Equine Bowen and Soft Tissue Therapy

06/03/2025

Taking appointments for the next few weeks now! I will be in the Kilmore, Seymour, Whittlesea, Kinglake, Arthurs Creek and Yarrambat areas in the coming weeks. DM for appointments.

Send a message to learn more

06/03/2025

Send a message to learn more

05/03/2025

One of the very best ways to keep your horse's muscles in the best condition possible, is to keep your horse in regular work.
I understand that most people are quite time poor during the week, when you have work, family duties and other things taking up your time, but if you wish to do any extensive riding, or compete on weekends, your horse really must be fit enough to do this successfully and avoid muscle soreness or other injuries.
I often come across horses who are very stiff and sore, and the reason is often that it hasn't had any work for a week or more, then has been taken on a two hour trail ride.
obviously the horse will not be ready for this and will have lactic acid and other toxins in the muscles, as well as some possible micro tears .
When the horse is asked to work again, usually some time later, it may be very stiff, or even lame.
The take home message from this is, prepare your horse for what you want to do.
Lunging when you are short of time can help, as can riding before work if possible. Even asking a friend to help with riding or lunging can work.
Prevention of injury is always better than cure! We are coming up to the best time of the year for riding! Enjoy!

Send a message to learn more

04/02/2025

Gotta love a Bates saddle! Go team Johnstone!

03/02/2025

Hello to you all! Hoping that you and you horses are managing in this heat.
Just wanted to give you a reminder to stay hydrated yourselves in this weather by keeping your fluid intake up, and if you are riding much, I can recommend having a hydralyte drink,(you can get hydralyte from supermarkets and chemists) to keep your electrolytes balanced. Water is great, but in this weather, we often need a bit more than water, when we are working/ doing things outside.
For your horses, plenty of clean water is needed, I am cleaning water tubs out every couple of days, as so much dust, seems to accumulate in them.
I am also adding some salt to morning and evening feeds, and electrolytes for the horses if they are sweating with work. Even riding early mornings is getting them pretty sweaty.
Hopefully this change in weather coming through today will bring much needed relief!
Look after your selves, and your horses! Cheers Annette.

Send a message to learn more

12/01/2025

You know horses completely run your life when you find a hoof pick in your bedroom!

12/01/2025

A problem which develops among many competition horses, is quite severe tightness/pain and restriction of movement behind the saddle.
This is essentially the engine room of the horse.If there is trouble here. The horse will struggle to engage its hind quarters effectively.
It will often overbend or become hollow through the back due to discomfort.
Muscles mainly involved are the longisimuss dorsi of the back, gluteals, and iliopsoas.
At the junction of the longisimuss and gluteals a tight knotted area can form. When it is this acute, the horse will often have trouble lifting its hind feet for the farrier.
It is worth investigating this problem if your horse is struggling when having it's feet trimmed or shod.

11/01/2025

My other poor starving little thing! Its been so warm lately, I have ridden them early, put them out to graze, then brought them in early as the yards are more shaded that the paddocks.they then want an early dinner! (They always get what they want!!!!)

11/01/2025

Poor starving pony waiting for dinner!

09/01/2025

Once again I seem to be seeing a lot of horses who are showing pretty extreme symptoms of girthiness.
Some owners are not really aware of the level of discomfort here, as some horses are quite stoic, and just seem to keep working, while others are very reactive, and play up even when they are being touched lightly or brushed.
Causes for girth pain can be varied. It may be a sign of ulcers, and it is always worth ruling that out, but there are so many more causes.
Incorrect saddle fitting or positioning is a common one. If this is the case, the horse will usuall have pain in the withers, triceps, and back.
Working the horse on hard surfaces, will cause a jarring effect. the horse will move with a shortened stilted gait, and my be sore in the tendons of the forelegs as well.
A lot of jumping (even on a good arena) will stress the pectoral muscles as well as the triceps. A couple of days per week of jumps training is sufficient, especially if you are going to a weekend jumping event.
Hoof trouble is another reason for girthiness. If the hooves are not trimmed and balance correctly, soft tissue above the hooves is going to be compromised.
These are just a few pointers regarding horse's "girthy" behavior.
If your horse is reactive to brush or girth up, or becomes grumpy at the sight of the saddle, walks with a "stilted" gait, or has recently begun bucking/ refusing jumps/feels stiff on turning, please take note that there is something wrong, and can be fixed, either with body work or by consulting your vet.

