Journey of Phoenix - The horse everyone gave up on

09/18/2024

𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐎𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲

Equine Osteopathic Dentistry takes understanding the horses WHOLE body mobility into account while "balancing" the dental occlusion of the horse.

Horses erupt tooth throughout their lives however, they ONLY HAVE A LIMITED SUPPLY for a lifetime. Once it's gone it gone.

This fact is incredibly important to understand as Equine Dentistry currently does not have the horses' individuality or long-term wellness at the forefront. Not on purpose but the education and understanding the bodies' entire anatomy, physiology, and mobility lacks. The immediate "sharp points" and "malocclusion" pathologies are identified and removed. The teeth are viewed as structures that need to be symmetrical, visually perfect, and so on. The problem with this is not being able to understand why pathologies and imbalances occur in the first place in the mouth.

Not only "how" we do what we do is important but "why". So many theories and schools of thought exist. Osteopathic Dentistry sets apart the questions and takes into account the entire anatomy, physiology mobility, and more of the horse.

Our goal is to not only improve the balance but identify and work with the cause of the imbalance (which can be anywhere in the body). VERY often nerves and vascularity are affected. This causes behavior concerns, reluctance to the bit, headshaking, adverse reactions when touching ears or pole area, weight concerns, stress, salivation issues, reoccurring areas of tension, reoccurring areas the need "to be adjusted" & more.

We are often asked why our dentist evaluates the entire body prior to addressing the mouth. Simply put "it is all connected, and to be able to effectively address any imbalance, we need to be able to work in your horses individual best interest".

If your interested in Equine Osteopathy or Equine Osteopathic Dentistry reach out, send us a message, call or FB us.

01/19/2024

So many different dimensions explored up to this point. Phoenix is a muse!

Completely different horse.

11/25/2023

09/21/2023

09/08/2023

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=242330072136354&id=100090780892908&mibextid=avESrC

What is relaxation and why is it important when with horses?

Horses’ natural response to uncomfortable situations is to flee and can startle easily. Horses are also very sensitive, and they can feel a human heartbeat 4 feet away. Knowing these things, it is only logical to want a horse in a relaxing atmosphere when interacting with them.

Horses are non-verbal communicators (obviously), but they do talk if you are willing to hear them. They talk through body language. Even very subtle movements are clear communication. Sadly, most only hear loud communication such as pinning ears, kicking, stomping, biting. Imagine how much happier horses would be if they didn’t have to yell so loud. Any parent can understand and relate to this. This goes both ways, such as a rider that has loud aids. Horses are sensitive to touch. How I see it, strong aids are our way of pinning ears, kicking, stomping, and biting at the horse.

If we are willing to be in the moment and listen to the subtle communication, then the horse will in return be willing to listen to the rider’s subtle aids. When I say “subtle” I mean flowing, soft, effortless. It’s being so in the moment, open enough where the conversation is magical. It’s like a faint whisper, a frequency, an intuition. True understanding that is a complete effortless flowing feeling.

If a horse is stressed, annoyed, misunderstood, pushed, feeling off, tired or just having a bad day like us, their body will hold tension. It is our job to help them find relaxation so they can cope with emotions. If they are having trouble, can’t cope, don’t feel listened to or respected, they naturally go into protection. Fight, flight, or freeze. Nothing good comes from this as they cannot use their body correctly. By incorrectly using muscles will create compensation patterns. Horses will sacrifice themselves to please us. It is important for the rider to be educated enough to know the differences and how to create relaxation. If not, over time it will create injury. This usually starts with labeling a behavior then to lameness. Often, this is where a rider loses confidence not only in themselves but also in their horse due to behavior.

In the end, this is truly unfair to both the horse and rider.

So, what if there was an instructor that could help and educate the rider about themselves and horse so they can thrive in true partnership? Someone that could see imbalances whether it was the horse or rider? Able to offer understanding and help to find true relaxation, flow effortlessness, soft connection, true partnership and confidence between horse and rider?

Would you take a lesson?

-Lauren Poteet

08/30/2023

Does your horse need a trim? Are you concerned about lamness, laminitis or founder?

We have some openings to work with our Podiatrist & Anatomy/Physiology Specialists!

Focusing on Rehabilitation and taking on regular clients as well.

Reach out to get on our schedule!

*Located in Chesapeake City*

Trailer in prices slightly less than travel
Trailer in $60 & up
Travel $70 & up

Donkeys & Mules too!

08/29/2023

Frank...
Is a 24ish year old "rescue" OTTB living his life out in a sanctuary. Frank is a shell of a horse and the only emotion he expresses to humans is that of fear learned from pain.

He has acres upon acres of grass to graze on. Unfortunatley, he can no longer process nutrients efficiently to maintain a healthy weight.

Upon examining his mouth, he presented with multiple fractures due to previous trauma. It was also evident that untreated oral bacteria/Infection events caused significant decay and additional fracturing. One of which was in his incisors...decayed and broke into many sharp pieces that caused a huge ulcer. This led to permanent scarring under his lip.

The tooth in this picture is one of the last teeth in his mouth. It came out in hand very easily and unexpectedly. It was extremely sad because he no longer has the dignity of his teeth.

