B4 Equine Services, LLC

10/28/2025

I have clients who use horses and mules in therapy sessions. I have said multiple times that I could NOT go to therapy and have an equine present, I’d pick it apart and analyze everything. I would need therapy because of the therapy!!! (But for real I could use normal therapy 🙃)

10/27/2025

💭💭💭

10/22/2025

What does your horse and an onion have in common?
(other than they both make us cry😅)

They each have layers! 🧅
Horses have three different "layers" of muscle groups.

They have the deep muscles which consist of muscles like the psoas minor, gluteus accessorius, and scalenus just to name a few!!

Middle muscle layer which includes muscles like gluteus medius, semitendinosus, re**us femoris, and much more!

And lastly there is the superficial muscle layer which includes some more familiar muscles like temporalis, bicep femoris, intercostales, latissimus doris, and more.

A wonderful way to keep your horses muscles happy and healthy is regular massage and bodywork!

10/16/2025

10/15/2025

MY FAQs as your horses bodyworker!!❔❔❔
I ask A LOT of questions when I’m working on a horse (even if I’ve worked on them before) but I want to help you, your horse, and myself have the best session possible! ✅

Here’s a short list of some questions I ask!
-How long have you owned this horse?
-What is their job now/what was their job before you owned them?
-Are they turned out or stalled?
-Are their pasture mates mean to them?
-How often are they ridden?
-Which lead do they pick up easier?
-Are they girthy?
-When were their teeth done last?
-Do they clip themselves often?
-What did their chiropractor find last time? (If seen by chiro)
-Do you have immediate concerns regarding how they are riding?
-If theres an immediate issue when did it start?
-Have they seen their vet for this issue?
-What supplements are they on?
-When backing up do they travel in a straight line?
-If a mare, is she in heat or coming in/out of heat?
-Is she on mare magic or regumate?
-What saddle are you riding in?
-What type of saddle pad do you use?

And that’s just in the first 5 minutes 😅
If your horses bodyworker isn’t asking a million questions….get yourself a new bodyworker!

10/08/2025

What exactly is compensation? 🤔
Compensation is a strategy where one (the horse) covers up, consciously or unconsciously (with horses it’s unconsciously), weakness, injury, or inadequacy to excel in another area. 🐴

Horses are professionals when it comes to compensation! ⭐️ They redistribute weight away from the structurally unsound or weak portions of their bodies onto the sound or stronger portions. ⚖️

Lameness or gait change is one way horses deal with compensation. Horses can also compensate muscularly as well, for example picking up one lead easier than the other or being unbalanced in a certain gait. ⚖️

It’s our job as equestrians and owners to help
A) get to the bottom of why the horse is compensating 🔎
B) help the horse work through the compensation comfortably and pain free 🩹

Bodywork with and experience practitioner is a great way to find areas your horse is compensating TO and FROM!

10/07/2025

Hey, I know her! 😉

10/01/2025

I was fitting a saddle a few weeks ago for a gentleman who blatantly disagreed that a saddle should be fitted without the pad. It made me think…”do people actually think you can fix an ill-fitting saddle with a pad?” 🤨

If the saddle doesn’t fit without a pad, it’s not going to fit with a pad!! Saddle pads, whether that be a simple wool pad, shim pad, gel pad, foam pad, cut-out pad, built-up pad, etc etc is not a bandaid for a saddle that doesn’t fit in the first place! For example when you go shopping for boots do you just purchase a size too big and think “oh I’ll just wear 3 pairs of socks to make them fit!” Or do you buy a size too small and say “I’ll wear thin socks, the thin socks will stop my toes from being cramped!” I mean if you do, there’s probably a hotline for that. 🫣

I don’t like to ruffle feathers and argue but when it comes to your horse or any horse, I will stand up for them when I see obvious things that should not be happening🤷🏼‍♀️ simple as that. Do better for your horse.

09/24/2025

Stability or balance pads offer a multitude of benefits for any class of equine athlete! ⚖️

Some of those benefits include…
-activation of core muscles
-increased proprioception
-improves joint stability
-injury prevention
-improves posture
-can increase mental confidence

How should you introduce balance training?
When introducing balance training into your horses routine, it is imperative to start slow and allow the horse to gain confidence. Sometimes this looks like only having a single hoof on a pad at a time or two hooves on pads for a very short period of time.

When should you be using balance pads?
While you brush your horse before or after a ride, while you wait for the farrier, while you tack up, while you’re talking to your barn friends, while braiding their manes. That’s the great thing about balance training, it’s easy to do anywhere at anytime!

**always consult your veterinarian before starting balance training.