H4 Therapies - Haley’s Horse, Hounds and Humans

17/09/2023

Horses are powerful animals who can be easily frightened in traffic, unwittingly putting themselves and their riders at risk.

• Pass horses wide and slow: no more than 10 mph.
• Keep engine noise as low as possible and do not sound the horn.
• Be prepared to stop. Remember that horses cannot move out of the way that quickly.
• For horse riders, always wear a helmet and reflective clothing, and carry ID on both you and your horse, such as armbands and saddle tags, to help locate you if separated after a fall.

Expect the unexpected. Beware of vulnerable road users and remember to share our roads.

15/08/2023

ARE ICE CUBES AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO COOL DOGS IN HOT WEATHER?
by Dr David Marlin

There are always lots of posts circulating on social media concerning ice cubes and dogs! Some say it’s a good idea and others warn against it! So what does science say?

WILL GIVING YOUR DOG ICE-CUBES COOL IT DOWN?
Let’s take a 25kg Labrador as an example. The amount of water in the body of an adult (non-obese) is usually around 60%, so a 25kg dog would have around 15litres of water (an average sized bucket). So lets fill a bucket with water at 38.5°C. Now if we add 6 ice cubes how much will that reduce the temperature?

A 3cm3 ice cube will have a volume of 3 x 3 x 3 = 27ml. If we have 6 ice cubes that will be a total of 6 x 27ml = 162ml. Ice is slightly less dense than water so the volume of water will be around 145ml. So how much will 145ml of water at -20C lower the temperature of a 15 litre bucket of water at 38.5°C? Probably by about 1°C.

A dog is more than just water however and so the reduction in temperature in a living dog as opposed to a bucket of warm water would be less than 1°C. But as heat is being produced continuously by the dog, the cooling effect of the ice may only last a short while, so to be effective, ice would have to be ingested quite frequently.
So the answer is POSSIBLY, but this would have to be 6 ice cubes perhaps every 20-30 minutes for a 25kg dog.

IS THERE ANY DOWNSIDE TO GIVING YOUR DOG ICE-CUBES?
Studies in many different species of mammals, including dogs, suggest that cold stimulation of receptors in the mouth and tongue by cold fluids or ice may lead to reduced drinking by reducing the sensation of thirst. So an animal could drink less even though it's dehydrated. So, the answer is that ice could result in your dog feeling not thirsty even though physiologically he is dehydrated.

BOTTOM LINE - ICE CUBES & FROZEN TREATS are OK for DOGS in small amounts. They are not an effective way to keep dogs cool. Too much could reduce drinking.

16/05/2023

29/03/2023

Want to be able to make friends with new dogs when you meet them? You can signal that you’re friendly by using canine body language!

We often hear that you’re supposed to offer a dog the back of your hand to sniff, but the body language of this move is actually quite threatening. When we lean forward to offer our hand, we’re facing the dog square on, looming over them, making eye contact and invading their space. All of those signals combine into an intimidating message, and as a result many dogs will become uncomfortable when greeted in this fashion. Confident dogs will usually respond with a couple of signals like turning their head away, yawning, or licking their nose, which means they’d like the human to ease up a bit. Shy or anxious dogs will back away, cower, or even growl, snap or bite.

The best way to greet a dog is to either stand side on to them and invite them over by patting your leg or calling to them, or crouch down on the ground and let them come to you. This method ensures that it’s the dog’s choice to come and say hello – they’re moving up to you, rather than you moving up to them.

If the dog chooses not to approach, it means that they don’t want to say hello. It’s important that you respect that choice, and leave them be. If you’re going to be spending some time with the dog, be patient and hang back – the best way to win the trust of a shy dog is to avoid putting pressure on them to interact. Move slowly, blink your eyes a lot to avoid staring, and don’t speak loudly. If they approach to sniff you, don’t pet them right away. Let them sniff, then when they’re finished move away from them and try inviting them closer again.