09/01/2025

Had to repost this one!

09/01/2025

It is so important to notice any little changes in your horse's behavior.
Any variations of their usual behavior, can be small clues to any impending trouble.
If a horse suddenly or gradually becomes snappy when you girth up, you can guarantee some sort of discomfort, either from gastric trouble, a girth that is no longer fitting, or other soft tissue issues.
our horses are amongst our very best friends and sporting partners, so we owe it to them to pay attention to what they are telling us, both on the ground and under saddle.

Send a message to learn more

07/01/2025

WOW! Equine Bowen and Soft Tissue Therapy is in it's twenty first year!
Twenty one years of treating horses of all types, with all types of soft tissue injuries and dramas!
it has been a fascinating journey, meeting all sorts of people and their horses.
You never stop learning, and every horse I meet is unique, and has it's own message and lesson for me.
It really is the best job I could possibly have, and I always look forward to visiting clients and their horses, both old and new.
Looking forward to seeing you all for many more years! Cheers Annette.

Send a message to learn more

23/12/2024

To all of my clients and friends out there! Hope you all have a very merry Christmas, and wonderful happy new year!
Thank you all very much for supporting Equine Bowen and Soft Tissue Therapy and letting me meet your lovely horses! See you in the New year! Cheers Annette!

12/12/2024

Interestingly, even with all of the information "out there", horses' behavior is often misinterpreted. (Even by experienced riders and trainers.)
Many times, a horse will buck/shy/rear, run backwards etc, due to pain in:
the withers
girth area
gluteal muscles and
hamstrings
Brachiocephalic
(lower neck muscles.)
This is due to pain and stiffness, inhibiting the horse's ability to move forward under saddle effectively.
There are a whole range of causes for these issues, ranging from poor training/ riding methods to bad saddle fits, paddock accidents, and just adaptation to coming into regular work.
It is important to give the horse the benefit of the doubt in these situations, rather than just assuming that the horse is "misbehaving."
Bowen and soft tissue treatment will address these issues by releasing muscle tension, and increasing blood flow to damaged areas, allowing healing.
I am happy to chat any time regarding any of these issues.
Cheers Annette

Send a message to learn more

03/12/2024

03/12/2024

I DON'T KNOW HOW SOME PEOPLE SURVIVE, WHEN THEY ARE SO INCREDIBLY STUPID!

Send a message to learn more

30/11/2024

Conformation is paramount in selecting a horse to compete in your chosen sport on. Many people don't understand the importance of good conformation. It has a direct bearing on the ongoing soundness, trainability and athletic ability of the horse.

Conformation is the science of body types. The word comes from "conform" and its meaning relates to how well or not a horse conforms to the proportions of the ideal horse. But there is more to it because the ideal horse for polo is very different from the ideal of a Grand Prix jumper. One main difference in this example is the length of the back.

The two lower images are of long backed horses. The left picture shows a horse jumping a high spread or oxer jump with the horse's back rounded in what we call a bascule, which translates to seesaw. In order to jump the challenging jump, the horse must round its back such that the apex or top of the jump arc is high enough to clear both top rails during the seesaw of the upward and downward arcs of the jumps path.

Imagine a horse with a very short back achieving the necessary bascule over this pictured jump. With a shorter back a horse will have greater difficulty smoothly arcing over a difficult jump than the long backed horse in the picture. Therefore, one element of overall conformation for a jumping horse to consider is the length of the back.

Similarly, but different, when you need a horse for a sport that requires lightning quick agility on the ground for gaming, working cattle or polo, a long back will slow the ex*****on of quick movements. For agility on the ground, a shot back is an advantage. I will put a link at the bottom about a short backed horse.

Conformation is science directly related to biomechanics. But due to all the variations in the ratios between parts of the horse, like leg length to back length to neck length, understanding and using conformation when selecting a horse is also art in addition to being science. The art is in predicting how the horse will move as it develops based on its conformation. Understanding conformation is a practical skill more than an academic exercise. People who fail to study conformation regularly make poor choices when purchasing horses.

link to short back horse post -
www.facebook.com/BobWoodHorsesForLife/posts/pfbid0XBEEpG8JmDWdtpS2ii9GskJRwdn6CdF11597qU5qWYjXs1ZF7mGGDL7M1WurqYp2l