Belynda Moore Dressage Unlimited

Belynda Moore Dressage Unlimited FEI Dressage trainer & instructor specializes in biomechanics for both horse & rider for harmony!
(7)

I have moved my operation back to Graham! Much easier to be closer to home. I do have a few openings for boarding with a...
11/06/2024

I have moved my operation back to Graham! Much easier to be closer to home. I do have a few openings for boarding with a training and/or lesson program.

β€’ 10-15% Discount on first month of training! That is $100 off full time training.

β€’ 30% off your first lesson!

β€’ Schoolmaster available.

bmdressageunlimited.com

Gelding scars are recently being recognized as a serious cause of many behavioral and physical problems! Let your EDUCAT...
10/22/2024

Gelding scars are recently being recognized as a serious cause of many behavioral and physical problems! Let your EDUCATED body worker do their job, even if you think they are just hanging around the horses hind quarters doing nothing!! Ask questions and wait for the results!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Nb7MpLdFf2d4EL3K/?mibextid=WC7FNe

ABOUT GELDING SCARS:
When a stallion is castrated, his entire functioning body system is turned upside down. (The same applies to dogs, cats and other animals!) The flow of energy is interrupted.
Castration therefore represents a trauma for every gelding, both physically and psychologically, no matter how uncomplicated it is.
Castration changes a lot psychologically, especially in terms of gender-typical behavior. Removing the testicles reduces testosterone production. Testosterone is responsible for sexually motivated behavior, aggression and activity. This is why most geldings become calmer after castration. But castration also has an impact on the physical level - and this is often not even considered. Castration results in a scar. The inflammatory substances that are formed during the surgical procedure cause adhesions between the skin layers, muscle layers and the fascia tissue. This can lead to pain and tension.

The influence of castration on the pelvic diaphragm:

Horses have a very long lasting pain memory. During castration, the horse mentally separates itself from its hindquarters. As a result of castration, for example, it walks with its legs wide apart, very narrow, or it pulls upwards like a cat's hunchback. A gelding can have problems using his hindquarters correctly. Castration therefore negatively affects the function of the craniosacral system and the mobility of the pelvic diaphragm in the long term.
The pelvic diaphragm runs from the p***c bone to the sacrum and is connected to the organs of the urogenital tract. The front part of the pelvic diaphragm is the boundary to the abdominal cavity. This area is disturbed in its own movement by castration. The pelvic diaphragm also has a major influence on the mobility of the sacrum and caudal vertebrae.
If the mobility of the pelvic diaphragm is negatively affected, this can lead to a blockage of the sacrum and the lumbar spine and thus to imbalances in the movement sequence. A possible consequence would be inactive hindquarters. The blockages in the spine are the symptom. The actual cause is the restriction of movement of the pelvic diaphragm.

Always look at the body as a whole!

The sacroiliac joint is located directly under the highest point of the croup and connects the bones of the pelvic girdle to the trunk and transmits the forces and movement impulses of the hindquarters forward to the spine and trunk. The individual body parts are connected to each other, which is why they can never be treated separately from one another.
If the hindquarters are inactive due to a blockage in the sacroiliac joint or a tight pelvic diaphragm, the forehand is put under greater strain, which causes further blockages in the atlas, cervical spine, thoracic spine and sternum. This leads to pressure on the head and thus headaches.
It can also be the other way around and a blockage in the cervical area can lead to an inactive hindquarters.
If a bodyworker only looks at the hindquarters, the visible symptom will be remedied in the short term, but in the long term the problem will keep reoccurring until the actual cause, i.e. the blockage in the cervical vertebra area, is found and corrected. Cause and effect (visible symptom) are not always directly related.
Adjusting joints, as is often practiced by chiropractors, does not help if the castration scar is disturbed: When adjusting, an impulse is sent out that the body cannot implement. This is a shock for the body and it cannot sustain this change, which for example is caused by muscles being pulled apart. The muscle retracts again and the problem persists. Only when the actual cause is found can the problem be solved

