Equitraining & Osteopathy

23/09/2024

My thesis about osteopathy on the training of horses has been graded with 100%!!

These were the comments that I received upon my final submission: Overall grade after weighting: 75/75 = 100%
A lovely paper. You had displayed a high degree of critical thinking in this paper. It’s clear that you’ve spent a great deal of time
considering the implication of osteopathy on the trained horse and have come up with a concise way of conveying it. This paper is meticulously
written and I am very happy to give you a well-earned grade. Excellent work.

For anyone who wishes to read it, let me know and I will share it with you :)

Send a message to learn more

21/10/2023

Logan after his treatment 🥰.

Logan had a fall 3 years ago and probably twisted his spine. I am now trying to give him some comfort by osteopathy treatments.

25/08/2023

Ik ben tussen 22 en 28 september weer in Nederland en beschikbaar voor behandelingen.
Ik heb 10 cases nodig voor mijn opleiding dus alle paarden en pony s zijn welkom.

05/01/2023

Happy 2023 everybody!!🎉
I hope everyone had a nice holiday break and both owners and horses went safely into the new year. I wish everyone a healthy and balanced 2023.

I am working in the French Alps for the next 3/4 months as a chalet girl so I won't be practicing on horses.

I will be back in April.

Best wishes,
Linda

05/11/2022

Last week I went with Joe to a Welsh A that had a twisted right front hoof and very tight shoulders. I got the change to practice Osteopathic Articular Balancing on the front legs of this pony after the trim was done. It was great to feel the difference in his shoulders. The right shoulder liked to turn in close to his body but was very tight when I tried to turn it out away from the body and this was exactly the opposite in the left shoulder. I gave him some stretches and moved his joints to give him some more space and freedom for movement. Afterwards I could see him moving better with more aligned shoulders, but the most amazing effect was visible in the expression of this pony! Where he was a bit pushy before, he now stood there just chilling. He was also very expressive in his face by licking, chewing and yawning. I could tell he was absorbing everything that happend in his body and it must have felt amazing.
I feel so blessed that I could help him and it was also a great feedback that what I am doing is working!!

Now I am practicing the Osteopathic Articular Balancing in the hindlegs, and Benny was a model for the pictures ;) I think he enjoyed this as well even though he is very supple and flexible. :D

23/10/2022

Soon a little training again to train my eyes and learn from other people! 😁// Over 2 weken is er weer een online bijscholing om mijn ogen te trainen en van andere mensen inspiratie op te doen! 😁

(To attend the Virtual Symposium, a Centered Riding membership is required. As a gift to new members joining for this year's Symposium edition, your membership will expire on March 2024: five extra months which already includes next year's Virtual Symposium! An annual adult Centered Riding membership costs US $35* - US $40** (*within North America; **outside of North America). )

22/10/2022

The Different Styles of Osteopathy

My course is focusing on structural and classical osteopathy, but later on cranial osteopathy and visceral osteopathy will be integrated as well.
I found a nice article that explains a bit more about what the difference is between osteopathic styles.

When you book to see an osteopath, do you know what to expect? Although much of modern osteopathic training is based on an increasingly standardised research-based approach to clinical evaluation and treatment, the way an osteopath approaches your condition in practice may still vary.

When you present to your osteopath, the initial consultation is an information gathering session. We are looking at your posture, how you move, and your description of the condition in order to build a picture in our minds of what might be happening. The next point of diagnosis will come from laying hands on the body and moving joints passively to gather information from the affected areas. Once armed with a diagnosis, treatment goals are to restore good function to the body, but how is this approached practically?

There are several distinct styles of osteopathic treatment and whilst some osteopaths will draw on several of them, others will focus essentially on one form only.

Structural Osteopathy

This is the most common approach to osteopathic treatment and is the foundation upon which modern training is based. It is where the osteopath will use manual techniques to affect the musculoskeletal system. Joints are moved, muscles are stretched and in so doing the treatment effect can reach into the body and affect the nervous system, blood supply or organ function. It is based upon a wide body of modern scientific research and is continually developing as a treatment style.

Classical Osteopathy

Although this also involves a structural approach it is based on more traditional principles. Osteopathy was founded in the US in 1874 by Andrew Taylor Still and then further developed by John Martin Littlejohn who also introduced osteopathy to England in 1911. They developed a system which mobilises the body in a specific manner, such that it generates an impact on the underlying physiology.