Best of luck making some new doggie friends Dog Geeks! We’d love to hear how being conscious of your body language has helped you greet dogs, or if you’ve ever won the trust of a shy dog by being patient and avoiding pressuring them.

- Maddie Ross CPDT-KA

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For more graphics and videos on training and behaviour, check out our library: https://www.beacondogtraining.com.au/thatdoggeek

29/03/2023

13/03/2023

Here's a link to a video of FascialEdge creator, Andrew Glaister, demonstrating the use of the tool for equine massage and fascial release. We'll be uploading more videos in the weeks to come.

https://youtu.be/KCFI-lt2rUo

10/03/2023

Stress is so often misread.
These are just some examples of stress signals which are often misread as having another reason....and the tricky thing is they may have another reason.

It is really easy to see how these CAN be misread.
No one wants to think of their dog as anxious or stressed and sometimes other reasons are given more weight because some people refuse to accept their dogs can indeed be stressed or show signs of anxious behaviour.
This often happens because people view the situation as happy, or they believe the environment should be viewed as exciting for their dog.

Dogs can show these stress signals when they are in environments or with people that WE view as being good for our dogs....your dog may feel the complete opposite.

Too much stress is just as unhealthy and problematic for our dogs as it is for us.

As always when reading and deciphering a dogs behaviour the whole picture needs to be taken into context, as does some history.

If your dog has started to show signs of stress....be thankful that you have recognised this (as many people do struggle to see this in their own dogs).
Be thankful because you have recognised it and you can now help.

Relaxation work.
Managing environments.
Enrichment.
Controlling interactions.

All of these (and much more) can help your dog navigate back to calm....but you do need to help guide them.
The first step is recognising the behaviour and the issues....and not misreading or even dismissing them.

(As always everyone is free to share on Facebook...however these graphics are now watermarked as unfortunately a few people are using these inappropriately, removing our logo and adding in their own logos and content).

06/03/2023

Wind......It causes some big issues with dogs.

You may not have even made a connection that wind is the issue behind many disastrous walks.
Weather affects all dogs.
Wind can cause hyperarousal, anxiety, fear and anxiousness as the flood of information that comes on the wind can bring with it a bombardment of information all at once.

Barometric changes can also affect dogs, a drop in pressure can see many dogs suddenly become anxious as they are well aware a storm is coming before you are. They may seek shelter and appear to run inside out of fright....but you haven't seen or heard anything that could cause this.

There wouldn't be many trainers out there that love training in the wind.....I think we all mutter under our breaths when the wind picks up.
So if your walk has turned to custard....and you have no idea why....wind can be a very real reason.

06/08/2022

LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN WITH ONE OF OUR PONIES

BLOG: THE LAST RIB AND YOUR SADDLE

Having a saddle that sits beyond the last rib is a bad thing, don’t do it.
This is such an easy thing to test and know for sure. Anyone can work out whether their saddle sits beyond the last rib. You don’t need to do the 3 years mentoring, have a degree in equine anatomy, or be a master saddler. “Experts” (Fitters, Reps or Yard Experts) can’t even pull the wool over your eyes in any way shape or form, even the best “know it all” can’t talk themselves out of this one. And all teachings, no matter who’s giving it agree that no treed saddle should sit beyond the last rib of the horse. It’s saddle fitting 101 - Step 1.

WHY? Because we love being bloody awkward.

NO. It’s because the tree is there to distribute your weight evenly along the horses back. This will help your horse carry you as it’s not a natural thing for their body to do. It should equally distribute your weight all the way along the tree, from front to back (In Balance). The panel is there to “cushion” and support this weight baring structure. This is why flock must be firm, flat and smooth all the way through as well, as it’s there distributing your weight along the long back muscles (Longissimus Dorsi). This is the whole point of a treed saddle - THE END. Just let that sink in.