Connection between the spine and organs:

Not only movement restrictions are caused by unresolved castration trauma, but also organic problems. If the body's natural flow, which consists of blood, lymph and spinal fluid, is hindered by restricted mobility, then the tissue is less supplied with blood. Metabolism is disrupted, which in turn has negative effects on organs and other structures in the body.
If the hindquarters are blocked, the movement of the internal organs is also disrupted. This leads to many metabolic diseases such as water in f***s, diarrhea, cough, etc.
Conversely, organ problems show up as spinal problems. Both areas should therefore never be viewed separately from each other.
The diaphragm is a large plate made up of muscles and tendons. It separates the thorax from the abdominal cavity. The diaphragm is the most important breathing muscle.

Changes after treatment:

After treatment of a gelding scar adhesion the posture often changes, the top line appears more even, and a potential cat hump disappears.
Also, many horses scratch themselves on different parts of their body because the energy flow, which was previously disturbed, is working again and all parts of the body are sufficiently supplied with blood.
After treatment riders notice that the hindquarters are more active, the tail swings more loosely and the horse appears more balanced.

(Stock image of a female cat to draw general attention to the topic of surgical scars, something more visible as most people don't recognise a gelding scar as such)

08/29/2024

Please take the time to watch this entire video!! The information is critical. This is why it is so important to understand the development and proper work load for immature horses! It brakes my hart when I see horses getting started at 18-24 months old! Especially in a steady program that is strenuous. The Jockey Club and AQHA need to be held responsible for allowing and promoting this practice! Stop offering classes for 2 yr old horses that cannot carry a full size rider, or run these babies at such a young age! It destroys the longevity and functionality of the horse’s body and the thought of just being uncomfortable for the rest of their life! 😒

https://www.facebook.com/100063486552387/videos/815098537073094/

Secret Wish, aka, β€œSolario” had to have an infusion today as he did not get enough colostrum, so he is not feeling well....
06/23/2024

Secret Wish, aka, β€œSolario” had to have an infusion today as he did not get enough colostrum, so he is not feeling well. Ruby is running a fever as well, so not sure what’s going to happen at this point but praying that they will both come out of this OK. They are staying at the vet until bloodwork looks good and they are both out of the woods.οΏΌοΏΌ

Update Sunday morning: momma is doing well as bloodwork came back normal! ❀️
Solaris however needs a second infusion this morning and his bloodwork came back a little abnormal which explains why he isn’t feeling well.

Sunday afternoon: Baby Solario is still weak but got a second infusion this morning. He is receiving IV fluids and is able to get up and eat on his own but then just lays back down. He is unfortunately still struggling a bit. Praying that the second infusion will bring him around.

Update Monday morning: β€œSolario” is feeling a bit better today. Is IgG is almost normal and we are re-running bloodwork to see if any improvement. Hoping he can come home tomorrow. Thank you everyone for all your prayers

Update Wednesday morning: Solario is feeling much better today but not quite completely recovered. Doing bloodwork once more to see how much better he is. If mama is not coming into heat, then he will come home until she does as I am re-breeding her to Secret again. This next foal will be for sale!οΏΌοΏΌ

04/18/2024

Hello horse, friends, looking for somebody that can do PEMF in Spanaway and Olympia area?οΏΌ

Proud to announce that I will be moving my operations to Miari Stables in Olympia starting the first of May!! Limited sp...
04/17/2024

Proud to announce that I will be moving my operations to Miari Stables in Olympia starting the first of May!! Limited space for boarding and training horses available as well as lesson spots. Please message me for information! Looking forward to this next chapter!!

