Phoenix Equine Therapy

Spring time is nearly here- everyone dusts off and gets busy again. It is great being out and about with your equine friend. Fitness and preparation is an important factor.
If you see an outing you would like to attend, assess are you and your horse prepared enough to attend, do you have enough time to achieve the level of fitness required to attend and complete it with ease.
A few factors to consider :
Are you fit enough? You owe this to your horse to be balanced, fit and have good core strength
Is your horse fit enough? Have you been exercising your horse regularly with a cross training regime targeting the whole horse. If you need guidance seek a professionals opinion to plan a fitness program that suits your goal.
Have you had your saddle fit professionally checked? Having time out of work, your horses shape can change due to lack of fitness or weight changes.
Do you need a new saddle cloth? Is the padding even, sufficient, any worn areas, sometimes worn patches can cause friction and discomfort to your horses back.
Bodywork - Have your horse looked over by a professional to identify any issues that may need addressing beforehand.
Bodywork - Have yourself looked over to address any imbalances you may have to be pain free
Float fitness - have you factored in, your horse balancing in the float is equivalent to time in aerobic exercise. So if you are travelling an hour to the event and an hour home, your horse is doing an extra 2 hours work than what is required at the event you are attending. Fatigue on the journey home can lead to balance problems, slipping resulting in injuries travelling.
Mental preparation - Will your horse cope with the pressure and be calm with the outing or does your horse need a few low key outings to new surroundings in preparation

Just a few things to think about before we get swept up once all the busy months creep up on us.
As tempting as it is to pull your horse out of the paddock after months of rest and think oh she'll be right, please reconsider what we are asking of our friends and if we have prepared them properly for it. Happy horsing everyone.

Webinar on the 14th August (in Australia, starting at 8am): Feeding for Special Needs. This webinar will focus on feeding some of the special needs cases, including horses that are predisposed to tying up from genetic issues (RER, PSSM, EPSM) or non-genetic related issues, feeding to prevent and manage ulcers, and feeding older horses that are less able to extract nutrients and energy from forage.

There will be an in-depth look at the best approach for feeding insulin resistant/laminitic prone horses covering appropriate feeds and supplements.

Plus plenty of time to ask questions about your situation.
It will be recorded.
https://progressivehoofcare.org/2024/05/feeding-for-special-needs-by-carol-layton/

Upcoming travel dates :

Tirau - Tuesday 6th Aug
Tauranga - Wednesday 7th Aug
Pukekohe/Karaka - Thursday 8th Aug
Rotorua - Friday 9th Aug
Te Awamutu - Monday 12th Aug
Waiuku - Dates to be confirmed

If you would like a booking contact Letitia 0274 346 899 or pm.

The body is interconnected, there is a connection from the skin to the bones, the fascia is a continuous sheath (or sheet), and nothing exists in insolation...many statements that we use daily...can we actually imagine those structures or connections, and can we visualize the continuity?

Image of skin connections to the superficial fascia in different parts of the body...

Links to my work:
Patreon page that supports my work
https://www.patreon.com/equineanatomyinlayers

Whole Horse Dissection online (12 months access)
https://ivanaruddock.podia.com/the-equine-anatomy-in-layers

Atlas of the Equine Musculoskeletal system
https://ivanaruddock-lange.com/equine-atlas/

Explanations of what to expect in this extremely valuable online course

EFP Module 1 and 2 explanation The Equine Functional Posture course is a 7 week ONLINE course with an introductory module and 6 other modules focused on postural and physical assessment of...

This course is amazing, its not too late to sign up

Equine Functional Posture Course ONLINE Module 3 and 4 Welcome to the Equine Functional Posture (EFP) Stability to Strength Level 1 course beginning MONDAY 29th JULY 2024!!. Sign up here: https://i...

EFP Module 5 and 6 Welcome to the Equine Functional Posture (EFP) Stability to Strength Level 1 course beginning MONDAY 29th JULY 2024!!. Sign up here: https://i...

