Velvet Noses Equine

12/09/2025

🌞🏵🏵

05/09/2025

Biomechanics plays an essential role in maintaining a horses wellbeing. But they can’t always tell us when they’re experiencing physical difficulties that hinder their performance and to do what we're asking. Attentive owners attuned to their horse can identify that things aren't quite right.🤔

Massage and Bodywork assists the natural healing processes; it facilitates correct movement, helps build strength, improves balance and co-ordination and ensures ongoing comfort.

This is Bailey's first massage session - the beginning of his *hands on* bodywork journey.🐴🙌

26/08/2025

21/08/2025

It was an amazing weekend of learning 🙌 again.
I attended Raquels clinic a couple of years ago and knew I didn't want to miss this one either!

15/08/2025

Postural Biomechanics Clinic underway with Dr Raquel Butler of Integrated Veterinary Therapeutics Therapies.
3 days of contined learning.💪

08/08/2025

Bodywork is always,

a two way conversation.️

🙌🐴

When most people think about consent, they think about human-to-human interactions.

I've even heard people argue that animals are incapable of giving consent. (This is just WILD to me)

But here’s the thing - horses can, and should, have a voice in their own care.

In physical therapy and bodywork, we’re often asking a horse to experience sensations that may be new, intense, or even uncomfortable.

We might need to handle sensitive areas, encourage unfamiliar stretches, or guide them through challenging therapeutic exercises. If we ignore their signals and push through no matter what, we risk creating tension, anxiety, or defensive behaviors - none of which support healing.

Consent in this context doesn’t mean the horse signs a waiver (though wouldn’t that be adorable?). It means actively reading their body language and giving them the opportunity to opt in to - or out of - the process.

That could look like:

🥕Waiting for a horse to soften their eye, lower their head, or shift toward you before beginning
🥕Pausing if they pin their ears, swish their tail, or shift away—and adjusting your approach
🥕Using a “start button” behavior, like lowering the head or touching a target, to signal readiness

And here’s something important - consent isn’t a one-time event at the start of a session. It’s an ongoing conversation that can shift from moment to moment. We need to check in regularly, respond to the horse’s changing comfort level, and remember that consent can be withdrawn at any time for any reason.

Respecting that choice is a vital part of building trust and keeping the process truly collaborative.

This isn’t just about kindness - it’s about effectiveness. When a horse feels safe and in control:

✅ Their nervous system is more relaxed, which allows for better muscle release and tissue response
✅ They are more likely to cooperate fully in exercises, giving us better quality movement
✅ The trust built during rehab carries over to other handling, riding, and training situations

I’ve seen rehab cases transform simply because we changed the conversation - slowing down, listening more, and letting the horse lead where possible.

It’s worth remembering:
Healing isn’t something we “do” to a horse - it’s something we facilitate with them.

If you’re a horse owner, trainer, or bodyworker, I encourage you to start looking for those little “yes” and “no” moments from your horse. You might be amazed at how much more engaged, cooperative, and relaxed they become when they know their voice matters.

💬 I’d love to hear from you! Have you tried incorporating consent cues or start buttons into your work with horses? What changes did you notice?

06/08/2025

It starts with a whisper.

Too often, riders wait for the big signs, the bucking, rearing, kicking, biting, to recognize that something’s wrong. But by the time your horse gets to that point, they’ve likely been trying to tell you for a long time.

Pain doesn’t always shout right away. Sometimes it whispers.

You reach for the halter, and your horse turns away.
You approach with the saddle, and he moves away
You lay the saddle pad on his back and he flinches, barely, just for a moment.

These subtle moments are where communication begins.

And when we don’t listen?

The horse learns they have to speak louder. That’s when the behaviours escalate, when discomfort becomes pain, and pain becomes desperation.

And yet, how many times do we hear…

“My horse is so sensitive, I’d know if something was wrong.”

All while the small signs are missed, or worse, dismissed.
Your horse is always communicating.
The question is: are you tuned in to hear the whisper before it turns into a scream?

31/07/2025

"Happy Horsey Birthday"🥳
to all my Equine clients.

30 years young is handsome Indy. He has been with his owner since birth and having all the things done for his longevity, including hands on bodywork, that he can enjoy the best life.👏👏

Extra cuddles and treats to all the ponies today.💖🦄🌿🥕🐎🥰

28/07/2025

Fasticulation(on palpation) - involuntary twitching of the muscle fibres.

Massage can help relieve fasticulation by improving the bodies circulation, delivering blood and nutrients to the muscles and stimulate Endorphins that will relax the nervous system

*Veterinary consultantation is needed if the muscle twitching is frequent or severe.*

21/07/2025

If you missed FierS à Cheval, a part of the Illuminate City lights ... it was amazing!!🤩
Talented puppeteers, the back drop of lighting on the buildings, following their journey down Rundle street - loved it.