Equine Freedom Solutions

07/31/2024

04/27/2024

What am I looking for when I look at a horse during an evaluation?

There are several things that I am looking for when I am evaluating a horse for a client. I felt that sharing these things with everyone would be helpful for horse owners and trainers. These are not in any particular order.

1) Does the horse have good weight? Pretty self-explanatory I hope.

2) Can the horse stand still? A horse that cannot stand still is usually a horse that is experiencing physical discomfort.

3) Is the horse standing square? Square does not just mean the front hooves are parallel to each other and the rear hooves parallel to each other. It means the horse is balanced over all 4 hooves. When the horse is balanced over all 4 hooves and standing on flat ground, the cannon bones will be perpendicular to the ground. The horse will not be camped under or parked out, both of which are considered abnormal compensatory postures. The most common cause I have found for a horse being camped under is underrun heels. A horse that is not able to stand square is often a horse that struggles to stand still and is shifting its weight around from one leg to another.

4) Is the horse base narrow? When looking at the horse from the rear, are the hooves under the hips, or are the hooves close together? The cannon bones should be parallel. A base narrow horse is like an upside down triangle and can trip easily, especially during tight turns, due to being unbalanced. Most base narrow horses I've seen are usually also camped under.

5) Does the horse stand with any of the hooves pointing out or turned in? This is usually a result of a medio-lateral hoof imbalance or injury.

6) Are the tuber sacrals (bony bumps on the top of the hindquarters) pronounced or uneven? If they are pronounced that can be the result of undeveloped muscle on top of the hindquarters, underrun heels in the rear hooves, or it can be from a hunter's bump. If they are uneven, one will sit higher than the other when the horse is standing square and can be caused by injury or a medio-lateral imbalance of a rear hoof. Both hooves could be experiencing medio-lateral imbalance, but one more so than the other.

7) Are the tuber coxae (bony bumps on side of hips aka, point of hip) even when the horse is standing square? You can check by running a piece of baling twine from one to the other and then standing on something to look down on the top of the horse's hindquarters. If the baling twine runs crooked (one side higher than the other) then they are not even. This can be caused by injury or a medio-lateral imbalance in the rear hooves.

8) Does the horse's hindquarters or front end lean to one side? The horse should not look like the leaning tower of Pisa! I once worked on a 4th level dressage horse that had this issue in the rear. It can be dangerous due to the horse being unstable and possibly stumbling when going through a turn or circle.

9) Does the horse pull its tail to one side while standing or while at a walk, trot? There are numerous reasons this can occur from unbalanced hooves, injury, unbalanced rider, saddle pinching nerves along the back...

10) Does the horse have shoulder pockets, and if so, to what extent? This is an indicator that the horse is not able to use its hindquarters correctly for some reason, a saddle that is too narrow, or the horse being forced into a frame.

11) Does the horse have a dip in front of the withers at the base of the neck? This is an indication that the horse is not using its hindquarters correctly and therefor is not able to lift its thoracic sling. It can also be an indicator that the horse is being forced into a frame.

12) Does the horse have grooves running down the sides of the hindquarters near the rear that are visible from the back and sides? These grooves are common with horses that are camped under. A horse with these grooves is overworking its hamstring muscles and isn't stepping under itself well.

13) Is one pectoral muscle larger than the other or sit higher? This can indicate that the horse has a rolled barrel which is mostly caused by a rider incorrectly mounting from the ground repeatedly. It can also be the result of a medio-lateral imbalance in the front hooves.

14) Does the horse clamp its tail against its buttocks? This is a sign of discomfort, especially if the back is sore since the tail is a continuation of the spine.

15) Are the nostrils pulled up to where it creates wrinkles or do they look relaxed? Wrinkled nostrils is a sign of discomfort. Sometimes it will only be one nostril, but usually both.

16) Does the horse look made up of angles or is the horse round and smooth looking with quality muscle development? The top of the hindquarters should not be flat, the haunches should not look sunk-in.

17) When walking, does the horse flex the lumbar spine and step under itself? The lumbar spine acts like a shock absorber and if the horse is not flexing it then it can develop sore hocks, stifles, and SI joint. Usually culprits of a horse not being able to flex this area are repeatedly being forced into a frame, being ridden in a saddle with panels that are too long, poor rider position in the saddle, underrun heels. The horse will also looked "upside down" meaning that back looks sunk with a protruding belly and the underside of the neck will often be overdeveloped.

