BraveHooves

BraveHooves I help clients improve their horses' lives by building a deeper relationship via bodywork & lessons. I am also an independent distributor for BEMER.

The practitioner behind the scenes; Bethany Carlson

My passion for animals began by spending summers on my grandfather's ranch in western Nebraska. This is where I was first introduced to horses and where I learned to ride. My deep love of animals continued to grow throughout childhood and followed me into my college career. I have an Associate's degree in Business Management through Post Univers

ity as well as an Associate's degree in Equine Science through SUNY Morrisville. At Morrisville, I studied numerous equine classes, including training, nutrition, and rehabilitation. I then proceeded to become certified in the Amassage Method as an Equine Massage Therapist through the School of Midwest Natural Healing for Animals (MNHA). I offer all-inclusive bodywork sessions that meet the horse and the human where they are at. I have been teaching horse lessons for 11 years and am excited to now offer lessons with a Soulful Horsemanship lens that prioritizes honoring the horse first and foremost. All lessons have a focus on the whole horse and learning the basics of care and communication. You can come learn with my horses or I can help you get more connected with your own horse. I specialize in beginner lessons for all ages with an emphasis on maintaining a low pressure environment. Helping clients find the right horse or find the right home for their horse is another service offered by BraveHooves. I have helped many friends and family with the process of buying and selling horses. I am now pleased to offer this service to the public. Please reach out with any questions.

Winter is the timeto balance yourself withinBecome what you needso that you can continueto impact those on your path ❄️ ...
12/01/2023

Winter is the time
to balance yourself within
Become what you need
so that you can continue
to impact those on your path ❄️

*I'm dedicating the next few months to intentional presence and this page will be inactive until spring. Talk to you in May*

Urgent issues should be addressed via email or text. [email protected] (906)202-3808.

Yay! The snow is here ❄️❤️❄️ What is your favorite part about winter with horses? ❄️I love taking them for walks through...
11/29/2023

Yay! The snow is here ❄️❤️❄️
What is your favorite part about winter with horses?

❄️I love taking them for walks through fresh fluffy snow, on crisp, quiet days.
❄️I love watching them frolic in the big pasture, now that the high fall sugar grasses are covered and safe.
❄️I love doing chores by moonlight, hearing the crunch and squeak of the cold snow under my boots.
❄️I love spending time with the herd and admiring the impeccable starry nights as hot clouds of breath escape from their fuzzy noses.
❄️I love calling forth a new team of muscles to pull sleds and let the wheelbarrow pushing muscles rest.

Sure, winter with horses is hard work, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy it 😊❄️🐴

This is the first time Bemer has held a Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale. The horse set is on sale!! I am a Bemer distribu...
11/22/2023

This is the first time Bemer has held a Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale. The horse set is on sale!!

I am a Bemer distributor and can help guide you through the purchase or answer any questions.

The BEMER has been a game changer for my lesson herd and my bodywork business ✨💜

The magic of mares ✨🐴🪽Leaders of the herdProtectors of the peopleNurturing the youngSteady as the land beneathFree like ...
11/22/2023

The magic of mares ✨🐴🪽

Leaders of the herd
Protectors of the people
Nurturing the young
Steady as the land beneath
Free like the birds above
Each of these mares has transitioned from their Earthly bodies into the greatness of the sky. Losing four incredible mares in the last three years has been exceptionally challenging. My personal herd is now left with one young and eager mare, Ember. I have no doubt that these four are going to be guiding her every step of the way as she evolves and steps into the role of the powerful matriarch that she is destined to be.

My "new" herd gathered together for a meal after the transition of two members yesterday. This photo is special to me be...
11/14/2023

My "new" herd gathered together for a meal after the transition of two members yesterday.
This photo is special to me because it's all of my personally owned horses being social with each other. There are two other horses in the herd, but they are boarders and do not belong to me.

It's like these five are recognizing that there are big spaces to be filled and they're embracing stepping into those roles of leadership and teaching for our collective BraveHooves mission 💞.

We have much to learn, much to teach, and many beings to meet along the way. With Brave Hooves and kind intentions, we look forward to impacting our corner of the industry.

The redheads seem to have an exclusive dinner club. They're consistently dining together off the same hay net.
11/12/2023

The redheads seem to have an exclusive dinner club. They're consistently dining together off the same hay net.

