Mountain Air Trails and Stable

07/02/2025

07/02/2025

06/30/2025

Group Turnout Part 1: Risks and Benefit

Guess I’m touching on another hot button subject.

When we talk about species-appropriate care, we’re not talking about luxury. We’re talking about proper welfare.

Horses are herd animals. They’re wired to graze, move, and live together. Social bonds help regulate their stress, digestion, rest, and even learning. Taking that away has serious consequences.

But I also hear the other side.

“ Group turnout is too dangerous. My horse could get hurt. I keep them alone for their own safety. “

And honestly, research does show injuries are more likely to happen during group turnout than solo turnout. A 2020 study found that a high percentage of those injuries were tied to fencing problems and space constraints.

Another overlooked factor: Turnout Time

Turnout time itself is a big factor in injury risk. Reduced turnout TIME is linked to an increase in herd-related injuries when horses do go out together but not 24/7. Short, restricted turnout builds up energy and social tension, making incidents more likely when they finally get out. Longer, consistent turnout supports stability, burns off excess energy, and helps prevent these issues.

There are people making these choices because they truly care about their horse's safety.

But there are also plenty more worried about their investment, the pristine coat, the resale value, the next show. For them, a bite mark can feel more important than a horse's mental health.

But lets look at what happens horses who are kept alone:

Lack of herd contact is linked to persistent stress, with effects like elevated immune markers, heart rate disturbances, and stereotypies. Studies have shown individually housed horses have elevated stress markers in their immune system, including higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios, which suggest chronic stress and reduced disease resistance over time.

It might seem like keeping horses alone avoids the risk of bites or kicks, but it trades one kind of risk for another. It’s a risk that’s quieter, hidden, and rooted deep in their bodies and minds.

So yes, injuries can happen when horses live together.

But most of the time, it’s not just about IF they’re turned out together.

It’s about HOW.

Tomorrow, we’ll dive into the biggest piece of this conversation: Herd introductions because studies and research has shown a large majority of injures happen DURING herd introductions and the herd settling period after.

The way we set horses up to meet each other can make all the difference.

06/30/2025

Easy way to remember how the joints work in the neck
How i explain it, and yes i know there is more detail but sometimes to understand stuff you first have to imagine the movement and saying things like dorsoventral, axial rotation, lateral flexion etc can be confusing if you are trying to figure out how can dorsal and ventral be in the same sentence 😃😃🙃🙃

Jaw (Temporomandibular) think if your horse was chewing bubblegum how would they move their jaw, we see so many jaws without the ability to move in most directions yet we never begin at the head, well I do 😃
Ps do not feed your horse bubblegum just use your imagination 😁

Skull and atlas (atlantoocciptal) simply if your horse is nodding up and down or the yes action

Atlas and Axis (atlantoaxial) if your horses head is moving side to side or the no action

C3-C6 the inbetweeners, these are the supporting crowd helping create the movement you see in the other parts except where the articular processes (facet joints) are placed will limit some other movement that other joints can do

C7-T1 the bendy Wendy, when your horse reaches round with its neck to itch or if been trained by a cowboy 😄

Hope this helps
And if i got anything wrong I dont care, its took me all day doing these pics
If you want complicated then I am not the page for you 😃😃😃😃
Ps I did put the Temporohyoid in the first pic but forgot to write about it

06/29/2025

06/28/2025

👍👍👍💕💕💕💕

When we work with horses we must first acknowledge that what we desire in a horse for behaviour is not what nature programmed them to do

When we think of spooky, flighty, wary, reactive horses we often see this as a challenge and while in the wild this horse would probably survive longer than the one that wasn't, in domestication these horses can often get a bit of bit of a raw deal

I watched a thing about horses that were working in the police force and they put heart monitors on them while going through training, now when faced with something they didn't like the horses that spooked actually began lowering their heart rate whereas the horses that quietly walked past kept the high heart rate, if we think of the sympathetic system hits a peak for the parasympathetic to overtake then the quiet horses were actually the more stressed horses

We often think of highly reactive as bad and super quiet as good. For me these are two extremes sides of the same coin and often if we force the horse We can see these two extremes in one session

Now horses do well to fit into our world it will shape their quality of life and often sadly the longevity of their life but I think we should have some admiration for them as the majority of the things we ask them to do goes against their natural instinct,

I always want somewhere in the middle if I am asking a horse to work I do not want a horse that has zoned out (this is not relaxation), neither do I want a horse that is so wired it is oblivious to me
Both of these reactions are extremes think of one that won't be eaten and the other doesn't care anymore

If your horse refuses to do something then we first have to ask the reason why and encourage the horse to be able to find the right answer without reprimand for getting it wrong for the horse will always remember the reprimand more than the task

Don't let ourselves mimic those two extremes we neither want to come across as a lion yet we don't want to come across as a sheep, we simply need to be someone who reassures their horse they won't die if they try

Don't hold your horse in some mystical reverence as you will put to much pressure on them to be something they might not want to be because if they don't meet your emotional needs they may always meet an owner in sadness which may reflect back on their mood, and while they can be a part of making us feel better it's not fair for us to continually dump all our own issues onto them

If we are in continual awe of what they will let us do then we may just be a little more considerate and understanding when they say no

06/26/2025

So important to always keep in mind...

