Elevated Equine Solutions

13/05/2024

I have diverted all of my existing clients to these wonderful ladies. It’s my understanding that they are both pretty well full. I appreciate them both so very much for easing my mind on taking care of share of the horses in the area.

Leaving wouldn’t have been so easy without them. Treat them well. Tip them. Tell them how much you appreciate them. Make sure they have safe and clean conditions to work in. Set up a fan for them in the heat. Keep your appointments. Make them feel appreciated.

13/05/2024

This month officially makes 16 years since stepping into my hoof care journey. I’ll be celebrating that anniversary with an anatomy class at Lookout Mountain School of Horseshoeing, in the exact same classroom my career was born.

Just as that chapter of my life opened, on the same anniversary, I’ll be closing it. You never know when that box of rasps will be the last one you’ll ever purchase.

After much consideration and reflection I’ve chosen to retire from hoof care. I have several friends that have done the same in the passed two months and I think it’s just a season of change between shifts in the industry and economy.

It used to be worth it to hurt at the end of the day and have the bills paid. With inflation and all at hand- the hurt at the end of the day no longer comfortably pays the bills.

My career has taken me on some incredible journeys. I’ve had the privilege to work with some of the most talented people in the US on both the East and West coasts. I’ve experienced cases beyond imagination and seen things I’ll never be able to forget.

In 16 years I’ve helped more horses than I’ll ever be able to name. Both to regain quality of life and to pass over their Rainbow Bridge.

Farriery has depths unimaginable. You can create any type of career you can dream up. I don’t have many regrets from my time as a hoof care provider other than not protecting myself with boundaries earlier on.

Being a Farrier taught me strength, perseverance, how to manage a business, and so much more. Deep down I’m heart broken for this decision but at the same time relieved.

The Farrier industry is getting harder and tougher. Rising costs for supplies mean hoof care providers are having to work harder to cover their bills. Often- this means simply breaking even. Treat them well. They sacrifice more than you’ll know to care for your horse’s feet so that you can ride or compete.

I appreciate the support of my peers and those also walking away from hoofcare for helping me to finally grieve this this decision. To understand it’s not giving up. It’s self preservation in a career full of sacrifice.

13/03/2024

My heart will always gravitate towards Farrier Education and helping the next generation of hoof care providers start their careers off strong. Having the opportunity to give back to the school that started it all for me will always be a privilege not to be taken for granted. I’m so thankful for those in my life that have put me where I am and that have helped shape my own education to be able to pass it forward.

12/11/2023

Just a reminder that I’m not seeing horses anymore until the beginning of next year.

I have surgery scheduled for Friday the 17th for an old injury from a client horse in 2018 that ironically will include 2 Tenotomies that will realign my 1st
Metatarsophalangeal Joint and my Sesamoid Bones. The least fun part is the scraping of the arthritis that’s not doing a nerve any favors. It’s funny how things are so similar.

The Podiatrist is holding at 8-10 weeks off of horses. Many of you are already set up with someone else, many are structured to wait it out, and many I will not be back to.

Thank you for your patience during this. Moving forward, I will not be accepting any new clients. Hoof Care in general is going to be kept on a very limited basis. If a need arises for current clients, I’m directing everyone to Sage Flurry. If Sage can’t get to you I have one other that may can.

See you all next year!

04/10/2023

Seasonal ACTH rise by breed.

Here is a graph that I thought you all might be interested in. It shows how the seasonal ACTH rise is more dramatic in some breeds than others.

One interesting thing to note here is that just because you have a pony, that doesn't necessarily mean he/she will have a larger rise than other breeds. As this graph shows, a Connemara pony has a low ACTH rise compared to a Shetland who has a large rise.

Image courtesy of Tuffs

03/10/2023

I’m so incredibly proud of this woman Brittani Badders Frade that I call my best friend. We’ve been through so much and have both grown businesses side by side since we met.

We’ve supported each other through State Licensures, graduations, frustrations, failures, and successes. Her compassion and willpower never ceases to amaze and inspire me.

I wouldn’t want to do this journey without you, and I’m so deeply proud of you for accomplishing something so incredible that you once saw as impossible. You’re changing the World and those in it with your amazing talents. Thank you for always pushing me, and helping to make me the person I am today. I love you, bye.

So happy to announce that Golden Horse Counseling is expanding its services. I now have the availability for consultees looking to work towards EMDR Certification.
Proudly trained and under the Consultation of Sarah Jenkins.
Email for more information, looking forward to working with you!

17/09/2023

Mudda James try to send me a private message to this business page please.

16/09/2023

I’ve filed 2 formal complaints with the Attorney General’s office on behalf of Facebook’s poor business practices and the AI softwares poor decision making with no option to appeal or have a person’s help. These actions have resulted in a loss to my business. I hope filing provides a solution. Fingers crossed.

Today I changed my profile picture on my personal FB and had a few people comment on how we looked like twins. Right after that, my FB account was permanently deactivated and I have lost my personal account. I even submitted their requested proof of my drivers license and I was denied. I have many clients that only reach out to me on FB and I do not have any other means of contact for them. Please reach out to me on my cell number listed with each of my businesses. I have several appointments that will be missed on the horse side because I cannot get in touch with people.

If you have any information at all on how to contact someone at FB please let me know.

31/08/2023

Horse and rider support is what we’re all about here at Elevated Equine Solutions and Integrative Massage of Alexander City! Samantha Robbins and Cricket both got some pre game bodywork to prepare for this year’s AOHA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP HORSE SHOW 2023

Facebook Business won’t allow photos and videos to be posted together so I’ll make another post to share just how much Cricket loves her sessions!

Best wishes to all competitors. I hope all of you have safe runs, and come home with wins!

