Leg Up Equine Massage Therapy

Lateral cervical flexion and a bit of Head Up poll releases, 2 different Masterson Method techniques . If you are wondering, yes this mare did actually place her head on my shoulders and basically said “here’s my head… let me rest here!

Anyone interested in? 2 spots left!!

Only date available in 2024 for the Advanced Applied Anatomy Course. Only 3 spots left for this course, Sept. 12-16, 2024 https://trinityequineservices.com/courses

Izzy and Nori had a visit on Monday their favorite equine body worker, Julie Higgins of Leg Up Equine Massage Therapy.

Check out these amazing before and after photos from Izzy’s session—there is a dramatic improvement in her lateral balance and posture. She’s been working hard under saddle to put on muscle and increase overall suppleness, and routine bodywork helps keep her on a progressive and positive path forward.

Despite the extreme weather this past week it was quite busy. A few candids of some releases caught on film and a couple before/after shots. Enjoy the cooler drier air everyone, happy riding!!

Highly recommend following the Veterinary Compendium! This one looks like one not to miss! Once signed up replays are available at your leisure to watch if you can’t make the live day/time.

Very excited to attend this!

Only date available in 2024 for the Advanced Applied Anatomy Course. Only 3 spots left for this course, Sept. 12-16, 2024 https://trinityequineservices.com/courses

Thanks for capturing these Trina! Deep relaxation for this mare settling in on my shoulder, offering the weight of her head to allow for a deep release of tension at the poll junction.

💯%! Spot on!!

We need to be way more appreciative of horses being willing to get into trailers for us.

Have you been in the back of a trailer while it’s moving?

It’s loud.

It’s rattly.

Cars come flying by.

It’s warm in the summer, even with windows open, plus the open windows make everything louder.

You constantly have to balance.

Even as a human with the context of why trailers are used, an understanding of their purpose and the capacity to realize we aren’t being trapped with the intent to cause harm, it is unpleasant.

Trailering is one of those regular skills that many humans just expect of horses.

It’s all too common to “teach” horses to load through really coercive and harsh methods instead of a rewards based mindset.

Horses who don’t want to load in a trailer possess an intelligent level of self preservation because it is that unpleasant, scary and dangerous feeling.

Going into a small, dark, hot, rattly box that teleports them to somewhere new and scary isn’t something any flight animal should want to willingly do.

Their choice to fight going into it and attempt to advocate for themselves is a normal one that should be expected from a flight animal.

So, us humans need to be gentler.

More appreciative.

More understanding of the absolute trust and sacrifice the horse is offering us by getting into that trailer.

Just because we view it as a necessary skill doesn’t mean that the horse understands it.

Nor does it justify anger, frustration or roughness in the event the horse doesn’t want to load.

So be patient.

Be more rewarding.

We are asking them of something that goes against ever fibre of their being and deliberately asks them to do something that makes them feel unsafe.

We need to be more grateful of what horses are willing to do for us and more understanding of why they say no when they do.

Author Jec Ballou has compiled this amazing resource of exercises for “Resolving Postural Problems, Improving Movement Patterns, and Preventing Injury”. I can’t recommend this resource enough!! Laid out in a very simple format with clear instructions with specific goals and how to execute each exercise. Highly recommend checking it out!

Lorre Mueller, equine osteopath, has a last-minute opening on Wednesday, May 29, middle of the day location is anywhere between Kensington, New Hampshire and Groton Massachusetts. If you are interested in having her work on your horse, please message me ASAP or reach out to her directly. Her website is below.



Trinity Equine Services “One of the best 4 days I’ve ever spent in a clinic! Informative AND fun!?? Lorre’s advanced anatomy class was super well organized to include a nice balance of lecture and barn time with horses every day. We had many demonstrations, hands on activities including playing with individual bones ...

Fantastic!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/JiaE46yC1CDtPXZ5/?mibextid=WC7FNe

Before all, the welfare of our equine partners is our priority. Sometimes, that means ending a fitting early. When a back isn’t healthy, it isn’t fair or appropriate to continue a fitting. As stewards of these incredible animals, we must ensure they are healthy before considering riding!

More postural changes in 1 session. The dun Connemara was having significant saddle fit issues, every saddle the owner tried would slide way too far forward when she was asked to canter, causing the mare to get very upset and “act up!” No she was not being naughty, she was telling everyone this was painful. We have more to unravel in her body to improve her posture even more, but the lift in the thoracic sling is a good start towards getting a saddle to fit properly. Her paint pony was visibly happier and more comfortable in his entire body after his session. He has a history of bracing in the front end, developing the lower neck muscles incorrectly and hollowing the back. A pony with significant PTSD from a previous life, he has hit the jackpot with this family! The owner will be working with both ponies to build the correct muscling through both groundwork and under saddle when appropriate!