Beyond the last rib, there’s a junction, where the thoracic and the lumbar spine meet. It’s weak. It isn’t supported by a structure such as a rib cage. It’s floating area of nothing. Weight baring here is a bad idea. Putting weight on a weak area is never a clever plan. You prevent the horse from using themselves correctly. You encourage a compensatory movement from the horse and that’s when things go twang (I’ll talk more about that in another post/blog/rant).

So your saddle, no matter who’s fitting it, should never sit beyond the last rib.
All you need to do is put your saddle on your horse. Feel along gently for your horses last rib (I know it’s Summer but give it a go) - got it? Now follow it up in a nice curve and then where the spine would be, go straight up - that’s the point of no return (see image).

Did you just hit your finger on your saddle?

1. Yes - Take Action - Get the saddle fitter in.
2. No - Excellent - Step 1: Your saddle is a good length for the horse. Just now need to make sure that it’s the right length for you*

I’m really tired of getting to appointments and saddles being beyond the last rib. It’s such a bloody easy thing to get right and i can’t do anything about it. I don’t say it unless it’s true and I can show you, and you can feel for yourself. No saddle fitter should ever fit beyond the last rib. Even if you are too big for a smaller saddle then you need to take action, NOT the horse has to put up with it. Horses that have saddles that are too long often have those harder lumps behind the saddle. Raised, hard areas behind the saddle. They’ll often look Croup high. Poor posture. Ride on the forehand. Sway backed. These are all signs the horse is compromising their movement for you. STOP. You are actually reducing their life span.

I’ve had people say things like “well it’s in a 6’6 rug”, or “it’s 16.2 so it must be able to take a 17.5” - Well, have a feel and see, prove it to yourself, as neither of those aspects have any correlation on the length of the rib cage.

It’s not difficult. You do sometimes have to have a difficult conversation but all we want is happy horses able to go on adventures.

*If you have a very short backed horse this is where things get awkward… BUT no one should ever compromise the horse or pony for the rider. if you are 6ft and your horse can only take a 16.5” saddle then the next step is the PSI - Pound Per Square Inch and if you can’t fit in a smaller saddle then that’s that. You can’t ride that horse or pony. It’s sometimes really hard but causing compromise is unacceptable.

Now, go test it out.

03/08/2022

17/07/2022

Welfare comes first

I wrote a long blog post 4 years ago about clipping dogs short for the summer -especially so-called double coated breeds.

15/07/2022

THE HALF-CLIPPED DOG THERMAL IMAGE!

Its summer. It's hot. This one is doing the rounds again. Let's have another go at discrediting it. If you see the original being shared you could post this image in the comments?

The irony - I'm trying to stop the original being shared by asking you to share this! :)

10/06/2022

14/04/2022

Tape creates changes in tissue beyond the tissue that is directly under the application.

👉🏻 This study used MRI imaging to show changes in tissue caused by the tape.

The change in the tissue was most significant directly under the tape, but sizable changes were seen in non-targeted tissue as well.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0021929015005849?via%3Dihub

The body is such a cool thing!

A FAQ I get is “this horse needs tape everywhere, how do I know where to tape?”

You always have to hit the hot spots first, knowing that tissue beyond the tape is benefitting as well.

Then it keeps working for the full length of the application to make changes in the nervous system.

Have you tried tape yet?!

https://sozoequine.thinkific.com

📸: Hill House Photography

18/03/2022

Great news on World Sleep Day!

"Massage may help improve sleep in two primary ways. The first is by alleviating stress. Stress is known to affect sleep (3). Massage reduces stress by decreasing cortisol (4) (a stress hormone) and increasing serotonin and dopamine (neurotransmitters that help to stabilize mood). Using massage to decrease stress and to promote relaxation may help you sleep better.