Just a reminder: you are the curator of your social media experience. You can follow or unfollow anything you want. You ...
11/09/2023

Just a reminder: you are the curator of your social media experience.

You can follow or unfollow anything you want. You do not have to interact with each post in your feed. You get to choose what deserves your attention and where you want to spend your energy.

If you're finding yourself stressed, anxious and generally unhappy by your social media experience, begin to curate it differently. (Hint: this applies to your in-person life too).

You want drama? There's plenty to be had.
You want peace and positivity? There's lots of that too!
You want education and new ideas? Go for it!
You want only family and friends? Sure! It's your choice.
You want hobbies and inspiration? Yep, it's out there.

My point is, you get to decide what fills your feed and what you interact with. So curate with intention and build the experience you're after.

If your training methods are not producing successful results, don't immediately switch training tactics. First, check i...
11/07/2023

If your training methods are not producing successful results, don't immediately switch training tactics.
First, check in with your animals' basic needs and your relationship quality with them. There are things that need to be in place prior to successful education.

This leg taping application has been on for TWO WEEKS! It's been rainy and clearly Trinity has been doing typical horse ...
11/06/2023

This leg taping application has been on for TWO WEEKS! It's been rainy and clearly Trinity has been doing typical horse things, like rolling, but the tape is still hanging on.

Fall and winter are a great opportunity to practice taping your horse. Especially with the holidays coming up, people generally get very busy. Take a few minutes, tape your horse and then have peace of mind that you're still doing something good for them even if your schedule won't allow you to spend time exercising or training them for a few days.

Therapy 😌🧘‍♀️
11/03/2023

Therapy 😌🧘‍♀️

The whole herd enjoying some loose hay on a sunny fall day ☀️🍂🍁. From left to right:- Ember, QH/Morgan mare, age 8.- Qui...
11/01/2023

The whole herd enjoying some loose hay on a sunny fall day ☀️🍂🍁.

From left to right:
- Ember, QH/Morgan mare, age 8.
- Quil, Miniature horse gelding, age 5.
- River, QH mare, age 23.
- Jessie, QH mare, age 24.
- Gulliver, Morgan gelding, age 12.
- Trinity, Paint mare, age 19.
- Jackson, Paint gelding, age 15.
- Zeus, Paint gelding, age 17.
- Mowgli, QH cross gelding, age 15.
- Mutt, Longhorn steer, age 8.

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay thirty one ~ I can't believe today is the last day of the challenge! This m...
10/31/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day thirty one ~ I can't believe today is the last day of the challenge! This month flew by.

Application: scar taping

🐴 Participant: Mowgli, gelding, age 15.
📍 Purpose: this criss cross pattern with anchors along the outside can help areas of scar tissue to release tension and heal.
✨ Response: yawn.
🗒️ Note: Mowgli has a large scar in his hamstring area which has led to some muscle loss. In the third picture you can see part of the scar, but a lot of it is hidden by his tail. However, you can definitely notice the difference in muscling from the left to right side.

"making sure you have strong postural muscles to support their joints through range of motion" If you don't have strong ...
10/31/2023

"making sure you have strong postural muscles to support their joints through range of motion"

If you don't have strong postural muscles and good range of motion, you should not be doing athletic activities aimed at strengthening superficial muscles... this goes for horse & human.

Fabulous post from Heart Equine!

Most of the super frustrating soundness issues that people have with their horses is because these animals simply cannot do what they are being asked because their bodies are bound up by tension.

When they are forced to perform and have to work against this tension you have chronic micro damage in the soft tissue. This leads to chronic inflammation and in many cases chronic pain.

Its easy to imagine that this soft tissue tension, these tight muscles, might start to tug on the joints??

What do you do when someone tugs on you?

You brace back so you don’t fall over.

Your horse’s joint does the same, it braces back and in that brace it loses it range of motion.
When it loses range of motion the tissues that keep it stable while moving also lose function.

Once the joint start to fixate from
the brace it physically can no longer move and so neither can the horse.

But we keep asking and the horse in all its compliance finds a way.