Picture source: Veterinary Anatomy World

06/23/2025

I was listening to a hoof podcast recently. Pete Ramey was talking about some of the boundaries he sets with his clients. He said -- to paraphrase -- if the client won't address the diet and management then he is not going to waste his time or their money because there are cheaper farriers they can fail with. I've been thinking about that a lot this week.

By and large, my clients are awesome. I am grateful for every one of them and I love getting to know them and their horses. Over the years, I have become more willing to walk away when a client is not ready to hear whatever it is. Situations are complex. I believe people do their best most of the time. I'm not always right, which is why I am a huge advocate for getting the vet involved when needed, and also for working as a team with the vet.

Addressing nutrition is tough, especially when clients have been given incorrect information. It's also really hard when horses are sugar sensitive or lacking in essential nutrition and owners don't want to implement the changes required for the horse's welfare.

Clients can get really stuck on horses needing grass, when unfortunately grass can be very harmful to horses with metabolic issues. Sometimes all it takes is the grass the horse can reach through the paddock fence, if the metabolic issue is serious enough. Hand grazing can also be enough to push a horse over the edge if they are already at the edge. What I usually say to clients who tell me that it's no life for the horse without grass is this: if the horse has a metabolic issue and you give them grass, you need to be ready to go through many months of potentially painful laminitis rehab or you need to prepare yourself to put them down if they founder. As horse owners, we all need to weigh these options and consider each horse's situation. The answer may be different for different animals. Laminitis is not necessarily a death sentence. In fact it is often possible to achieve a complete recovery from laminitis! But the horse owner has to be willing to implement the changes required. Of course it is ideal to make these changes before the horse founders, but it's an imperfect world.

Sugar sensitive horses require a diet that is low in starches and sugars. This means tested hay, careful selection of supplements, care taken around treats and extra feeds, etc. Generally it also means no grass or very restricted grass. Honestly, in my opinion, given all of the horses I have seen and worked on who have laminitis, grass is not worth the risk for a sugar sensitive horse. There are lots of ways to enrich their lives that do not involve playing Russian roulette with pasture induced laminitis.

The tougher cases for me are the ones where the horse suffers with low-grade laminitis but does not necessarily rotate or end up in severe pain. I struggle to call this sub clinical laminitis because there are symptoms! In these cases, it can be even tougher to get clients on board with making management changes, because the issue is chronic and less severe than acute laminitis with rotation so it is easier to sweep under the rug for the horse owner. Horses with this sort of low grade laminitis tend to have more subtle signs, such as:

- persistent flaring / capsular rotation
- poor hoof quality
- low grade foot soreness that tends to worsen after trims/shoeing
- thin soles
- Persistently underrun heels on most or all feet that will not correct with added heel and/or sole support
- Heels that don't seem to grow (because the horse is weighting the heel too much because they are avoiding the painful toes)
- cracks and/or seedy toe and white line disease (though these also happen independently of laminitis)
- exaggerated heel first landings, not the healthy type
- Most or all of these issues will often worsen in the summer months when the horse is on grass (or in the case of Cushings/PPID in late summer / early fall)
- slow hoof growth of poor quality, especially in Cushings horses who are not treated with Prascend/Pergolide. No you cannot treat Cushings with diet alone.

Not every nutritional issue is related to sugars. I also see horses suffering with a lack of sufficient protein, outright lack of calories can also be an issue in some cases, zinc and copper deficiencies, selenium deficiency in this area is also significant. It is not sufficient to just feed hay. Most horses do require mineral and vitamin supplementation in order to meet their basic needs. Horses that are lacking in these vitamins and minerals tend to have poor hoof quality, slow growth, I have seen peeling walls, cracking, feet that lack structural integrity without a huge amount of support, feet that wear excessively. I have told more than one client that they can either pay for a quality supplement or they can pay me for all of the extra support I will have to add to their shoe packages to keep their horses feet from collapsing. Even with that extra support these cases tend to be a losing battle until clients get on board with nutrition and management.