The other way that massage may help with sleep is by managing pain and tension caused by stress or injury. Pain and sleep loss can exacerbate one another, leading to a vicious cycle. A lack of sleep can worsen pain, while pain itself can make it difficult to find a comfortable enough position to fall asleep. Successful treatment of pain may improve sleep. Massage therapy has been shown to be helpful in managing various types of pain, including headaches, neck and back pain, arthritis, and pain after surgery."
Quote taken from https://buff.ly/3oxxaKt

18/03/2022

🕸Fascia connects, encases and suspends the entire body to create balanced, fluid, and functional movement.

📗 ”Scientific investigation into this particular tissue is in its infancy, but research is now demonstrating that it has a marked role as a force transmitter in animal posture and movement regulation.

Fasciae are dense connective tissues that surround muscles, groups, of muscles, blood vessels, nerves and internal organs. It binds some structures together whilst allowing others to slide smoothly over each other.

The definition of fasciae was only finally determined in 2007 as “All collagenous connective tissues whose morphology is dominantly shaped by tensional loading and which can be seen to be part of an interconnected tensional network throughout the whole body”.

The fascial body appears to be one large networking organ, with many bags and hundreds of rope-like local densifications, and thousands of pockets within pockets, all interconnected by sturdy sept as well as by looser connective tissue layers.

It extends uninterrupted from the head to the toes encapsulating all tissue structures and joint/organ capsules.” 📗

This definition was established in 2007, only 15 years ago - we’re scratching the surface of everything we’ll learn about fascia.

Every thought we have about our horse’s wellness should consider the fascia!

What role does nutrition play on the health of the fascia?

How does their hoof balance affect their fascial lines?

What about their saddle fit?

Correct dentistry and bit fit?

What are treatment options?

It all works together.

*book excerpt from “Horse Movement: Structure, Function, and Rehabilitation” by Gail Williams PHD

10/03/2022

📚 Check out this research on tape!

👉🏻 Tape is just as effective as dry needling for improving pain and motion in trigger points.

Trigger points are tender, tight, painful, knots in the muscle that cause pain and restrict motion.

Tape is a much less invasive option that allows horse owners to help their horses without the extensive education of using a needle to puncture the tissue.

I’m a huge advocate of dry needling. But it’s excellent to have some evidence that shows a less invasive option can be just as effective.

👉🏻 Objective: To compare the effectiveness of the kinesio taping and dry needling methods in patients with trigger-point related myofascial pain syndrome of the upper trapezius muscle

👉🏻 Results: There was a significant improvement in pain intensity at rest and cervical motion, and in function in both groups, with no superiority to either.

👉🏻 Conclusions: Kinesio taping may be a choice of trigger point inactivation in patients who do not want to be needled or who show contraindication(s) to treatments other than kinesio taping.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30883331/

10/03/2022

26/01/2022

19/12/2021

Historically, MFR is said to be either an indirect or direct approach. What does this mean?

Direct MFR is a category of soft tissue techniques where the therapist uses their fingers, elbows, loose fists, thumbs or heel of hand to slowly glide across the tissue with an angle of approximately 45deg of depth into the tissue. It is also thought that direct techniques treat the muscles and the fascia surrounding them namely the epi, peri and endomysium.

The pressures used for direct MFR are firm (but never painful) with the therapist applying these techniques slowly, feeling for a perception of tissue change. I prefer to call this style of work Myofascial Mobilisation. My experience is that tissue direction is not as important as how the technique is applied. As we know that tissue is multidirectional, it makes sense to use multidirectional techniques.

Indirect MFR, also called the sustained approach, uses a lighter pressure over a longer period of time. The thought is that the sustained time length creates a change in all the tissues perceived as a melting sensation, usually into a position of tissue ease or tissue compression. Many different mechanisms have been suggested for this tissue change from mechanotransduction, fluid dynamics, piezoelectricity and the downregulation of the sympathetic nervous system.

However, in an MFR treatment session, the best approach is to not see these styles as separate. MFR is a wholistic approach. It is impossible to treat just the muscles or the fascia or the joints exclusively. MFR is a unique blend of multiple approaches that care for the client. Having one 'method' is a downfall as that imposes a judgment of applying what techniques you, the therapist, wants to use as opposed to listening with your hands and hearing what technique the client's body needs.

