SMS Animal Massage

14/08/2024

I’m looking for 3 dogs and 3 horses to use as case studies for my Innate Botanical Selections course.
*They must be situated within half an hour of Hemel Hempstead
*I must be able to film the full session to use for my course
*The owners must be free either a Tuesday afternoon/evening or a Saturday.
*Dogs only, I need a quiet location away from other pets

In exchange, you will get a free essential oil and herbal offering session and full email report. I have full student insurance.
I’m studying under more information can be found here
https://www.animalbotanical.co.uk/practitioner1


Photo of the lovely Jack enjoying his first Innate Botanical Selections session

14/08/2024

This is my lovely share horse, Soraya. I did a little essential oils session with her and this is her response to Marigold (Calendula). She get that classic thousand yard stare, her breathing deepens, her eyes soften and she blinks slowly and her ears twitch back and forth, all signs that she’s processing deeply. When essential oils are inhaled they are processed by the amygdala, the part of the brain that also processes emotions. I’ve sped this video up, but Soraya actually spent almost 8 minutes processing one scent!

09/06/2024

has hock bursitis. Swelling of the bursa or joint capsule in her right hock. I’ve put a little comparison up so you can see.
It can be caused by a knock or sprain or wear and tear. The former is very likely because she’s a running machine, I hope it’s not the latter at 5yo, but you never know 🤷🏻‍♀️ The vet has prescribed rest and anti inflammatories. Rest is a negotiation with us because she will bounce off the furniture if I insist on rest, so we compromise with lead walks so I can keep her mind sane but her body can’t go mad and do more damage. Silly girl Stringly 🙈

24/05/2024

This feeds into a theme that has cropped up for me several times so far this year.

"Just because we can do something or have always done something a particular way, does it mean we should?"

I will expand on that in a future post, because I think this one illustrates the point nicely.

But consider this, when we're not rushing around "doing" for our animals, and we just exist in the same space "being" can we expand our consciousness to consider our animals needs, emotions and energies more? Can we offer them greater understanding and empathy? And when we do, are there things we have always done that now make us a little uncomfortable or uneasy? Can we find new ways of working together with our animals that are more ethically responsible and emotionally fulfilling?

We are human BEINGS for a reason.

An by no one I mean:
Don’t wait for someone else to make it better.
If only the FEI, the KNHS, the FN, the FFE, even the state or the EU or whoever, would install rules and ensure better welfare.

Here’s a spoiler: they won’t.
They won’t save them. Or us.

And that’s just in the nature of things.
Rules won’t make life better. Only ethics can do that and they have to come from within.
The FEI and their lobbyists can only operate because there are people not believing in the good things. Not having the same ethics. You can put rules upon them but that won’t change them.

Change needs to come from within.
And that’s us, the consumers, the supporters. And we need to initiate that butterfly effect.

It’s the same with choosing a healthier environmental friendly lifestyle. I know a lot of people would do it. But they wait for the rules and possibilities to come from above to enable them. Guess what, they will never come so they will never change.

To choose the right things is often uncomfortable and heck, are we comfortable beings. If “lazy” would be a real thing, humans would have invented it.

We don’t want to look at uncomfortable things or talk about uncomfortable things, don’t even say DOING the uncomfortable things.

But here we are. Letting things happen to creatures we say we dearly love.

And I’m not better, true. I hate confrontation and speaking up out loud. Because it’s uncomfortable. I fear the hater comments. But I cherish every little supporter. And I learn everyday to be bolder, wiser, kinder.

Learn with me. Let’s lead, so others can follow.

If you are wanting to speak up and you need that one person behind your back to stand tall, give me a sign.
I’m here.

Here’s what you can do:
Speak openly about your opinion.
Even when you’re insecure, why you maybe don’t want to use a certain bit or tack. That you maybe think it could hurt the horse. Or you heard a thing or two about living conditions. Or that this posture indeed is behind the vertical and the horse is showing pain. It doesn’t have to be a stating fact, it doesn’t have to be defended. Just a seed, in a conversation that maybe becomes a seedling in someone’s mind.

22/05/2024

Lovely illustrations and very well explained.

21/05/2024

Loving nettles at the moment. In this video I explain the benefits and how you can offer it to the animals and humans in your life.
Please give it a try and post your thoughts below x

21/05/2024

Just a short (ish) video to introduce a new direction I'm heading in and starring the fabulous nettle.
Feel free to share if it resonates. x

15/05/2024

Absolutely loving my late evening walks with Genie. So beautiful and the broad beans smell divine.
Less fond of the 🦊💩🙈

28/04/2024

Not sure if my colleagues at Mimram Vets will miss me or my daft dog more 😂. Thank you for the lovely send off and for being such an awesome team. Now onto my next challenge 💪💪💪

08/03/2024

Limited availability next Tuesday am and pm in west Hertfordshire/east Bucks/ south Beds.
Please message to book. Thank you

07/03/2024

Lovely review from Zana

Rango was a pleasure to massage and helped me by showing me the bits he wanted massaged. What a cutie ❤

Shelley was professional, calm and experienced with the horses.

