Sue Falber Equine Touch Practitioner

05/03/2025

What do you think of his / her weight ?
This is the number one question that I am being asked on my visits to client horses over the last few weeks / months and one which I have no problem at all in answering honestly. I will tell you if I have a concern about your horses weight and I will happily give you advice however please do not be offended if I say your horse has fat pads and or has a crest or is fat - my concern is for your horse and unless you manage to get the situation under control you could be heading into problems of metabolic syndrome or laminitis or both.
Also it is NOT your ponies fault that they are fat but yours - only you can manage your ponies weight and you should NOT resort to sending your pony to a weeks 'fat-camp' or 'boot camp' - fitness and stamina like any weight loss programme needs to be built up in order to be the most effective and not lead to injury or other health issues.
World Horse Welfare have put together a wonderful selection of video's and facts and help sheets to assist you and these can be found on their website.
https://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/advice/weight-is-your-horse-the-right-weight

Do you know if your horse is a healthy weight? Are you struggling with a good doer? Learn how to assess your horse’s condition and find practical tips for weight management.

04/03/2025

Introducing Garry the Shetland ….one of my latest clients who despite his young age of rising 3 has impeccable stable manners with the odd bit of cheekiness thrown in. Garry has had a really rough few months from losing his mum and his field mate before Christmas which meant he had to move to different accommodation which wasn’t able to cope with his young pony behaviour of playing with his fellow field mates! Thankfully he has now found a lovely yard with an older horse ‘Uncle Jazz’ who can keep him in check. His owner really wants the best for him and is doing a fantastic job despite the difficulties of the last few months and his weight is fantastic for a young pony going into Spring. Obviously as a young pony who likes to play pony games with his mates who are bigger than him bodywork is essential and he did find time to stop eating his hay and to do some processing during the session.

01/03/2025

Be the voice for your horse ......

28/02/2025

When your Equine Touch Addict of a pony has to take a long moment to process her bodywork that she is totally oblivious of her haynet. 🦄😍🦄 I do love these moments when I can just step back with the owner and enjoy the peace and tranquility of just being.

24/02/2025

Introducing BB aka Breaking Bits who is going to be a very interesting addition to the Equine Touch Foundation courses that I am running this year in collaboration with Tacky Central Livery.
BB is an 18yr old 16.1 ex-racehorse and had an operation a few years ago to remove his left eye after a tumour was discovered. He therefore carries a whole lot of compensatory issues throughout his body - not just from his time in racing but also having to utilise his one good eye to check what is going on around him.
Whilst BB is a great example of how the fascial web that covers the whole body can get stuck into a fixed pattern because it is being under utilised on one side and yet over utilised on the other.
Because Equine Touch is an holistic ‘whole horse’ vibrational modality that directly addresses the fascia we are able to help horses like BB using the moves from the Level 1 Equine Touch Foundation Basic Body balance, (which is all I used in his assessment) in order to help stretch, energise and release the adhesions in the fascia. Here he is processing the work on completion of the session.
If you want to learn how to help your horse with Equine Touch then please drop me a message.

18/02/2025

Have you heard of the horse 'grimace' or pain scale ?

It still amazes me that despite the vast amount of factual information at our fingertips on t'interweb that many horse owners pass off their horse’s facial expressions as 'grumpy' 'bitchface', 'moodymare' or worse some even resort to posting what they think are 'funny' videos on social media and yet sadly fail to recognise these as expressions of pain and find out the reasons behind why they are being presented.

Over the last few weeks I have been putting together training material for my forthcoming Equine Touch Foundation Courses and observation of the horse plays a huge part in our modality whilst working with the horse. Such observation I feel that not just students on the course but any horse owner should be made aware of in line with The Equine Touch’s own Mission Statement ‘To help horses by educating humans’
I have included below the Image of the 'Grimace' scale the full report can be downloaded from the link below and whilst this particular study was carried out on horses undergoing routine castration I feel it is an important one to get an idea of what we as horse owners should be looking for as signs of pain

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260950013_Development_of_the_Horse_Grimace_Scale_HGS_as_a_Pain_Assessment_Tool_in_Horses_Undergoing_Routine_Castration

