Equinox Equine Services

26/12/2025

I wish all of these things for my clients and friends as we enter 2026!

🐎✨ 2026 – The Year of the Horse ✨🐎

Power. Grace. Freedom.
The majestic black Friesian stands as a symbol of unstoppable strength and fearless spirit—welcoming a year filled with courage, renewal, and bold new beginnings. Let 2026 inspire you to move forward with confidence, passion, and hope in every stride.

May this be the year you run toward your dreams without hesitation.

🐎✨

24/12/2025

The Equinox Equines and I wish all our clients and friends the happiest of holiday seasons and all the blessings the world has to offer going into 2026!

Thank you all for making me part of your equestrian journey this year. I am looking forward to doing my small part to help you meet all your goals next year.

08/12/2025

Thanks for this, Equestrian! I think about this concept a lot while I'm working on my clients. Anyone who has ever gotten a massage understands that sometimes it's uncomfortable until it feels better. I firmly maintain that my clients get to have feelings about what I am doing and get to express those feelings. Forced obedience just creates tension and the whole of my work is focused on the release of tension. I can adjust and work with their comfort level most of the time. And if I can't on any given day? Well, this is why I keep notes so I can process what happened last visit and have different approaches ready for the next session.

I have enormous appreciation for the horses that tell me they are uncomfortable by simple fidgeting, moving away, or ear-pinning. And the ones that may offer a kick or a nip? I respect them, too. It's our job as the partner with greater power to pay attention, to work with that feedback, regardless of what form it takes, and respond in a manner that is both appropriate and moves the work/conversation forward effectively.

06/12/2025

When we know better, we should ALL do better.

A recent qualitative study in Germany interviewed 30 trainers—10 each working with Warmblood, Thoroughbred, and Trotter horses—to explore attitudes and practices around the pretraining management and housing of young horses.

Most trainers began pretraining at 18 months for racehorses and at 29–30 months for Warmblood sport horses.

None of the interviewed trainers supported setting a minimum age of 30 months for training, arguing that early, appropriate training offers physical and developmental benefits and that such a limit could increase handling difficulties and disrupt established performance pathways.

Regardless of breed, nearly all stables relied on individual boxes for housing, with only one Trotter trainer implementing group housing for young horses during pretraining.

Trainers widely agreed that, although group housing is more natural and horse-friendly, its use is limited by concerns over injuries from social aggression, difficulties with individualised feeding, and logistical problems when moving horses in or out of a group.

Breed differences were clear.

Warmblood trainers favored individual paddocks for daily turnout and started formal training at a later age, while Thoroughbred and Trotter trainers sometimes provided group paddock turnout, and Trotters in particular were given much more group time—up to 12 hours a day.

Across all groups, trainers prioritised legal welfare requirements, including straw bedding and feeding generous amounts of hay, while facilitating some social interaction through bars between stalls.

However, the prevailing reluctance to adopt group housing, alongside substantial restrictions on social contact and freedom of movement, indicates that many trainers’ practical management still lags behind recommendations from contemporary welfare science.

The study highlights that, despite growing awareness of ethical management benefits, meaningful change will require addressing trainer concerns and supporting practical transitions across all sporting breeds.​

Full study can be read online - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0737080625003946

20/11/2025

This is a horrible disease and so concerning to all horse owners, whether you are actively competing now or not. Humans can be a major vector for spreading EHV-1 within and between barns; that being the case, what steps do I take to mitigate the risk that I might inadvertently play that role during appointments? Several best practices have been identified that I always try to adhere to and am religious about during outbreaks like this:

1) Spraying and wiping my boots, tires, and all equpment before leaving home;
2) Washing hands and arms in between horses;
3) Wiping down equipment between horses;
4) Washing up AND changing clothes between barns if I am on multiple sites in a single day;
5) Repeating the spraying/wiping of boots, tires, and equipment as I leave each barn; and, most importantly;
6) Maintaining open and frank communication about health concerns and working closely with clients to make sure they are comfortable.

As a community, it's important that we do our best to support and protect each other.

Here's synopsis of the latest EHV-1 update.
Basically, this is just a heads up, since we are not affected yet.
I will post more info on the SCHC website.

-- Just since the posting of this info: updates of confirmations have been surfacing. We will try to sift through it all as it comes in.
As it stands at 12:19pm 11-20; There are, according to EDCC;
2 in Tx, 2 in Ok and 3 in Louisiana. The reported case (not confirmed) in Md was not a Barrel horse.

-- They are presently researching where all the horses went AFTER the shows. As it stands; there are No confirmed or suspected cases in SC at this time.

--> schc website has added an update and care page for this situation and will be updated as we get pertinent information:
https://schorsecouncil.com/ehv-1-update/

31/10/2025

Happy Halloween to all my clients and friends!

16/10/2025

I love giving back to the equestrian community! Looking forward to helping out the South Carolina Dressage and Combined Training Association (SCDCTA) this weekend by announcing at their Oktoberfest show in Camden!

I'd also love to fit in a few massages while I'm up there; times available Friday and Saturday afternoon/evening, with Sunday afternoon also a possibility. Text (803) 673-9394 for info or to set something up.