Helping horses feel their best to perform their best
I love in hand work including productive lunging without training tools to build proper musculature. Teaching the horse to properly carry itself without a rider not only makes for a healthy horse when ridden but it makes the ridden work so much more enjoyable and productive....It takes time but it is always worth it to have a healthy partner in the end
A soft eye andowered head, the best compliment a pony can give to bodywork ❤️
Did you know K tape can be used pre and post a Chiropractic session? The benefits of tape along with chiro are to
decrease inflammation
reduce discomfort
help the adjustment last longer
assist in recovery while your horse adjusts to the adjustment 😁
As a bodyworker, I like to follow all chiropractic sessions with a bodywork session and then apply tape to the areas that were adjusted ensuring lasting comfort and proper muscle recovery
In these photos we have a horse that was adjusted in her lumbar spine, so tape was applied here.
We also have a horse that was reactive in the poll, he did not allow the chiropractor near so the videos show his reaction before bodywork followed by tape providing an immediate relief response!
(Yes I did tape myself😆)
Did you know that I also start young horses, not just under saddle but aaaaaaalllll the way back to the beginning with good manners and ground work, not point less lungeing but teaching them how to properly use their body and understand space relative to their body.
Anyway...Here is Kat my most recent starter boarding horse, a 3 year old Westfalen Warmblood. Kat is a super star, so much fun with just the right amount of attitude to question what is asked but so smart to learn and want to learn more. Today Kat got an intro bodywork session followed by some K tape!! The tape is applied to the long back muscles (blue) and the subclavius (pink). Tape is a great way to help my bodywork sessions last longer and keep those good feelings going for a positive experience post session. I chose these sites for tape because of how she was using them during our rides.
Keep in mind Kat is just learning so not a lot of balance is present and being taught to use muscles properly is hard work. Kat likes to bulge this shoulder out when going around turns, the subclavius is responsible for assistance of trunk support and bringing the scapula forward and the humerus back. The tape applied here will bring some relaxation to this area as it is a bit overdeveloped and reactive. While she did not present with any kind of actual soreness in her back she is, again, a developing young horse so the long back muscle tape was applied. She is building her top line very nicely (yaaay!) which means she is using the muscles properly PLUS learning how to carry a saddle and rider....whew that's a lot of work, so the tape here is providing relaxation again and increase circulation to the muscles here for better muscle recovery.
Practice makes perfect....while this isn't perfect Duncan was a great sport for letting me try it. This application is addressing the thoracic lumbar fascia, in his bodywork session he presented with sensitivity along his latissimus dorsi and gluteals. The tape will help through decompression of tissue (fascial and muscular) to increase flow and movement to these areas
Some really great progress with tape and these two horses! The red horse is a post kissing spines surgery horse, with this application we are bringing more awareness to the paraspinal muscles assisting the central nervous system to begin its re-education. This cute little paint mare, I could not be more proud of! She has been a difficult horse to reach emotionally. When not sure of her past, it is clear she has a lot of emotional baggage and stress. While bodywork has improved her muscle elasticity, due to the tension she held it had been difficult to maintain. Through the lasting application of K tape we have finally started showing significant improvement in her overall demeanor and posture! She is now more flexible, relieved of lingering pain, aware of her own body positions, balanced and best of all curious! I am so happy we have found a modality that has helped her move through her past self!
THE proper way a horse collects and 'gets on the bit'.
No contraption, bit, or gimmick can teach this. It's about proper biomechanics and teaching the horse to balance themselves.
Nuts about Knots!! We have all heard it, I know I have said it..."there was a knot causing pain...". Well, what does that really mean, we know muscles can't actually "knot up", so what do therapists mean when they say a muscle has a knot?
Knots are muscle fibers that are stuck in a contracted state.
This can be due to overwork, poor pre/post workout sessions, poor posture, repetitive movements, or even stress.
These are usually felt as hard painful lumps within the muscle body (take a look at previous posts on macro anatomy of the muscle). These lumps can inhibit circulation through the muscle denying blood, nutrients and even removal of metabolic waste causing poor muscle function.
The best way to relieve them is through soft tissue therapy! Having a bodyworker alleviate these points of soreness will keep your horse working efficiently and happily. During our session I will show you how to prevent these contractions from occurring, just ask how!
Confession time!! I have been self experimenting🤓...with kinesiology tape and the findings have been mind blowing!!!! I never ask my horses or clients to do something I would not do or ask myself to do so, obviously why wouldn't I put tape on myself?!