In addition to this the notorious Dr Sue Dyson published her 3 year 6 phase study assessing over 400 horses known as the 'Pain Ethogram in the Ridden Horse' a catalogue of behaviours that can be used to spot potential pain in ridden horses, and has been so influential, in getting the awareness out into the horse industry. Dr Dyson's findings have shown that there is evidence that more than 47% of the sports horse population in normal work may be lame, that is almost half the horses that are out there competing but the lameness is not recognised by owners or even trainers!
‘Whilst an alternative means of detecting pain may be recognition of behavioural changes in ridden horses. It has been demonstrated that there are differences in facial expressions in non-lame and lame horses. The Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHpE), also known as the Ridden Horse Performance Checklist, can be used to reliably predict musculoskeletal (MSK) pain that may not be obvious to even an experienced eye. The RHpE identifies 24 behaviours of a horse under saddle, which are often labeled as disobedient, disrespectful, or dishonest (such as reluctance to go forward, ears back, tail swishing, head tossing, bucking and so on)’
A very useful site that I came across whilst researching my presentation material is The Train with Trust Project which not only delves deeper into animal behaviour and communication in order to strengthen the horse human bond but has freebee downloads including a mobile field guide to the 24 behaviours and behaviour and observation checklists as well as a documentary and blog postings all of which can be found on the website here : https://trainwithtrustproject.org/

Feel free to share this post as it is essential to try and educate more horse owners about what the horse is trying to communicate as so often I hear the phrase ‘If only they could talk’ when quite often the horse is shouting in the only way they know how but the owner isn’t really listening.

18/02/2025

Certainly worth re-sharing as once again finding more and more ponies being diagnosed with EMS.....🥲

17/02/2025

THE FEET AFFECT EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING AFFECTS THE FEET....... Just a reminder that if your horse is currently affected by laminitis or remedial farriery then it is an even bigger reason to have bodywork in order to assist with the extra transfer of weight / compensations that the body has to undertake.
It really does take a team to ensure that the horse or pony regardless of if they are a happy hacker, a top competition pony or a retired family pet is a comfortable in their movement as possible.

RHF's Hooves for Thought: Posture, Compensation, Body Soreness and Farrier Work

Remember when I said that just because a horse moves without a head bob, doesn't mean the horse is sound?

Posture is one of the ways horses express their discomfort. Can your horse comfortably stand square? Does it always point one foot or rest diagonals? Can it stand on one hind leg easily? Or does it take the leg and slam the foot down? Does it fight with you when you hold one up and then immediately unload the other when you give it back? Or maybe always points a hind leg toe out? These can all be examples of them trying to tell you something.

Photos below are pre and post shoeing at a first appointment. This horse would not/could not physically stand square when we started. Not all behaviors during shoeing are just a bad attitude on the horse's part. Some of the biggest contributors to this when new clients come to me?
-Long toes/run forward heels
-High/low or "mismatched" front feet
-Mediolateral imbalances
-Negative angles (especially and more commonly on the hind end)
-or, all of the above!

THE FEET AFFECT EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING AFFECTS THE FEET.

Imbalances and leverage affect foot falls (how the hoof engages the ground), affects locomotion, affects performance, creates soreness, creates compensation in the body. All this also affects the teeth, and depending on pain/stress levels, the gut. All this while the horse moves without the typical lameness headbob, while the horse appears "sound." Horses express these things in myriad ways- bad behavior during shoeing, refusals during competition, rearing, losing seconds on the clock, bowing out in turns... or as simple as the inability to stand square comfortably.

THE FEET AFFECT EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING AFFECTS THE FEET.

This also means that- depending on the situation and how long it's been going on- it is not abnormal for your horse to be body sore and need bodywork after the feet are done. Especially the conformationally challenged situations, i.e. high/low on front, negative angles on the hind end. Rome was not built in a day, the horse did not break overnight (in this scenario). Sadly, that means that the farrier can't typically snap their fingers and fix it immediately either. Sometimes, things get worse before they get better. It takes a TEAM.

