Stone Brook Academy

10/16/2025

10/14/2025

Ever noticed a hollow spot in front of your horse’s withers — that little dip that makes the withers look extra sharp? 👀
That’s not just how your horse is built — it’s often a sign of muscle atrophy caused by restricted movement, and one common culprit is… the tiedown.
Here’s how it happens ⬇️
1️⃣ The trapezius muscle, which lifts the shoulder and supports the withers, needs free neck and shoulder movement to stay strong and active.
2️⃣ When a tiedown limits how far your horse can raise or stretch its head, that muscle is held in a shortened, static position.
3️⃣ Over time, the trapezius loses strength and tone from lack of movement and blood flow — the muscle literally shrinks.
4️⃣ The result? That familiar dip in front of the withers, a tight neck, and restricted shoulder motion.
💔 It’s not just cosmetic — it affects balance, stride length, and comfort under saddle.
✨ Instead of a tiedown, help your horse build true balance and topline with:
Stretching into a long, low frame 🧘‍♀️
Hill work and poles for natural lift 🏔️
Proper conditioning and bodywork
Give your horse back the freedom to lift, stretch, and shine. 🌟
Learn how to massage your own horse and fix muscle issues at Stone Brook Academy 💕 Links in bio

10/14/2025

X-ray Update on Odessa

Odessa arrived with us at the end of May 2025 as an extremely complex rehabilitation case. Multiple vets and hoof care professionals had tried to help her, from Singapore to Amsterdam but unfortunately, all efforts had failed, and she was due to be put to sleep.

Her owner heard about us through Hoofing Marvellous and decided to give Odessa one final chance.

She is, without question, the most challenging case we’ve ever worked on. However, she is now showing steady, positive progress, her sole depth is improving, and her P3 (coffin bone) remains in a neutral position.

We’ve blacked out the toe area on the lower X-ray because many people tend to focus on that section rather than the key aspect: P3, which is now correctly aligned. The blacked-out angle also represents the direction of the new hoof growth coming down.

It’s still early days in her rehab journey, and Odessa remains very much in the “intensive care” phase, something we expected from the outset. Until the old, damaged growth has fully grown out, we won’t be able to accurately judge how successful her rehabilitation has been. This process will likely take two to three full capsule cycles before we get optimal, strong, healthy, well-connected new growth, but new growth is happening.

It’s also worth noting that the apparent sole thickness visible beneath the tip of P3 in the first X-ray is actually the remnant of a glue-on shoe, not real sole. At that stage, her true sole depth was only around 1–2 mm.

10/13/2025

You’ve done the massage, the stretching, maybe even added a topline supplement…
But those back and topline muscles just won’t come back. Let’s talk about why 👇

There are several reasons your horses topline may be lacking:
🐴 Saddle Fit Issues
🐴 Lack of amino acids
🐴 PPID
🐴 Posture
✨Let’s dive into the issues with poor posture ✨

If your horse travels hollow (head high, back dropped), the topline and abdominal muscles never activate — and without strong abdominal muscles, the back can’t lift properly.
➡️ Result: The horse “looks” weak across the back no matter how much massage or feed you give.
✅ Fix: Focus on posture work — long-and-low stretches, poles, hill work, and groundwork to encourage lift and engagement.
✨Massage’s Role
Massage supports recovery by restoring circulation, releasing restrictions, and encouraging balance — but it can’t rebuild what’s not being properly fueled, engaged, or fitted for. Think of massage as a tool to help get the muscles to get ready and boost performance once proper exercises and posture are implemented.

Something to remember: Topline atrophy is never just one thing. It’s usually a combination of saddle fit, nutrition, hormones, and posture — and fixing it means addressing all four together

Have you noticed your horse losing back muscle?
Drop a 💛 below — I’m creating a series on how to rebuild the topline step-by-step and you won’t want to miss it!