I wore the tape for an average of 5 days post chiropractic. Here is what I discovered...
Immediate pain relief...years of trying to alleviate my cervical and upper thoracic spine pain with some success were thrown out the window as soon as the tape went on, amazing! No more NSAIDs!
Warmth...I could actually feel the area being taped as well as the surrounding area warming with increased circulation which promotes the body self healing
Improved posture...Of course I went researching to find which muscles these tape applications were affecting....the Trapezius and the Rhomboids, turns out the Rhomboids are pretty lazy so the Traps overwork to compensate and create pull and tension along the spine. With the blue tape I noticed a significant improvement in my upper body posture and could actually feel my lazy Rhomboids having to do their job!
More efficient workout...yes, I workout every day because I believe I need to be as in shape as my horse if not more, oh yeah and it's healthier😉 Typically my right shoulder gives out during a HIIT workout so I adjust, with the tape I was able to make it through an entire HIIT session without decreasing or dropping weight and....NO MUSCLE PAIN AFTER!!😲
If I notice these wonderful benefits, and there are so many more, think how an animal as sensitive as a horse would feel and benefit from manual therapy such as Chiropractic or Bodywork followed by tape
Ask me about Kinesiology Tape post Bodywork or anytime! Your ponies will thank you for it🦄
The most common thing I see every day in horses is pelvic rotation.
As in the horse has a pelvis that is tuck in rotation to one side it never returns to center.
🤓 note you can be fooled in seeing a seemingly “straight” spine and still have pelvic rotation.
🤓 you can have a sound healthy horse and still have a pelvic rotation.
🤓 pelvic rotation does not need to be significant inorder to create dysfunction.
Pelvic rotation can be the result of :
Visceral organ dysfunction
Muscle imbalance as in incorrect firing and function
Spinal imbalance like scoliosis
Injury
As a result of pelvic rotation the horse will :
Have a functional leg length discrepancy
Inability to collect correctly
Unsynchronized and unbalanced hind end propulsion
Lumbar and spine pain
Pelvic limb joint and tendon dysfunction/ pathology
Front end collapse
Cervical spine stiffness and pain
Foot pathology and imbalance in all four feet
Pelvic rotation can be balanced out with therapy and correct training.
We are having such a fun week providing comfort, stability and relief to ponies! Thank you to all helping me with case studies, I would not be making such wonderful progress without you 🥰
OK everybody...I am very excited to offer Kinesiology Taping to my bodywork services!! I am currently working on case studies for the certification but will be offering it to all and future clients soon!
So, you may be wondering what is Kinesiology taping?🤷♀️ We have seen it a lot in athletes and people in rehab/recovery or maybe you have seen it on a horse in the warm up ring, but what do those pretty colorful pieces of tape do?
Kinesiology is the study of movement, specifically the muscle brain relationship.
Tape assists in this movement. When applied correctly and appropriately it is an extension of my hands. This assists in the longevity of the bodywork and allows the horse to relieve compensatory posture and movement.
Taping improves:
Muscular and joint support
Improves proprioception (sensory neurons)
Helps mitigate pain
Improves circulation
Unwinds fascia
I am very grateful for all of you and those willing to trust me with your ponies to assist me in the case studies. I hope you all are excited as I am about this addition and I cannot wait to help your horses continue to feel their best!🐴🦄
Always do static stretches after a workout, those limb stretches I teach in our sessions are great for post ride cool downs. A great way to encourage muscle lengthen at the beginning of a workout is under saddle during your warm up ride!
DID YOU KNOW?
Despite popular belief, it can actually be detrimental to perform static passive stretches (such as limb stretches) with your horse before you ride, as stretching changes the contractability of muscles for up to 30 minutes.
Save the static stretches for after your horse’s muscles are warmed up!
Need some ideas for some “moves” your horse will LOVE after all their hard work?
Get some FREE tips here in the Owner Moves section: https://www.eli-us.com/resources/free-downloads/
I have been working very hard to offer something new for my clients...Stay tuned for a big addition to my services!!
Briefly and without going into too much detail, here is a SUPER basic description of how muscles contract...
The myofilaments within the muscle fiber (refer to previous post picture) contain 2 proteins (actin and myosin or thin and thick respectively) arranged in segments and layered along the filament.
These segments are called sarcomeres where, when prompted, contraction occurs.
The 2 proteins pull and release along one another to bring each end of the sarcomere together (contraction)
For more information check out the sliding filament theory, it is pretty cool to see how this occurs at a cellular level turning ATP into energy.