The first osteopaths were primary healers who were concerned with treating systemic illness such as typhoid and diphtheria, rather than the narrower musculoskeletal approach of modern structural osteopathy. Classical treatment is based on a specific routine known as the ‘body adjustment,’ the entire body is involved, and more specific treatment can be directed as appropriate. Unfortunately the art of this form of osteopathy is not so well understood today, and there are only a few osteopaths remaining who use this approach exclusively.

Cranial Osteopathy

This is a more subtle approach which involves a gentle ‘hold’ of the patient to interact with more subtle energies and the body’s fluid dynamics. To find out more about this form of osteopathy, please refer to our previous blog “What is Cranial Osteopathy and what can it treat?”

Visceral Osteopathy

This approach looks at the relationship between the physical structure of the body and the organs, such as the digestive tract or respiratory system. Through the stresses imposed by poor posture, or diet or lifestyle pressures, the organs can build areas of tension which can then lead to referred ‘viscero-somatic’ pain, an example of this is the intense groin pain created by an acute kidney infection. In this case treatment over the area of pain may be ineffective whereas direct manipulation of the kidney may stimulate the healing response needed to relieve the pain. Visceral treatment can aid motility of the digestive tract and good function of abdominal and thoracic organs.

Summary

Good osteopathic treatment is based on the principle that structure governs function, and vice-versa. Unlike other forms of manual therapy, all osteopaths will tend to have a “whole body”, integrated approach to assessment and treatment.

An osteopath will draw on a variety of techniques to make a change to the body in a bid to restore good function or structure. The way they interpret their findings and seek to make this change varies depending on their training, experience and technique preference of the osteopath. The principles that govern the reaction of the body to treatment and the healing process overall remain common to all osteopaths.

By Marcus Daws

Reference:https://connectosteo.co.nz/the-different-styles-of-osteopathy

The way an osteopath approaches your condition in practice can vary. Read up on the different styles of Osteopathy here.

30/09/2022

30/09/2022

Hi Horsepeople! I will introduce myself on this page. At the moment I am traveling between Wales and the Netherlands very regularly, but I grew up in the Netherlands. I have a deep love for horses as long as I can remember. When I was 7, I was lucky enough to go to a riding school and since then I learned my way around horses. As many other girls I dreamt about making my living with and for horses, but it was never encouraged. I believed it could be hard to make money or start a company on my own.

I always was curious, looking for answers to the questions in my mind. After high school, it wasn’t surprising I ended up in the research world. I started my applied science degree in Biotechnology and after this I continued with a master in Biomedical sciences at the University of Groningen.

During, but also after my degrees, I really liked to combine my scientific knowledge with my hobby. I was always asking questions like: Why is a horse bucking? Is it in pain anywhere? Why is a horse behaving in a certain way? What is the reason behind a horse limping? How can I help or solve the problem? I also found a learning curve in training horses. I discovered many different methods and picked up all the bits that I liked and put them in my toolset. For me, The academical art of riding and natural horsemanship are important techniques to help a horse find balance in both its mind and its body. How do we communicate efficiently with our horses to keep them healthy and how do we train them in a fun and easy way? These are questions that I will always keep asking myself and that motivate me to keep learning and developing myself.

When we want to help our horses to gain balance it is important to balance ourselves first. Since horses communicate with body language, our posture, alignment and our mindset will influence the interaction with horses greatly. This is the reason why I became fascinated by Centered Riding. I am a level I Centered Riding instructor since a couple of years and I can help you and your horse in finding balance while riding or training from the ground. If you are interested in having a lesson from me or do you experience challenges with your horse. Please contact me, so we can find out how we can help each other.

Sometimes, your own body isn’t balanced because of muscle cramps or stiffness. I followed a course in Zen Thai Shiatsu, to help a person relax and move with more ease. Besides that it is just a lot of fun as well! Zen Thai Shiatsu is a type of bodywork that combines Zen, Thai massage and osteopathy. Using stretching, meridians and pressure points, these techniques help to relax muscles and energetically balance body and mind. I don’t have a treatment space, but if you are interested in a session, please contact me to see if we can create a space in your home where I can give you’re a treatment.