Just some things to ponder on a rainy weekend. I now respectfully ask: Watch how your horse moves when turned out, how they stand by choice/free will. How comfortable do you think your horse is, considering the above information?

Per always, interaction here and sharing the post is welcome, being a jerk is not. Share your story or photo in the commenst, or ask me some questions! Definitely though, have a great weekend!

Your,

17/02/2025

Meaningful Monday ..... a wonderful picture from Equine Touch's Co-Founder showing just a small part of the fascial web with a peripheral nerve floating within it. To my geeky mind this is just beautiful 😍

Peripheral nerve (floating) connected to the fibres of the areolar tissue...

11/02/2025

As we are almost midway into February (not quite sure how that happened!) Please be advised that I already have limited availability going into March. I had hoped to take a bit of December or January or even Feb off 🤣😂🤣 but the horses and ponies have once again kept me sane this winter and with the ground conditions and weather there have been quite a few broken ponies or those that are 'not quite right'. Thankfully with the help of and they are now on top form.
Horses and ponies that have had time off over the winter are now coming back into work and their lovely owners are aware of the need to check that they are nicely balanced before bringing them back into work and getting back onto a six week maintenance schedule ahead of the Spring. So if you haven't booked in for March or April - NOW is the time to do so.
P.S - don't forget that I also do horse and rider packages to help get rid of those winter niggles a VHT session is highly recommended for you!

09/02/2025

𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙏𝙀𝙈𝙋𝙊𝙍𝙊𝙈𝘼𝙉𝘿𝙄𝘽𝙐𝙇𝘼𝙍 𝙅𝙊𝙄𝙉𝙏 (TMJ)
One of the key areas that I address with every horse that I see with Equine Touch is the TMJ Atlas and the Hyoid. Simply by releasing tension in these areas I find that the hindquarters lumbar and sacrum of the horse tend to release due to the fascial connections. Everything is connected and no one part moves in isolation.
The TMJ is the equivalent of the human jaw joint and as my clients know is what I refer to as the ‘eating gear’ as it plays a large role in helping the horse when they are eating.
The movement of the jaw is quite large and intricate - in fact to give you an idea of just how much they should move next time your horse is eating watch how the temporal muscles (those on his forehead) move. They should show equal movement on both sides and should not be enlarged and be equally balanced.
Additionally the following points can affect the correct functioning of the TMJ:
🐴 Correct bridle & bit fit to allow for the movement of this joint and also relieve pressure. Flash / grackle nosebands prevent the movement of the TMJ by closing the mouth, leading to the accumulation of tension in this area.
🐴 Refraining from using ‘gadgets’ eg draw-reins / side reins etc which force the horse into the supposedly correct position. Trying to force the horse to use muscles that are not sufficiently developed will cause evasion and bracing as well as resulting in additional physical problems through compensation.
🐴 Regular dental checks and treatments - recommended every six to twelve months. Important regardless of if the horse is ridden or not and especially important in young horses (for retained caps / growth and development issues can be corrected early on) and veteran horses (fractured and loose teeth can cause eating and digestion problems)
🐴 Muzzling - especially as we approach Spring
🐴 Considerations for haynet use - research has been carried out that confirms that horses need to eat from varying positions (Sharon May Davis - Equine Anatomist) I tend to advise that if you have to use haynets then splitting the ration and having two haynets in the stable one on the left and one on the right in order that the horse can alternate between the two can make a huge difference to equal wear on the teeth.
🐴 Using regular targeted Equine bodywork techniques to release tension in the atlas, tmj and hyoid areas. We know this from the many horses that we have helped with Equine Touch!

08/02/2025

So what are you planning on doing with your 3 / 4 / 5 year old this year ? The dissections that I have seen and the scientific papers that I have read do not lie nor do the many ex-racehorse's that I see that have apparently had a very successful racing career but are sold off to teenagers for a few thousand pounds because they are now broken sadly beyond repair at 7 or 8. It is time for the 'horse loving' population to wake up and start to educate themselves.
It is good to see and hear like minded professionals such as farriers, saddle fitters and riding instructors/coaches refusing to work with people who are looking to want to do 'grown up horse stuff' with their youngsters who simply are not physically ready.
Now that we know better we must do better !

