Spotted Horse Bit Fittings and Massage

11/22/2024

You can’t fully “rule out pain” in horses.

Horses are complicated. They are prey animals. If you truly have ruled out all pain, show me your magic.

I urge anyone who works with horses to look up the signs of pain and the “pain face.”

You can run all the tests, scans, diagnostic work, and lameness evaluations you want, but it’s impossible to rule everything out. I recently had friends attend an educational dissection, where they discovered things that you would have never even thought to look for. You might never realize something is causing pain until you do something to trigger a reaction.

Horses have muscular, skeletal, neurological, digestive, dental, respiratory, lymphatic, and circulatory systems and issues. To put it broadly, there’s more complexity within these larger systems.

Have you ever visited the doctor in pain without finding relief or answers? Think about how many more diagnostic tools are available for us: MRIs, CAT scans, PET scans, blood tests, f***l tests, urinalysis, X-rays, ultrasounds, bone scans, hearing tests, and eye tests. What makes it different for horses? Availability and the ability to communicate. You can tell the doctor, “My stomach hurts,” and they have a good starting point, but your equine companion can’t communicate that to you.

Learn to recognize equine pain signs and do not ignore them. You are allowed to tell your vet, bodyworker, osteopath, or TCM practitioner, “I don’t know what’s wrong, but something is a little off.” There is NOTHING wrong with that.

You can’t just “ride your horse through the pain.” It’s not fair to them. They are always trying to communicate with us. It is our responsibility, as anyone who interacts with horses, to pay attention, advocate, and respond accordingly.

Daily pain is not normal. Behavioral and dangerous issues are not something that should happen normally. Ignoring these signs should not be normal.

Don’t go thinking your horse and all horses are in pain now. Take the time to learn the signs and educate yourself. I have seen and worked on plenty of horses who have easy job or hard jobs who are happy healthy and content. It is possible and not as hard as you think.

11/21/2024

Never heard of this exercise!

“As the horse coordinates his limbs to abduct and straddle the pole, he releases tension from his bottom muscle chain. He also activates the deep hip stabilizing muscles, which play a cybernetic role communicating to the brain about a limb’s position and tonicity.

1. Place a single pole on flat ground. Ideally, the pole should be 10 to 12 feet in length.
2. Lead your horse to approach the pole straight from one end.
3. Pause briefly for a second or two to ensure your horse is listening well and not rushing.
4. Now very gently, one tiny step at a time, lead him forward with the pole under his midline.
5. Stop when he is fully straddling the pole and give him a pause to settle in that position.
6. Now ask him to take one step backwards, continuing to straddle the pole. Then bring him one step forward again.
7. Continue this motion of stepping him backwards and forwards while straddling the pole.”

By Jec Aristotle Ballou from her article “Building Stronger Horses: Stability Before Strength” www.horsejournals.com/riding-training/english/dressage/building-stronger-horses

This exercise is much more challenging than it looks and sounds, so I will often just start with the front legs only and have the horse stand relaxed with no back and forward walking when introducing this exercise for the first few times.

JAG Khasanova “Khody” practicing the straddle the pole exercise. 💪 Photo by Jessica Ann Designs

11/21/2024

Bit check! Here’s the bit and the description. Can you write a more accurate description and include it’s biomechanics

Bar H Equine Horse Bit: This is Bar H Equine’s stunning Snaffle Bit. It has a size mouthpiece of 5 inches. These walking horse bits are beneficial for every horse.
FEATURES: This horse bit has the Excellent control ability, suitable for horse racing training and daily outdoor riding. This horse bit is ideal because the pressure is evenly distributed on the nose, bars, corners of the mouth, curb, and poll. A great western horse bit for training, flat work, hacking, jumping, faster work, and a great all-around bit. FRIENDLY to HORSE: This training horse bit is a shaped mouthpiece to relieve tongue pressure on horses that have large tongues and horses that have evasion to tongue pressure, relieving the pressure can result in softening in the mouth and a more responsive horse in terms of listening. This stainless steel horse bit provides a peaceful and comfortable walking and jumping to your horse. Horse bit provides entertainment for a busy horse and promotes salivation.

This just goes to show that deceptions of bits are often wrong. Can’t wait to see your evaluations!

11/19/2024

Great example clip I got during a bit fitting with Lowcountry Equine Massage, LLC

The baucher DOES NOT apply poll pressure!

It sure seems like it would but the lovely Biggie here demonstrated that it doesn’t with my one ear headstall you can see how much it takes pressure off the facial nerves and the poll! Great option for many horses.

11/18/2024

Wonderful weekend in Charlston with some old clients and some new.

Also met Caroline Kosh who I met doing a bit fitting at another barn about year ago now. She owns Lowcountry Equine Massage, LLC so I got to work with her horse and talk body working which is always fun 🤩

11/14/2024

How many rules are you willing to break?

Are you able to get outside of the little prison you made for yourself? The little prison that keeps you stuck. Stuck on anxious ruminations that never go anywhere. Round and around and around. Stuck on reasons why you shouldn't try. Stuck on fear to make a choice. Stuck on a belief that tells you, that you cannot, that you shouldn't. That you are wrong.

