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CM Equine Solutions

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Oelwein, IA
CM Equine Solutions

Certified Equine Massage Practitioner and Bodyworker. Offering Cryotherapy, Red Light, and Cold Laser.

12/30/2024

Since we are going into 2025, and have so many new people here, I’d thought I’d re-introduce myself!

My name is Chantel and I’m the owner of CM Equine Solutions.

I am certified in Equine Sports Massage Therapy with a preference in body work and soreness.

My specialty is working on performance horses and keeping them in their best shape.

I offer a few add ons like Red Light therapy, Cold Laser therapy, and Cryotherapy. All things I use on my own horses and have seen awesome results.

I am also currently back in school for Equine Nutrition. 🤗

I am an avid barrel racer. I’m the one that shows up on my 16.2 OTTB, Artie. Who is in the picture below. I also am starting to run my OTTB mare, Gracie. Yes I have a problem 😂

I’m a mother to 2 kids. Ashton, my son, is 10. Sonora, my daughter, is 6. You will probably see my little girl running around on her pony causing mayhem. You’ll see my son running after said daughter 😆 I do have a husband but he’s not exactly a horse person. He does a lot behind the scenes and I truly love him for it.

I truly got into this line of work because I have a deep love for horses. I love being their voice and helping them feel their best. A few years ago Artie started having soreness and lameness issues. I decided I wanted to figure it out and keep him sound and happy so I went back to school to learn how to prevent injury and keep him running his best. The rest is history.

If I have ever helped your horse, tell me below with a photo! I want to see some good things to go into 2025 with some good vibes! Plus there might be a little something something too ❤️

12/26/2024

Misconception: My Horses Doesn’t Need Massage Unless He is Injured

Sad but true. I get it, horses are expensive. A lot of our money goes into the board and feeding our horses, so owners have become quite good at caring for their charges themselves and only calling the vet during emergencies. Prevention is not considered a necessity.

Truth: massage can help prevent injury.

The greatest importance of animal massage therapy, whether it is sports massage, acupressure, or craniosacral therapy is to prevent injury in both human and equine alike. We have all been there, feeling a bit tight and then moving just the wrong way to back our neck or back go out on us. Basically, we’re out of commission for at least a week because we didn’t listen to our bodies. Horses are naturally stoic animals and hide their pain. They may give some indications such as sudden girthiness, cold back, head tossing, or stumbling. These don’t always mean muscle pain or soreness, however. But by the time they are showing symptoms the discomfort level is usually pretty great.

Regular equine massage finds and removes muscle spasms and painful knots before they can become a larger issue, affecting health or vertebrae of your horse. More, the massage therapist becomes deeply familiar with your horse and touches areas not normally seen or touched regularly. Thus, we may find something that you did not notice. This is a huge benefit in preventative health. We inform the owners who can then address the issue themselves or contact their veterinarian.

https://timidrider.com/misconceptions-equine-sports-massage/ #:~:text=Misconception%3A%20Only%20Human%20Athletes%20Need%20Sports%20Massage&text=These%20are%20only%20some%20of,horse%20additional%20energy%20and%20endurance.

12/23/2024

Misconception: Only Human Athletes Need Sports Massage

Since the inception of sports massage by Jack Meagher in the 1950’s, athletes the world over have benefited from it. Through the use of compression, cross fiber friction, and direct pressure the massage therapist can pinpoint areas of spasm and pressure, and release it allowing for reduced tension, extended freedom of movement, and pain relief. These are only some of the benefits of animal bodywork, of course.

Truth: Regular massage keeps muscles loose, flexible, and increases circulation and oxygen flow thus giving your horse additional energy and endurance. According to the Massage Therapy Journal, which published an article from The Jack Meagher Institute, after a 20-minute horse massage stride length increased 3.6% at a walk and 1.8% at the trot.

Horses that are used regularly for lessons, competition (no matter the level), and race become better athletes with regular massage. More, they have less potential for muscle pulls and sprains and quicker recovery time.

https://timidrider.com/misconceptions-equine-sports-massage/ #:~:text=Misconception%3A%20Only%20Human%20Athletes%20Need%20Sports%20Massage&text=These%20are%20only%20some%20of,horse%20additional%20energy%20and%20endurance.

12/21/2024

What are you getting your horse for Christmas?!

Mine got injections and the other one is getting an appointment to the vet in Texas 😂😂

12/04/2024

Did you know? Who has a horse with one of these thumbprints?

A "Prophet's Thumbprint" is a birthmark in the form of an indentation, usually found on the side of a horse’s neck, and it is totally harmless although it comes with a lovely legendary story!