He finds a way to swap that lead even if he has to cross canter 3 strides to get there.
He finds a way to hurl his body over the jump even if he has to almost hit the right standard since he only can jump off the left leg.
He finds a way until he can no longer …
Until the mind and body are broken - and those are the good ones 🧡

We stall rest and hand walk mindlessly counting the weeks of this or that activity until it’s time to go back

But what about the bad biomechanics that got us there ? That lower neck still overdeveloped, the topline hollow and the horse still cannot get the hind legs into full extension because no one ever bothered to address the hip biomechanics or why the psoas muscle is still so tight?

You did pole exercises? With unstable hips did that help the range of motion or increase the brace ??

If you try to do athletic activity without good range of motion in your joints you will always be working against a brace

That brace not only limits potential but it also prevents the joints from developing the support that they need to be stable

Unstable joints are sore, inflamed and develop osteoarthritis. They will respond BRIEFLY to joint injections but PRO TIP - the injections will only last if you can get the joint stabilized

Good sound athletes have good biomechanics
Address your biomechanics by making sure you have strong postural muscles to support your joints THROUGH their range of motion

( and I am not talking equiband because those FURTHER decrease ROM especially when you have bad biomechanics !! )

Anyone CAN IMPROVE their biomechanics !!!!

Sometimes you have to strip down the braced muscles to be able to mobilize the joints enough to make a change.

Sometimes you have to learn horsemanship so your horse doesn’t brace just because it’s around a human

Sometimes you find yourself like me on a 3 year journey learning about all the origins and help for the horse with too much tension in the system

This should be the primary focus of lameness rehab- resolving the instability in the joints to remove the brace to remove the tension to remove to inflammation and pain.

It’s simple not easy

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay thirty Application: decompression star over hind end. 🐴 Participant: Quil, ...
10/30/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day thirty

Application: decompression star over hind end.

🐴 Participant: Quil, gelding, age 5.
📍 Purpose: multiple layers of tape help target an area. This one is helpful for SI discomfort.
✨ Response: several head shakes.
🗒️Note: I was planning on practicing a stifle sling taping today. Yesterday I ran out of the tape that I typically use, so I picked some up at a local sports store today. I didn't realize that the roll I got was perforated into short strips. I shifted gears and did this decompression taping instead!

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay twenty nineApplication: two short te****le pieces over the forehead. 🐴 Part...
10/29/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day twenty nine

Application: two short te****le pieces over the forehead.

🐴 Participant: Jackson, gelding, age 15.
📍 Purpose: to reduce myofascial tension and swelling. Jackson has a fractured skull and a large bumpy area on his face. This application was put over that area to assist in healing.
✨ Response: lick and chew
🗒️Note: next time I'll go with thinner strips for this application and be more specific about the angle to get a better balanced application.

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay twenty eightApplication: girth area🐴 Participant: River, mare, age 23.📍 Pur...
10/29/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day twenty eight

Application: girth area

🐴 Participant: River, mare, age 23.
📍 Purpose: to ease tension of the surrounding fascia and muscles; namely the thoracic serratus ventralis and the ascending pectoral.
✨ Response: lick and chew.
🗒️Note: I was playing around with different placement of each te****le strip. On the other side, I placed the strips further apart and a bit lower to cover more of the girth area.

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay twenty sevenApplication: bilateral shoulder taping with focus on the tricep...
10/27/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day twenty seven

Application: bilateral shoulder taping with focus on the triceps.

🐴 Participant: Ember, mare, age 8.
📍 Purpose: reduce tension in the triceps and deltoid.
✨ Response: lick and chew after each side was applied.
🗒️Note: can you tell pink is the only color tape I have available currently?! 🩷

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay twenty sixApplication: tendon support. 🐴 Participant: Quil, age 5. 📍 Purpos...
10/27/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day twenty six

Application: tendon support.

🐴 Participant: Quil, age 5.
📍 Purpose: to support the suspensory or/and the deep digital flexor tendon.
✨ Response: none, potentially because this application isn't one he needed, just one I was practicing.
🗒️Note: I forgot to round the corner on the lateral I strip. Rounding the edges allows the tape to stick longer. Also, this application can be done with or without the vertical I strips, depending on the goal. If DDFT is the main goal then multiple strips overlapping the fetlock is recommended. Here I did two fetlock strips and two vertical strips for generalized support.