Mindful Monday - Is your horse grumpy when you put a cover on? Have you considered how you put the cover on? Do we fling the cover up on the horse to get the height, buckles and clips flying, banging against the horse. It must seem quite daunting to a horse experiencing this and they probably brace into tension through their body and mind in anticipation.
I have hit myself on the knee or elbow with a swinging buckle and damm it hurts so this will hurt your horse also as the legs have very little padding for protection.
I have the buckles done up to the D ring and gently place the cover over the shoulder region and unfold it back across their back, then if it is too far forward I can slide it backwards into place in the direction of the hair, it is really uncomfortable going against the hair direction if pulling a cover towards the head into position.
Do you have any tips to share that I have missed?
If you have altered your technique to be gentler and mindful and your horse is still not happy about having a cover put on or off, perhaps consider having their body addressed by a professional to see if there is discomfort in the body causing the reaction, as they are trying to communicate with you.
For my boys Aztec prefers to be uncovered, if I present him with a cover he moves away, Billy due to his age and sometimes we have a horrific wind, has a light cover during the winter months and I remove it during the day as much as I can and by his mud application you can see he makes the most of it.

A long overdue share of those cute photos. This gorgeous girl was checking out the Sure Foot Pads, Red Light Therapy Pads and well anything really, I love her curiosity, exploring everything while I did some bodywork on her mum.

Enjoying the beautiful sunshine on Thursday. During the bodywork session this big boy decided it was time to lie down and release and process and the pony who was tied up behind him also lay down. I have been treating these guys for about a year now, each treatment their trust develops more and more, the changes in their bodies are amazing. Their care person is so dedicated to ensuring their every need is looked after. Changes have been made to their diet, a highly qualified hoof practitioner, saddle fit has been addressed, along with bodywork very positive changes occurring. The horses lying down was special and so lovely to be surrounded by such calm and relaxation.

Taking a peek at upcoming travel dates :

Tuesday 16th - Waikato / Tirau
Wednesday 17th - Waikato
Thursday 18th - Clevedon / South Auckland
Sunday 21st - Pyes Pa, Tauranga
Tuesday 23rd - Waikato /Tirau
Wednesday 24th - Tauranga
Thursday 25th -Pukekohe / South Auckland

If you are interested in a booking, PM or txt Letitia 0274 346 899

A ten year relationship and one of my favourites. I have been privileged to been part of this beautiful horses team of contributing to keep him feeling as best he can physically and emotionally. He has taught me so much and helped me grow as a bodyworker.
One of the best lessons he taught me was patience, step back and allow, allow the horse time to integrate the changes occurring within, allow the nervous system to register the change, the physical, emotional and metal new state to align.
He took a while to trust and really let me in and start communication with me. We were in a session, I was standing back observing and I thought he had processed a release so I moved in to address the next issue on him when he swung his head at me with a very strong face, ears back, teeth showing, messaged received loud and clear, I moved back out of his space, he went back into relaxation mode. I waited, waited and waited some more, for something to change. He then moved his head forward and nudged me, permission to carry on. I thought surely not, once again he went deep within, I waited until I felt he had finished processing and was present, I moved towards him and I was faced with the snarly face. Another step taken away from him and applied patience, when he was ready once again he nudged me and beckoned me in to proceed. How amazing, we now had a two way conversation going, he now was letting me know when he was ready rather than me gauging what I thought.
That day our relationship moved to a deeper level and I will always have gratitude for his teachings.
One of the reasons why I try and set up the environment so the horse can concentrate on themselves, is to allow them to feel safe and supported enough to do this. With limited distractions of dogs jumping around, phones going off, people touching/disrupting, it helps to allow the horse to let their guard down and be as un-interrupted as possible to relax and complete the unwinding process of releasing tension, trauma or whatever they are in need of letting go.