Looking forward to this one! These webinars are fantastic learning opportunities!

𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬!

Dr. Haussler has invited our Webinar Content Advisors Group, represented by equine osteopath 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫, to co-present his May 16th webinar on 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐮𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐬 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬. Since this zone of the body is so complex and there is a great deal of info to share with you, and because you have asked that, when time permits, we include assessment and treatment options in these webinars, this sharing of the workload will allow you to get more bang for your buck.

As announced earlier here, our webinars are now 30 minutes longer, for the same price. They start at 5 pm MDT – 2-hour presentation followed by 30 minutes discussion, with the conversation continuing on this page.

Register at vetcompendium.org/webinars/

See Lorre’s biographical notes in comment section.

This is the 4th part of a 5 part series I have been following… wow!!! Can’t wait for part 5!

Walk… the most important gait for all horses no matter the fitness level but for those legging up this spring the walk is critical, 30-45 min of walking with purpose, not a stroll. But then what… Denny Emerson shares some good tips on listening to the horse when it comes to increasing the work load!

Osteopath Lorre Mueller of Trinity Equine Services will be working in NH 5/24-5/29. Please reach out to her directly if you would like your horse on her schedule!

Trinity Equine Services “One of the best 4 days I’ve ever spent in a clinic! Informative AND fun!?? Lorre’s advanced anatomy class was super well organized to include a nice balance of lecture and barn time with horses every day. We had many demonstrations, hands on activities including playing with individual bones ...

Very well explained with photos discussing a healthy and functional thoracic sling and why the impact on performance!

Masterson Method heading to the Olympics!! So glad I had an opportunity to learn from this amazing professional at the Masterson conference!

Today I‘ve got this award from the Polish Equestrian Federation. I‘m proud and honored to be part of the team and look forward to support the equine athletes on their way to Paris. 😀🐴🐎

Posture or conformation… perhaps a bit of both. Very sweet mare, wonderful disposition, suddenly started bucking and can’t canter L. As we can all see from these before and after photos taken today, her posture changed dramatically after releasing tension throughout her entire body. It’s not a simple shoulder issue, or a hind end issue, but rather an entire body out of balance leading to compensatory patterns that lead to more tension . Over time these tension patterns become areas of restriction. The Masterson Method focuses on releasing tension and restrictions in the key junctions of the body. There are still areas of restriction but improvements in all range of motion techniques I asked of her today. That is all I can ask for in each session, can we make an improvement? The owner and I discussed at length what could be some primary factors that led up to this. She has a plan for some evaluations and I believe this mare is on a path to better balance in her body, and more enjoyable moments spent with her owner.

A very challenging mare with a lot to say about her bodywork. Yesterday we spent a good chunk of the session practicing what Jim Masterson calls “air gap”. Why? Because she is so reactive and guarded, any level of touch on her body sent her into a very anxious state. In order to stay below her “brace threshold “ air gap was what she needed. I wish I caught that part of the session on video as she went through a series of releases…. Nose in the dirt, licking and yawning, blowing and then a huge full body shake. After that… she leaned in and asked for some tongue release work! This mare is incredibly smart and very in tune with her body. Her owner has done an amazing job of keeping her in correct work. She has come a long way!❤️

Front end photos depicting wither releases and sternum work. Tension and restrictions in this key junction of the body will affect performance. I have found this time of year many horses seem carry more tension in this junction. There can be many contributing factors. This gelding loves his bodywork and was able to enjoy the release of tension!❤️

There is nothing better than stepping back to allow the horse time for processing the bodywork! As a busy practitioner it’s easy to get caught up in keeping a schedule but we must remember the importance of allowing the horse to work on his timeline, not mine!

Looking for safe hay for your metabolic horse? Reach out to Low Places Ranch asap!

SOLD OUT‼️

For the first time in a long time we have a load of 40lb Timothy/orchard mix bales testing under 10% NSC

FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS
Unfortunately we can NOT hold or reserve any bales

We have multiple loads of first cut in the yard right now, please be clear that you need the low NSC first cut when purchasing

Full analysis available upon request

I will update the post when it is all gone…

Thanks
~Maryrae