Integrated Veterinary Therapeutics

30/11/2025

This week is the week of foals!!

Starting to recognize posture from an early age can be life changing for a horse and we can have such of a positive influence on them physically, mentally and emotionally in their development.

P.S. We have a 2 part series podcast coming out tomorrow on foal handing!!

Welcome to the Equine Functional Posture podcast Episode 4 with Dr Raquel Butler and Sophie Vandenberg. If you enjoy this episode we would love for you to give us a 5 star rating so we can continue to impact the world for the horse!! In this Episode Dr. Raquel and Sophie discuss important aspects...

27/11/2025

A beautiful moment in time 💜

27/11/2025

Episode 61: Intentional Postural Rehabilitation

Intentional postural rehabilitation is more than just doing the exercises, it’s how we do them.

It means to do with presence, curiosity, awareness, and connection.

When we approach rehab consciously, we elevate both the physical outcomes and the emotional relationship with our horse.

In this week’s podcast, we unpack:

• What it means to be intentional with your horses training and rehabilitation: awareness, presence, and clarity
• How ex*****on can be the difference that makes all the difference
• Using curiosity, observation, and conversation to guide the horse
• How intentional exercises improves outcomes, body awareness, and relationship

If you enjoyed this episode we would love for you to follow and share the episode with your friends. A 5-star rating helps us continue creating education that makes a real difference for horses around the world! Episode 61: Intentional Postural Rehabilitation Intentional postural rehabilitation...

18/11/2025

Episode 60: The Story of Compensation

Compensation is one of the most powerful clues a horse gives us about what their body is dealing with. Whether it’s pain, imbalance, instability, or simply an adaptation that once helped but now hinders.

In this episode, we explore how compensation patterns form, how they evolve over time, and why understanding them is essential for effective bodywork, posture rehabilitation, and long-term soundness.

👉Here’s what we cover:

- What compensation is and how primary issues create normalised patterns of movement for protection, stability, and comfort.

- Types of compensation patterns: functional vs dysfunctional, transient vs established, isolated vs whole-body, and why they’re such an important diagnostic puzzle.

- What happens when we release compensation, the “fall-apart” phase, why deeper issues emerge, and the role of muscle activation, targeted rehab, and taping.

- When to release vs when to leave compensation in place, and how teamwork, timing, and owner skill determine successful long-term outcomes.

If you enjoyed this episode we would love for you to follow and share the episode with your friends. A 5-star rating helps us continue creating education that makes a real difference for horses around the world! Episode 60: The Story of Compensation Compensation is one of the most powerful clues...

15/11/2025

Take care of the horse's stifles! Even though "disengaging the hindquarters" is a popular technique when training young or unschooled horses, it taxes the stifles and often leads to soreness and dysfunction. Stifles are not designed well for sideways movement of the limbs.They must first be made stable and strong with forward, balanced work. Otherwise, not only is the stifle joint compromised, but the supporting musculature which originates from higher up the pelvis and lower back is also strained. The result is often inflamed joints, diminished range of motion, and poor use of the hind limbs. So, at the risk of being controversial, I would encourage all of us to avoid disengaging the hindquarters in an unfit horse.

15/11/2025

Episode 47: Play - The Missing Link in Posture, Learning, and Connection

Play isn’t just fun it’s a vital part of how horses learn, grow, and connect. From moving around together, to exploring new environments or engaging with enrichment, play helps horses develop balance, confidence, and curiosity.

In this episode, we explore;

- The value of play for learning, adaptability, and emotional regulation
- How play supports neuromuscular coordination, core strength, and postural stability
- Examples of play in horses including foals playing, enrichment activities and liberty
- How to be mindful of when play can create stress, loss of body awareness, or risk of injury
- Practical ways to bring more safe, enriching play into your horse’s life

🎓 Want to learn how to assess, interpret, and support your horse’s posture from the ground up? Register on the email list for our next Equine Functional Posture Course and start building a better future for your horse’s body and mind.

To learn more about Dr Raquel Butler visit:

To learn more about Sophie Vandenberg:

Facebook: Equine Posturelate - Sophie Vandenberg

Have any questions? Have a topic you would like to hear about?

Email us at: [email protected]

If you enjoyed this episode we would love for you to follow and share the episode with your friends and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating so we can continue to impact the world for the horse!! Episode 47: Play - The Missing Link in Posture, Learning, and Connection Play isn’t just fun...

09/11/2025

Episode 59: Joint Injections - Good, Bad or Necessary?