The importance of dental care in horses is so essential. It is not about smoothing every edge or "sharp point" but truly understanding what the individual needs. They have a LIMITED supply of tooth eruption in their life and we MUST treat it with caution and care. Horses develop anomalies in their mouth for a reason. Humans, need to learn this. Floating the teeth due to antiquated ideas or limited education needs to change.

Frank had years of "removing sharp points" through power floating and typical hand "floating".

I will forever carry this tooth with me as a reminder how precious and important Dentistry is to each and every horse.

Each is an individual. Patterns of their body and hooves, show up in their teeth (and vice versa).

Thank you Frank for showing how important this journey is. Your struggle is not without purpose.

08/24/2023

These are incredibly important words....

The degree to which you are able to regulate your own nervous system has a direct impact on your horse's nervous system.
You’ve heard me about this many times, but it’s so incredibly important.

Your horse reacts to your tension and relaxation through co-regulation. This means that your horse's nervus vagus is designed to assess how you feel and adapt to it.

Are you tense? Then you pass this on to your horse. We secretly know that already, but this is HOW it happens.

And how do you influence this? Regulate your own nervous system. Both in your daily life and during your workout.

One of the main ways to regulate your nervous system during your workout is:
👉 Don't cross your own limits in training 👈
As soon as you get into fight/flight/freeze yourself, you can no longer be optimal for your horse and your horse's nervous system takes that energy flawlessly.

How do you do that?

If you feel tension; take smaller steps. How can you break something in a way that feels safe?

Do you ever cross your own boundaries? And do you shoot in fight/flight of freeze?

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=857544499226381&id=100049125173101&mibextid=Nif5oz

De mate waarin je in staat bent om je eigen zenuwstelsel te reguleren, heeft directe impact op het zenuwstelsel van je paard.

Je hebt me er al vaker over gehoord, maar het is zo ongelofelijk belangrijk.

Jouw paard reageert op jouw spanning en ontspanning via co-regulatie. Dat betekent dat de nervus vagus van jouw paard erop is ingesteld om in te schatten hoe jij je voelt en zich daarop aan te passen.

Ben jij gespannen? Dan breng je dit over op je paard. We weten dat stiekem al, maar dit is dus HOE dat gebeurt.

En hoe heb je hier dan invloed op? Reguleer je eigen zenuwstelsel. Zowel in je dagelijkse leven als tijdens je training.

Een van de belangrijkste manieren om je zenuwstelsel te reguleren tijdens je training is:

👉 Niet over je eigen grenzen gaan in de training 👈

Zodra je zelf in fight/flight/freeze komt kun je er niet meer optimaal zijn voor je paard en pikt het zenuwstelsel van je paard feilloos die energie over.

Hoe doe je dat?

Als je spanning voelt; maak kleinere stapjes. Hoe kun je iets opbreken op een manier die wel veilig voelt?

Ga jij wel eens over je eigen grenzen? En schiet je dan in fight/flight of freeze?

07/04/2023

When we learn something new...there is still a process of change that takes place.

Be kind to yourself and allow the process ❤️

06/16/2023

Allowing yourself to reflect and become aware is the first step.

We need to be kind enough to ourselves and acknowledge what we know may not be in the best interest of the horse or ourselves.

Holding on to ideas and convictions hold tension (physically, mentally & emotionally). By opening up our minds and hearts, we either receive natural feedback we are on the right track or... that we need to let go and break a pattern.

Take a deep breath, clear your mind, open your heart and listen...

05/12/2023

Break the mold, be bold, go against the grain!

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

That witticism—is usually attributed to Albert Einstein.

05/01/2023

https://fb.watch/kfWymMnfSs/

03/03/2023

Restoring nature...

03/03/2023

Restoring Nature...

Donkey trim before & after

02/28/2023

Actions speak louder than words

01/07/2023

The least anyone can do is try to tell the world how wonderful you were...

Hercules was laid to rest today. His mighty mini body could no longer contain his huge unicorn spirit any longer. He was over 30 years old.

We brought him home from hell on earth and each and every day has been an ABSOLUTE pleasure. The joyfulness Hercules carried with him 110% of the time was infectious.

From putting his head on your chest gazing up into your eyes, making a mess out of your hair trying to nuzzle, grooming you first to give you the clue he wants scratches, trying to lay down with and on you for scratches to his contagious nicker...no words can sum up Hercules.

He was bigger than life. No matter what the obstacle, he made sure to talk to you telling you how happy he was to see you. Even in the end he couldn't resist a nicker.

We will miss you buddy...

with love, the Hall Family

01/05/2023

"If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."
- J.K. Rowling

01/03/2023

"In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures"
-Wikipedia

Hercules is an older mini who has battled quite a bit since coming to the Hall Farm. He is in his 30's and taught/teaching us just how strong a "will" is....and the beauty of life against all odds.

Hercules's body is slowing down but his spirit hasn't changed one bit. We are supporting him while he goes through one of life's biggest journeys...the circle of life.

Hercules is true to his name ❤️ and a true unicorn.