Caution, yawning involved and could be contagious

I have completed the Level 1 & 2. This course is one I highly recommend for anyone involved in horses, whether you are a rider, coach, bodyworker or hoof care provider. Raquel delivers on such a relatable level in a very supportive environment. You will come away with so much information, knowledge and feeling empowered, well worth the investment. You will learn how to evaluate your own horses body, identify issues and address them.

My next Equine Functional Posture ONLINE course begins on the 29th July

https://integratedvettherapeutics.mykajabi.com/offers/oDxszpym
($675 total)

Payment plan
https://integratedvettherapeutics.mykajabi.com/offers/eFz26CHE
($230/month for 3 months)

What is the VALUE TO YOU?

Participant Feedback

"This is an accessible course that will empower equine stewards. There is something to gain for everyone in this course and Raquel does a great job educating from both personal experience and evidence based practices."

"This course should be mandatory for horse owners, coaches, farriers, body workers, vets, riders etc etc! The information already shared has been invaluable is helping us learn to really see what’s going on with our horses, and Raquel’s incredibly down to earth delivery method, makes for a great learning experience"

"A really great supportive learning environment where you will learn a phenomenal amount of awareness about posture and structure of the horse and build an appreciation for how and why horses may have locomotive impediments and how to avoid or help manage"

It is a 6 week course with an introductory week (so effectively 7 weeks!).

I have had absolutely amazing feedback and would love to empower you on this journey too!!😍

🌠The aims of the Equine Functional Posture course is to enhance your skills and abilities to recognise postural challenges and the influencing factors and develop a plan to create your horses power posture.

🐴Posture key to physical, mental and emotional balance of your horse improving overall wellbeing, soundness and longevity. Recognising and working with your horse to enhance their posture will also have the added benefits of enhancing your communication and connection with your horse empowering your relationship.

🌿The course is valuable for all horse enthusiasts from horse owner to horse professional including saddle fitters, bit fitter, hoof care professionals, bodyworkers etc which makes the group awesome to be a part of!
🌿Whether you are a professional competitor or someone who loves to attend clinics or just play with your horses, it will build on your skills and connection with your horse.

🎇The format of the course is a Weekly webinars, Weekly LIVE Q & A session, a supportive, interactive facebook community where you can ask questions specifically about your horse and gain feedback and support from myself - Dr. Raquel Butler

🎇There is an Introductory module and then 6 modules each with exercises structured in short videos for you to complete with your horse (or your clients horses is you are a horse professional) and an activity form to submit for feedback and a weekly worksheet to keep track of it all.

The Module format is:

🦄Module 1: Ballerina or Sloth - This module focuses of deepening and developing your postural assessment and observation skills

🦄Module 2: Becoming a detective - This module delves into the physical assessment of your horse so you can relate your postural observations to what you palpate in your horses body and enhance your palpation skills.

🦄Module 3: Feed to Form - In this module you look at how you can create an environment that improves your horses posture reducing your workload!!

🦄Module 4: Bend it like Beckham - This module discusses spinal mobilisation exercises and empowers your with the skills to conduct them appropriately for your horse as well as different options for performing them.

🦄Module 5: The dance steps - The focus of this module is on the foundations of postural movement, the vital initial steps when creating balance and limb awareness.

🦄Module 6: Creating the dance - This module builds on the dance steps with exercises to enhance balance and postural development in motion.

Well it took quite a few hours to get home. Hopped on the plane, told it was too foggy to land, off the plane, thanks to Air NZ I was on another flight to another relatively close airport I winged it, (get it) off to Tauranga. Within 20 minutes I was boarding my second plane. A bit of a detour getting home but my leg warmers were happy to see me and in position promptly.