She obviously loves working with the horses and was very in tune with my horse here when she came and did his massage.

My horse was totally relaxed and he’s not the most relaxed chap if he has to stand still for a while so that says something.

I would totally recommend Shelley’s animal service.

Thanks again’ 

05/03/2024

Lovely day spent learning how to use the fascial edge tool. Adds another layer to my treatments and the horses seem to love it.

20/02/2024

Lovely review from Charlotte Two Counties Equestrian

"Shelley treated my mare this week, she was professional and thorough. I got a report sent to me after which makes it easier for me to remember what she picked up on and what exercises will benefit her. My mare really relaxed and seemed to enjoy the massage."

16/02/2024

RECOMMEND A FRIEND AND YOU BOTH SAVE £5 OFF YOUR NEXT MASSAGE.




Terms and conditions apply. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer.

10/01/2023

https://www.eurodressage.com/2023/01/09/parotid-gland-hidden-indicator-training-quality

The parotid gland is the hidden indicator of training quality and here is why.

20/10/2022

Well, you learn something new every single day 😮

Did you know most horses chew and hold their jaw towards the side of their more sound front leg?

The right front heel here is lower and more sound. The left front heel is higher, more contracted and sore. Easy to see, right!?

Now, peek at the jaw position to the horse's right, with slight overgrowth of the horse's upper left and lower right incisors. This is super common, and should not be allowed to get worse! It will end up in a vicious downward spiral over time.

Second teeth picture is after adjustments = better jaw AND BODY balance.

It's always a work in progress getting feet and teeth better balanced--lots of bodywork helps, but providing for more movement is #1 in my book. There are some interesting exceptions to this pattern that I discuss in my book.

It's ALL connected. This page also has more on this...scroll back!

**www.insighttoequus.com** under construction 🤠

15/10/2022

18/09/2022

Never been a fan of tying a horse's mouth closed. I think it just hides all manner of sins instead of exploring why the horse is resisting the contact.
This explains how flash straps can lead to tension in other parts of the body.

For those people who still insist in tying their horses mouth shut!!!

The Temperomandibular joint (TMJ) is “The joint with the most proprioceptive nerves in the horse’s entire body".

When the horse’s lower jaw cannot move, it cannot, therefore, ‘transmit’ accurate positioning data to the horse’s body, which results in poor movement and performance.

TMJ dysfunction reaction in horses are as follows:
Balance may be impaired
Ability to perform lateral movements will be impaired
Range of motion of the cervical vertebrae will be impacted
Contraction of the long hyoid muscles can put other muscles into spasm and tension
The horse wants to ‘go behind the bit’ to relieve tension in the muscles between the hyoid and the scapula and/or the sternum
It sets the stage for a hollow back
It shortens the horse’s stride

STILL Want ot tie the horses mouth shut?

13/08/2022

My daily routine 😅

13/08/2022

Very sound advice. Not my own, but I agree with every word of it.

What is the longest a horse can safely go without food?

More and more I see horses and ponies stood for long periods of time with no hay or haylage. Usually under the guise of a “weight control diet”. So how long can a horse be without food before damage is done? And what damage is done?

For those with a short attention span, I’ll give you the answer to begin with - 4 hours, maximum.

Why?

Horses are grazers. They are designed to eat constantly. They have no way of storing their acids and digestive enzymes, they’ve never needed to. They have no gall bladder to store bile and their stomachs release acid constantly, whether or not there is food in the stomach and intestines.

A horses stomach only holds approximately 8-15 litres. Depending on the substance eaten, it takes on average 4-6 hours for the stomach to completely empty. After this, the acids and enzymes start to digest the inside of the horses stomach and then the intestines. This causes both gastric and intestinal ulceration. It has been estimated that 25-50% of foals and 60-90% of adult horses suffer from ulceration. But I won’t go into detail about this, there is a lot of information around about ulcers.

So is that it? Are ulcers the only concern?

No, having an empty stomach is a stress situation for a horse. The longer they are starved, the more they release stress hormones, cortisol predominantly. Cortisol blocks insulin and causes a constantly high blood glucose level. This stimulates the body to release even more insulin, and in turn this causes fat tissue to be deposited and leptin resistance. Over time this causes insulin resistance (Equine Metabolic Syndrome). All of these mechanisms are well known risk factors for laminitis and are caused by short term starvation (starting roughly 3-4 hours after the stomach empties). Starving a laminitic is literally the worst thing you can do. Over longer periods, this also starts to affect muscle and can cause weakness, and a lack of stamina so performance horses also need a constant supply of hay/haylage to function optimally.