Joint injections are a common part of managing performance horses. They can ease inflammation, improve comfort, and help a horse return to work but they are only one part of a complete approach to long-term joint health. A biomechanical and postural rehab plan is a key part of sustainable improvement for joint health and comfort. This week we take a practical look at equine joint injections: when they’re helpful, and what they can achieve with an integrated approach.

So why are rehab plans and follow-up work just as important as the injection itself?

An integrated approach considers the comfort from a joint injection as an opportunity to ask the horse to move differently. Sustainable improvement comes from addressing the way the horse loads, moves, and stabilises their joints- we are aiming to reduce concussion, twisting and aberrant motion. Without supporting the horse's posture and biomechanics, the patterns that stressed the joint in the first place are still present.

In this episode, we unpack:

- The different types of joint injections, how they work, and their associated risks
- How joint injections can be a valuable tool but are not a complete management plan
- Why we need to consider the biomechanics creating stress on the affected joint
- How changes in posture and function are the foundation for long-term improvement
- The role Hyaluronic Acid plays in synovial fluid quality and nourishing the joint
- We also speak about a range of commonly used joint therapies including cortisone, IRAP, PRP, Pro-Stride, and Arthramid to discuss how they work, their benefits, considerations, and how they fit into a complete management plan.

If you enjoyed this episode we would love for you to follow and share the episode with your friends A 5-star rating helps us continue creating education that makes a real difference for horses around the world! Episode 59: Joint Injections - Good, Bad or Necessary? Joint injections are a...

09/11/2025

Transitional vertebrae - it feels like more and more coming over the dissection table all the time.

Anecdotally we hear similar stories time and time again… transitional vertebrae horses often do well when racing, endurance, trail riding (straight line work) but struggle with arena work, jumping (bending intensive work) assymetry, hind end dysfunction & disuniting.

05/11/2025

Vertebral Artery Dissection - Have you heard of it?

I hadn't before a couple of weeks ago.

Apparently it is responsible for causing 50% of strokes in people 26 - 45 years of age.

It is where the wall of the vertebral artery splits and can be caused by a neck trauma (I have had many neck traumas over my life including hitting my head on the car and plane roof in the week before).
Bleeding occurs in the vertebral artery wall and a clot can form leading to stroke or it can continue to bleed and there is a risk of a haemorrhagic stroke.

I went to Adelaide to teach with quite a sore neck but just thought I had slept weird.

I had also had some difficulty swallowing at times, low grade nausea and low grade headaches but I didn't put these signs together and because they weren't really affecting me I didn't stop to think about them.

One morning in Adelaide while I was driving my R eye had blurred vision - it lasted about an hour then after moving around a bit seemed to improve.

I also noticed my R eyeball seemed smaller and was very tired and I was sensitive to bright lights. The sensation on the R side of my face was also different.

I checked for a stroke but all stroke signs ok.

My teaching assistant gave me some aspirin and my signs seemed to improve as we both thought I could have had a mini TIA

I spoke to my sister and she insisted I book into the doctor

Later that day I had tingling on that side of my mouth

I went to the ED and will be forever grateful that I got a young female doctor who listened and didn't just send me home with Panadol. She suggested it could be a VAD and they did a contrast CT.

She was right!!! Sent home on Aspirin and clopridogel to prevent a stroke and to have an MRI.

The next night I had to call an ambulance due to the pain in my head and neck and weird sensation in my tongue and face, I spent a sleepless night in the Royal Adelaide hospital ED with another contrast CT ( Thankfully no change in the artery)

I managed to finish off the Equinology teaching with an absolutely fantastic group of participants and an awesome teaching assistant - they were awesome at doing some self directed learning to get us through.

It's been a long couple of weeks. The universe has certainly sent me a warning to take a break.

In my research I recognise I have had other signs such as challenges speaking, fatigue, hiccups.

I am currently not treating horses and trying to listen to my body and on anticoagulants to prevent a stroke.

I am lucky to have not had a stroke or aneurysm. In my research the recovery is a process - can heal in 3-6 months but the first 3 weeks is the critical period.

Waiting to get a specialist appointment and some further tests.

Resting and listening to my body. So far just feeding horses and light computer work with lots of rest as I am very fatigued with weird feelings in my head and neck.

My swallowing, speaking, spontaneous hiccups, ability to handle noise and lights, neck pain, headaches, energy levels and anxiety are gradually improving.

I truly wonder how many people experience this and the doctors dismiss it as migraines.and a contrast CT is not performed.

I am lucky I was in Adelaide and got a CT and MRI within a day of each other. I am also lucky that my doctor here has never heard of it before except that her friend had it happen recently.

I hope me sharing my story helps someone else in recognising the signs and preventing it progressing.