Hands to Horses, LLC

09/10/2024

Equinology INC = top notch instruction, material and ongoing support of its body workers. Love 💗!

07/31/2024

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🚨FREE DOWNLOAD: Intro to Myofascial Release (MFR) and Soft Tissue Mobilization (STM) 🚨

In light of our EQ103, Advanced Equine Soft Tissue Techniques course that is right around the corner, we wanted to let you know about a completely FREE resource on our site!

In this PDF, you’ll get a taste of:

💪How myofascial release works (i.e. the role of mechanoreceptors)
💪The difference between myofascial release and soft tissue mobilization
💪Why Ruffinian corpuscles are being researched
💪Examples (with photos!) of how and when to use MFR and STM modalities

Check it out on our website, under the “Resources” tab and then “Downloadable PDFs” or through the link in our bio called “Free How Tos!”💜

11/25/2023

STRAIGHTNESS CLINIC with Klaus Schoneich in Aiken, SC on January 16, 17 and 18, 2024. All details below, places will be limited...act now!

11/23/2023

Timely and important read and worth following the series, and contributing your voice.

The first episode of the highly anticipated undercover documentary "Operation X: Secrets of the Horse Billionaire" has been aired by the Danish commercial tv station TV2 on Wednesday evening 22 November 2023. It has caused a cascade of anger, indignation and disapproval and has led to an expected so...

10/04/2023

Worth your time and whatever she is charging - cannot recommend enough!

09/19/2023

Updated study on headshaking!

Latest Headshaking Research Presented at British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress 2023 in Birmingham, UK Last week Dr Veronica Roberts presented our group’s latest research on horses with TRIGEMINAL-MEDIATED HEADSHAKING at the 2023 BEVA CONGRESS in Birmingham.  Headshaking is a distr...

09/07/2023

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Love this idea to make road users aware of the vulnerability of horses in transit!

Photo credit: Choice Carriers, Gauteng, South Africa. https://www.choicecarriers.co.za/services/

06/20/2023

Important, factual information that goes against recent posts I’ve seen:

06/02/2023

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A POLITE REMINDER TO ALL WHO RIDE ON THE ROADS

This morning I stopped to wait for two people on horses riding towards me on a quiet country road. The two people in question just stared at me and there was no acknowledgement. The horses were perfectly behaved and there was nothing to distract the riders to explain why they did not offer any acknowledgement.

Now this experience isn't going to change my behaviour. If I see more horses and riders I am going to slow down or stop for them as appropriate. And if I see the same people again I will stop/slow down. Of course I am likely to remind them to be courteous to motorists/motorcyclists/cyclists if I do see them again.

But think of the non-horse person who has the experience of being ignored? Yes, its the law to slow-down or stop for horses on the road, but might a non-horse person be a little irritated and next time perhaps be a little less considerate?

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE FOR THE SAKE OF EVERYONE AND THEIR HORSES, DO REMEMBER TO ACKNOWLEDGE THOSE ON THE ROAD WHO ARE CONSIDERATE TO HORSES & RIDERS!

06/02/2023

Remember: the high percentages in these studies are in TESTED horses: not horses as a species.

Professor Derek Knottenbelt of the University of Glasgow, Scotland, discusses ongoing research into equine GI health and stomach ulcers in horses. Learn more...

06/02/2023

06/02/2023

More!

**The Impact of Natural Crookedness on the Body of the Horse**

Natural crookedness is a big topic and one that is essential to understand when contemplating a training program for your horse.

We are delighted to be working with Dr. Julianne Waas of Germany and Dr. Annelie Helstrom of Sweden on creating two webinars that will address this topic from a theory standpoint and a practical standpoint.

Stay tuned for more details - first webinar will be on 29th July and Second on on 6th August.

Both webinars will be free from members paying $4.95/month or $49.50/year (this will double starting from next month) or $15.00 each as stand alone products.

We invite you to join our program today and experience the comprehensive, quality, researched information that we provide to guide you on your way to a harmonious, gymnastically optimal horse and rider experience whether you are an owner, trainer, veterinarian or other professional in the industry - www.equitopiacenter.com/membership

IS CONNECTED IS INEFFECTIVE THE LONG GAME TAKES THE TIME IT TAKES IS A VIRTUE HORSE WILL THANK YOU WILL BE WORTH THE WAIT

06/02/2023

Online! Dr Ridgway! Signing up - check them out!

Meine Onlinekurse vermitteln dir...

05/30/2023

Have a look!

Therapeutic and Performance horseshoe design and production

05/26/2023

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𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲?

