Kindred Spirit Equine Services

19/01/2025

Yes! 🙌🏻 so much this. Work on YOU, not just your horse.

17/01/2025

These are the faces of three thrown away souls who were severely let down by humans. Given up on by their owners, deemed no longer useful, determined to have no potential, worth, or value, and viewed as commodities instead of living, breathing, feeling beings. They were at the kill pen about to load on the truck to slaughter. Fortunately, and gratefully, they were saved, unlike so many of their brothers and sisters. Now, the hard work begins to show them that there is love in the world, and that there are kind humans who want them to live their best lives. Now, the work begins to show them they are safe from harm, that I am a safe human, and that they can trust me. Now the work begins to help them heal physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Please send them some 💚💚💚

08/01/2025

Wonderful post covering some of the important aspects of bridle fit! Thanks Elaine for sharing ☺️

25/12/2024

Santa visited the ponies!!! Happy Christmas one and all 💝🐴💝

24/12/2024

Just a little Christmas Eve hangout with Malone and CL at Mile High Rescue 💝🎄🐴🎄💝

17/12/2024

Just another victim of aromatherapy 😁

13/12/2024

Hi! Malone here, just enjoying a moment of processing after some aromatherapy to help me relax and release some tension. It worked! 🥰

10/12/2024

PSA: Horses are not inanimate objects.
Please stop referring to them as “it”.
Thanks!

10/12/2024

Simply the best kind of happy hour 🐴🥰🐴

06/12/2024

A great post that builds on one I shared the other day! If your horse has an unhealthy back, STOP RIDING.

One of the biggest things I see is people wanting to know what to do for an underdeveloped topline…

Well let me tell you what, an avid rider hates to see me coming because the first thing I’m going to tell you is to GET OFF OF THE HORSE’S BACK.

Get out of the saddle and stay out of the saddle until the muscle comes back.

You don’t build a topline by riding… meaning,

You can’t strengthen something that isn’t there to begin with- so if your horse’s top line musculature is depleted, you aren’t going to fix the problem by riding.

You add a rider once you have foundational muscle.

And I think that’s where the disconnect lies. Riders, trainers, breeders etc. have all convinced themselves that underdeveloped muscle is just fine and they call it ‘fitness’.

If you want real results you have to do real work.

You start building muscle once you’ve stopped the pain cycle. Once you’ve addressed tensional patterns.

Look at the situation for what it is.

These horses are started too young, they’re ridden in tack that doesn’t fit with restrictive training aids that don’t allow for the appropriate muscles to build and engage. On top of that, most don’t receive enough natural movement in their routines because they’re confined to a stall.

The formula is easy folks. We’ve created the problems. Just modify a few things and you’d be surprised how good that horse’s topline looks. You don’t need to make it harder than it has to be.

Poor topline= get off the back

⭐️You can check out my ‘rehabbing the topline’ freebie here- it has a few helpful tips. This is something I’m going to be going into a lot more detail about in a project I’m working on🤭 stay tuned

https://stan.store/abequinetherapy?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAabvCH-69u_CN5SKDBf_5lM_kU4dalF5a3AYGjMygLAsth4hFe7RApPEV-s_aem_hjVz7GmOrGgBeRkAWuE9hw

04/12/2024

Had another fun day yesterday playing with saddles and fit with . I started taking apart this KB saddle that we suspected had a broken tree. Well, there was no broken tree, but it was very weak and there was a lot of rust on the rails and rivets, compromising its integrity. With this information along with observing dry, cracking leather, and a few other signs, we believe that someone in this saddle’s past has taken it swimming with their horse!!! PSA: please don’t swim with your saddles as you’ll RUIN them 😭

27/11/2024

Hi friends, I’ve had the privilege of working with this beautiful mare when she was previously fostered. She’s a smart, curious, beautiful soul and really deserves a person of her own. I’d be happy to help support anyone who can foster her.

22/11/2024

Hi all! I donated a few certificates for services to For the Love of Aria’s auction to help support the mustangs.