27/08/2023

That is a huge amount of arthritis. I can’t wait to see this set all together 🥰

Bone Preservation is definitely a labor of love and a hobby that requires a husband that honors that you love what you do, or is just accepting of the fact that you’re feral and will do what you want anyway 😂

27/07/2023

Another class in the books. So thankful to our donors that make these events and continuing education possible.

21/07/2023

There are many subtle signs of PPID. Read more here: http://bitly.ws/DvcC

20/07/2023

Someone let me know earlier that I’m on the ballot for best LMT for Alexander City. I didn’t know that I had been put on the ballot. If you would go and vote I’d appreciate it. Not sure what happens with it, but thought it would be cool to see and try.

https://www.alexcityoutlook.com/readerschoice/

I’m under Health and then Massage.

30/06/2023

21/06/2023

Seemingly small signs that don’t wreck your day in the moment, but will one day. It’s science not wishful thinking

There is an overwhelming amount of horse owners who aren’t aware of the signs for sub-clinical Laminitis, and yet if left untreated without a change of diet or management, can easily turn into a full blown Laminitic attack.

Many owners associate Laminitis with the classic slipper toe, a huge EMS crest and the typical Laminitis stance. In reality, there is a huge amount of horses showing subtle signs of inflammation that continues to go un-noticed. Each owner is responsible for their horse’s overall wellbeing, which should include the ability to recognise the signs of Laminitis, particularly in the early stages when an acute attack can be prevented.

Some signs to look out for:

❌️ Footiness or soreness over various terrain.

This is one of the biggest reasons owners continue to shoe their horses. Once the shoes are removed, any footiness caused by inappropriate diet and management shows (sub-clinical Laminitis) which is typically interpreted as the horse cannot cope without shoes.

It’s super important that if your unshod horse is footy over stones, roads or anything but grass, that you re-assess their diet or management and make the necessary changes. Please do not shoe your horse to ‘fix’ this issue – your horse will still have Laminitis and it will worsen regardless of applying shoes.

❌️ Event lines on the outer hoof wall.

Event lines are lines that form on the outer hoof wall that represent an event in a horse's life that caused an inflammatory response. In an uncompromised horse and hoof, a singular event line doesn’t always necessarily mean any issues will arise from whatever caused the line but it is important to take notice and reflect on why this happened.

If your horse has numerous, reoccurring event lines, then there is something off with their diet or management that is consistently causing ongoing inflammation. An event line is one of the more readily observable symptoms of sub-clinical Laminitis but they do become more prominent in the later stages of Laminitis too. It’s crucial to your horses health that if they do have multiple event lines, that the trigger is identified and removed as soon as possible.

❌️ Blood in the white line.

Catching signs of blood in the white line (they look like bruises) can be particularly difficult to identify if you’re not very familiar with the hoof or have a horse with dark feet. It’s really important to be able to trust your horse’s Hoof Care Practitioner or Farrier so you know with confidence that should they find signs of blood or widening, that you’ll be informed straight away.

Every single horse owner needs to know the signs of sub-clinical Laminitis so should your horse become symptomatic, you can do something about it before their health is further compromised.

Below is our own diagram of the different stages of Laminitis inspired by Jaime Jackson’s ‘Laminitis’ book.

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Please note that this is a generalisation of the most common symptoms at each stage and that different symptoms can appear for different horses at different stages.

21/06/2023

Lots of potential clients tell me all the time "my horse has a chiropractor, he's good!" 🤷🏼‍♀️ It almost makes me chuckle because, as much as I love hearing your horse has a chiropractor, what I do as a massage therapist is just as important as a chiropractor. Your horses muscles are holding those bones together or causing things to move freely and evenly with no restrictions! 🦴

A tight muscle is going to make your chiropractors job harder and sometimes when your chiropractor leaves, that muscle, thats still tight is going to pull your horse back into the restriction that your chiro helped alleviate.

There are so many different therapy modalities that our horses can benefit from, for example theres
chiropractic
osteopathic
massage therapy
acupuncture
Magnawave
Bemer
shock wave
cranial sacral
red light
microcurrent
and thats just the beginning!! 📝

Each therapy modality or even practitioner brings something different to the table! It takes a team to keep a horse healthy, happy, sound, and preforming pain free! 🐴💜

16/06/2023

🩵🩵🩵🩵 Yes!!! 🩵 🩵 🩵 🩵

Good farriers do not shoe all their horses the same!

14/06/2023

Dissection done by Paige Poss hosted by Cristina Brogdon of Hot Dirty Barefoot Trimmer Hoofcare Products and Services and images owned by Elevated Equine Solutions.

14/06/2023

Yes! I see so many posts in Hoof Care Groups where Hoof Care Providers are just loosing their minds over a client complaint.

Now not to down play what’s important or triggering to someone else by any means, but we’re Professionals. When we learn more about how to run our businesses as a BUSINESS, and conduct ourselves as a BOSS. We can navigate client grievances on a more professional and less inflammatory way.

Bob Smith of Pacific Coast Horseshoeing School puts it in a great, simplistic way.

14/06/2023

I cannot believe it’s been a year already since we did this clinic in Texas or that it took me a year to celebrate it. Life moves at such a fast pace.

This clinic was a special one, the cadavers had incredible stories to tell, the professionals that came together all had one of a kind experiences to share, we had new trimmers, we had seasoned pros, owners, and cool mix of other professions that help bring whole horse mindset all together.

We covered everything from dissections from The Queen, Paige Poss, to learning how to hot staple cracks, groove walls for blood flow, seeing distortions addressed, a my little pony pool party, and mostly importantly fellowship fostered on the common ground of improving Equine Welfare through Anatomy Driven Hoofcare.

My heart was so full after this one. I cherish the time I got to spend in person with several friends and not just through a phone.