EmpEq Limited

10/25/2023

I’m going to keep this as short and sweet as possible - due to a recent impaction comic and some other unforeseen financial issues - we could really use donations.

A huge part of the nonprofit’s mission is to be a space where the horses can become their most physically fit, happy and relaxed horses. We want to become a space where rescues and lesson horses look like show horses - but we don’t show because we’re putting that time, money, and energy into finding an opportunity to do good.

Any help to assist in expenses this month, with the hope and effort that next month will be better - would be greatly appreciated.

Pics of Bo during his $1K death tummy ache for attention.

Donations can be made at https://www.empeqhorse.com/donate

10/20/2023

In the horse world, most of us know the saying “no hoof, no horse” - but what does no hoof really look like?

I had a really great owner reach out to me a couple of weeks ago asking for help with a horse she believed had an abcess she needed help with treating. When I got on site, I knew we were likely not dealing with an abcess - but the horse had foundered at least once in the last 4-5 months, and likely was having issues again with the fall grass. We called the vet, who did scans and confirmed that this sweet mare indeed had white line disease and a rotated coffin (pedal) bone, as well as an extremely thin sole.

Horses are so interconnected that if we don’t ask why this event happened - we are bound to repeat it. This horse likely has some sort of insulin resistance, and once her blood work comes back we will get confirmation as to whether she does or not. Our first step in rehabilitating her immediately was to get a farrier who was knowledgeable in corrective trimming.

The structures of the hoof to the naked eye are the hoof wall, the sole, and the frog. Internally, we have a series of bones - with the coffin (pedal) bone running parallel to the hoof wall & sole. Between the bones and wall, there is a connective tissue called the laminae (hence laminitis - the inflammation of the laminae). We tend to think of spring grass being the culprit of a founder episode - but fall founder is also common with temperature/weather fluctuations.

In addition to corrective trimming to help change the angles and pressure at which the horse was walking on the foot with rotation, we also had to treat the white line disease - which likely occurred due to separation from a previous episode, leaving a gap as the hoof grew out to allow for bacteria to enter the sensitive structures of the hoof and cause infection. Scans showed infection was not deep, and as the horse wouldn’t tolerate being soaked - we are treating with B Gone White Line Treatment.

The horse was also put on supplementation to support proper metabolic function, as well as new hoof growth. Low NSC (non structural carbohydrate) hay pellets (Teff hay) were given as a carrier for copper, zinc, and biotin - and water & hay will be tested for iron content, as that can decrease the absorption rate of the copper and zinc (a rate of 4:3:1 is ideal). In addition, application of Durasole on the sole of the hoof to promote toughening is applied daily. The horse has not yet tolerated any boots or padding, therefore footwear with additional cushion has not been able to be applied but is sound without bute.

This process is going to be long - at least a year to get a whole new hoof - and we are going to have to be diligent to make sure that if she truly has some form of insulin resistance, proper care measures are taken to best try to avoid further incident. She presents with other telltale signs of IR such as fatty pockets over her quarters and eyes, and a “cresty” (fatty) neck, so we are preparing to adjust accordingly in her future care.

10/18/2023

Currently offering lessons in the Germantown area.
Horse care, rehabilitation, healthcare and conditioning, riding fundamentals, ownership preparation - the horse comes first.

Limited spots available for:
• beginner lunge line lessons
• intermediate/advanced fundamentals
• ”desensitization” and rehabilitation
• horse care and horsemanship

The philosophy is simple - lessons aren’t just riding, they are meant to prepare each student and their parents for barn independence and horse ownership whether you choose that route or not.