The muscle uses stored glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids to convert into energy...so help your ponies out with the right kinds of fats in their diet, it's good for proper muscle development!
Happy New Year everyone!! I was getting organized, my new year resolution, and decided that I had some pretty cool stuff to share with my clients! So! the next series of posts will all be educational, but I hope you find them as fascinating as I have when I learned and continue to learn all of it!
My first post is a very basic introduction to muscle anatomy or structure:
Muscles are a collection of tissues that, when prompted, cause contraction and movement of bone as well as structural and postural support
The following info is working from the inside to the outside
Muscles are made of many muscle fibers held together in bundles the length of the muscle body
Muscle fiber bundles are covered by an endomysium (endo=inside, my/myo=muscle) layer separating these bundles to form fasciculi
Fasciculi are then covered by a perimysium (peri=around) layer, which are then bundled together and covered by an epimysium layer
The epimysium (epi=before) covers the outermost muscle body ensuring muscles are separated form each other as well as other organs. The epimysium also intertwines with the tendon connecting the muscle body to bone
Stay tuned for muscle function!!!
The photograph is courtesy of Oregon State University
Merry Christmas! I hope everyone is able to enjoy some pony time today
https://dressagetoday.com/theory/klimke-approach-dressage-ingrid-klimke-reiner-klimke
I love cross training, and cavalletti are my go to recommendation for strength and balance training for my clients! Enjoy the article, I hope it gives you motivation to try some out with your pony
Germany’s Olympic eventing gold medalist and Grand Prix dressage rider, Ingrid Klimke carries on her legendary father’s classical approach to dressage.
Soft eyes, releases, and changes in posture. Such a good day helping the ponies at Cotton Meadows Farm. The first picture is a good before (right) and after, manipulating muscle in a way to promote proper lay down of fibers for a softer posture is my goal
Okay, here is one way I work my horses when I don't ride. I am all about good ground work an dmanners to really make a horse think about their decisions, so here is Duncan to show off his education and skills. As always I end our workouts with stretches so even if you don't watch the entire video at least watch the end if you are unsure about the stretches I give you in our bodywork sessions.
This is a productive lunge lesson, it is quick and effective with no mindless and inefficient running in circles. The double lines allow the horse to find self carriage, even if they don't hold it for the entire session, they come back to it once they learn it is a more comfortable and efficient way of moving. This allows for the development of the paraspinal muscles (topline) through engagement of the hind end instead of using and overdeveloping the ventral pulling muscles in the front end.
Here is some fun homework for you!! Proper muscle development is important for a healthy and balanced horse. Take a photo of yourself riding your horse, compare it here...What do you see? If it isn't what you thought ask yourself "what can I do to help my horse have a better connection?" A great way to train the eye
"Drug free and noninvasive" what's not to love!
Using a controlled massage system, researchers found that treatment led to greater repair and strength recovery in mice.
Welcome to my new business page!!! I hope to be able to keep everyone up to date with exercises and education here. If you ever have any concerns or questions about any of your horses, feel free to ask and I will do my best to not only answer them but also give you resources for references to show how science is doing with helping our best friends feel healthy and confident.Thank you so much for allowing me to help each of your horses and I look forward to continue providing new skills and knowledge to make me a more effective part of your horses team.
Releasing tension to return normal posture, Cutter was such a wonderful boy for his first session today. Feeling the tension melt away is so rewarding. Thank you Jenny Greer for letting me help your boy!
Congratulations to Kerry Decker, our newest EEBW Level 1 graduate! Kerry is based in Alabama, and we know she will do a great job for her clients. Well done, Kerry!
Huntsville, AL
35811
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A soft eye andowered head, the best compliment a pony can give to bodywork ❤️
Okay, here is one way I work my horses when I don't ride. I am all about good ground work an dmanners to really make a horse think about their decisions, so here is Duncan to show off his education and skills. As always I end our workouts with stretches so even if you don't watch the entire video at least watch the end if you are unsure about the stretches I give you in our bodywork sessions. This is a productive lunge lesson, it is quick and effective with no mindless and inefficient running in circles. The double lines allow the horse to find self carriage, even if they don't hold it for the entire session, they come back to it once they learn it is a more comfortable and efficient way of moving. This allows for the development of the paraspinal muscles (topline) through engagement of the hind end instead of using and overdeveloping the ventral pulling muscles in the front end.
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