[email protected]

This is our inspirational award we received for Ruthie! Thank you to her owner, Pauline Phillips for all of her financia...
01/30/2024

This is our inspirational award we received for Ruthie! Thank you to her owner, Pauline Phillips for all of her financial support and dedication to helping Ruthie physically become the best horse she can be!! This is the way horses need to be allowed to be trained! Below is the story that went with this award we received at the 2023 Donida Centerline Dressage Series!

Ruthie, β€œAll in the Proof”

Ruthie, an OTTB named β€œAll in the Proof” that Pauline purchased June of 2022 with the hopes to have a calm amateur friendly mare that she could learn how to become a better rider with. Unfortunately, when Ruthie came into our training program, her calmness was masked by her lack of nutrition. She was riddled with stomach and hind gut ulcers and quite a bit underweight.

Once we started Ruthie on a healthy regimen her true nature came out and she showed that she was quite full of herself and how badly she lacked ground manners. In fact, Ruthie would run over people, shoulder check them, and exhibit behaviors like rearing and bucking while being led. She was like a kite on a lead rope, going back to her track days!

Riding her was another venture. Although she wasn’t too difficult, she could not reach for the contact without panic or overreaction. Canter work would cause her to kick out and RUN and she struggled with being able to to take the right lead at all, even on the lunge line. Any other horses in the arena would create a major reaction. She would panic anytime another horse would go faster than the trot as she would try to bolt and became quite explosive. She swore it was racing time!

Because the owner was willing to fix this horse, a specialist team including saddle fitters, a bit fitter, body workers, an excellent farrier and a veterinarian all assessed this mare and came up with the best plan of action. We got this girl in a happy place with her body and began her journey with psychological training focused on teaching her to relax her body in the face of scary situations. This took several months as she was full of baggage, lacking trust and understanding.

Once she made her breakthrough, she became a completely different horse making a 360Β° turnaround, going from perilous to marvelous! She was no longer overreacting to horses in the arena and was able to actually β€œchoose” to stand still under saddle while horses ran gaming patterns around her. Even the young students were able to lead her and a green rider was able to take lessons on her!

Ruthie went to her first schooling show in October and rocked it, winning one of her classes while, remaining calm throughout the entire day!! It only took two minutes of lunging before mounting up, then she entered the ring with just a 10-minute warm-up while, performing her job perfectly. Her second show in December she won both her in hand classes with 80+%! Unfortunately due to a stone bruise we were not able to do our riding classes.

Best part about the show series was, that Ruthie's show number just so happened to be 360, a perfect representation of her complete transformation in training and behavior. Her lucky number, we will forever honor!! Ruthie is… β€œAll in the Proof”!!

10/27/2023

Congratulations to Alexandra Umemoto on the purchase of the lovely 20yr old PRE Gavalin!!! He will be spending the next chapter on Bainbridge Island!! Wonderful match and perfect home! What more could we ask for!!!

I thought this was quite interesting!!https://www.facebook.com/100000713253811/posts/6950106641689709/?mibextid=cr9u03
08/31/2023

I thought this was quite interesting!!

https://www.facebook.com/100000713253811/posts/6950106641689709/?mibextid=cr9u03

1

π‡π€πˆπ‘ π–π‡πŽπ‘π‹ ππŽπ’πˆπ“πˆπŽπ 𝐀𝐍𝐃 π‹π€π“π„π‘π€π‹πˆπ“π˜ (𝐬𝐒𝐝𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞) πƒπ„π…πˆππ„πƒ

This knowledge is a game changer in the horse training business and for those in all the competition sports, and a valuable guide for horse owners looking to find the perfect horse for their lifestyle and riding pleasure. Geneticists in three countries have provided the first scientific evidence of the inheritance of hair whorls, links to behavior, and specific genes linked to certain hair whorl patterns. There's no scientific evidence more definitive than genetic evidence. Dr. Temple Grandin and I at Colorado State University waited 28 eight years since we published the first scientific evidence of the link from hair whorls to behavior for the genetic evidence we always knew would come. We never claimed to discover the relationship between hair whorls and behavior; people worldwide for thousands of years have casually observed the relationship. What we did that was new was show the link to lateralization of the nervous system and the hair whorls association with functional specialization of the cerebral hemispheres of the brain. I studied and documented the relationship for ten years before meeting Temple Grandin, working as a farrier and horse trainer. I learned the practical application of this knowledge in real-world situations before seeking and finding the academic support needed to make this useful information available to everyone.