I hope this helps everyone! If you feel your horse is struggling with any of these, please contact me or another knowledgeable, skilled equine professional to help you develop a plan of action for correcting these. Correcting these will help ensure your horse is comfortable and sound throughout its life and into old age!

04/10/2024

"...human entitlement demands that the horses always must adapt to the riders because riders are now the main focus, not the horses."

The other problem is that when there is no standardization in riding and training horses many more horses end up getting thrown away and ending up in kill pens or a probably already overcrowded rescue. This is often due to the behavioral or soreness issues a horse can develop as a result of poor, confusing, uneducated or unethical training and riding techniques.

The top images are of correct military seat jumps. The left is a US Fort Riley Seat jump and the right a British Horse Society type jump. Both are expressions of Capt. Caprilli's Forward Seat that he developed for the Italian Cavalry in 1904. By 1920, this jumping method was the standard for most advanced nations' cavalry and in most countries civilian riders strived to ride in the correct military manner.

The advantage of having a standard of horsemanship for a nation's military was that soldiers could change horses without changing their riding. Likewise, horses easily accepted new riders, who all were trained to the same standard. Without the need for horses to adjust to different riders' styles it was easier on the riders, horses and the armies.

The middle set of images shows our contemporary range of different jumping methods. These images show the lack of any universal horsemanship standard for jumping. The far left image is of the famous John French, HJ Hall of Fame rider, and the third from the left is Lucy Matz, daughter of Michael Matz, jumping using the traditional military seat method. All the different center images are of successful competitors. One might ask, "What is the problem with having different rider jumping methods or styles?" The answer is that while it might not matter to the riders, it matters to horses.

The problem is that horse trainers today, who do not train a horse to any uniform standard. They produce horses that many, if not most, riders cannot easily ride because today's riders also have diverse riding methods, just as the horses do, as a result of the lack of any standards.

People are buying horses today that they do not know how to "operate". We live in a horse world where it is as if every car manufacturer produced cars with different methods of steering, turning and stopping. That sounds absurd, but it is how we produce trained horses in America today. Horses in America are discipline and/or individual trainer specific with no universal standard whatsoever.

The bottom images show a round auto headlight that was the universal standard up until the 1970s. The bottom right image shows many current auto headlights with each one being very different. There Is no headlight standardization today. Ironically, America changed from a standard of auto headlights to no standard for headlight design at the same time that universal horsemanship standards were being abandoned. But there is a huge difference in the consequences of shifting to no standard for headlights compared to moving to no standards of horsemanship.

With no standard for horsemanship, horses must adapt to every different rider. This is a problem for the average rider who, to be comfortable, must purchase a horse that was trained in the same way that they were trained as a rider or retrain the horse. Competition horses must adapt to the many different freelance competition riders that catch a ride at various competitions. Lesson horses must adapt to new students who learned a different standard at a previous lesson barn.

In other words, the consequences of having no standardization of horsemanship in teaching riding or training horses, is that the horses are forced to bear the burden of the differences in the riders. Horses must continually adapt to the many methods and styles because human entitlement demands that the horses always must adapt to the riders because riders are now the main focus, not the horses.

The American Horse Society intends to establish a universal horse centered standard of horsemanship to solve this problem.

12/29/2023

While the article explains what happens when a hunter's bump develops, it doesn't properly explain WHY they happen. The clue though is in the recommendation for prevention:

“Proper conditioning of the hind end is essential for the muscles in the area to stabilize the joint and carry the load.” She recommends hill work, cavalettis, and transitions to strengthen the hind end, reminding owners to start with easy exercises and work up slowly to avoid soreness as the horse increases his fitness level."

SLOW, proper conditioning of the hind end... that is how you prevent a hunter's bump from developing. Most people though are unfortunately unfamiliar with how to train and condition a horse properly and end up rushing the horse's training and conditioning.

The other cause of a hunter's bump I often see are incorrect angles of the hind hooves where the heels are underrun. This puts strain on the superficial dorsal myofascial line which the SI joint is part of.

Another common problem I see that can lead to a hunter's bump is an incorrectly fitted saddle (too long), or one placed too far back. This can prevent the lumbosacral joint from properly flexing and hollow the back which creates soreness in the back and SI area. Western saddles are notorious for this with the saddle skirt often running too close to the point of the hip for the horse's comfort. This causes the horse to short stride and not flex the lumbosacral joint which leads to hollowing of the back.