09/27/2023

In therapy today we talked about ‘compassion burnout’. It’s what a lot of vets, health professionals, people in animal rescue and first responders go through. The su***de rates of all of these demographics are on the rise - especially in females.
It’s not about helping the animals that can go on to a second career, it’s about taking the ones people have failed so miserably that they’re defensive and angry, skin and bones or metabolic issues, and in need of quality care and rehabilitation.
The horse industry relies heavily on rescues and retirement homes once horses are considered no longer useable - and a lot of us are working with extremely limited resources to exist. We rely on donations, and when donations aren’t there we pick up second or third jobs.
We love what we do - but we can’t do it alone.
Noëlle Floyd thank you for these conversations💕

09/14/2023

** EVENT RESCHEDULED; DATE TBD**

Due to some recent events, unfortunately we do have to reschedule for an unscheduled date in the future. We apologize for any inconvenience, and hope to get this event moving forward in the future soon!

Original post: This event has been a long time in the making - but we are proud to announce our first clinic!
Join us for a discussion on Legal issues in the equine industry, with Rebecca Skeeles & Eric Tapp.
Whether you or a child are in lessons, wanting to pursue working student opportunities, begin to develop yourself as a tradesperson in the equine industry, or are even already in the industry as a current business owner - we will be talking about laws & liabilities in the equine industry, and how to best protect yourself in various aspects of the equine industry.

08/28/2023

Annually, around 200,000 horses are in need of a home - with numbers close to 20,000 being shipped to slaughter in Canada or Mexico.
On average, a horse costs around $3500 to care for annually - in addition to approximately 1/2 - 1 hours of care daily at minimum, without medical or training rehabilitation.

Please consider donating to help expand rescue & rehabilitation efforts for current horses, as well as helping educate students & the public on how to help prevent less need for rescue & rehabilitation efforts.

Thank you!

Hey everyone! My name is Erin. I’ve been in the horse industry for about a decade, and founded EmpEq Limit… Erin Shaw needs your support for Build a facility

08/26/2023

In lessons, the horse is an athlete and deserves to be treated as such.

Really lucky at this point to have clients who accept when my answer is ‘no’ when they wanna do sport horsey things with a horse that they don’t own.
You wanna jump? Or barrel race?

Okay well first you’re gonna learn how to carry yourself. Then you’re gonna have to develop an independent and working seat, and relaxed and following elbows. Because I can guarantee you, if you can’t find those things and go straight to faster and sportier - you’ll increase your chances of an accident (not to mention RIP to my horse’s spinal cord).

You’re also gonna learn what sports do to the horses body. You’re gonna talk to owners who’ve spent thousands of dollars rehabbing a lower leg injury, what vet appointments look like experience wise and financially.
You’re gonna pay extra for supplements, chiropractor, and bodywork, and therapies.
You’re gonna come to the barn for light training sessions for your horses benefit in addition to lessons that are helping you do fun sporty things.
You’re gonna learn how and when to to wrap, soak, ice, apply meds and all the other critical thinking skills that even I’m still learning - to preserve the horse as an athlete.

As a business person, idk who came up with the lesson industry model but I swear we have to reframe it. We have got to educate consumers better on their risks of injury from rushing to get to the fun stuff - not just for them, but for the horse as well.
We have an industry full of last generations lesson kids who - if I’m giving the benefit of the doubt - didn’t learn the importance of the integrity of the sport. If I’m being realistic, I’ve met too many industry people who don’t care. They’ll throw away a lesson horse the second it becomes unsound and unprofitable, lying through their teeth in a “through no fault of their own” add, while praying the potential new owner isn’t smart enough or doesn’t want to spend the money for a vet check.

All this to come to this point: the lesson industry as a business model needs to do better for students and horses. And as business owners, we can do better by having honest conversations like this with our clients - being transparent about the realities of trying to run a sustainable business with horses. Its been my experience that if I sit down and have these conversations, they’re more likely to participate in barn chores. They’re more likely to pay a little extra. They’re more likely to be happier readjusting their expectations because they understand that at the end of the day - I need to be able to live, but also make sure my horses are well taken care of, and my students are safe and learning as much as they can, the right way.

BY NICOLE BRIAN If you look at professional human athletes, you will see that they have practices to stay in proper shape. They do certain therapies after each workout to help their body recover and prepare for the next practice or game.  Let’s talk about baseball players. They have planned out s...