Hills Equine

12/12/2024

12/05/2024

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1121683213298301&id=100063698972552

Remember to treat your favorite equine friends this Holiday Season! 🎁🎄 We've included a few businesses our talented students own - Happy shopping. EQUISTIX equine sports massage tool by Equus Athletics, Hills Equine Saddle Mapping Tool, X-SPAND EQUINE, LLC, MagnaWave Corporate - Wellness and Pain Relief
-spandequinellc

12/02/2024

Folks often hear me talk about the importance of the hyoid and how to do releases. This is a sweet condensed version of WHY I preach doing several releases to the horse’s body.

The Hyoid apparatus is a delicate structure comprising of several bones nestled between the mandibles and under the jaw. The top of the apparatus articulates with the skull under the temporal bones (TMJ), the small, lower bones attach to the root of the tongue and to the larynx and pharynx.
So at this point, the hyoid is linked to balance and steering, breathing, the vocal cords, swallowing and eating.

Much has already been written about the effects of tight nosebands, restriction around the mouth, rollkur, TMJ tension and headshaking - all linked to the hyoid, but this is only the tip of the iceberg!

The hyoid is connected to the scapula and the sternum by a pair of long muscles that work together –the omohyoid and sternohyoid. So now you can imagine how the range of movement of the forelimb may be affected if there is tension, excess flexion or bracing against the bit between the hyoid, shoulder and sternum.... and back up to the TMJ.

And there’s more!

The pectoral muscles connect the forelimbs to the trunk and the sternum, while the abdominal muscles, also attached to the sternum, connect to the p***c tendon which connects to the pelvis...
The pelvis is the powerhouse; and the pelvic bone is the site of attachment to muscles that connect to the back (iliopsoas group) and to the hindquarters (biceps femoris).

You can visualize the chain of muscles and action that lead from the hyoid to the hind end! If the jaw is stuck, tense or evasive this will be reflected in the pelvis and the movement in the hind end. If there is pain or dysfunction in the pelvis, or the muscles that attach, patterns of compensation will begin and radiate out up to the hyoid and TMJ.

These chains connect from the tongue to......the sternum - to the abdomen - to the pelvis. (Sternohyoid chain).. the scapula - to the front legs - and then the hind legs. (Omohyoid chain)...the poll - through the topline - and down the hindquarters. (Occiptohyoid chain)

Like I mentioned before – this is a short and condensed version of how the Hyoid affects the rest of the body which leads to poor performance and poor attitude. And this is also one reason why some of my sessions can be longer than others. All horses are different from each other; meaning each horse is a customized bodywork session. There is no cookie cutter session.

The two pictures I included are PRIME examples of what Hyoid Releases and bodywork will do for your horse!

Laurie Leverich Hills







Give me a shout for your bodywork needs!
920-988-4156

11/20/2024

Black Friday Sale has started early!
The Hills Saddle Mapping Tool was designed and developed by a longtime Certified Equine Bodyworker/Certified Saddle Fitter who sees a lot of preventable issues caused by poor fitting saddles!

Values of Proper Saddle Fitting
Ill-fitting saddles can cause long-term damage to your horse’s shoulders and back. Pain from a poorly fitted saddle can cause behavioral issues and even career-ending lameness.
Finding the pressure points and excessive movement of the saddle on the horse’s back will help improve optimal rider position, balance, and stability, allowing for effective communication between the horse and rider.
Regular saddle fit assessment is important as horses change.
Good Saddle Fitting helps to:
Eliminate uneven sweat patterns under the saddle pad
Stop restriction in shoulder movement or muscle atrophy
Eliminate behavioral changes, such as bucking or resistance while riding

If you notice any of the above signs, it’s time to reassess the saddle fit to prevent discomfort and potential long-term damage.
Hills Saddle Mapping Tool
Helps take the mystery out of saddle fitting
Clears up confusion about bridging, rocking, and pressure points, too wide, too narrow
Helps you keep track of topline changes
Know where to place shims for improved saddle fit
Adjust the mapping tool to your horse then take to the tack store and try different saddles and see how they fit YOUR horse!
Yup! I was talked into starting the Black Friday Sale early!
Check out www.hillsequineservices.com for sale info!
You can go thru the website or directly thru me in a pm.

Laurie Leverich Hills
Hills Equine Saddle Mapping Tool

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092231437987

11/07/2024

This really has me concerned! Who dreams up this kind of crap???

For more than 40 years, I have committed my life to veterinary medicine, having served on the faculties of leading universities and practicing as an equine veterinarian across the country. Since receiving my doctorate in...

11/05/2024

Worked on a gorgeous fellow today, I did take a few pictures-but need to honor owners request for privacy.
But I can share this note she sent me by the time I got home. Love when I hear this from my clients, because it makes my day:

Thank you, Laurie. Your experience, kindness, skill and generosity are inspiring and very much appreciated.