This post aims to clarify and unify common terminology and principles of hair whorl height and position, either left, right, or center. For future posting on this page, this information is essential for you. The most important language to clarify relates to the side preference exhibited by horses and its relation to horse welfare concerns. The terminology in the horse industry, as is in the scientific language, is broad and varies between people in the US and other countries. The formal scientific term for this phenomenon is lateralization of the nervous system. Some scientists use a less formal term, π’π’‚π’•π’†π’“π’‚π’π’Šπ’•π’š. 𝑯𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 is the general term used to describe the phenomenon across species that includes human handedness, paw preference in dogs, footedness in birds, and side preference in cattle, horses, and other herbivores. In my writing, I interchange the terms laterality, handedness, and side preference depending on sentence context, but they all mean the same thing.

I drew this graph on this horse because this horse represents a large proportion of horses and the hair whorl type that suffers from the most severe welfare concerns. It has a single whorl, is left of center, and is very.

π‡π€πˆπ‘ π–π‡πŽπ‘π‹ π‡π„πˆπ†π‡π“

"Very Low" defines a non-reactive horse with low fear. "Low" whorls represent a horse as slightly more reactive than the "very low." "Very Lows" and "Lows" show minimal side preferences, and the hair whorls are usually in the center of the midline. The V-lines on the graph represent how, as the whorl gets higher, the side preference increases.

πŒπˆπƒπƒπ‹π„ 𝐚𝐧𝐝 π‡πˆπ†π‡

Most horses are in the Middle and High Range. The reactivity and fearfulness are in the mid-range, with some variation. Reactivity is higher in the top portion of the High range and lower reactivity in the lower middle range. The V-shape on the graph represents side preferences. The higher the whorl on the forehead, the stronger their side preference.

π‡πˆπ†π‡ 𝐀𝐍𝐃 π•π„π‘π˜ π‡πˆπ†π‡

A smaller portion of horses are in the "High" and "Very" High range. Both high and very high define highly reactive and fearful horses. Side preference is highest in these two ranges, and the distance left or right from the midline also increases the side preference strength. This horse represents very high nervous system reactivity and laterality but not extreme laterality (side preference). A hair whorl closer to V-line would be an example of extreme laterality.

π‡π€πˆπ‘ π–π‡πŽπ‘π‹ π„ππˆπ‚π„ππ“π„π‘

The epicenter defines the position of the whorl. This horse has a very high whorl slightly off to the horse's left side. This horse is highly reactive. The side preference is strong but not the strongest., and its natural fearfulness is very strong.

π’π”πŒπŒπ€π‘π˜

Approximately 70% of horses have a left side whorl in the medium to high ranges. 10% to 15% have hair whorls on the right side. Approximately 10% have two side-by-side whorls, always in mid-to-high ranges, never low. The double side-by-side whorls we considered normal in our research.The doubles, either side by side or one above the other, are harder to define and require a separate post to clarify.

The remaining 5% have multiple or two whorls, one above the other. In our research, we considered these types of whorls abnormal.

The horse in this picture will favor the right lead and travel better in a circle to the right or clockwise. The left whorl and right turning preferences are similar to most right-handed people. The right side whorl is opposite, like left-handed people. The horse with a high right side whorl favors the left lead.

This horse's left eye is the "look out for danger" eye in horse's with a left side whorl, and prefers the right lead. The side of the whorl is the side the horse will give a farrier the hardest time. The opposite holds for the horse with a right side whorl.This horse's right eye is the "look out for danger" eye in horse's with a right side whorl, and this horse prefers the left lead.