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay twenty fiveApplication: double fan over the tensor fascia latae, biceps fem...
10/25/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day twenty five

Application: double fan over the tensor fascia latae, biceps femoris and partially on the glutes.

🐴 Horse Participant: Mowgli, gelding, age 15.
📍 Purpose: to aid in fascia release and improve circulation.
✨ Response: yawn.

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay twenty fourApplication: lymphatic drainage of the upper leg and knee. 🐴 Par...
10/24/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day twenty four

Application: lymphatic drainage of the upper leg and knee.

🐴 Participant: Trinity, mare, age 18.
📍 Purpose: this application is started high on the shoulder to ensure that it's interacting with the lymphocenter that is responsible for lymphatic drainage and fluid movement throughout the front end. The criss cross pattern helps with reducing swelling. The three horizontal anchors help to keep the tape on longer.
✨ Response: lick and chew.

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay twenty threeApplication: cross back with additional thoracic and lumbar sup...
10/24/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day twenty three

Application: cross back with additional thoracic and lumbar support.

🐴 Participant: Gulliver, gelding, age 12.
📍 Purpose: this taping is good for general wellness as it covers a lot of area and hits some myofascial lines, but it targets back muscle groups, as well as the glutes.
✨ Response: yawn and head lower.

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay twenty twoApplication: hamstrings🐴 Participant: Sam, mare, age 11. 📍 Purpos...
10/23/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day twenty two

Application: hamstrings

🐴 Participant: Sam, mare, age 11.
📍 Purpose: relax tension in muscle and fascia to help ease any pain.
✨ Response: none because it was the end of her session and she was busy eating.

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay twenty oneApplication: lower back and glutes🐴 Participant: Jessie, mare, ag...
10/21/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day twenty one

Application: lower back and glutes

🐴 Participant: Jessie, mare, age 24.
📍 Purpose: pain relief for a sore lower back.
✨ Response: multiple yawns.

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay twentyApplication: 4 inch tape over the infraspinatus muscle 🐴 Participant:...
10/21/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day twenty

Application: 4 inch tape over the infraspinatus muscle

🐴 Participant: River, mare, age 23.
📍 Purpose: relax the muscle and fascia to help relieve pain and tension.
✨ Response: head shake.

A LETTER TO MY CLIENTS: Hey all you lovely humans, This is just a reminder that I am still in the equine bodywork busine...
10/20/2023

A LETTER TO MY CLIENTS:

Hey all you lovely humans,

This is just a reminder that I am still in the equine bodywork business (and I still plan to return to lessons). However for the following 6 months I'm going to continue focusing on my healing hiatus and allow myself time to do what I need right now.

➡️ If you need your horse seen before winter ⬅️

- I'm happy to open up a limited schedule over the next few weeks. Contact me if you want to book a session.

I can also refer you to other therapists, if you prefer.
If they can wait until spring, I'll catch up with you then. Remember, that even though I'm limiting in-person appointments, you can still reach out via email, text or Messenger to get assistance with any questions you have until I return to a full schedule. Many concerns can be alleviated long distance.
🗒️ [email protected]
☎️ (906) 202-3808

✨✨✨ P.S. ✨✨✨ ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
I implore you to reflect on your own self-care. I don't mean rewarding yourself with yummy treats and shopping sprees, though a balance of that is important too. I mean your day to day self-care; your baseline for a healthy you.

In a nutshell this should look like good nutrition, healthy movement, and proactive stress management through mental wellness.

Don't lie to yourself and say you don't have time. The truth is you're not prioritizing yourself and your health. The 'why' usually has a lot less to do with time and a lot more to do with conversations you should have with a mental health professional. Things like not feeling worthy or good enough, self-sabotage, putting every single person before yourself, emotional neglect, and overwhelm all play a huge role in poor self-care.
I'm not judging, I'm here, in the thick of it, making an honest effort to prioritize me. You know that saying 'if you don't make time for wellness, you will have no choice but to make time for illness', well it's true.
If it's not enough for you to be healthy for you, then do it for your horse. The level of horsemanship and care you'll be able to unlock with a great health routine will be immensely worth it. Not to mention your human - human relationships will flourish as well. So just put your damn self first already.
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

I appreciate each and every one of you as clients and I promise this time off will absolutely be worth it to you and, more importantly, to your horse.