The Prophet Mohammed was wandering the desert with his herd of horses for many days, and as they approached an oasis he sent them forth to drink. But as the thirsty horses approached the water, he called them back. Only five of his mares stopped and returned to him, and to thank them for their loyalty he blessed them by pressing his thumbprint into their necks.
It’s believed that a horse with such a mark will be outstanding, being a descendant of one of these brood mares that the Prophet Mohammed particularly treasured.

Written by https://stableequestrian.co.uk/

11/29/2024

Winter time is here! I officially saw snow flying the other day 😳

When it’s comes to winter time, I get a ton of horse owners asking me if they should keep up their monthly routine schedule for their horses. And the answer is YES. Winter is so hard on horses and I’ll explain a few things below. If you are wondering if I can help benefit your horse, send me a message and we can chat!!

BENEFITS OF BODY WORK THIS WINTER:

1. Horses are moving less, as they want to stand at the hay feeder all day. That’s normal! But it’s so hard on their joints and muscles to stand there all the time. With routine body work, I can help keep Fluffy supple and help those muscles stretch and move during their session.

2. Those arthritic horses need this! From your older horse to your performance horses, a lot of them have arthritis. A body in motion stays in motion. The different techniques I use help reduce irritation from arthritis and keep the mobility going through the winter. Letting them sit all winter and doing nothing with them is actually one of the worst things you can do. During your session we can also come up with an easy plan to keep Fluffy moving in the off season and it can include no riding!

3. Prevent those injuries! Horses pull muscles all the time in the winter. They don’t understand you can’t go from standing still for four hours to hauling through the pasture in a moments notice! Sometimes those injuries happen from that and I can help detect issues before the get bad and also help keep those muscles supple, so when they decide to go for a little job, they have a lot less chance of hurting themselves.

11/25/2024

BLACK FRIDAY DEALS! THREE DEALS TO CHOOSE FROM!

❤️ $15 off each horse booked through February!
❤️ $10 off each horse booked for a barrel race!
❤️ 20% off Gift cards of $100 or more!

🐴 Deals good through Cyber Monday (Dec 2)
🐴 Book your appointments now and pay than. *
🐴 Get your favorite horse person a gift card or get yourself one to save more! And use anytime!**

*Must choose date before end of sale. Cancelations will result in lost discount. Cannot be used on already scheduled appointments.
**Gift card payment due up front.

11/22/2024

Who’s ready for the biggest CM Equine Solutions Black Friday Deal ever?!

Save big money and keep your equines feeling their best, even this winter!!!

Best part about it?? Pay at the time of appointment, not upfront!

Who needs the details on this once a year sale!?

11/20/2024

One final pole exercise I will share is the circle exercise. I love this one because it’s easy and you can put the poles closer or further together to create something new. Check out the awesome website listed below to see more of the exercises they have!

Circle Exercise

Adding just four poles to a circle is a simple but effective way to build up your horse’s suppleness and bend. Set up four poles across the track of a 20-meter circle, placed an equal distance apart. Viewed from above this looks like the points of a compass!

Ride in a circle over the poles, starting in walk and working up to trot and canter depending on your ability level and training aims. Using ground poles turns riding a circle into a much more engaging exercise, as it encourages the rider to work on bend and controlling the outside shoulder.

When starting this exercise aim to cross each pole at the center – a good opportunity to work on accuracy! As you progress, start to increase and decrease the size of the circle, crossing the poles at different points. For added complexity, try setting up this exercise with two 20-meter circles at either end of the arena. This will help you to build suppleness and bend by working on a figure-of-eight exercise over poles.

Website:

https://elaineheneyhorses.com/pole-work-exercises-for-horses/

11/19/2024

There are many different patterns you can do with pole work, I will share some I have found some great websites! This one is one of my personal favorites. I love to mix them up to give my horse something to get their brain working.

Fan Exercise

This is one of those exercises which will improve impulsion, collection, balance, and rhythm – all essential elements if we want to build topline.

Set up 3 or 4 poles in a fan along the line of a 20-meter circle. The distance between them depends on whether you are doing the exercise in trot or canter. Measure the distance between the middle of each pole – this should be one stride. The distance between the outside of the poles should be bigger, and the inside smaller.

Work your horse on a circle over the poles, aiming to cross each pole at the center. Maintain your rhythm and bend throughout the whole circle, without jumping or rushing over the poles. This exercise will encourage your horse to engage his core, pushing through from the hindquarters and lightening the forehand.

Take this exercise up a level by increasing and decreasing the size of your circle, which will encourage your horse to lengthen or collect his stride length accordingly. Try to maintain this stride length as you continue around the circle, and switch between circle sizes to fine-tune your lengthening and collection technique.

