Restorative Equine LLC

11/18/2022

Really good read. ☺️

Sometimes, what owners worry about when it comes to their horses' feet and what farriers worry about when it comes to the horses' feet are not the same.
I will sometimes receive texts from a concerned owner with a picture of a small chip at the end of a cycle, but another cycle they will somehow neglect to tell me that their horse was footsore over stones recently when it hadn't been before..

Some of the most common "owner concerns" I see online or in person are:

✴️Wall chipping: although chipping isn't ideal, usually it won't cause much issue for stronger walls. Often this tells me that the horse either needs a shorter trim cycle, or a change to their hoof balance.

✴️Frog shedding: In wet seasons, sometimes I see an entire frog come off in one piece. Often owners worry this means something is wrong with the frog - don't worry, this is often completely normal!

✴️"A weird growth on the top of the hoof" (aka periople): I can't tell you how many times someone has asked me what the "stuff" is underneath the hairline. Think of the periople like your nail cuticle - it protects new growth as it comes in. Sometimes, especially in dry seasons, it can grow a bit farther down the wall than we are used to. Sometimes when the weather changes between wet and dry, we can see some weird periople changes, or even "flaps." It is usually completely fine!

✴️Waterlogged heel bulbs: Heel bulbs that seem to suddenly become white are often soggy heel bulbs that have had contact with a boot of some sort. Let them dry out a bit and they will be okay!

✴️Thinking a horse "just doesn't look due": Usually when an owner thinks a horse hasn't grown, really it just means they haven't chipped.. which is a good thing! We don't want them to chip or look grossly overgrown when it's time for a trim. Our goal is to keep them in balance, not chase after distortion. Sure - there ARE cases where a horse doesn't grow much foot, but 9 times out of 10 the hoof actually IS due for a balance adjustment.

These situations usually aren't a cause for concern for me. Of course, it depends on the horse and the circumstances, but overall these "issues" are simply cosmetic or a misunderstanding of how the hoof grows and naturally adjusts through seasons.

So what DO I worry about?

🚩Hoof sensitivity or changes in comfort: I don't want to see any of my client horses sore over ANY terrain - especially if it is a sudden change! This is a big red flag to me that the diet, trim, or metabolic management might need adjustment. I never want my horse owners to just accept hoof sensitivity as "normal."

🚩Abscesses: Abscesses are often a huge symptom of something unhealthy going on. A strong foot shouldn't get stone bruises or abscessing - see my last point. If the horse is throwing abscesses, especially if it seems to happen a few times a year, I want to know if the diet needs adjustment or if the vet should step in for some metabolic testing.

🚩Chronic event lines: the wall of the hoof should be smooth overall. Diet changes, fevers/illness, metabolic issues, etc can cause something called an "event line" to show up on the wall as it grows out. This can reveal to us a period of inflammation, although by the time we see it it's often in the past. When I see a series of event lines showing up on the wall, I know something is continually affecting the health of the foot. With that, I worry about something more sinister down the line, such as the risk of laminitis or founder, if the source of the event lines isn't found. Don't ignore them!

🚩Sudden changes in sole appearance, white line health, etc: If the horse's sole is typically concave and suddenly seems to flatten out "out of nowhere," or if we suddenly can see a stretched white line or fit a hoof pick between the wall and the sole, I know something is going on. OR, if a flat foot suddenly has a "sucked up" in a drastic ridge of concavity, I assume the soles have revealed that they are extremely thin. These all warrant further investigation.

Educating ourselves on what might be a red flag and what might not be can help catch early warning signs before a real issue starts.

11/17/2022

When I read this quote by Wes Angelozzi it really evokes a big feeling in my heart.

These big feelings arise because I have been on the receiving end of this sort of love & witnessing by 2 special mentors.

Mentors that treat all of their students this way. Mentors that see the capacity for which we have inside us, that we may not be able to see in ourselves at first. Mentors that see the good in everyone, draw out curiosity’s, crack open heart spaces and I swear read minds 🤣 (iykyk) with knowing just the right questions to ask to help each student access deeper understanding of themselves.

All I can say is that I feel truly blessed to have studied with them and am thrilled to announce that I will be joining faculty at Equine Natural Movement School, assisting teaching in Module 1, starting next month.

I am beyond excited to meet all the new students that are coming in, feel the buzz of excitement & learning, and to be in the energy of both Joseph & Jacqueline again as well experience this whole teaching adventure with my dear friend from
Aligned Equine Bodywork LLC.

I can already see in my minds eye the excitement of the future students and can’t wait to watch them soar into their truest selves.