To get unstuck you need to be willing to break some rules. Be willing to look weird (to others). To have people become intrusively nosey about what you're doing. Have sticky beaks get in your business and ask invasive and inappropriate questions about you and your choices. You will need the resilience to stand in the face of the status quo, and be "Othered".

If you have never, until now, been An Other, I would like to speak to you directly now. I speak to you directly as a person who has lived in various degrees of Otherness all my life. Sure, there's plenty of me that camouflages. Plenty of me that fits in too. But when it really came down to it, I have lived my life by the awareness that I was only "Tolerated" by those around me. People let me know that I should feel lucky to be listened to by them. That I am An Other. And they only deign to pretend I exist when it serves them. And never as an equal. I developed a sensitive detection for this. And now put a lot of effort into distancing or protecting myself from those who feel like integration with Lockie is their social-good-deed to The Others for the year.

But the paradox with horses is this: if you want to treat horses selflessly, kindly, altruistically, you are going to be One Of The Others. Everywhere you go.

It is not common place, or status quo to be kind to horses. It is accepted however to
- ride their bodies too young, to great detriment to their health.
- separate them from all social interaction, despite abundance of resources that they are fundamentally social animals that suffer when isolated
- To ridicule and make fun of horses, while also using them for our own fun, sport or financial gain
- To throw them away when they are not useful anymore
- To escalate pressure until you get what you want- always.
- To never hesitate to use pain to control them

etc.

If you choose to no longer identify with above practices, and more of their ilk, you will now be considered An Other. A weirdo. A Strange Person. A Confusing Entity. A Not One Of Us.

You will eventually, somewhere, be socially rejected. And horses have taught us that nothing is more damaging to a social animal than social rejection.

So, it is in situations like this, where (often against your will) you will need to ask a Weirdo; "What do I do now?".

This is why I am busy at this moment in time. Waves upon waves of horse people walking away from systems of abuse and their first step is often to ask the weirdo, what to do now.

What do I reply with?

Invariably, know yourself. Know your horse. It starts there.

11/12/2024

Have you wanted to get your horse bodywork but are skeptical? Do you have questions? Do you just want to talk to a bodyworker before you hire them to make sure they know what they’re talking about?

I’m going to offer some free discovery phone calls for people who just aren’t sure they want to spend the money and have me come out.

It gives you the opportunity to see and hear how I can or can’t help (because I don’t know everything, and it gives me the opportunity to refer you to someone who could help you more)

But it also gives me the opportunity to explain how I can help, educate yourself about your own horse, and gives you peace of mind.

11/12/2024

Just because the pros do it or use it doesn’t make it right.

You will see a lot of things professionals do and think “hey it works for them” and may want to try it. Make sure you do your research on the biomechanics of horses (or bit mechanics) before you try new things. Many “trends” you see can be detrimental to your horses.

My general rule for bits if it promises something like “lift, shoulder control, gets them to use their hind end” etc. don’t use it. Bits can’t do that. Ask your friendly neighborhood bit fitter what they think if you’re having trouble researching. I am ALWAYS available if you send me a photo.

For lunging aids or equipment for riding here’s my other rule. If it restricts the head or neck in any way, don’t use it. You’ll be creating compensation patterns and not correct movement.

11/10/2024

Booking for bodywork and bit fittings into the new year!
Services offered
- head to tail bodywork
- craniosacral therapy ( working on the nervous system and not muscles)
- bit fitting (ridden) and bit rentals

Included in massage:
- red light therapy
- CST (as needed)
- aromatherapy
- balance pads
- postural evaluation and static posture exercises

I travel around SC and GA! Prices are below
Bodywork 1 hour+ - $85
Bit fitting 1 hour + - $90

11/10/2024

Sunday bit check!
What are the pros and cons of the bit pictured?
How would you change it to improve it?
How does it mechanically function in the horses mouth?

11/08/2024

In honor of Perry’s birthday today I’m going to announce that I’m going to be offering gift cards for Christmas!
For both bit fitting as well as bodywork! To be redeemed at any time during 2024 or 2025!

My prices are listed in the pinned post as always 😊

Alternatively, if you’d like to gift a kid a “lesson on massage” (or bit fitting) I am happy to offer a trade in instead of a massage so they can massage on their own!

11/06/2024

Rocky enjoying some relaxation Sea Island Stables

Some light effleurage and red lights ♥️

11/05/2024

I don’t know everything I want to know. And that’s OK 😃
Thank you Kim Hallin for a wonderful day of self exploration and transformation.

11/03/2024

Que releasing during a some CST during his massage

11/03/2024

Martini 🍸 enjoying some red light post massage today.

11/02/2024

The long-awaited transformation: The first three photos were taken in July, showcasing Perry on a forage-based diet that included grain. The remaining images reflect his current state on a fully forage diet.

At nearly 15 years old, Perry developed asthma, leaving me feeling hopeless. With no effective root cause treatments available, my only option was to manage his symptoms. Determined to help him find long term comfort,.

I began collaborating with a highly recommended nutritionist who recognized the importance of an anti-inflammatory, species-appropriate diet. The results have been remarkable—Perry has truly blossomed.