If you’re in/near the Denver metro area and are interested in a bit/bridle assessment, saddle fit evaluation, and/or bodywork session for your horse, please check out the auction and make a bid ☺️

Silent auction 'Deck the Stalls' hosted online at 32auctions.

21/11/2024

I had such a great day today launching into the next part of my saddle fitting journey! I began taking an old saddle of mine apart under the expert instruction and supervision of , and then was privileged to shadow her on some saddle fit evaluations. We found a broken gullet plate and tree, as well as some really disgusting, questionable flocking in my old saddle (don’t worry, I never had it on a horse), so this is my reminder to you to have your saddle checked by a professional regularly, and ensure you’re purchasing QUALITY (mine was donated to me for non-riding purposes). Collaboration and sharing knowledge is SO important and much needed in the horse industry, so I’m very grateful for this opportunity to shadow and learn from Bev.

20/11/2024

I don’t watch Yellowstone, but YIKES!

DO NOT GIVE IM BANAMINE!!! AKA, do not inject your horse with Banamine in the muscle.

We love a good series as much as the next person, especially one as dramatic as Yellowstone! But let’s set the record straight about one scene that made us yell “NEIGH-way!” at the screen.

In a recent episode, a horse was given an injection of Banamine (a common anti-inflammatory drug) *in the muscle*. While it might look cool and cowboy-chic on TV, here’s the deal: 🆃🅷🅸🆂 🅸🆂 🅳🅰🅽🅶🅴🆁🅾🆄🆂🅻🆈 🅸🅽🅲🅾🆁🆁🅴🅲🆃 in real life and could land your horse in serious trouble.
What’s the Problem?
Banamine (flunixin meglumine) is a fantastic drug for reducing pain and helping colics *when used correctly*. But when injected into muscle, it can cause clostridial myositis—a rare but life-threatening infection that produces gas in the muscle tissue. This can happen fast, turning what seemed like a harmless injection into a serious emergency.
The TV Drama vs. Real-Life Care
We get it. TV needs action, and waiting for a vet to explain safe medication practices isn’t exactly prime-time material. But in the real world, Banamine should be given orally or as an intravenous (IV) injection—and the IV option is best left to a trained professional (like your friendly neighborhood veterinarian 👋).
The Takeaway
Hollywood may make ranch life look glamorous, but don’t take veterinary advice from fictional cowboys. Always consult your vet before giving any medication, and remember: the health of your animals isn’t worth risking for a shortcut that’s TV-only accurate.
💡 Got questions about horse rehab care? Drop us a message, and we’ll gallop to your rescue (without the TV drama)! 🐎✨

04/11/2024

This. 💯

I hear this phrase ALL the time and every time I do my heart breaks for the horse in question.

It is a very big misconception in the industry that pain can be ruled out in the horse.

What leads to this statement can also vary drastically from person to person.

The horse might have had a quick muscle palpation, they might have just been scoped for ulcers, or they might have had a very extensive (and expensive!) veterinary work up over days or months.

Regardless, you cannot rule out pain. You might not be able to find a source, but you cannot rule out pain.

Ask any human who has not received an immediate diagnosis for their pain or not been listened to regarding their own health concerns.

Pain does not have a blood test or a specific color or feel.

Pain can be obvious, it can be concealed, it can be complex, it can be poorly understood.

There are certain things, like gastric ulcers, that can be definitively ruled in or out as a SOURCE of pain with a gastroscopy.

But it is the horse’s behavior that says whether pain is or isn’t present. And unfortunately, very often pain in the horse is not a simple thing to diagnose and cure.

When a trainer, owner, rider, or vet says “we have ruled out pain” it is often an invitation to train the horse with harsher methods to overcome performance or behavioral problems.

If the horse refuses to do something, doesn’t cooperate, struggles with tasks, has a change in behavior, or exhibits behaviors that have been scientifically studied to indicate pain in the horse (such as the equine discomfort ethogram and ridden horse pain ethogram)….ALWAYS keep in mind that just because it can’t be located, DOES NOT mean a horse is not in pain.