Two Hands Equine Massage

11/11/2024

Absolutely ❤️❤️❤️

10/23/2024

I hail from the era of traditional horsemanship. Of old cowboys and unspoken teaching. Of dressage masters and lofty ideals. There was much beauty about it… and there were things that went on behind closed doors that I would dearly love to forget.

There is an incredible amount held within my own memories that haunt me. I have witnessed atrocities, both against horses and their people. Worse, I have done some hard things, myself.

At odds with this, I was born something of a fey child.

I have observed and carried burdens that were too much for any empathic or highly-sensitive young soul and yet, these weights are now a part of who I am. From the earliest age, my horses have spoken to me. My mother remembers me coming from the barn as a small child, then announcing that one of the horses wasn’t feeling well. The adults in my family could see nothing untoward and yet, overnight, the horse colicked. Of course.

Unlike most ten-year-old kids, I can remember asking my father if it wasn’t time to deworm the horses, or, would he please do my pony’s feet? Most young children aren’t so attuned to the physical needs of the horses in their lives, in my experience.

As a teen, when my beautiful Thoroughbred suddenly would not hold the canter, I was the only one to stand up to those in power and say, “No. He cannot hold the canter. There’s a difference!” And so, my mother and I went in search of an equine chiropractor, a very risky business in the wild west of the 1970s and early ‘80s. The people we loved and trusted thought, and said, we were nuts.

I need to—finally—thank my parents for listening to me, when mostly, it must have seemed that their youngest child was plumb weird. A life-long misfit, it wasn’t until I reached adulthood that I realized how dicey it is to be different.

I have always wanted to say what my horses tell me and yet, I’ve been afraid of ridicule for most of my life. Even now, I will post a story of vulnerability and have to shield my heart from those friends and family who might read it and laugh. One of the gifts I’ve given myself as I’ve aged, is the vow to be brave and to tell my own truths. This is getting easier, despite all the laughing emojis.

The times, they are a-changing! I think we are seeing so much of traditional ways that are now being questioned. Asking questions about something that has ‘always been thus’ is healthy and good; it does not necessarily mean that I must renounce all that I know and busy myself by reinventing the wheel. Knowing this soothes Lee the Defender.

I have seen the coming and going of so many ways that were meant to compensate for all the woes in our prior know-how. Many of them have, with time, proven to leave gaping holes. Too many unused—which is perhaps better than overused—round pens are catching tumbleweeds all across the land, misunderstood bits and books and flags and gimmicky gear and patented ‘systems’ are gathering dust, like the cast-off plastic fast-food detritus that litters our roadsides.

We continue to use and discard gadgets and methodry, as we have done to too many horses.

And so, gingerly, we will dip our toes into unknown waters. You and I will continue to look for a better way for the horse, sharing with likeminded people. We will ask questions. We will sit in discomfort. We will try new ways and with open minds, compare these newest findings with our older results. Some of what we learn, we will keep and much of it will end up on that growing discard pile, I'm afraid.

The thought of this both fills my waking hours and keeps me awake at night.

Until we learn to stop mimicking our latest online gurus and start spending real time in real life with real horses and wise teachers, until we stop buying the latest must-have fixes and start learning the cause and effect of why we do what we do, until we stop keeping up with the trends and start following our instincts—until we stop misreading our horses, all the while keeping certain absolutes upon high pedestals—we will be unable to listen to what our horses tell us. Worse, we will be unable to bravely stand up and speak their truths.

So, until then. We have to learn and let go and continue to learn, until we can dare to think and feel for ourselves.

10/23/2024

🤣🤣🤣

10/06/2024

Dr Hancock is now seeing dogs! Please schedule an appointment at our office in Marshall if you are interested.
Initial session is $150, rechecks are $125

09/13/2024

🌿 Equines are designed to have access to forage 24/7. In nature, horses will voluntarily take breaks from grazing to sleep and rest for periods of time, typically no longer than an hour. Wild horses are not subjected to prolonged periods of time at the trot, canter, and gallop or fasting.

🏇An empty stomach allows unbuffered gastric acid to slosh and bathe its lining causing discomfort and may induce ulcers.

🌿 In domestication, involuntary periods of time without forage can be physically painful and mentally stressful. Mental and physical experiences are synonymous in that each has an influence on the other. ​Prevention of physical discomfort can help you and your beloved companion enjoy☺ your rides and outings equally.

Learn how the equine stomach works and how chewing and saliva help buffer gastric acid - and reduce the risk of ulcers👉 https://www.thehaypillow.com/blogs/news/never-exercise-your-horse-on-an-empty-stomach-ever

09/13/2024

😃🥳🥳🥳🍾🍾🍾🐎🐎🐎🐎

09/13/2024

09/06/2024

🫣🫣

09/06/2024

Today was different. Today I had the honor of giving the last gift of comfort to Randy. It was the most perfect ending and the last gift his Mom would bestow on him. Soft grass, sunlight shining, birds singing. We listened to calming music and a gentle breeze blowing through the leaves. And we all cried together. I will never forget this day.

You were loved by so many and will be so missed. Rest in peace sir. ❤

(Posted with permission)

08/21/2024

08/12/2024

Does your horse have allergies?

Use the link below to try our favorite brand of Quercetin which actually helps the body break the histamine response that causes your horse's allergy symptoms instead of suppressing the immune system with anti-histamines like Zyrtec.

Serving size may vary based on severity of symptoms and bio-individuality of each horse.

Need help figuring out how much to feed? Send us a message!

https://amzn.to/3SOBV0j

08/10/2024

Just because this is one of my favorite memes right now. 🙊

Www.twohandsequinemassage.com

08/02/2024

Your horse! 10xfaster!

A hot humid day. One rider. One horse. Both are exercising at a moderate level. Who is more likely to overheat?

It might surprise you to learn that your horse gets hotter much faster than you and is more susceptible to the negative effects of heat stress.

Prof. Michael Lindinger, an animal and exercise physiologist at the University of Guelph, explains: “It only takes 17 minutes of moderate intensity exercise in hot, humid weather to raise a horse’s temperature to dangerous levels. That’s three to ten times faster than in humans. Horses feel the heat much worse than we do.”

And the effects can be serious. ✅ Read the full article here: https://www.horsejournals.com/horse-care/seasonal-care/summer/when-rider-hot-horse-hotter

08/02/2024

💯

If the tissues take a long time to warm-up through massage then it will also take them a long time to warm up under saddle. If it takes the tissues a long time to warm up under saddle, then it will take a long time to warm up through massage.

This is feedback from the muscles about their current state and quality. It’s feedback about how the horse’s body is currently faring. It means that the fascia and muscles are stiff and sticky, and they feel a need to adhere and increase stiffness—something they usually do because the body has identified a need for increased support, due to a weakness or discomfort. Or it could be that the body is struggling with clearing waste products quickly enough, leading to inflammation, increased viscosity, and reduced fluidity.

Interestingly enough, both of these can be due to overworking the musculoskeletal system. If you notice that the slowness to warm up is temporary and comes and goes with a challenging workout, then perhaps the body is building and this is a stage. If it persists, the body may not be able to keep up with the training schedule and needs help, through massage, additional rest, hydration, nutritional support, an ergonomic check and adjusting the level of exercise to something the body finds more manageable.

If Your Horse Is Body Sore, It Needs A Massage - https://koperequine.com/if-your-horse-is-body-sore-it-needs-a-massage/