxicity in their voluntary safety assessments, which are not peer-reviewed, these independent scientists will tell you otherwise. By the 91st day of their studies, they found evidence of kidney, liver and intestinal toxicity, as well as male infertility. And an investigation by Testbiotech found that Monsanto's own data, from 30 years ago, revealed that Bt proteins expressed in genetically modified plants are significantly more toxic than natural Bt toxins.

Time to face the music, Bayer-Monsanto! BOYCOTT GMOs!

READ: https://gmoresearch.org/gmo_article/morphological-and-biochemical-changes-in-male-rats-fed-on-genetically-modified-corn-ajeeb-yg

READ: https://gmoresearch.org/gmo_article/5235/

READ: https://gmwatch.org/en/news/archive/2020-articles/19632-are-gm-plants-with-bt-toxins-20-times-more-toxic-than-previously-known

MUSICAL RATS PHOTO BY ELLEN VAN DEELEN. You can find more of Ellen's amazing work at: http://www.redbubble.com/people/ellen

01/11/2025

There is a growing body of evidence that fluoride should be classified as a neurotoxin, particularly concerning its potential to affect brain development in children. Studies have suggested links between high fluoride exposure and lower IQ, and some research indicates that it may be harmful to the developing brain

For decades, fluoride was seen as a safe and beneficial element in our water supply, but now, with emerging scientific evidence, it’s officially recognized as a neurotoxin. Medical journals worldwide have published studies linking fluoride to potential health risks, forcing us to reconsider its widespread use. It’s a wake-up call to question long-accepted practices and understand the true impact of what we’re consuming.

The shift in understanding brings to light how important it is to stay informed and open-minded about the products and substances we use daily. What was once dismissed as a conspiracy theory has now become a proven truth, urging us to rethink the chemicals we accept in our food, water, and environment. It’s a moment of reflection on how we can make better choices for our health and future generations.

As we gain a better understanding of fluoride’s effects, it’s clear that a shift in our approach to public health is necessary. Being open to new information and challenging outdated practices is essential for ensuring the well-being of individuals and communities alike. 🧠⚠️

28/10/2025

Some of my regular clients queued up to make sure they don’t miss their turn!

24/10/2025

Good to see these horses successfully doing what they love

24/10/2025

Pleased to be part of helping these horses to be happy in their work

08/10/2025

I think this study is really interesting and is consistent with what I sense when I’m treating horses. Your horse does not need to be overweight to have insulin dysregulation (ID). Processed feed and antibiotics can trigger ID. Given that vets can easily test for elevated insulin levels I’m surprised this isn’t standard practice before administering steroids 🫤

https://equimanagement.com/research-medical/metabolic/researchers-assess-prevalence-of-id-and-subclinical-laminitis-in-sport-horses/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR5vWnt6dKt4ue-77if58wWNIa6QGVZSzbrYIZSxGnzy-TRXnW4XNzlY1D_37A_aem_ST9DUUmXrTY4iN9uk3GDlw

Insulin dysregulation in sport horses might be underrecognized because these horses don’t always look like your obvious metabolic cases.

04/10/2025

So sad that so many horses are working hard before they are skeletally mature 😢

01/10/2025

This is very interesting- talking about metabolic health

28/09/2025

Prescription medication will have an effect on your gut microbiome. Although this research applies to humans there was similar research on horses published last year. So if you have a health issue which requires medical intervention please consider whether natural alternatives could do the job. Gut dysbiosis causes inflammation in your gut which fuels inflammatory conditions in your body.

💊 Stop and think before you take your next pill.

Commonly used medications may leave long-lasting "fingerprints" on the gut microbiome—even years after use—according to a new study from the University of Tartu’s Institute of Genomics.

By analyzing stool samples and prescription records from over 2,500 participants in the Estonian Biobank, researchers discovered that a wide range of drugs, including antidepressants, beta-blockers, proton pump inhibitors, and benzodiazepines, can cause persistent shifts in gut microbial communities. Surprisingly, the microbiome-altering effects of some non-antibiotic drugs were found to be as significant as those of broad-spectrum antibiotics.

The findings underscore the importance of considering a patient’s full medication history—not just current drug use—when interpreting microbiome data in both research and clinical settings.

Follow-up analyses confirmed that starting or stopping specific medications can lead to predictable microbial changes that last over time. This insight could have broad implications for studies linking gut health to disease, as overlooking past drug exposure may obscure key microbial influences. Researchers hope the study encourages clinicians and scientists to more carefully account for drug history in microbiome-focused work.

Reference: “A hidden confounder for microbiome studies: medications used years before sample collection” by Oliver Aasmets et al., 5 September 2025, mSystems.

18/09/2025

Many of the ECVM horses can be managed and can have an appropriate ridden career (they are more likely to stay sound and rideable if they stop jumping). However, given that we have the ability to reduce the risk of breeding ECVM horses, why are we not taking that responsibility seriously? Imagine if you were born with bits of your C6 neck bone missing 🫤

We will go out on a limb here…
Horses need their ribs to be functional.

That should not be a shocking or controversial topic, yet it is. Clinical significance of ECVM is highly controversial between veterinarians. ECVM horses are sometimes missing their first ribs.

I have heard the excuse that these horses have an anatomical variant. That if it was clinically significant or a malformation they could not be competing. That if they can compete with it- it must be a “normal variant” and not a malformation. If that is the logic used then that rule must stand for all – navicular, hock arthritis, OCDs, kissing spine, neck arthritis. As those are all accepted clinically significant diseases. We recognize that horses can be born with, develop early on, or can occur with use but yet often do compete successfully with these conditions.

Yes that missing rib and malformed lower neck can be the cause of pain, reactivity, lameness, girthiness, behavioral concerns, tripping/stumbling ex. Yes, it is a significant diagnosis, similar to the rest mentioned above. Some horses can be managed to have successful careers, and some cannot. However, missing your first rib, having your ventral neck muscles malformed and compressing your brachial plexus in the wrong area is indeed clinically significant, no one will ever convince us otherwise.

All to often, owners have been told heir horse’s necks were normal, but yet the malformation is present. Owners, trainers, and veterinarians who cite one paper determining that ECVM is not clinically significant, ignore their horses’ clinical signs, and discredit ECVM as a possible clinical cause - will always be invited to come see a necropsy with Rexos. Not all ECVM horses are unusable, similar to kissing spines- some struggle while others do not. They all however need support, management, and to be heard when they give subtle signs of pain. When you necropsy a horse who is clinically affected - their bodies so vividly tell a story of disfunction and pain. These horses show their stories of pain so clearly in necropsies. They can have one or more missing ribs, incorrect muscle attachments (thus biomechanics affected), serious nerve entrapments, trachea malformations, and more. It is impossible to walk away thinking this is not clinically significant.

Photo of rudimentary first rib, with abnormal brachial plexus placement trapped under. Yes that would be painful and cause tripping/forelimb lameness.