06/02/2025

Introducing Monty ! Our second 'Equine Touch Foundation Course Addict' 😍🦄😍 in collaboration with Tacky Central Livery. His owner kindly offered him up for an assessment to see if he would be suitable for students to learn all about Equine Touch and he passed or rather snoozed his way through the session with flying colours ! Monty is a 32 year old 14.2 Connie and whilst he has the usual age related issues you would expect from a 32 year old he has wintered out 24/7 and settled into his new home brilliantly and as I have said before all ponies need Equine Touch in their lives especially the veteran ones as it is what keeps them young and I have quite a few clients who would agree with this 100%.
Often it takes more than one session for the pony to work out what Equine Touch is all about and so it is only fair that the horses I am looking to use with students are in some respects attuned to the process as they can teach the student who is getting to know the choreographed moves and placement so much. However Monty is a pony that has been there, done it and worn the Tshirt, read the book and starred in the movie and seemed to really enjoy his session and found the post at just the right height to rest his head on to process.
As I have said previously my initial Horse Owner's Foundation course in March is now full. (The places went within a day of me posting 😊) However I am starting a waiting list for future courses in the Spring / Summer so feel free to give me shout with your email address and I can send you more info.

06/02/2025

Excellent start to a Thursday morning - Part 1 of my Emergency First Aid Refresher completed - and the Part 2 Practical to follow next week 👍

04/02/2025

Sooooooooo my Christmas pressie to myself has finally arrived and I am just a very very bit excited to have a closer explore ! The postman was quite bemused when I told him what was inside the package …

04/02/2025

'Listening is not about losing a battle, it’s about starting a conversation…' YES! YES! YES!
So often when I get to see a horse for the first time I hear of the issues under saddle - napping, refusing to go forward, bucking, rearing etc and then as I approach I get ears back and the comment 'oh they always do that !' THIS first approach is the chance you get to LISTEN and to try and understand what it is that they are trying to tell you - until you start to listen then you are not going to be able to build a strong relationship to your horse. Warwick Schiller's Attuned Horsemanship - If you haven't heard of this guy I highly recommend him - his Journey On podcasts are a wonderful delve into so many brilliant speakers and pass by many many travelling hours....

28/01/2025

Let horses move past their "story" - this eloquently states what I have tried to explain to a number of owners when I have worked with rescue horses or those that have experienced past trauma. They can be so in tune with our energy and intention that when we are doing everything calmly and far too quietly and 'pussyfooting' around them they find our 'craziness' odd and then when we have to act quickly this in itself alarms them as we have suddenly switched into high energy busyness mode.
Striking the balance is very much how I work with Equine Touch I get a feeling of how the horse wants me to work with them - sometimes they need space to process and adjust to their bodily changes and so working at liberty in a large space can let them overcome their issues knowing they are free to go and come back for more.
I have had a few owners say he was traumatised / abused in his /her past and doesn't trust strangers or like anyone touching him /her - they are often amazed at just how their horse can change given the chance and choice of a much different form of bodywork that listens to the horse and works with them.

Let horses move past their “story”

When you’re in the thick of it, the story is real. The behaviors can be explained by a past, near or far. Some of it may be valid, some may be our interpretation, some may be best guesses. Either way, here we are.

But horses have a strong desire to be balanced. If given half a chance, most of them, I’ve found, adapt. Some need a little more help, some have a missing ingredient that helps them complete the recipe of wellness. But usually, people are in the way.

I’ve been that person too. It’s easy. You tell the story over and over - “she was traumatized.” “You won’t be able to catch her, she hates men.” “She doesn’t trailer.” “She had an accident while tying so she doesn’t tie.” These things may have been true at one time, but without adapting our awareness to the current moment day by day, moment by moment, we so often keep the horses progress stifled.

I can’t tell you how many troubled horses I’ve had that I tip toed around, told the public to watch out, and one day discovered them calmly standing. Before my very eyes they had turned into another horse, and I was so busy talking about them I hadn’t noticed who they were now.

Photo by Caitlin Hatch