The high reactivity(fearfulness) and the laterality (side preference) of the horse in the photograph and a horse with the opposite on the right side are the types of horses I encountered most while working as a farrier and horse trainer. The horses with the high right and left hair whorls show the most potential as high-performance horses, but they also represent the horses with the most severe welfare concerns. Unfortunately, when they have behavior problems, they are the most dangerous and unpredictable. It all depends on how they are raised and handled. Any clarifying questions are welcome.

Gavilan-Graham, WA20 year old PRE Andalusian, 15.3hh very sweet flea bitten grey gelding. Son of the famous Indiano XVII...
07/13/2023

Gavilan-
Graham, WA
20 year old PRE Andalusian, 15.3hh very sweet flea bitten grey gelding. Son of the famous Indiano XVIII with Remador II on dams side. This stout delightful guy is a blast to ride and loves educating adults and young riders alike. He has many buttons and with the correct seat you can really go places!

Video: https://youtu.be/2bvLvKlZzXc

Was competed lightly by an FEI trainer in California in his younger years, then owner lost interest and he sat. Current owner rode him at training level for a couple years before leasing him and he went into a more vigorous training program heading into third level development. Can be a slow lazy type but with the correct seat he is quite fun, forward and quick on the aids. Same horse at home as he is at the show. Safe, sane, reliable, super confidence builder, and was leased by two timid older AA riders. Hacks out alone with a confident rider or with a group, but is very forward and likes to be at the front. Hauls beautifully, clips, cross ties, bathes, drinks water from the hose. Very friendly and cuddly, loves kisses and scratches. Spanish walk, piaffe, passage, flying changes, lateral work, all extensions, even levade (if you know how to ask for it.)

Was schooling third level in a lesson/ training program over the last few years but took this last winter/ spring off with lease ending. Owner would like to see him find another place to help educate some students but needs a new 🏠. This boy will likely need some maintenance as he is older but nothing too major. Bring your PPE to see what to expect. He is a super guy and very fun to be around! Currently no maintenance and sound but also not in a steady program. Low πŸ–οΈs starting with a ☝️

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=855296525575962&id=100032868683139&mibextid=qC1gEa
03/05/2023

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=855296525575962&id=100032868683139&mibextid=qC1gEa

A client recently asked me if they should be using boots or polos on their horse. Many horse owners have the best intention in using boots or wraps to protect their horses legs from trauma during exercise and competitions. But many don’t realize that boots can essentially insulate the distal limb and prevent heat loss during exercise leading to increased temperatures that can reach damaging levels during maximal exertion.

A study from Middle Tennessee State University measured temperature increase during a specified exercise protocol with different types of leg protection. The study found that the reduced rate of heat dissipation a boot can cause can be detrimental to the superficial digital flexor tendon. They tested six different types of boots or wraps during exercise: a traditional neoprene boot, a perforated neoprene boot, a plant-based neoprene boot made of Stomatex, a cross-country boot, an elastic track bandage, and a fleece polo wrap.

The study found that the bare limb had the lowest temperature, all treatment temperatures were greater than the bare limb across all time points. The fleece polo wrap had the highest temperature and humidity. None of the treated limbs returned to baseline temperature and humidity after the 180-minute recovery period, and all treated limbs reached temperatures that negatively affect tendon cells. The study suggests that the use of boots and wraps during exercise impairs convection cooling, causing chronic microdamage to the tendon.

Riders must weigh the pros and cons, considering boot design, application and material permeability. No matter what boot you choose, the best way to protect your horse is to remove it immediately after exercises and stand your horse in an ice bath.
Ps. (Cold hosing and ice boots aren’t even half as effective. We can chat about that about that research in a future post ;))

L. Brock, H. Spooner, 28 A comparison among equine boots and legwraps on leg surface temperature during and after exercise,
Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, Volume 100. 2021

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