From the ground up

26/08/2024

I am not even sure how to write this. Last night I lost my beloved Buddy.

Words will never be enough to describe how grateful I am to have had him in my life and how profound this loss is for me. He was the one that guided me onto a whole new path and held my hand throughout. This morning I feel very lost without my partner in crime. He was so special and there will never be another. He is lucky to have such an amazing legacy already but I will always have him with me, asking me to always question.

I will need a lot of time to heal from this, I am not sure I ever will completely. It was unexpected, unbelievably quick and I thank god I was able to get to him in seconds and hold his head in his final moments.

A horse of a lifetime and then some. Run free my gorgeous boy. My heart is broken.

24/07/2024

The news of the last 24hrs has been unbelievably disappointing for equestrian sport.

I have no interest in vilifying someone for their choices. They’re the ones who have to live with the consequences of their actions.

I am sure there is a lot of pressure on them right now as their world will be falling apart. But here’s where it hits differently for me. The horse and the rider are the victim here and there is a lot of talk about timing of release.

Maybe the rider had been so triggered by seeing that person all over the media being hailed as the golden child? Maybe it all got too much for them. The shame of saying nothing. Of being complicit. We don’t know what led up to this point and it shouldn’t matter. The story has been validated by both parties, they are the victim and they should be entitled to share their story without judgement.

I’ve been in a position where I sat and watched my trainer at the time ride my horse in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. It was less than five minutes and nothing akin to what’s going on now but I said nothing. I questioned myself as I thought they must know better. I never trained with them again but never said why. I was complicit.

Horse abuse is unacceptable. At any level. If you’ve done something that you look back on and feel embarrassed about then take a look at what brought you to that place. No one is infallible and we are all human but you must have the ability to self reflect and take accountability to make sure that behaviour is not part of your toolbox.

My hope is that this brings change into the sport that is desperately needed. If you need to treat the horse badly to get gold medals then we should want nothing to do with it.

I am putting into the universe that I want to be part of brokering that change. I am going to hold this in the highest of lights.

Watch this space.

17/07/2024

How your horse stands is one of the easiest indicators to see how they are feeling in their body.

The photo on the left popped up on my memories today, it was taken less than a month before Buddy was diagnosed. I looked at it and cringed. I knew no better then but now it is SO obvious that he was uncomfortable and bracing through his body. His face, how he’s stood with his legs all over the place and his neck high and tense 😬 It is not a picture of harmony.

Fast forward to the photo on the right. Taken at our first show post rehab - there are roughly 9 months between the photos but the change is posture only started at Rockley once he had shoes off.

Look at the change. His face, he’s stood square, his posture is relaxed. He is happy and comfortable. What a change for the better.

This obviously improved considerably over the years but I want to show how quickly you can see these changes.

Every day I am grateful for the things I have learnt and that no horse under my care will ever have to compensate unnecessarily ever again.

21/05/2024

It’s my birthday today and as a gift to you I am offering a special treat!

🌟 £50 off all monthly packages 🌟

The first person that books a 90 day programme will also get a huge discount.

I will run this offer for all new clients until midnight on Friday!

PM or WhatsApp to take advantage.

18/05/2024

🐴 Buddy 🐴

Last but not least, my number one (shhh don’t tell the others).

My Rockley rehab, he started this whole journey for me and I owe him so much. Thanks to him I have some of my favourite people in my life.

He is thirteen years post diagnosis now and rocking the life of houligan hacking and semi retirement. He has an ASBO when we go out as he is such a thug and wants to canter everywhere. He’s solid as a rock and I trust him implicitly but he’s not a novice ride 🤣🤣

I hope he’ll live until he’s in his 40’s and we can be old together 🤣🤣

11/05/2024

🐴 Millie 🐴

Millie came into our lives last year. She was my friend Julia’s beloved friend. When Julia was diagnosed I said I would look after her if it was needed and so when she died she came to live with me. It was a hard transition for me. We were both grieving and having her here made everything real. I was worried that the transition would tip her over the edge.

But she is firmly a member of the herd now. It took a long time but I feel like I know her well now, we’ve seen through all the seasons together. She is 28 and this winter has been tough so we take each day as it comes. She misses Julia and I don’t know how much time we will have together but I am her caretaker until Julia wants to take her back.

She was fully shod her whole life until she came here and she has transitioned far better than I thought. I also have to give huge kudos to her farrier as she had the best feet I have ever seen in a shod horse. They’re better now though 🤣😜

08/05/2024

Riding and working horses is outside of their natural state and, as such, we should expect to see and feel some level of compensation through their bodies. However, there are certain patterns that can indicate things are amiss.