Sadly, hunter's bumps are actually easily avoidable but fairly common in various stages from mild to extreme. It is much better to prevent hunter's bump from ever happening in the first place since recovery can take a long time. This is due to the ligaments and tendons that get strained taking a long time to heal. Tendons and ligaments are denser tissue therefor they don't get as much blood flow making their healing time longer.

Two veterinarians explain why horses develop hunter’s bumps and how to treat them.

12/29/2023

To see the list you can visit this site

https://eqlifemag.com.au/issues/66/the-ridden-horse-pain-ethogram/

Riders and owners might miss behavioral signs of pain in their horses. The RHpE is a scientifically validated tool for assessing pain in ridden horses.

12/16/2023

8 Top Tips for Equestrians from Dr. Temple Grandin

12/03/2023

When going out to meet a new client I do a an evaluation which includes checking the horse's hoof balance and saddle fit to see if either could be contributing to the horse's issue(s). The majority of time, hooves are playing a part in the abnormal compensatory postures (poor posture) I find in the horses. The hoof imbalances lead to the discomfort, pain and behavioral issues, either on the ground or under saddle, the client is noticing.

10/15/2023

"There seems to be a rhetoric perpetuated by some barefoot teachers that the barefoot looks after itself. That diet and environment are all that’s needed. And that the hoof trims itself as it needs.
This is simply untrue, the hoof is subject to certain laws of nature due to its material composition.
Conformation and static and dynamic posture affect the direction, magnitude and duration of forces applied to it and directly affect its shape, positively or NEGATIVELY!
Many many bare hooves get caught in a negative cycle."

This is extremely important! Why? Because if the hooves are caught in a negative cycle then it means the hooves are experiencing uneven weight distribution. Not only should the horse have its weight evenly distributed between all 4 hooves, but each hoof should be experiencing even weight distribution. When there is uneven weight distribution the horse develops compensatory posture and movement which leads to pain and discomfort.

10/04/2023

One of my horse clients out in Horseshoe sent me this today! This horse is a good-size horse. A little long-backed and finer-boned, but still a good -size horse.

When I first started working with him he had poor hoof angles in the rear which caused him to be base narrow which further caused him to stumble quite a bit. He also had a weak topline and his poll was routinely sore due to tension along the superficial dorsal myofascial kinetic line,

We started with getting a different farrier who could address his hooves properly and then got him a better fitting saddle. Due to his lack of quality topline and long back, I suggested riding him in non-interfering, elementary control for several months. The owner was not knowledgeable riding this way, so they found a trainer to help them with that. Riding this way allows a horse to work on balancing itself under a rider better while also balancing the superficial dorsal and ventral myofascia kinetic lines and breaking up fascial adhesions. It also helps create more balanced muscle development. They have moved on to more intermediate control lately (riding with light contact), but this picture was taken with the owner going back and riding him in non-interfering, elementary control over some jumps during their latest lesson with the trainer.

I remember telling the owner that once we got all the pieces of the puzzle worked out this horse would become a monster, meaning he would get bigger with better quality muscles. He looks so different now... rounder, bigger, with an improved topline and he has stopped stumbling which makes his owner feel safer riding him. She would never have thought about jumping him before.

So proud of all they have been accomplishing together!

09/25/2023

Very important information. These deformities can also be caused by things like ill-fitting tack (especially saddles), ulcers, imbalanced teeth, imbalanced rider, injury. It is important to look at all possibilities when addressing these hoof deformities.

How are hoof deformities and conformation linked?

“Hoof deformities depend on horse's conformation and posture and therefore occur in specific patterns.

Recognizing those patterns not only gives us more understanding about the forces being at play and the load distribution over the hoof capsule, but also may help us decide what actions to take when it comes to addressing those deformities.

If you want to learn more about 4 hoof types, here's the link ☺️:

https://thehoofarchitect.blogspot.com/2023/09/demistifying-equine-limb-deformities_21.html?m=1”

Credit to the brilliant The Hoof Architect

Don’t miss our webinar together which I am very excited about, where we will delve into the mysteries of hoof deformities…

https://facebook.com/events/s/new-understandings-in-hoof-mor/3564929467077786/

09/07/2023

A client emailed me pictures today of her out camping with her horse. In the email she said, "I'm camping with Mr. Ned!" This was indeed very exciting news!

When I first met her horse, Mr. Ned, a gorgeous TWH gelding, he dragged his rear feet and would occasionally trip which made his owner nervous while riding him. He was not engaged physically, mentally or emotionally. A happy, healthy horse that is sound and safe to ride requires all the pieces of the puzzle working together, which meant I had to start by first looking at each piece individually.