Website:

https://elaineheneyhorses.com/pole-work-exercises-for-horses/

11/18/2024

Continuing Pole Benefits:

CANTERING OVER POLES

Cantering over poles tones the thoracic sling, loosens the shoulder as the body rocks between forehand and hindquarters, and lifts the back. It can greatly improve flexion and extension of the back, which allows it to lift and carry the rider better. It is believed to deliver the most mobilization of the lumbosacral joint, which enables the horse to engage his hind limbs.

Book: 55 Corrective Exercises For Horses

Author: Jec Aristotle Ballou

11/15/2024

Continuing pole benefits:

POLES AT A TROT:

Trotting over poles plays more of a strengthening role. It developed strength in the larger back muscles that effect limb movement plus utilization of the quadriceps, pelvic stability, and stronger spinal stabilizing muscles (top line!). As these muscles are recruited, it can lead to a release of stored tension from the extensor muscle chain, which is a common culprit of horses that tend to be chronically hollow in their top lines.

Book: 55 Corrective Exercises For Horses

Author: Jec Aristotle Ballou

11/14/2024

Over the next few days (including today), I am going to be posting the benefits of working horses over poles. The benefits of adding these to your workout routine is huge. Along with that I will post a few easy exercises with poles to get you started and also some great resources for even more.

Follow over the next few days as I explain with the help of Jec Aristotle Ballou, who is the author of “55 Corrective Exercises for Horses”. A great book you can find on Amazon!

POLES AT A WALK:

Walking over raised poles improves core stability, joint flexion, and intervertebral joint spacing. Help horses recovering from sacroiliac pain, back injury, or muscle issues from stiffness. Walking over poles helps the horses muscles loosen up and range of motion.

11/08/2024

Yesterday I went to a lesson barn and did body work on a few horses. Lesson horses and performance horses almost always have back pain.

Lesson horses it’s because they sometimes tot around riders who haven’t quite learned posture yet. Also because the good lesson horses are used frequently.

Performance horses get sore backs because they use their hind end so much. Pressure through the hips then goes into the back. If we are being honest with ourselves, we use horses in a way they were designed to be used, so they are going to get sore. Plus all your body weight is on that back.

Trail horses get sore backs due to the shift in weight from going up and down trails and long days with a saddle on. Having saddle bags can also contribute to this as it puts more weight on the lower back.

For this horse I focused heavily on the lower back (lumbar) and hips as that’s where he palpated the sorest.

Before and afters speak for themselves. If you think you have a sore horse, send me a message. I offer free consultations 👍

11/03/2024

Tomorrow will start the biggest giveaway ever! November is the month of giving and I’m doing just that!

EVERY SINGLE PERSON who participates will win something!!

Who’s ready!?

10/31/2024

🚨 Ask me about winter specials to keep your equine in tip top shape and feeling good! 🚨

ATTENTION FELLOW HORSE OWNERS WITH HORSES WITH ARTHRITIS:

Did you know winter and cold weather is one of the worst times for horses that have arthritis? This includes horses that get injections. Also includes aged horses and competition horses. I’m going to include a few articles on what you can do in the winter for those horses but here are a few things:
🐴 1 - Keep your arthritic horse in exercise. I know it sucks but this helps increase blood flow. When you just let them sit, their arthritis can get much, much worse. A body in motion stays in motion!
🐴 2 - Regular Body Work : not only will this help during competition season or when you ride more, this helps greatly in the cold! There is no cure for arthritis, but massage can help to slow down the degenerative process and offer pain relief. The pain and stiffness associated with arthritis affects horses in the same way it affects humans. Regular massage treatments can assist in keeping your arthritic horse as healthy, happy and pain free as possible. Massage helps relieve some of the pain and discomfort and can increase mobility by relaxing the muscles involved with those joints which are holding tension and are too tight to allow free movement. The aim is to break the “pain – tension - more pain” cycle.
🐴 3 - Red Light Therapy : Pain Management: Red light therapy has shown promising results in supporting pain relief and inflammation reduction associated with various equine conditions, such as arthritis, joint problems, and muscle strains. I personally use this on my horse with TMJ arthritis. I have not had to have him injected since last August! CM Equine Solutions specializes in Red Light Therapy.

My conclusion as a certified equine massage therapist that works on a ton of horses with arthritis: throwing your horse out to pasture in the winter is not the best for them. Keep them in action and if they have arthritis, get body work done with some red light! Food for thought: human athletes do not stop working out in their off seasons and “go out to pasture”. They stay in work, which is the best for their bodies!

I offer free consultations. Message me to see if my services can help your equine feel better and go into 2025 better than ever!