The main chain that I’m very wary of is the combination of poll, trapezius (behind wither) and back of saddle (which can spread to the whole saddle area). This indicates that there is a level of bracing through the body and can come from a whole host of causes. You then end up in a chicken / egg situation whereby that pattern reduces movement, the forelimbs are affected, the hindlimbs are affected and the movement starts to shorten. This then leads to landings changing. This then leads to further damage being done.

It is always useful to have a set of hands on your horse regularly. And I do mean someone using their hands and not a machine or tool. For horses in regular work I’d suggest 6-8 weeks, for those in hard work every 4.

Also beware of the bodyworker that comes to your horse once and declares a whole host of issues. If I find lots of things on the first session I will always tell my client that I am figuring out the baseline and I feel x,y,z which could indicate x,y,z. I will recommend seeing the horse in 2 weeks or so to decide if this is a one off issue or something that requires a more intense programme or veterinary investigation.

04/05/2024

🐴 Introductions 🐴

I thought it would be a nice idea to share a bit more about my horses so you can see how different they all are and how they’re managed.

Dancer is an 8yo mare and is my primary riding horse now. She has had a slower start to life than I would usually give my horses but it’s not done her any harm 🤣 She is incredibly sensitive and I have had to learn to be present with her. You cannot take stuff from the day into her space or she will let you know 🤣🤣

We are finally in a consistent routine and the plan is to get her seeing a bit more of life and getting ready for a competitive career. I am rusty AF so lessons are essential and we will be taking things slowly.

01/05/2024

The way the hoof hits the ground causes a chain reaction through its body. That can be positive or negative. It is our job to ensure that our horses are landing in a way that benefits them. It is super easy to check - all you need to do is activate the slo-mo video on your smartphone and film your horse walking towards you and from side to side.

What is the ideal?
You will read A LOT about what is the ideal landing for a hoof. My personal opinion is that a horse should land with its weight on the back half of the foot, and the closer to the heels the better. The main reason for this is that all of the pressure distributing structures are found at the back of the foot and so it makes sense (to me anyway) that if you don’t want excessive concussion running up the leg then the horse should utilise those structures.

🚩 Toe First 🚩
If your horse is landing toe first this is an indicator that they want to remove pressure from the back of the foot. This could be due to a weakness, soft tissue or bone injury.

🚩 Lateral or Medial (Outside or Inside) 🚩
If the horse is loading and landing more one side to the other then you are on your way to, or already have, collateral ligament damage. I very often see this as stage one before a DDFT injury too.

⚠️ Warning sign ⚠️
Flat landings or a landing headed towards the front of the foot

27/04/2024

My primary interest is helping horses to move how they need to. We look at the horse with a critical eye, watching where they are loading, are they compensating and what telltale signs are showing us what they horse really needs.

The biggest thing to understand is that every horse is different. This is not a one size fits all programme and it definitely shouldn’t be. Sure, there are things that we do with all clients through the programme but they are all introduced when the horse is ready and able to take those challenges on.

I would love to offer a ‘follow this step by step’ and all your problems will be solved walkthrough but the truth is I’ve tried it and it doesn’t have the same long term benefits. Our success rate with 400+ horses is just over 96%. In the last 12 months we are at 99%.

I have designed the programme so that it is simple. I wanted my non horsey husband to be able to follow the steps so that you don’t need to have any equine knowledge to have a successful rehab. You don’t need a track or any other fancy facilities. In fact, most of my clients aren’t in control of their horses routine and so we have to make a compromise. But it still works.

Whilst I am a complete advocate for horses I also understand that the reality of most horse owners is not idyllic. I am a firm believer in working with reality and I have a real problem with owners being shamed for not having their horses on the cleanest diet or having access to perfect turnout.

Having an injured horse is heartbreaking and the mental load can be overwhelming. We should be pulling together to support each other and not ripping each other apart. It’s one of the reasons I trained as an NLP practitioner and am a licensed coach for Flying Changes Mindset. Regardless of how strong you are, rehab will take a toll at some point and I’m here for you when it does.

All information on our programmes can be found on our website but feel free to give me a call or WhatsApp if you have specific questions.

24/04/2024

🚩 Red Flags 🚩

Over the next few weeks we are doing a series on easy things to look out for when assessing your horses. So far, my list has the following topics:

1. Landings
2. Compensation patterns
3. Hoof conformation
4. Wear
5. Posture
6. Behaviour

If there are other things you would like me to cover then drop a comment below or DM me 😀

20/04/2024

It’s been a minute (!) but I’m back and my socials are all scheduled for a while so I won’t be too MIA again.