Thanks for being you and for being here.

Your local equine therapist,
Bethany Carlson

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay nineteenApplication: forearm🐴 Participant: River, mare, age 23.📍 Purpose: p...
10/19/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day nineteen

Application: forearm

🐴 Participant: River, mare, age 23.
📍 Purpose: provide muscle relaxation through the forearm. This area gets a lot of stress because horses spend most of their time standing, meaning their leg muscles are almost always working to some degree.
✨ Response: yawn.

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay eighteenToday's taping session was a little wonky. I was originally going o...
10/19/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day eighteen

Today's taping session was a little wonky. I was originally going out to tape Gulliver but Quil volunteered as tribute instead, so I just shifted gears. Since I already had cut the tape in the barn ( for Gulliver), my application size was a bit off and I had to tie the halter to make it functional, but nonetheless we got through the mini session. Quil was very calm and patient the whole time, even putting up with his forelock in a ponytail to keep it out of my way while taping 😆.

Application: forehead, through poll into upper neck + TMJ with branching te****les.

🐴 Participant: Quil, gelding, age 5.
📍 Purpose: relief of tension in the face, head and upper neck and surrounding fascia. This area has a lot going on (muscle attachments, nerves, nuchal ligament, occiput). It's really common for there to be restriction and pain here.
✨ Response: lick and chew & head shake.

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay seventeenApplication: fetlock🐴 Participant: Jessie, mare, age 24. 📍 Purpose...
10/17/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day seventeen

Application: fetlock

🐴 Participant: Jessie, mare, age 24.
📍 Purpose: fetlock and surrounding tendon support.
✨ Response: lick & chew and big sigh.

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay sixteenApplication: 4 inch tape, pelvic x.🐴 Participant: Zeus, gelding, age...
10/16/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day sixteen

Application: 4 inch tape, pelvic x.

🐴 Participant: Zeus, gelding, age 17.
📍 Purpose: release of tension in the gluteal muscles and the surrounding pelvic fascia.
✨ Response: yawn.

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDays fourteen & fifteen (because I forgot to post yesterday)!Application 14: Co...
10/16/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Days fourteen & fifteen (because I forgot to post yesterday)!

Application 14: Coronet band taping on all four hooves.
🐴 Participant: Trinity, mare, age 18.
📍 Purpose: increased circulation.
✨ Response: lick and chew.

Application 15: supraspinatus shoulder taping.
🐴 Participant: Mowgli, gelding, age 15.
📍 Purpose: release tension in the shoulder girdle area.
✨ Response: head shake and yawn.

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay thirteenApplication: 2 inch bilateral back application with an added 4 inch...
10/13/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day thirteen

Application: 2 inch bilateral back application with an added 4 inch strip across the lower back. (The pink star is a few days old).

🐴 Participant: River, mare, age 23.
📍 Purpose: whole body wellness with extra support in the lumbar to ease heat cycle symptoms.
✨ Response: multiple lick and chews and a softer eye.

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay twelveApplication: bilateral hamstring🐴Participant: Gulliver, gelding, age ...
10/13/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day twelve

Application: bilateral hamstring

🐴Participant: Gulliver, gelding, age 12.
📍 Purpose: to help ease tension in the hamstring muscles and fascia, subsequently relieving nerve pain.
✨ Response: lick and chew.
🗒️Note: I spy Freda the barn kitten ..

The only constant is change. Being able to adapt to change smoothly can be directly related to your overall stress level...
10/11/2023

The only constant is change. Being able to adapt to change smoothly can be directly related to your overall stress level which is closely linked to your long-term and overall health.

The same is true for your horse.....except for..... they don't get total control over their ability to adapt to change. We manage ourselves and therefore we manage our ability to adapt to change. Our horses don't have the luxury of managing themselves, we manage them.
We manage their environment.
We manage their diet content and access.
We manage who their herd companions are.
We manage their exercise regimens.

We manage the things that relate to their ability to handle stress and adapt to change.

It's our responsibility to set them up for success to the best of our knowledge and capabilities. I could elaborate on several diverse and controversial topics from here, but instead I'm going to focus on one.

ACCESS TO FORAGE.