Another informative lots of light bulb moments day today. So much gratitude for being fortunate to be amongst so many horse people seeking the best for the horse. Other wonderful minds seeking answers to learn from, to understand and improve horses lives the best way they can. I went into the dissection after such a long spell with hesitation as the findings of the last young horse dissection I attended really hit me deep and hard. Before the dissection to handle the horse and for the horse to be so obliging to what was asked in assessment and palpation. Then on the table, what was unraveled, to see what injuries the horse endured, left me empty and I hurt deeply. This time, although you witness their story they share with us, educate us, I have come away so pleased to have spent 3 days with admirable horsewomen. All attending, seeking knowledge, wanting to make a change for the horse, to apply their new knowledge and help in whatever way they can. I felt sad to leave, yet humbled and grateful. I will try my vey bestest to apply what I have learnt to help horses in the best way I can. Attending a standing dissection was like attending my first all over again, my brain is in overload and will be on soak and recharge mode for a while

A stunning way to start the second big day of learning. The sunrise gracing the snowy mountain tops this morning. The beautiful colour's weren't captured by the camera. I forgot to mention this is my first standing dissection, my gosh just fascinating and a completely different perspective, so many light bulbs flickering.

Flew down to the South Island to attend another amazing Equine Dissection with Sharon May-Davis. This will be my 10th dissection with Sharon and 12th in total. I haven't attended one for a few years to I am excited to be back in Sharons amazing presence and wealth of knowledge. First time in years I opted for a hot drink, a tad colder down here than our frosty day yesterday, even the gloves got a dust off.

Billy waiting for his breakfast, he will be waiting a while until the water pipes thaw out as it requires soaking with water, whoopsies

A reminder about horses having no access to food, even if your horse is off the grass due to being affected by it, one slice at the end of the day is not enough, your horse needs access 24/7. There are many ways to accommodate this, trickle feeders etc to make sure the hay will last

What is the longest a horse can safely go without food?

More and more I see horses and ponies stood for long periods of time with no hay or haylage. Usually under the guise of a “weight control diet”. So how long can a horse be without food before damage is done? And what damage is done?

For those with a short attention span, I’ll give you the answer to begin with - 4 hours, maximum.

Why?

Horses are grazers. They are designed to eat constantly. They have no way of storing their acids and digestive enzymes, they’ve never needed to. They have no gall bladder to store bile and their stomachs release acid constantly, whether or not there is food in the stomach and intestines.

A horses stomach only holds approximately 8-15 litres. Depending on the substance eaten, it takes on average 4-6 hours for the stomach to completely empty. After this, the acids and enzymes start to digest the inside of the horses stomach and then the intestines. This causes both gastric and intestinal ulceration. It has been estimated that 25-50% of foals and 60-90% of adult horses suffer from ulceration. But I won’t go into detail about this, there is a lot of information around about ulcers.

So is that it? Are ulcers the only concern?

No, having an empty stomach is a stress situation for a horse. The longer they are starved, the more they release stress hormones, cortisol predominantly. Cortisol blocks insulin and causes a constantly high blood glucose level. This stimulates the body to release even more insulin, and in turn this causes fat tissue to be deposited and leptin resistance. Over time this causes insulin resistance (Equine Metabolic Syndrome). All of these mechanisms are well known risk factors for laminitis and are caused by short term starvation (starting roughly 3-4 hours after the stomach empties). Starving a laminitic is literally the worst thing you can do. Over longer periods, this also starts to affect muscle and can cause weakness, and a lack of stamina so performance horses also need a constant supply of hay/haylage to function optimally.

Let’s not forget horses are living, breathing and feeling animals. We talk about this stress reaction like it’s just internal but the horse is well aware of this stress. Door kicking, box walking, barging and many other stable vices and poor behaviour can be explained by a very stressed horse due to food deprivation (we all have that Hangry friend to explain this reaction). Next time you shout or hit a horse that dives for their net, remember their body is genuinely telling them they are going to starve to death. They know no different.

But surely they spend the night asleep so they wouldn’t eat anyway?

Not true. Horses only need 20mins REM sleep every 24 hours (jealous? I am!). They may spend a further hour or so dozing but up to 22-23 hours a day are spent eating. So if you leave your horse a net at 5pm and it’s gone by 8pm, then by 12am their stomach is empty. By 4am they are entering starvation mode. By their next feed at 8am, they are extremely stressed, physically and mentally.