Let’s not forget horses are living, breathing and feeling animals. We talk about this stress reaction like it’s just internal but the horse is well aware of this stress. Door kicking, box walking, barging and many other stable vices and poor behaviour can be explained by a very stressed horse due to food deprivation (we all have that Hangry friend to explain this reaction). Next time you shout or hit a horse that dives for their net, remember their body is genuinely telling them they are going to starve to death. They know no different.

But surely they spend the night asleep so they wouldn’t eat anyway?

Not true. Horses only need 20mins REM sleep every 24 hours (jealous? I am!). They may spend a further hour or so dozing but up to 22-23 hours a day are spent eating. So if you leave your horse a net at 5pm and it’s gone by 8pm, then by 12am their stomach is empty. By 4am they are entering starvation mode. By their next feed at 8am, they are extremely stressed, physically and mentally.

Now I know the cob owners are reading this mortified. I can almost hear you shouting at your screen “if I feed my horse ad lib hay he won’t fit out the stable door in a week!!”

I will say that a horse with a constant supply of hay/haylage will eat far less then the same horse that is intermittently starved. They don’t eat in a frenzy, reducing the chance of colic from both ulcers and over eating. Cobs included.

However I’m not suggesting you sit your cob in front of a bale of haylage and say have at it! There is a difference between ad lib and a constant supply. There is much we can do to reduce calorie intake and control weight whilst feeding a constant supply.

The easiest is small holes nets. There are many. Trickle nets, greedy feeders, nibbleze, trawler nets etc. My personal favourite is the Shires Soft Mesh 1”. They don’t cost the Earth, they are easy to fill and they don’t have knots so are much gentler to the teeth. Now often I suggest these types of nets to owners and the owner tells me “Oh no, *** won’t eat out of those” 🙄 this is nonsense. If he was left it, he would. Remember, you can give a normal net and one of these for them to nibble at after. Better than leaving them with nothing at all.

A few other tricks, hang the net from the ceiling/rafters, it’s harder to eat out of a net that swings. Soak the hay, a minimum of 4 hours to be effective. Mix with straw but be sure to introduce the straw slowly and make sure it’s top quality and a palatable type eg Barley or Oat, otherwise they won’t eat it.

Don’t forget exercise. The best way to get weight off a horse is exercise. Enough exercise and they can eat what they want!

And lay off the bucket feed and treats! Horses on a diet require a vit/min supplement in the form of a balancer but that’s it. The odd slice of carrot or swede won’t do any harm but no licks, treats, treacle, molasses, cereal based rubbish. Even if it says low sugar or the marvellously misleading “No added sugar”! Your horse would rather have a constant supply of hay, I promise.

Written by Vikki Fowler BVetMed BAEDT MRCVS

A few edits for the critics-

Firstly, feeding a constant supply does not mean ad lib feeding. It means use some ingenuity and spread the recommended amount of daily forage so the horse is never stood with out food for more than 4 hours. I am not promoting obesity, quite the opposite, feeding like this reduces obesity and IR. This can be done whilst feeding your horse twice a day as most horse owners do. Just think outside the box for your own situation.

Secondly I am in the UK and this post is UK specific, use some common sense when reading. Yes in warmer climates, soaking hay for 4 hours is dangerous and studies show 1 hour is plenty in hot weather but in the UK’s arctic climate, a minimum of 4 hours is required. Equally the UK feed exclusively grass hay. I can not comment on other types.

Thirdly, yes every horse/pony and situation is different, but this is a law of nature and all horses have this anatomy and metabolism. How you achieve this constant supply is individual, the need for it is not.

Fourthly, the use of hay nets in the UK is very very high. I’d estimate 95% of horses I see are fed this way and very very few have incisor wear or neck/back issues as a result. Yes, feeding from the ground is ideal, but a constant supply, I feel trumps this. Again with ingenuity both can be safely achieved.

Finally, straw can be fed to horses safely, introduced very slowly, with fresh water always available, plus a palatable and digestible type of straw which will depend on your area. Again many horses in the UK are bedded on straw and most of them eat it. This is not a new concept to us.

Final finally 🤦‍♀️ and I feel I must add this due to the sheer number of people contacting me to ask, feed your horses during transport!!! I am astonished this is not normal in other countries! Again in the UK, we give our horses hay nets to transport. We don’t go 10 mins up the road without a haynet and a spare in case they finish! Considering we are a tiny island and we rarely transport even 4 hours, we never transport without hay available. I have never seen an episode of choke due to travelling with hay available. If you are concerned, use a slow feeder net so they can’t take too much in at once.

If you get to the end of this post and your first thought is “I can’t do this with my horse/pony, they’d be morbidly obese”, you haven’t read the advice in this post thoroughly.

Really good read for horse owners.
This works as my horse has been the healthiest ever on ad lib and have tracked the field. X

31/07/2022

I've never heard of this before, but it looks really sore 😬 ♥️

Every day is a school day 🧐