A common problem here in WNC is horses with dorsal/palmar imbalance, which he had. With larger horses such as Mr. Ned, even a slight imbalance can make a huge difference as it travels up the skeletal system. It causes horses to be base narrow, camped under, and puts tension on the superficial dorsal fascial line. This tension travels along the hamstrings and horses with this problem have overdeveloped, tight hamstring muscles. It also creates soreness in areas of the SI joint, lumbar spine, withers and poll. These horses struggle engaging their hind ends well and will pull themselves along with their front ends and have difficulty developing quality toplines. It can also lead to the tripping this owner was experiencing due to the lack of correct hind end engagement.

So, first thing was to start getting his feet sorted out. It took a while to get connected to the right farrier who could sort Mr. Ned’s hooves out, but that issue did get resolved and he is standing under himself much better, and his rear hooves aren’t so close together anymore. This has helped tremendously! We also needed to look at tack. The owner had several saddles, but none of them supplied the room necessary for Mr. Ned to move freely. A correctly fitted saddle shouldn’t sit on a horses back to where it seems more like it’s sitting in the horse’s back, which I see quite often. It should seem more like it’s floating over the horse so the horse can glide under it while keeping the rider balanced over the horse’s center of gravity and distributing the rider’s weight evenly over the horse’s back. We found a beautiful trail saddle for them that does just that and is working fabulously.

Once things like hooves, tack, dental, nutrition, etc. have been looked at and corrected, if necessary, then it is time for a systematic training/rehabilitative program that is able to work with the horse where it currently is and bring it along to where the horse is able to perform at that horse’s individual, optimal level of movement and soundness. Mr. Ned’s owner contacted a trainer known for being able to do just that. The results of all the pieces of the puzzle working together have been so satisfying! Mr. Ned no longer trips and is engaged physically, mentally and emotionally. Where once it was hard to really get him moving at the walk, he now strides out confidently and does a mind-blowing running walk on a loose rein and simple snaffle. Where once he was withdrawn, he is now eager for attention and affectionate. It has been a pleasure working with this horse and his owner and watching Mr. Ned blossom into an engaged, sound, confident pleasure horse for his owner to enjoy and now go camping with!

09/04/2023

Most poor behavior is pain related. It is helpful to have a check list to go through... are the hooves properly balanced and healthy; has the horse received good dental care recently; is the horse getting a well-balanced diet; has the fit of the tack, saddle and bridle, been checked recently? I was out at a farm last weekend and while the client bridled their horse we learned the young OTTB had grown some and the bridle's browband no longer fit it. A tight browband can press on delicate nerves near the TMJ and create tension and soreness, so bridle fit can be just as important as saddle fit.

07/11/2023

Amen!

There are a lot of horse owners out there who "love" their horses and "show" it by having the best supplements for their horse, fancy, expensive saddle, the latest and best expensive gel or memory foam saddle pads, ergonomic bridle, vet, chiropractor and/or massage therapist on speed dial, yet they can't tell that their horse(s) are suffering due to being overfaced because they are being asked to do things they are not physically, mentally or emotionally ready to do.

Things that can cause a horse to become overfaced are inconsistent or confusing training methods; myo-skeletal imbalance leading to dysfunctional, poor movement and joint and muscle pain; horse not being conditioned properly (this is common with young horses, green horses, and horses coming back into work after a prolonged injury or sickness). Diet is another one. Have you ever seen a horse that is fat and shiny but acts like it is starving all the time and as a result is a pain in the ass to work with because you can't ever seem to get it focused? Often this is a result of a mineral imbalance and the horse is simply starving for certain nutrients its current diet is not providing.

We wouldn't dream of running in a marathon or climbing Mt. Everest without first making sure we were good physically, mentally and emotionally to tackle the challenge. And then we would spend months, possibly even a year or more conditioning and preparing. Yet, I never fail to see horses with painful myo-skeletal imbalances and lack of proper conditioning being ridden up and down steep hills, jumping, being put into a frame for dressage work, all while being given conflicting, inconsistent signals from the riders. These horses try their best and their vets, chiropractors, acupuncturists and massage therapists do their best to prolong the poor horses soundness while the trainer continues to demand more from the horse.

Our horses deserve better.

05/28/2023

An oldie but a goodie 🤪

05/14/2023

This is becoming a theme... what happened to quality horsemanship and when is the equestrian community going to actually do something about it?