CM Equine Solutions

https://o2i.co.uk/blog/f/can-massage-help-a-horse-with-arthritis

https://platinumtherapylights.com/blogs/news/red-light-therapy-for-horses

https://equinewellnessmagazine.com/massage-therapy-arthritic-horse/

10/29/2024

Equine Ulcers

Such a fun thing to talk about. A lot of horses developed ulcers in the performance world due to stress. I will list the top reasons horses get ulcers and a link to read more! 90% of performance horses experience ulcers.

1. Diet and Feeding - long periods of time with no food or water
2. High Grain Consumption -
3. Intensive Exercise
4. Intermittent Access to Water
5. Physical Stress
6. Social Environment
7. Anti-inflammatory drugs

https://madbarn.com/equine-gastric-ulcers/

10/21/2024

This is one of the best things I’ve seen!!

From AB Equine Therapy:

The horse gets louder when you don’t listen

That behavior you ignored when it was mild… well now it’s a lot more aggressive.

The solution to ‘problem’ behavior is not:

‘They’re just grumpy’
‘They just need more rides, more work, they have too much energy’
‘They’re testing you, ride them through it..’

The horse is actually saying:

‘Ouch I’m hurting’
‘Hey this is too much for me’
‘I’m confused’
‘We’re going too fast’
‘This is scary’

👆This is what that behavior you’re so inclined to ignore is telling you.

We need to stop making justifications for things that are actually plain as day.

The horse DOES TALK we just need to listen.

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Yesterday I went to a lesson barn and did body work on a few horses. Lesson horses and performance horses almost always have back pain. Lesson horses it’s because they sometimes tot around riders who haven’t quite learned posture yet. Also because the good lesson horses are used frequently. Performance horses get sore backs because they use their hind end so much. Pressure through the hips then goes into the back. If we are being honest with ourselves, we use horses in a way they were designed to be used, so they are going to get sore. Plus all your body weight is on that back. Trail horses get sore backs due to the shift in weight from going up and down trails and long days with a saddle on. Having saddle bags can also contribute to this as it puts more weight on the lower back. For this horse I focused heavily on the lower back (lumbar) and hips as that’s where he palpated the sorest. Before and afters speak for themselves. If you think you have a sore horse, send me a message. I offer free consultations 👍

Little cryotherapy on my main man! He absolutely loves his sessions! He relaxes a foot and stands so great. I like to do all injection areas Artie gets done. This aids in keeping his joints and muscles feeling tip top shape when we are on the road. There are so many benefits to cryotherapy!!! BENEFITS OF CRYOTHERAPY 🐴Inflammation reduction 🐴Reduces pain within seconds 🐴Prevention of sport injuries 🐴Reduction in swelling 🐴Helps with range of motion in major joints like hocks, stifles, SIs, pasterns, and fetlocks 🐴Rapid resolution of post-exercise tension and pain from microtears reduces the risk of further tissue damage 🐴Blood vessels dilate leading to improve circulation, minimizing the possibility of further damage caused by poor blood flow to injury sites 🐴Pain decrease with laminitis horses 🐴Works at a much deeper level then regular icing

Just a little before and after on this mare I worked on today! Barrel horses and horses in general get really sore lumbars (lower back). This is one of my favorite things to work on. Your horse may have a sore lumbar if: -pins ears when saddled -cold backed -bucks when asked to trot or lope -kicks out when touch lower back -refusing to do certain things (going in the gate for example)

Just doing some backs with cryotherapy this last weekend at the barrel race!! Results in just minutes to help pain and discomfort! I see A LOT of performance horses have pain in their lumbar area due to what we ask these equine athletes to do! Currently taking cyro appointments!!! I can do these about an hour from your run and have your horse feeling so much better!! Subzero Cryotherapy utilizes CO2 at -110 °F (-78C) at very high pressure to deliver very targeted and extremely effective treatment. The treatment time is short and can produce immediate pain relief in your horse’s joints, including the hock, stifle, back, foot, pastern, and fetlock. Subzero cryotherapy reduces inflammation that can sometimes hinder movement and improve the range of motion in the legs’ tendons and ligaments. Many equine veterinarians that practice natural horse care use joint supplements and horse liniments, in conjunction with cryotherapy, to provide a more holistic and drug-free treatment option. Compared to an ice boot or ice bath, targeted Subzero Cryotherapy treatment offers immediate results. When aimed directly at the injured or inflamed areas, there is an immediate reduction in tissue temperature. This reduction triggers an internal response that increases circulation, slows nerve conduction, and alters sensory receptors, ultimately reducing inflammation and managing pain. Subzero cryotherapy can also repair cellular damage that occurs with swelling and help prevent further damage.