Again, I am reminded of what Pete Ramey said in that podcast: there are cheaper farriers you can fail with. I have a limited amount of time and although making money matters to me because that's how life works, there are much easier ways to make money. I do this job because I want to solve puzzles and help horses, so if the owner is not on board, I won't fight it. I used to, but I won't do it anymore, because it is a waste of energy that can be better spent elsewhere. I would prefer to spend my time solving puzzles where all of the pieces are available to me because that is the way I can help the most horses and solve the most puzzles ⭐️

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The usual commenting policy applies on this article. Honest questions and curious, open commentary are always welcome. You don't have to agree with me to have a safe place here to share your thoughts. You do, however, have to share them respectfully if you would like to continue to be welcome here. Snark of any description will not be tolerated and will result in an immediate delete and ban. Thank you 😊

I will also add that comments that promote harmful and incorrect information about laminitis will be deleted. There is a lot of misinformation going around right now and I don't want to turn this post into a platform for that misinformation because that misinformation is harming horses and I do not want that on my conscience. I have already deleted some of those comments and I will continue to do so. The fact that laminitis can be and most often is caused by metabolic disfunction is not up for debate here. There is a fine line between encouraging open discussion and letting my page turn into a circus.
Thanks 😊

06/07/2025

𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗰 𝘂𝗽𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗽𝘀 — I’ve received a number of messages from owners and therapists asking what type of work, including ridden exercises, would help.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀: 𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱.

These horses should not be ridden through this kind of injury.
They need targeted manual therapy and a structured, species-specific rehab plan.

𝗡𝗼 𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗡𝗼 𝗰𝗶𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. 𝗡𝗼 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽.
𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

And no amount of relaxation-based horsemanship, no matter how well-intentioned, can “unlock” a shear in the SI joint. This is a joint-level injury that requires professional intervention.

𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗳𝘂𝗹.

Humans with upslips often describe 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗽 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽.

We wouldn’t load a human spine with extra weight in that state, so let’s not do it to the horse.

𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴:
– If the horse is lame at the trot, do not ride.
– If they toss their head or resist when asked to circle or back up, do not ride.
– If you see pelvic asymmetries greater than 1 cm combined with pain responses, absolutely do not ride.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Support them with rest, evidence based handling, and the right hands-on therapy—
and you’ll give them a real chance at recovery.

And if you missed the first post explaining this injury—or the reel we posted showing a real-life case—please go back and read and watch.

It will help you understand the full picture and why this injury needs to be taken seriously.

My heart is breaking right now for the number of horses in the world being ridden through pain rather than receiving structured intervention.

06/04/2025

”USING THE SEAT”  Part 1: Shifting your Pelvis Over. 

▪️Some manuals teach us to sit to the inside of the bend.
▪️Some manuals teach us to sit in the direction of travel.

 For most movements, this is the same direction. If you are circling to the left, all the schools of thought agree- sit to the left. If you are doing a haunches in or a half pass, or a pirouette to the left, sit to the left. It does not matter which classical train are you follow, for these movements, you will be sitting to the inside.

But if you are doing a shoulder in or a leg yield, the bend and the direction of travel are opposite, so who is right?!?

Personally, I have found that most students need to spend a long time since into the inside of the bend. A student that automatically slips to the left will be able to perform a leg yield to the right no problem, but really struggles to do one to the left!

That said, the highest level riders typically put their weight in the direction of travel.

What’s with the discrepancy?
Easy- upper level riders are in full control of the motion of their hips and are able to easily teach Horses to bend correctly through the rib cage. The horses are more advanced, and the riders are more advanced. The rider no longer needs “help” getting the horse to bend. Instead, they are looking to develop bigger gaits, and to be able to help their horses distinguish between movements.

In my experience, the change takes place somewhere around third and fourth level Dressage. Once you can easily do shoulder in and half pass, it’s nice to move your seat in the direction of travel, because shifting from one movement to the other now becomes a shift in weight and that’s it.

But please don’t try to skip ahead!! In part two, we will talk about the movement of the riders hips. This is a critical thing that’s not talked about near enough! If you can’t blow diagonally through your pelvis, both directions, you are not going to get nice lateral movement from your horse, and the best way to get those hips moving is by sitting deep down through the inside leg and seat bone.

❓But before we get ahead of ourselves, what do I mean when I say sit, left or sit right????

Most riders already slip to the left, and if you are going to the left, it’s perfectly fine. And when traveling left, we want the entire spine to be just a little to the left of center, which will high center hour, right seat, bone closer to the middle of the saddle and allow our left seat bone to drop down. Often times riders must seriously exaggerate this one going to the right- they have to “scooch over once” just to get to center, and then “scooch over again” to actually get over to the right so they can drop there right seat bone down lower than the left side bone. I often times even if students can Scooch over to the right, they still have a hard time, allowing that right seat bone to drop down! That’s why I often do this without stirrups and have them “drop down into the hole” until the right hip, right knee, and right heel are clearly lower than those on the left.

This helps your horse with axial rotation through his ribs (aka- “bend).

In the picture, Ruth keeps her body upright, while stepping into her inside stirrup, so that her left hip, knee, and heel are slightly lower, which helps her mare bend her rib cage.

The more advanced a rider is the more subtle this becomes, so unfortunately, a lot of people have the misunderstanding that advanced riders just sit perfectly in the middle all the time…. They don’t!!! (often times super athletic riders are not even aware of what they are doing with their pelvis, so what they say they do might not match what they actually do)

Look for “USING YOUR SEAT” Part 2: Sashay those Hips! and “USING YOUR SEAT” Part 3: Separate the Over and the Drop (why pirouettes are hard).