As it’s been so long it’s time to re-introduce myself so hi 👋 I’m Krista, and I founded From the Ground Up (FTGU) six years ago. My whole journey started as a navicular rehabber myself, my own horse Buddy went to Rockley Farm THIRTEEN years ago. He is still sound and happy but that whole journey inspired me to change my career.

Before I moved full time to FTGU I had a very successful career in IT sales which had me travelling all over the world working with some of the biggest global brands.

My riding has taken a bit of a backseat as I had a small person come into my life and so being a mummy, running a business and home life took priority but I am back in the saddle consistently now and am aiming to get Dancer out this year.

I have some exciting, and very big, plans coming in the next twelve months and I will share all of those with you when I can.

Have you got any burning questions you’d like answering?!

06/02/2024

I believe 1000000000000% in our programme and the results speak for themselves but it is nice to get some external validation sometimes 🤣

This week we have had chiropractors, vet physios, vets, osteopaths, farriers (!) and yard owners all send messages to my clients about how much better their horses are since they’ve been on the programme.

The beauty about what I do is that it is simple. Someone who knew nothing about horses could follow the programme and have a positive result.

We are seeing results in horses that are shod AND barefoot. Creating correct movement leads to sounder and stronger horses.

Want to know more? Drop me a DM.

15/01/2024

29/12/2023

Six weeks ago I thought I was going to lose Millie. She’s 26 and had dramatically lost weight in a few weeks. I naturally thought the worst. I sent a text to her old groom to see if it was normal for her to drop off. It wasn’t.

The vet came and could find nothing wrong with her. Oddly that made me more worried as she continued to loose weight.

I moved her onto Care and Gain by Allen and Page as well as Topline and Shine from Honeychop Horse Feeds which they were all already on. I was feeding her four times a day, small feeds, to get the calories in regularly and I started giving her haylage. Within a few days I saw an improvement.

But one other thing I did was up her rugs. I am not an over rugger.. well I wasn’t 🤣 But I think she was too cold - I will caveat she felt warm 🫣 She is currently sporting over 550g. I’ve only ever used my 360g rug once before 🤣🤣 It has been something I have really struggled to overcome 😱

I will always be horse led and it’s pretty clear what works for her as the pictures speak for themselves. She is back to two feeds a day and hasn’t lost any more weight. She’ll be 27 in a few days and looks pretty good!!

01/08/2023

🤩 Transformation Tuesday 🤩

Eight weeks in for this young man. He has been lame for a while and came out of shoes as rehab started. We are using boots for walking at the moment as he is in 🇨🇦 and it is very hot and very hard at the moment.

As you can see from the photos, the feet have been doing some straightening, shortening and strengthening! This is a definite work in progress but you can see he knows exactly what needs to be done.

Apologies as always for my freehand drawings but I know some find them really helpful.

01/07/2023

The process of rehab is actually pretty simple and there are three key elements of rehab:

👣 Feet
👣 Body
👣 Landings

All aspects affect each other and you cannot have a change in one without changing another. The programme is built around this process.

With a barefoot transition the first thing to start changing is usually the feet and then everything else starts to react. Normally in the order of the image, but not always.

One thing to remember is that this works both ways - positive AND negative changes. Nothing happens in isolation. I’ve lost count of horses eventually diagnosed with a forelimb lameness that can be tracked back to a poorly fitting saddle. Once your horse starts moving badly you are on track to a singular outcome.

24/06/2023

🖐️ Bodywork for rehab 🤚

I am often asked what role bodywork plays in rehab and when is the right time to do it. It’s one of the hardest questions to answer.

During rehab the body is undoing and creating compensatory patterns. This happens all the way through until the point that they are sound and then you get a positive pattern but it may not be ‘perfect’.

The challenge for a therapist is when are those compensation patterns needed and how far do we go to release them. It’s a fine line. It takes experience and it’s not something I get right every time. Releasing off too much is actually worse than holding back a bit as the horse feels better, does too much and then they get sore. The patterns are there for a reason and we need to respect the role they play.

Unless the client has someone who knows the horse well and who is experienced with rehab then it’s not something I recommend in the acute phase. We use the groundwork to do the work for us as it fits within the horse’s comfort zone at that time.

However, as with everything in life, there are exceptions!

12/06/2023

As if by magic our 2023 scholar has graduated, sound and after competing at their first competition this weekend 😍

It leaves me with a spare slot in my diary and I’ve been debating what to do with it. I’ve spoken to a few people recently who just can’t afford to pay for the full programme but need the help so if this is you then listen up!

If you can make a call at 10am on a Tuesday then I am going to offer it out at a huge 50% off - £150 a month or £450 for the 90 days.

Drop me a DM or WhatsApp to secure your place.