🌿 Follow for more horse tips
🌿 Learn how to massage your own horse today at Stone Brook Academy!
www.stonebrookequine.com
🌿 shop digital downloads like the one below at www.stonebrookequine.etsy.com

10/10/2025

✨ The freedom to massage your horse whenever they need it most. ✨
No waiting for an appointment. No guessing what’s wrong. Just you — confident, connected, and able to help your horse feel better right away. 🐴
At Stone Brook Academy, you’ll learn how to:
🌿 Release tension and stiffness safely and effectively
🌀 Use acupressure points to ease pain and restore balance
🏋️‍♀️ Support healthy movement with simple rehab exercises
💫 Build a deeper connection through mindful touch and movement
Because when you understand your horse’s body, you gain the freedom to help them anytime, anywhere.
Your hands can truly make a difference. 🫶

🌿 To get this wall art, check out my Etsy page for digital downloads. Links in bio 💕

10/09/2025

Arthritis doesn’t just affect the joints — it impacts the whole body. 💔 Stiffness, pain, and compensation patterns can make every movement harder.
💆‍♀️ Massage boosts circulation, eases muscle tension, and helps the body release endorphins — nature’s pain relievers.
🌿 Acupressure taps into energy pathways that calm inflammation, reduce pain, and restore balance from the inside out.
🏋️‍♀️ Rehab exercises keep joints moving, build supportive strength, and improve flexibility — motion truly is lotion!
When combined, these therapies work in harmony:
✨ Massage relaxes
✨ Acupressure rebalances
✨ Movement restores
Together they help ease pain, improve mobility, and bring comfort back to the body. 💚

⭐️ the best part? You can learn how to do all of this at home this week! 💕 Learn at Stone Brook Academy

🌿 follow for more tips
🌿 share with your horse friends!

P.S 📸 if you love this photo, why not put it up in your home? It’s super easy to do! Just purchase the digital download off my Etsy page, print, then frame! Links in bio 💕

10/09/2025

3 powerful tools that you can do this week to help your arthritic horse move easier are:
1️⃣ Massage – releases tight muscles and improves circulation
2️⃣ Acupressure – activates natural healing points to reduce pain and inflammation
3️⃣ Stretching – maintains flexibility and keeps joints moving freely
Small, consistent steps make a big difference for comfort and mobility.
💗 Learn how to do this yourself inside my Stone Brook Academy — your horse will thank you!
📲 Follow for more tips
💾 Save this for later
🐴 Share with your horse friends

P.S. If you love this photo, I’ve got digital download photos just like this one available at my Etsy store. Links in bio.

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10/07/2025

Barrel racing is all about speed, tight turns, and explosive power. But here’s the truth:
👉 If your horse’s muscles are stiff, sore, or restricted, they can’t move at their full potential.
That’s where massage comes in.
✨Loosens tight muscles so your horse can stretch deeper into their stride.
Improves flexibility for cleaner, faster turns around the barrels.
Reduces soreness, which means quicker recovery between runs.
Increases circulation = more oxygen to working muscles for power and stamina.
Even a fraction of a second shaved off each barrel can mean the difference between a 3D and a 1D run. 🥇
So if you want your horse to fire harder out of the alley, move freer through their turns, and recover faster after a run…
👉 Add massage to your program. It’s not just pampering — it’s performance.
💕 Follow Stone Brook Academy to learn more horse health tips
✨Save this for later
🏫 Learn how to massage your own horse (who better than you!) at Stone Brook Academy

10/06/2025

✨A saddle needs muscle for proper support. Without enough topline muscle, a saddle won’t fit as it should and riding can unintentionally strain your horse’s back.
Think of a saddle like a bridge, it needs strong support underneath. If your horse’s topline muscles are weak or underdeveloped, the saddle can’t sit correctly, which may cause discomfort and even long-term back issues.

10/03/2025

✨Heal holistically through massage, acupressure, rehabilitation exercises, and stretching ✨Join the academy and learn how 💕

10/02/2025

A horse can be rideable without being sound.

When the priority is simply getting a horse rideable, it’s easy to fall into quick-fix solutions. Pain and lameness can be masked just enough to keep the horse under saddle.
But making a horse sound requires digging deeper into the root of the problem through rehab and true problem-solving. One approach is fast and convenient for the rider; the other takes time and commitment, but it protects the horse’s long-term health.
When we chase rideability first, we often sacrifice soundness.
✨ Ask better questions:
Why doesn’t the saddle fit?
Why isn’t the horse building topline muscle?
Why isn’t the hoof growing stronger?

✨Your horse doesn’t just need to be rideable.
They deserve to be sound. ❤️