Next slide is a picture of my last day of school (hiding out under my hat & layers) vs one of my favorite days working. I’m smiling in both, but I think it’s pretty visible that I am truly joyful in the 2nd photo, my heart is more open and I am just fully in my essence. This school helped shape who I am today 🙏

P.S. for all my horse friends, take this quote and apply it to your horses as well. Appreciate and love them just as they are- even if your at a tough spot in your relationship, love them as they are while holding the vison im your mind for where you want to be…. And watch your horse rise up to meet the version you have in your mind. It’s possible, I promise✨

07/31/2021

This ⬇️⬇️⬇️

As a therapist it's my job but not my life

That sounds harsh but my job as a therapist is to enhance the performance of a healthy horse, some times the lines become blurred as to what I can and cannot do so thought i would add a few pointers to guide clients

I cannot give advice to people who are not my clients, this sometimes is hard for people to understand but I think it is responsible for me as a therapist

I only work on what I find on the day, meaning if next week your horse has a different issue or is lame a. I cannot assess lameness as this is a vets job and b. I have no clue what your horse has done in that week, c.refer back to point a.

I keep my prices reasonable so everyone can afford to have bodywork and hopefully before a problem becomes worse but I can only offer advice pertaining to the session done on that day I can't answer endless calls or messages about other things as sadly i will have to charge consultation fees as the one session ends up eating into my free time.
You may think you are the only one messaging but you are probably the 40th person that day to message what do you think

Free time I Have set times on which I am open which allows me to have time to spend with my own horses and family I get so many messages on to my free time that can often spend hours in the day just answering queries, often not relating to the work I have done so all messages have to come through my business page and will be answered when I am open.

Do you see a vet or not??, unless I am physically there with your horse and I refer back to a vet then I cannot answer that question for you it is your responsibility, as a therapist the pressure we feel when you ask this question is alot. So don't be offended if I say I cannot make that decision for you

If your horse is lame and you call me out I will immediately stop the session and tell you to get the vet so be honest when answering that question as you will still be charged.

This is not aimed at anyone but sometimes I like the lines to be clear as it saves any awkwardness on both parts and allows me to do my job at its best

All my clients know I have their back but to be at my best from now on I can only answer messages relating to the session on the day all other queries etc will have to have the horse booked in again, there will be a generic reply to all other queries to avoid any confusion

Its been really hard for me to write this but sometimes the pressure to have all the answers is hard and some times a little unfair I have always stated if in doubt get the vet it's what they are there for, they have the tools for further investigation and diagnosis to make sure your horse gets the appropriate treatment ###

04/15/2021

It’s true, the body will follow the motion of the jaw to find balance.

P.S. try the exercise at the end to see what you find 😉

Pay attention to this little area on your horse, the temporomandibular joint. It may be small but it has a big impact on your horse’s posture and balance.

I had a weekend of learning 🤓 starting with equine dentistry and posture and finishing with a full day of fascia education (nice to see pandiculation got a mention after writing about it last week 😉). What I kept hearing was what an impact the TMJ can have on the rest of the body. It is a major point of balance (or imbalance) for your horse and tension and pain here moves into the face, into the poll and neck and left unchecked continues to spread throughout the body changing the whole body posture. Of course, just to make things more complicated, as the body is an integrated system the primary issue can occur anywhere in the body but basically there a huge relationship between unbalanced teeth and feet with both affecting the TMJ. You can keep adjusting the body, but until the the primary imbalance is corrected AND correlated by the nervous system, the body will revert back to it's learned way.

Here’s a cool little exercise from Dr Gellman
Stand up with your arms by your side. Stick your lower jaw out in front of you, then pull it back. Then from one side to other and notice how your body follows the movement. (If you don’t move from side to side then you have a TMJ issue) Now imagine the effect on the proprioception of the body if it’s constantly trying to rebalance this offset!

03/16/2021

L❤️VE

It really does take a team! Keeping a horse sound, athletic and, most importantly happy, to carry out the tasks asked of them, takes a selection of professionals and an educated owner. Make sure you know as much as you can.

01/19/2021

Just rented this exhibit!! I am so excited to train my eye with “ The Art of seeing the horse”!

I have been following for a few years now, & actually put her name on my work vision board to study or do a mentorship with her. And boom she created this✨

She is the epitome of a student & teacher! Artist & scientist! She literally drew all these images & has the anatomical names written in.

I have been so grateful for all I have been able to learn from her thus far, as Tami is overly generous with her work & knowledge ( she provides SO much value on her page).

Thank you for creating this exhibit!! You are a wonderful teacher! Thank you for creating this visual content and being willing to share your years of valuable expertise.

The Art of Seeing the Horse,is a different type of educational concept! The art of observation like any skill can be fine tuned. This skill can become a powerful…