Now I know the cob owners are reading this mortified. I can almost hear you shouting at your screen “if I feed my horse ad lib hay he won’t fit out the stable door in a week!!”

I will say that a horse with a constant supply of hay/haylage will eat far less then the same horse that is intermittently starved. They don’t eat in a frenzy, reducing the chance of colic from both ulcers and over eating. Cobs included.

However I’m not suggesting you sit your cob in front of a bale of haylage and say have at it! There is a difference between ad lib and a constant supply. There is much we can do to reduce calorie intake and control weight whilst feeding a constant supply.

The easiest is small holes nets. There are many. Trickle nets, greedy feeders, nibbleze, trawler nets etc. My personal favourite is the Shires Soft Mesh 1”. They don’t cost the Earth, they are easy to fill and they don’t have knots so are much gentler to the teeth. Now often I suggest these types of nets to owners and the owner tells me “Oh no, *** won’t eat out of those” 🙄 this is nonsense. If he was left it, he would. Remember, you can give a normal net and one of these for them to nibble at after. Better than leaving them with nothing at all.

A few other tricks, hang the net from the ceiling/rafters, it’s harder to eat out of a net that swings. Soak the hay, a minimum of 4 hours to be effective. Mix with straw but be sure to introduce the straw slowly and make sure it’s top quality and a palatable type eg Barley or Oat, otherwise they won’t eat it.

Don’t forget exercise. The best way to get weight off a horse is exercise. Enough exercise and they can eat what they want!

And lay off the bucket feed and treats! Horses on a diet require a vit/min supplement in the form of a balancer but that’s it. The odd slice of carrot or swede won’t do any harm but no licks, treats, treacle, molasses, cereal based rubbish. Even if it says low sugar or the marvellously misleading “No added sugar”! Your horse would rather have a constant supply of hay, I promise.

Written by Vikki Fowler BVetMed BAEDT MRCVS

A few edits for the critics-

Firstly, feeding a constant supply does not mean ad lib feeding. It means use some ingenuity and spread the recommended amount of daily forage so the horse is never stood with out food for more than 4 hours. I am not promoting obesity, quite the opposite, feeding like this reduces obesity and IR. This can be done whilst feeding your horse twice a day as most horse owners do. Just think outside the box for your own situation.

Secondly I am in the UK and this post is UK specific, use some common sense when reading. Yes in warmer climates, soaking hay for 4 hours is dangerous and studies show 1 hour is plenty in hot weather but in the UK’s arctic climate, a minimum of 4 hours is required. Equally the UK feed exclusively grass hay. I can not comment on other types.

Thirdly, yes every horse/pony and situation is different, but this is a law of nature and all horses have this anatomy and metabolism. How you achieve this constant supply is individual, the need for it is not.

Fourthly, the use of hay nets in the UK is very very high. I’d estimate 95% of horses I see are fed this way and very very few have incisor wear or neck/back issues as a result. Yes, feeding from the ground is ideal, but a constant supply, I feel trumps this. Again with ingenuity both can be safely achieved.

Finally, straw can be fed to horses safely, introduced very slowly, with fresh water always available, plus a palatable and digestible type of straw which will depend on your area. Again many horses in the UK are bedded on straw and most of them eat it. This is not a new concept to us.

Final finally 🤦‍♀️ and I feel I must add this due to the sheer number of people contacting me to ask, feed your horses during transport!!! I am astonished this is not normal in other countries! Again in the UK, we give our horses hay nets to transport. We don’t go 10 mins up the road without a haynet and a spare in case they finish! Considering we are a tiny island and we rarely transport even 4 hours, we never transport without hay available. I have never seen an episode of choke due to travelling with hay available. If you are concerned, use a slow feeder net so they can’t take too much in at once.

If you get to the end of this post and your first thought is “I can’t do this with my horse/pony, they’d be morbidly obese”, you haven’t read the advice in this post thoroughly.