04/17/2023

"This conversation stirred up so many interesting responses. The thing that gave me hope was how many people reached out who really want to make changes but just don’t know the path to do it."
https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/glynn-responses-to-viral-post-gave-me-hope/

Here's how... we turn to the people who haven't given up, we turn to the people who refuse to compromise, who refuse to exploit the horses in their care, who refuse to be just like everyone else even when it costs them clients because people think they're too different. How do we do it?... by daring to be different!

04/14/2023

Excellent article!

http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/glynn-responses-to-viral-post-gave-me-hope/?fbclid=IwAR3wM2a7xjqjFYPCAbOKcSbHQKSKGHmHYZ1ESDhu0PAMGekbW_tXD3ie57U

On March 31, as California-based hunter/jumper professional and ‘R’ judge Hope Glynn waited to board a plane at the end of Desert Circuit, she sat down and tapped out her thoughts about the current state of trainer-client relationships, particularly involving juniors, in the hunter/jumper world....

03/28/2023

I was talking about this the other day with a client... you can't just fix one thing since everything is interconnected

03/19/2023

This is catastrophic to the equestrian community at large and the welfare of horses around the world. There are becoming fewer and fewer beacons of true horsemanship as ego and money continue to engulf what little ethics remained.
https://eurodressage.com/2023/03/13/andreas-hausberger-fired-chief-rider-spanish-riding-school-after-forty-years-service?fbclid=IwAR23FqHl6k3Ek3Ux32gDieOJG3moQx2iO4De4UX_fsKzkVksvd7_Ej71GH0

Andras Hausberger, chief rider at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, has been fired effective immediately after forty years of service on 7 March 2023.

03/16/2023

Don't know who wrote this, but it resonates with me because I see it all around me all the time

They all said “relationship first!”
And “I love my boy!”
But the work wasn’t flashy
So they left
It wasn’t winning enough
Or the horse got dirt on his coat
Or his neck got too long
And he didn’t go round
While the base of his neck screamed
And the middle of his back dumped
And the client wrung their hands
“When is he gonna be ready for the show?”
So
Back to the stall
And back to the side reins
Back to a clean coat, miserable mind
Like a living doll, kept up for the owners enjoyment
For the clockwork grooming sessions, lead by a chain to get into the cross ties
A horses heart in trouble
For the sake of progressing the levels
Keeping up with the Jones
A Facebook photo of ribbons
“I love my boy!”
But not enough to do the uncomfortable right
And not enough to give a dignified life that a horse could thrive in
Because in the end he is a possession
A toy
And an extension of the humans ego

They all said “relationship first!”
And “I love my boy!”
But the work wasn’t flashy
So they left

It wasn’t winning enough
Or the horse got dirt on his coat
Or his neck got too long
And he didn’t go round

While the base of his neck screamed
And the middle of his back dumped

And the client wrung their hands
“When is he gonna be ready for the show?”

So
Back to the stall
And back to the side reins
Back to a clean coat, miserable mind
Like a living doll, kept up for the owners enjoyment
For the clockwork grooming sessions, lead by a chain to get into the cross ties

A horses heart in trouble
For the sake of progressing the levels
Keeping up with the Jones
A Facebook photo of ribbons

“I love my boy!”
But not enough to do the uncomfortable right
And not enough to give a dignified life that a horse could thrive in
Because in the end he is a possession
A toy
And an extension of the humans ego

02/12/2023

I'm going to ask a question...

What makes a good farrier?

For me, a good farrier is one who understands that their work does not stop at the knees and hocks. They understand that their work effects the whole horse. A good farrier is not only focused on keeping your horse from gimping around, but understands that their work effects the whole skeletal and myofascial system. They understand that if they do poor work they can make the horse structurally unsound which can have results that don't necessarily appear right away. Results like improper loading of joints, myofascial tension, imbalanced muscle development, along with pain and stress related behavioral problems like bucking, biting, rearing, tail swishing. A good farrier will be just as knowledgeable about whole body equine anatomy as an equine chiropractor or massage therapist. They will attend clinics, seminars, workshops, etc. relating to their scope of practice, as well as those that go outside their scope of immediate practice because they recognize that all the pieces of the puzzle have to work together.

A good farrier should ideally be a good horseman/woman

01/11/2023

Sounds right 🤣

01/11/2023

❤🐴

01/07/2023

My job involves driving around and massaging beautiful horses to make them feel and move better... what a life! Today I had 4 clients out at a beautiful farm in Bryson City. This is Duncan, a yearling RMH, and his buddy, Shimmer, a KMSH mare, chilling out side by side after their bodywork sessions