I used to feed 2 flakes per horse, twice a day. Now, I don't feed by the flake. I feed with the intent of supplying a constant, or very near constant supply of forage. Let's be honest, I'm not perfect and sometimes my horses run out of hay. I try very hard to not allow that to become a pattern though.

Having a continuous supply of forage means that the herd is happier. They feel less stress and excitement at feeding time because they are not anxious about their next meal. Sure, sometimes ears still get thrown in the direction of one another, but as a whole, they are much calmer.
They are happier partners for their humans because they have full bellies and a much lower risk of ulcers, which means less pain all around.
They don't have to find as many creative ways to entertain themselves because they are less bored when they have something to munch on all the time.

Providing them with this type of forage access is more work for me, but no one gets into horses because they want to do "less work" 😂. Normally, I provide them with slow feed hay nets to ensure their hay lasts longer. This requires me to have one more feeding station than there are animals, for me that means 10 feed stations need to be kept full each day. Hay nets have worked well for this with a typical once a day feeding routine to swap out the nearly empty nets for full nets.

If you notice the pictures below, they're not eating out of nets. Remember earlier when I talked about how we manage their ability to adapt to stress? Well this is an example of that. I could continue to feed them out of hay nets because that's our normal routine....but it's been pouring rain for the last week!

Feed them inside you say? My horses live with an open shelter concept. Meaning, they don't have individual stalls. They all share a big space. *Yes, I have the ability to isolate a shelter space should anyone need stall rest or separation, but that's not the point of this post.* If I hung their hay nets inside on wet, rainy days I would be opening them up to the opportunity for double resource guarding because now the shelter and the food are a package deal. That would cause more stress and competition to the herd because the food would not be separated very far apart and those herd members who like personal space during meals would feel threatened.

* On very awful, nasty weather days I will put a few food options inside, but I'll still have options outside too. This is a rare occasion maybe once or twice a year when they absolutely do not want to go outside. *

Instead of feeding inside, I feed loose hay + hay nets on lousy weather days. Especially if that rainy, snowy, or windy weather is paired with lower temperatures. Forage is what keeps a horse warm. If they are forced by their environment to only be able to eat very slowly out of nets on these days, then they are more likely to get cold. Supplying loose hay and nets allows them to fill their bellies as much as they need to get the furnace going, then they can graze the nets to maintain heat and keep hunger at bay. On very cold days, my feeding routine turns into feeding an abundance of loose hay twice per day and hay nets once per day.

Don't they get fat?
While at this moment a few of my horses are overweight, it has more to do with their lack of exercise (due to some current life details) than their access to forage. When they have constant forage and adequate exercise, they maintain a healthy weight. If they need to be athlete-level fit, I don't cut back on their forage. Instead I increase their exercise.
Also, when providing constant forage, not all of it needs to be of high nutritional content. Having a mix of hay that's higher in fiber can allow for more consumption without unwanted weight gain.

Lastly, I'd like to add that most horses monitor and maintain their weights very well on a full access diet. Once they adjust to it, they no longer feel the need to quickly devour the forage in front of them. It becomes a more casual dining experience called grazing 🤠.

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay eleven Application: two split I strips in a mild wave pattern.🐴 Participant...
10/11/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day eleven

Application: two split I strips in a mild wave pattern.
🐴 Participant: Trinity, mare, age 18.
📍 Purpose: tension release of neck fascia and muscles.
✨ Response: yawn and soft eye flutters.
🗒️NOTE: I applied when her head was down so that the tape is less likely to pop off while she's eating. This means there is slack in the tape when her head is up, like pictured in the last photo.

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay tenApplication: pelvic/low back decompression star.🐴 Participant: River, ma...
10/11/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day ten

Application: pelvic/low back decompression star.

🐴 Participant: River, mare, age 23.
📍 Purpose: to help ease lower back and SI pain and tension.
✨ Response: multiple lick/chews and yawns.

"You don't get to judge the softness of your hands. Your horse does" Powerful words by Milestone Equestrian.
10/09/2023

"You don't get to judge the softness of your hands. Your horse does"

Powerful words by Milestone Equestrian.

Soft hands don’t seek weapons.

One of the single most common justifications for use of harsh bits or gadgets is “my hands are extremely soft” or “I barely touch the bit!” Or ”I use X harsh bit because it’s actually softer than a nice snaffle since I barely touch it!”