31/05/2023

As a licensed coach, last night I did a talk for the Flying Changes Mindset Accelerator group on mindset during rehab.

Some really interesting conversations to be had and it just confirmed for me why adding mindset coaching to the programme is so important.

These are some of the common worries I see - when you’ve been through rehab what has played on your mind?

14/05/2023

There have been some big shifts here in the last few months and now feels like the right time to share.

My beautiful friend Julia passed on in January and she left her beloved Millie behind. I promised her that I would take care of her and so she is now part of our herd. It was a tricky transition for all of us, especially being so close to Bella leaving us, but we all loved Julia and I feel she made it all much easier.

Millie is the biggest diva I’ve ever met. She’s 24 and has certainly had a culture shock moving here but she has settled in very well and is now content after a very sad start. I am totally grey-ist and said I would never have one so the grooming has been a culture shock to say the least 🤣

Julia also left me another gift. I’ve wrestled with whether to share this or not as it’s very left field 🥴 and I’m still 🤯 about it all. But I aim to be open and transparent so here we go - grab a cuppa as it’s a story 🤣

A couple of months ago I went to treat a horse. I’ve treated her several times before and it’s been uneventful (!). The lead up to treatment had been tricky for her and her owner and we hoped to find something in her body to explain the behaviour.

The moment I put my hands on her things changed. My head was filled with things that I knew weren’t from me. But I tried to ignore it. The mare had other ideas and just ‘shouted’ until I voiced what she wanted me to say.

It was incredible but I struggled with it. It was intense, mind blowing and emotionally very draining. I wasn’t prepared for the experience.

I had no idea if it was a one off but I was so scared I barely touched my horses all weekend 😂

I have practised on a few horses since and it’s here to stay. It’s been an interesting experience and has been helpful with a couple of tricky horses who we didn’t know what was going on. A few small changes and they’re happier.

I need a physical connection so it’s something I can share as part of a massage treatment. I won’t share unless I’m asked to so if you want to know, tell me!

29/04/2023

One of the differences in our programme is the work we do to support the body, undo negative patterns and build supportive ones. These may have come from conformation, compensation from an injury or poorly fitting tack, box rest.. or any other situation the horse finds itself in!

Sometimes, before we get the heel first landing, the horse has to straighten the foot to support a correct landing and as part of that process the body also strengthens and straightens. The hoof is evolving during this period of rehab but if you are using only landings as a guide then you will be lost.

One of my current clients is going through this process as you can see from the photos below. The key giveaway at the beginning is that the frog isn’t straight. This is very often an indicator of an issue - the frog usually ‘points’ to a weakness!

This evolution has happened in 90 days so it is not a quick an easy process. The foot still has a lot of changing to do and strength to build. The horse is landing intermittently heel first but is predominantly flat but you can see how much the back of the foot has strengthened and now it is straight I expect a rapid improvement in the landing to follow.

27/04/2023

That moment when you’re so excited to show a client their comparison photos 👀 All change for the better!! 💕

13/04/2023

There’s a buzz on the street now John Whitaker is taking some of his horses barefoot.

His column in Horse & Hound will definitely be raising some questions about how best to manage a barefoot horse.

Contrary to his thoughts, roadwork and time on the hard is critical for every horse. For some it is even the difference between staying sound or not. My clients will work up to a minimum of 40 mins a week on a hard surface. We start smooth (or as smooth as the client has access to) and build up to introducing tougher surfaces.

For horses who don’t have issues with their feet and are just transitioning it is a very similar process but you need to build a routine to condition the feet. A few step out of shoes and are fine but the majority need to do some fitness for the feet to balance out the wear vs growth to do the level of work we want.

Whilst I’ve never competed at international level I school mine regularly on grass as I have no arena. Bella was schooling advanced medium on grass, on a hill and she was the most unsteady on her feet of all mine. Proprioception exercises and strengthening work all helps.

This is a very exciting time but we also need to be wary of the advice given by people who are still learning 😜 John, if you want some help give me a call!

06/04/2023

This picture popped up on my feed this morning - it’s an auction for the four US Dressage Olympic team horse shoes.

I knew immediately which one was Steffen Peters’ horse. How? He keeps his horses predominantly bare and, in my experience, barefoot horses have a much larger foot and a bigger surface area compared to a shod horse.

Look at the difference in the heel part of the shoe, how much wider it is, there is a much more circular formation (rather than the ovals in the other three) and it is huge in comparison!

I still have Buddy’s shoes somewhere, I used to compare them to his ‘new’ bare feet a fair bit as it was insane how they ever fitted 🤣

A piece of history to hang on your wall!

Bid at https://www.32auctions.com/organizations/21547/auctions/141539?r=1&t=all