Train with MFR UK. In-touch education.

23/04/2021

Great stretches to share with clients!

09/03/2021

Contrary to popular belief, I don’t believe dogs learn what is theirs and what is ours. I believe they learn what items hold value and which ones don’t. Which ones are worth their attention and which ones aren’t.

Puppies explore the world through their mouth. They pick up things, chew on them, carry them and then move on to the next interesting looking article. During this process, we intervene, we ask for the item, we get treats out as bribes and make it into a huge event (usually by adding in a bonus of a chase game around the garden - still in your PJs, neighbours listening, we’ve all been there 🤣)

Alongside this, we ignore them when they explore their own items. We turn a blind eye to when they play with their own toys and chew on their own chews. This generally leads to a puppy learning that our items are valuable and theres are just part of the furniture. While we cannot allow them to chew or pick up much of our stuff, we can help make their stuff more valuable so that they don’t even need to pay any interest in ours.

If your puppy pinches something:

➡️ Stop and think - don’t chase them, or try to take it from them, you’ll only teach them it’s valuable and reinforce the behaviour.

➡️ Change the game - make something else more interesting without directly involving them

And then to prevent it from happening again:

➡️ Teach them what is valuable - Next time you see your puppy interacting with their own stuff, join in. Play with them, let them know their rope chew is the best item you’ve seen all day. Next time you walk past their chew laying on the floor, pay attention to it, pick it up and pay some interest. Next time they’re holding a toy, chase them and get them to then chase you.

You’ll quickly begin to see how much more attention they pay to their own stuff than yours.

23/02/2021

https://fasciaguide.com Have you heard about connective tissue? You know that thin tissue around our muscles? New research shows that the connective tissue i...

20/02/2021

Yum yum 😋

We often think of cats as just meat eaters but more often than not cats will eat plants if they have access - say goodbye to your lovely house plants 🪴

But why do they do this curious and sometimes annoying behaviour??...

Simply put it can be a normal behaviour for cats 🐱

Roughage can help cats who are routinely constipated and there are some studies which show that adding fibre can help a poorly regulated diabetic cat.

If you have a cat who regularly likes to seek out plants to eat then safety is key! Many houseplants are a lot more toxic to our cats than our dogs!

So what can you do to help stop your cat from destroying your lovely plants?...

You can buy special grass gardens and herbs for your cats if they are destroying your own plants and you are wanting to divert them away🌿 Vomiting sometimes happens after ingesting plants and this can be a normal behaviour. (anything excessive or seeking out plants till they vomit should be investigated by your vet!)

Lots of people like to grow catnip thinking this will make their cat happy. Catnip does contain compounds which may act as mood lifters but behaviours can be extremely variable, the ability to respond to catnip is genetic 🧬

For this reason if you cat does respond to catnip, it shouldn’t be readily available and should be saved for a special treat only 🎁 If your cat doesn’t respond to catnip, do not worry they are totally normal!

Strangely cats in Australia don’t respond to catnip, they clearly didn’t get the ‘catnip gene’!🇦🇺

Do you have a cat that likes to munch on your houseplants or flowers in the garden? 💐

photo courtesy of

19/02/2021

💗💗💗

You're planting seeds every day - just remember that! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

10/02/2021

Separation issues are often misdiagnosed. Some dogs can appear to be struggling when left alone but are suffering from confinement stress. Some dogs may also be reacting to noises and stressors in their environment, this again is not totally due to them being alone but by hearing or seeing things that worry them, such as people walking past a window or dogs barking outside. Behaviours such as eliminating in the house can be put down to separation anxiety but may be more of a toileting problem or medical issue. Getting the right diagnoses can ensure that the correct support can be put in place.
Find out how you can help your dogs to feel safe when you leave them:
https://www.thedogenius.com/course/separation-anxiety-in-dogs