Sound Equine Bodywork

Proper pastern alignment and loading of the foot is so important for the long term health of the horse. This article shows excellent illustrations of common hoof balance issues and how they were corrected. When the hoof is in balance the horse can move more efficiently putting less strain on their limbs, back, and neck. Sadly more often than not the chronic issues that I'm addressing with massage are perpetuated with poor trimming of the foot.

Hoof Balance - Shoeing Around the COR in 3 Dimensions A question that is asked very often whenever people are looking for advice on farriery related issues is “what shoe would you put on for this?” and the true ans

Correct hoof mechanics through proper trimming affect soundness later and life. The body is constantly growing and changing in response to the load placed upon it including but not limited to the shape in which the feet are trimmed. This article covers the prerequisites to long term soundness from the perspective of the horse's feet. Many horsepeople would prefer to just refer to professionals to make choices for their animals but ultimately the owner is their horse's most important advocate. Owner education is key to the long term health and wellbeing of each horse.

Bowker: Navicular Issues Begin Earlier Than We Think – The Horse Initiating rehab methods earlier might promote healthier foot structures and reverse tissue degeneration.

https://heelsdownmag.com/are-we-beating-up-our-horses/?fbclid=IwAR10nNsS7Gl1qd3q9Lp-li3Sr-yAFehTw8x2eVBZhch8I8hGiXPCUaS5fHA

Are We Beating Up Our Horses? Max Corcoran is the president elect of the United States Eventing Association and has groomed internationally at the highest levels of equestrian sport for nearly two decades. She worked for the O’Connor Event Team for 11 years and has served at multiple Olympic Games, World Championships, Pan...

These issues don't just affect reiners but all horses whose general welfare is set aside for the sake of performance. All owners, riders, and trainers can ask ourselves what we can do better so that these horses in our care can live long healthy lives; both mentally and physically.

Reining horses hardly stand a chance - Reining Trainers “A lot of reining horses eliminate themselves early on, even if they have the ability and the try, because they can’t hold up.“ – Timothy Bartlett, DVM, of Vincennes, Ind., has been actively involved in the sport as a president of NRHA and an NRHA judge. An interesting view that it is the ho...

Learning to respect your horse's cues when grooming can help develop trust and improve your relationship with your horse.

Groom Your Horse With His Comfort in Mind “Optimized” grooming led to as many as 177 times more positive behaviors on average per horse per 10-minute grooming session than standard grooming, researchers found.

This is a excellent article regarding the necessity of recovery time for our wine athletes at every level of riding. Human athletes can determine when they need rest, choose their own equipment, and will tell a doctor or massage therapist where it hurts. It's up to the owner to advocate for and care for their horse to avoid overuse injury or a unnecessarily shortened career.

Max Corcoran: How Much Is Too Much? This article first appeared in the March 2017 issue of Heels Down Magazine. For more stories worth reading, subscribe now in the app and get a new issue delivered every month. Max Corcoran has groo…

Wildfire Smoke and Horses

This is an excerpt from a PDF written by UCDavis Veterinary School, regarding horses that are exposed to wildfire smoke. While many of us aren't close enough to have the more serious side effects, there are good points here. Main caveat lots of hydration and limit exercise!
• Limit exercise when smoke is visible. Don't have your horse do activities that increase the airflow in and out of the lungs. This can trigger bronchoconstriction (narrowing of the small airways in the lungs).• Provide plenty of fresh water close to where your horse eats. Horses drink most of their water within 2 hours of eating hay, so having water close to the feeder increases water consumption. Water keeps the airways moist and facilitates clearance of inhaled particulate matter. This means the windpipe (trachea), large airways (bronchi), and small airways (bronchioles) can move the particulate material breathed in with the smoke. Dry airways make particulate matter stay in the lung and air passages.• Limit dust exposure by feeding dust-free hay or soak hay before feeding. This reduces the particles in the dust such as mold, fungi, pollens and bacteria that may have difficulty being cleared from the lungs.• If your horse is coughing or having difficulty breathing, have your horse examined by a veterinarian. A veterinarian can help determine the difference between a reactive airway from smoke and dust versus a bacterial infection and bronchitis or pneumonia. If your horse has a history of having heaves or recurrent airway problems, there is a greater risk of secondary problems such as bacterial pneumonia.• Give your horse ample time to recover from smoke-induced airway insult. Airway damage resulting from wildfire smoke takes 4 to 6 weeks to heal. Therefore, plan on giving your horse 4 to 6 weeks off from the time when the air quality returns to normal. Attempting exercise may aggravate the condition, delay the healing process, and compromise your horse's performance for many weeks or months.
*If your horse has primary or secondary problems with smoke-induced respiratory injury, you should contact your veterinarian. He/She can prescribe specific treatments such as intravenous fluids, bronchodilator drugs, nebulization, or other measures to facilitate hydration of the airway passages. Your veterinarian may also recommend blood tests or other tests to determine whether a secondary bacterial infection has arisen and is contributing to the current respiratory problem.
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ceh/local_resources/pdfs/currenthealth_wildfiresmoke.pdf

A peer review study found that the use of therapeutic bandages (kinesio-tape) significantly reduced swelling in post operative horses.
http://www.j-evs.com/article/S0737-0806(16)30525-1/abstract

Treatment with Therapeutic bandages to control equine post-Arthroscopic Tibio-Patellofemoral Swelling To evaluate the effect of therapeutic bandages, the Kinesio Taping Method, in controlling swelling following arthroscopic tibio-patellofemoral surgery in horses.

http://holistichorse.com/in-the-field/mindfulness-with-horses/

Mindfulness With Horses Every good horseman and horsewomen is and should be “mindful” when they are interacting with horses. The silent, interpersonal relationship you share with your horse is a form of meditation for some and just deep connection for others.

Kinesiotape applications in the field