𝘞𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘩, 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴

Here is how Dressage and In-Hand expert Manolo Mendez explained how a healthy horse felt under his hands to his students:

"A well horse's flesh looks and feel like a round and full orange with fresh pulp bursting with juice and energy. It is plump and elastic and it has a shine that comes from within, a healthy glow."

What did he mean?

If a horse's body looks and feel like an old orange, greyed and shrunken by dehydration and time, the juice long evaporated, leaving behind dried up fiber, the muscles are no longer getting good blood flow, oxygen and energy.

These muscles wont work very well, they will tire and tear more easily, and when you touch them, they will be lackluster, dull, dry, flatish or hard and the horse will avoid being touched or stand stoically, waiting for the hand to move away.

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘆, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆.

Horses want to please us and if a horse refuses to work for us, we have to consider that he may be in pain, does not understand what is asked of him, or is physically not able to deliver.

Manolo stated that he has ridden thousands of horses over sixty five + years, and I can count on the fingers of one hand the times he met a horse who truly did not want to work because of his character.

However, he could count many times over the horses who he found to be in pain, sore, or confused.

The more we work with horses the more we learn that muscles and bones do not lie and neither does the horse.

In the past, we have talked on this page about how "Touch Means You are Not Alone" and what touch communicates to our horses, how it can:

💠 Soothe
💠 Calm
💠 Reassure
💠 Encourage
💠 Welcome
💠 Shelter

but also:

💠 Reward
💠 Vitalize

𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗕𝗢𝗡𝗗 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.

By the same token, when you touch your horse carefully and pay attention to how the muscles feel under your hand:

💠 Soft
💠 Knotty
💠 Stringy
💠 Hot
💠 Cold
💠 Clammy
💠 Jelly-like
💠 Wood-like
💠 Alive/Present
💠 Dead/Dull

you get all kinds of clues about how his body and mind feels.

💠 Does your horse flinch?
💠 Pin his ears?
💠 Turn to look at you with curiosity?
💠 Lean into or away from you?
💠 Does his eye soften, dulls or winces?
💠 Does his breath catch or deepen
💠 Does he refuse the bit and move away from the saddle?
💠 Does he move around the mounting block even after years of training?
💠 Does he look around with interest or is he shut down?

Do you enjoy touching him? or are you wary and worried you are about to be bitten or kicked? A part of you always on the lookout.

Are there parts of your horse that are routinely not easy for you to touch?

💠 His poll for example or girth area?
💠 Is there a leg he wont give you?
💠 Does his back drop sharply to his ribs or is it lined with plump long and round muscles?
💠 Does he let you lift and move his tail around or clamps it down sharply?

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲'𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁?

What does how much or little he/she allows you to handle him/her mean?

𝗔 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱.

To learn how to develop a well muscled, supple and balanced horse you can purchase a streaming version of Manolo Mendez three hour introduction to in-hand work DVD and start watching now.

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/inhandlessonswithmanolo

PS: This handsome horse belongs to Robin and Stefan who did a phenomenal job of bringing him back into wellness and trust.

© Caroline Larrouilh, ProudHorse Connections 2013

01/27/2021

Wonderful!

12/29/2020

!!!

Dr Gillian Tabor discusses Percussion Massage Guns and their use with horses and ponies on muscles as a treatment

12/20/2020

Wow! Following!

The University of Liverpool reports that its clinicians have performed what is believed to be the world's first successful total hip replacement in a horse...

12/20/2020

I thought it was worth posting again.
Thanks for everything in this difficult year.❤️

10/13/2020

10/13/2020

A good read!

10/19/2019

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BlogsBarn Lounge : The Story of a Boy and His Gentleman Hero February 11, 2019 Photo courtesy of Megan Hoffman BY MEGAN HOFFMAN Late last year, I shared the story of my son, Ziggy. How he went from being bullied in school, to finding his happy place in the barn. While his trainer has...

10/19/2019

Interesting article. I don’t use shockwave therapy in my practice though some of my clients do and rave about it. The unit is $3K-$5K depending on whether you buy the generic model. Anyone can buy one and use one. I’ve taken a conservative approach and, if useful, see it as a potentially complementary treatment not a replacement for an experienced body worker. We will have to wait for the research but overall a good article and worth the read!

In California, a proposed new rule would, if passed, prohibit horses at California Horse Racing Board (CHRB)-regulated facilities from racing or working within 30 days of being treated with extracorporeal shockwave therapy. At the moment in California, horses are unable to race or work for 10 days a...

10/11/2019

Important information:

It was just another afternoon at the barn for assistant trainer Sara Greene.* The head trainer was out of town, and Greene was following her normal routine, which included administering medroxyprogesterone acetate, the compounded form of Depo-Prover...

06/09/2019