Latest Articles
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Step By Step: The Benefits Of Walk Poles For Horses
Recent studies have found that walking your horse over ground or raised poles strengthens muscles, increases range of motion in all 4 limbs and increases back flexion. Walk poles cause the horse to take higher, more exaggerated steps to clear either a ground or raised pole. That extra movement helps improve suppleness and flexibility through… Read more
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Reading Your Horse’s Body Language: Understanding Subtle Signs of Discomfort and Well-being
During palpation we look for subtle variations in the feel of the tissue. It’s also important to observe your horse’s reactions to your touch. These can be fairly obvious; threats to nip, moving away from you, leg lifting, ear pinning, fidgeting or increasing anxiety. More subtle signs might include facial tensions, muscle spasm/fasciculation, breath holding,… Read more
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Cultivating Resilience: The Science of Hormetic Stress for Horse Health
Hormetic stress refers to the beneficial effects of exposure to low to moderate levels of stress, which can lead to enhanced health, resilience, and adaptation. The concept of hormesis comes from the Greek word “hormaein,” which means to excite or stimulate. Hormetic stress activates various cellular pathways to trigger adaptive responses that can enhance cellular… Read more
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Elevating Equine Well-being: The Power of Massage for Performance and Health
Massage is used for the following reasons: 1. Improve performance: Massage can enhance your horse’s power, stamina suppleness, mind-set and exercise recovery. It can also be very helpful when bringing a horse into work, altering mechanics or improving strength, range of motion and overall posture. The easier it is for your horse to balance and… Read more
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Winter Survival Tips: Staying Warm and Functional for Riders & Bodyworkers
Keeping your extremities warm can be a real challenge, interfering with your intention and compromising your physical ability to do your job well. Here are a few of my favorite tips for staying warm and functional during winter. A lot of heat escapes from your wrist. I use these polartec “Wristies” cool weather and can… Read more
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21 Interesting Facts About Horses Eyes and Vision
1. Horses have the largest eyes of any land mammal on earth. 2. The eye is given extra protection by a third eyelid on the inside of the eye, which can close over the eyeball in a diagonal manner like a shield. 3. One of the most interesting things about horses’ eyes is the presence… Read more
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Horses That Hum: Exploring Audible Tinnitus
Have you ever heard a humming noise coming from your horse’s ear? Although rare, audible or objective tinnitus is a condition where a horse emits an audible sound from its ear, similar to what a human might hear when experiencing tinnitus. The most common type of tinnitus is subjective tinnitus which is perceived only by… Read more
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Can You Improve His…?
Every now and then a potential client asks if a massage will help their horse with a particular concern – their horse is struggling with clean changes, they need a faster time, they want to run a clean pattern or get a better extension…. And the answer is often yes …maybe… as long as your… Read more