Your hands stop being soft the second you seek to weaponize them. The BELIEF that your hands are soft whilst using harsh and highly aversive equipment is only yours, you didn’t ask, and couldn’t ask, the horse.

First off, let’s discuss hands in general and the simple fact that the vast majority of riders, even decorated upper level riders, are highly likely to be overestimating their softness and underestimating how hard they’re actually pulling on the reins.

Yes, there have actually been rein tension studies featuring upper level professionals and amateur riders alike, all depicting pretty significantly differences in perceived rein pressure versus the actual pressure applied.

What this means is that all of these “soft handed” people using harsh bits are entirely unaware of the degree of pressure they’re actually applying, all while defending their right to use harsh bits with the sole factor often being related to how feather light their hands are.

That aside — the softness of hands is a moot point when the current market of equine products is creating bits with mechanics that are painful at rest and inflate the pressure applied by even the softest cues from the rider. The rider can THINK they’re being soft all while the bit itself amplifies the pressure in the horse’s mouth.

The desire to rush through the steps and force the horse within distance of your goals as quickly as possible will always come at the expense of your horse’s health and happiness but also the expense of a good foundation.

See this photo? The left side is the terrible neck I developed on my OTTB gelding by use of draw reins, bitting up as a means of slowing him down over fences in lieu of training and all in all, prioritizing what was fun for me over what was in the best interest of the horse long term.

Comparatively to the right photo, my rescue gelding, Milo. He has never worn draw reins, has never been ridden in bits harsher than soft snaffles and has been ridden bridleless and bitless often.

His ability to follow soft cues is far beyond that of any horse I tried to train the “quick” way. His ability to build muscle was far superior due to the fact that I wasn’t rushing him and fatiguing him into building the wrong muscles by trying to manufacture a false frame through force.

We cannot ethically use a lot of the quick fix bits and gadgets that are on the market. Many of these products simply shouldn’t exist. They don’t facilitate good training, they’re harmful to the horse and they enable riders in lazy riding practices and lower the amount of empathy we as a community feel towards horses.

So, here’s your reminder that you don’t get to judge the softness of your hands. The horse does. And, as it stands, there’s very little reason to believe horses “like” any bit, much less ones literally created with mechanics intended to force the horse to bend their will earlier due to the high levels of discomfort.

The bit is only as soft as it’s mechanics allow it to be. After that, no matter how soft you try to make your hands, you’re still riding in harsh equipment.

Give your horse the gift of empathy by holding yourself more accountable in the equipment you select and also having the self reflection skills to be honest with yourself about how soft your hands really are.

As soon as those hands seek to be weaponized with harsher mechanics, are they REALLY still soft?

It does not matter if YOU think you’re being soft if your horse doesn’t.
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Find me on my other pages:

Subscribe to my Patreon for behind the scenes, tutorials and training help: http://Patreon.com/sdequus

Check out my new product line: http://amoreequestrian.ca/pages/milestone

Check out my website for my blog, training resources, studies and more: http://milestoneequestrian.ca

Reference Studies:

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=rider+perception+rein&btnG= =gs_qabs&t=1659886067942&u=%23p%3DQF7Mds0a8ykJ

https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/wagac/cep/2017/00000013/00000001/art00002

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159106004242

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787814000355

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787810000626

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/comparative-exercise-physiology/article/abs/fluoroscopic-study-of-oral-behaviours-in-response-to-the-presence-of-a-bit-and-the-effects-of-rein-tension/6DEC594DBD54E56FAF3B55E9EB6AA80A

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/comparative-exercise-physiology/article/abs/fluoroscopic-study-of-oral-behaviours-in-response-to-the-presence-of-a-bit-and-the-effects-of-rein-tension/6DEC594DBD54E56FAF3B55E9EB6AA80A

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challengeDay nineApplication: bilateral hock taping. 🐴 Participant: Jessie, mare, age 24...
10/09/2023

Sozo Equine, LLC October taping challenge
Day nine

Application: bilateral hock taping.

🐴 Participant: Jessie, mare, age 24.
📍 Purpose: joint support for the hocks to help with gait stability.
✨ Response: long yawn and eye roll before going back to eating.

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