10/22/2024

Check it out! I finally have a website page!

https://www.hillsequineservices.com/

Easiest way to make your Hills Saddle Mapping Tool purchase! Or PM me for more details or if you have questions!

10/18/2024

Cassandra Belle Richardson

10/16/2024

I still have a few openings at the end of October and into November! Give me a shout for your horses’ bodywork needs!
I utilize a number of modalities to help make our horse feel better, plus explain details to you as his owner.
Hills Equine Integrative Bodywork Services
920-988-4156 Shoot me a text!
Laurie Leverich Hills

10/15/2024

Article By Kim Gates
When is it too late to just fix the saddle?
This past weekend I had someone who I have fit for in the past haul in a new horse for me to see. A ten year old TB mare.
My first overall impression was that the horse had compensation issues. Its lower neck was over developed. Top of the neck underdeveloped. The back was dropped. The shoulders were pulling and the hind end trailed behind. The back was sore on palpation but not terribly. Her eye was soft. She was kind. Beautiful mare.
As soon as I brought out the saddle she jumped sideways and started to shake. When I got the saddle on someone dropped a bag of shavings at the other end of the aisle. She spooked and ran backwards blindly in an aisle full of people.
Her expression was that she was terrified and not thinking. Just reacting. A horse in pain and scared.
I took the saddle off and talked to her. It took a few minutes. But the soft eye came back.
This horses problem is no longer an ill fitting saddle. The damage saddles have done is now something she lives with everyday. How many of these horses are labeled as “ bad.” How many are punished or even abused?
Her history added up. I hear the same story often with the same results.
This horse has a wonderful owner and she will get good care. First stop? X rays and a full work up. I referred her to a good back clinic.

Laurie Leverich Hills

10/09/2024

So I did a saddle fitting with thermography late last week. The gelding has been dangerously bolting under saddle and the owner is starting with saddle fitting.

We started with the Saddle Mapping Tool to validate poor saddle fit with the saddle she liked the most. She was told the saddle was too narrow and purchased the same saddle in a wide tree. We did find some issues with that medium treed saddle – and fitted him with the wide tree. The following pictures are of the wide tree with a flex tree.
#1 & #2 are fittng the horse with the Hills Saddle Mapping Tool
#3 picture is before any riding
#4 is the owner showing more heat under her left leg.
#5 is the pad which shows the pressure over the left withers and shoulder area.
#6 shows the left withers and left lumbar area showing more heat (pressure)
#7 shows the horses back and he has a downhill build.

#3 with my hand in the mapping tool shows gapping under the center area – which may show bridging with the withers and lumber having pressure points. I do have a couple solutions that may work to help alleviate the pressure to make the horse more comfortable.

I sent a report to the owner, showing the findings, we texted a bit back and forth and she did have a bad experience riding him over the weekend. Being that he has quite a bit of white over his spine and lumbar area my first suggestion was to have him xrayed to eliminate the possibility of kissing spine or some other anomaly.

Received a phone call this am from the owner; and the vet did xrays and she did diagnose kissing spine around T16 ( Lumbar area) and he has damage in the withers where a small piece of spine was chipped off.

Our next step will be to find a solid tree rather than the flex tree saddle and he will be getting rehab. We are coming up with his protocol for healing.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092231437987

Laurie Leverich Hills

10/02/2024

Well - I'm doing it again.
Welcome to my world April.

09/16/2024

A general guideline

09/15/2024

Worked on this lovely mare today. Got called in because she has been reluctant to walk on her left hind. Vet diagnosed an abscess. She got a full bodywork session and sure seemed to deeply appreciate it. First we did red light therapy on the back hoof, then Pemf. When we were all done, the owner and I looked at each other with questions - does it look like the swelling decreased? We both felt like the swollen pastern went down. And of course neither of us thought to get pictures before starting. We’ll know more by tomorrow how the pemf did to help pull the abscess.

Laurie Leverich Hills

08/07/2024

Todays session involved stifles and the patellas. This fella showed stifle reaction when I checked him. So I got out my stifle wraps and stuffed red light pads on both sides, over the bicep femoris areas.

He also had his all over bodywork along with PEMF. Plus red light work along his back and lumbar. His hyoid was reactive but his tmj was pretty calm tonight. Usually he’s squinty eyed when I check his tmj but tonight he was pretty chill. Lots of releases were seen, even with just the red light pads. He’s racing tomorrow so I’m pretty excited to hear how it goes !

Laurie Leverich Hills
Hills Equine Saddle Mapping Tool

Give me a shout for your horses’ bodywork needs.
920-988-4156