When you’re looking for balance, you will find out that everything is connected with each other. In the body, connective tissue connects muscles, bones and organs. On my trails, I found many different training methods for myself as well as for horses like Centered Riding, yoga, the academical art of riding, Parelli, Zen, Zen Thai Shiatsu, ect.. My new project is equine osteopathy. It is like everything I learned starts to fall into place like a big puzzle. My scientific knowledge about body and diseases, feeling and watching, research, energy and balance. This summer I started with the equine osteopathy program and I won’t preform treatments just yet, but I think this will be a valuable asset in my skillset. I hope I can help as many people and horses to find relaxation and balance. Not only to have fun while training your horse (and yourself) but to experience more freedom and awareness in your body (and in your horse) as well.
To be continued…

29/09/2022

Hey paardenvrienden! Ik zal me even voorstellen. Op dit moment reis in veel op en neer van Nederland naar Wales, maar ik ben opgegroeid in Zuidlaren. Ik ben vanaf ik me kan herinneren al verslaafd aan paarden. Toen ik 7 was mocht ik op paardrijles en vanaf toen heb ik heel veel geleerd over de omgang met deze prachtige dieren. Ook hoe ik het niet wilde. Zoals veel paarden meisjes was het mijn droom om later iets met paarden te doen, maar dat werd niet echt gestimuleerd. Het verdient niet goed en het is lastig om voor jezelf te beginnen.

Ik was altijd al nieuwsgierig en onderzoekend aangelegd en na mijn middelbare school kwam ik terecht in de onderzoekswereld. Ik heb eerst een HBO biotechnologie gedaan en ben toen verder gegaan met de master Biomedische wetenschappen.

Tijdens en ook na mijn opleiding vond ik het erg interessant om mijn medische kennis toe te passen in mijn hobby. Ik stelde altijd vragen. Waarom bokt een paard? Heeft het pijn? Waarom gedraagt een paard zich op een bepaalde manier? Wat is de oorzaak van kreupelheid? Ook mijn weg in de training van paarden ging steeds dieper. De academische rijkunst en natural horsemanship zijn voor mij erg belangrijk om een paard te helpen bij zijn fysieke en mentale balans. Hoe kunnen wij het beste met paarden communiceren om ze zo gezond mogelijk te houden en training makkelijk en leuk te houden? Dat zijn mijn vragen die mij motiveren altijd te blijven leren en ontwikkelen.

Een belangrijke factor is onze eigen balans (fysiek en mentaal) en onze houding. Daarom was ik extra gefascineerd toen ik in aanraking kwam met Centered Riding. Ik ben inmiddels een aantal jaar level I Centered Riding instructeur. Tijdens mijn lessen probeer ik uit te vinden waar paar en ruiter vastlopen en waar ik kan helpen balans terug te vinden. Ben je geïnteresseerd in lessen (rijden, grondwerk of loop je ergens tegenaan in de omgang?), neem dan even contact op zodat we kunnen kijken of we iets voor elkaar kunnen betekenen.

Soms is je lichaam niet in balans doordat spieren verkrampt zijn of doordat je ergens vast zit. Ik heb een cursus gedaan in Zen Thai Shiatsu, om hieraan te werken en omdat het erg leuk is. Het is een bodywork methode die een combinatie maakt van Zen, Thai massage en osteopathie. Met behulp van meridianen, stretches en drukpunten kunnen spieren beter ontspannen en het lichaam kan energetisch beter in balans worden gebracht. Ik heb geen behandelruimte, maar als je interesse hebt in een behandeling kan je even contact opnemen om te zien of we bij jou thuis een geschikte ruimte kunnen creëren.

Als je op zoek bent naar balans, kom je erachter dat alles met elkaar verbonden is. Bindweefsel zorgt ervoor dat spieren, botten en organen met elkaar verbinden. Op mijn pad, kwam ik nieuwe (en heel veel verschillende) trainingsmethodes tegen: Centered Riding, yoga, Zen Thai Zhiatsu. Het nieuwste waar ik mee bezig ben is paarden osteopathie. Het is alsof alles wat ik geleerd heb nu op zijn plek aan het vallen is. Mijn wetenschappelijke kennis, voelen en kijken, onderzoeken, energie en balans. Ik ben deze zomer begonnen met mijn opleiding en ik doe daarom nog geen behandelingen op afspraak, maar ik denk dat dit een mooie toevoeging is voor mijn toekomstige bedrijf. Ik hoop zoveel mogelijk mensen en paarden te mogen helpen om balans en ontspanning te vinden. Niet alleen om plezier te hebben in de training van jou paard, maar ook om meer vrijheid te ervaren in het lichaam.
Wordt vervolgd… ;)

01/09/2022