Sound Strategy Equine Therapy

10/20/2026

Booking into November!

* schedule subject to change*

10/20/2026

The social media nerds say you should show your face on your page so ..

Just a quick PSA that horses doing different things, do not require the same level of strength and development to perform their job correctly ( and happily !) .

When clients ask me about their horse's development, as always I am honest.. but I also want to educate you on what YOUR horse is lacking for YOUR expectations from that horse .

Does that mean i'm advocating for horses to be under muscled and underdeveloped? Not even a little bit. Under muscled horses are at a higher risk for injury, and we all NEED muscle to support posture and help give the nerves space to avoid irritation.

But again... what that looks like for your 4x a month trail horse at the walk for an hour , and your 3rd level dreasage horse are vastly different .

With our performance horses especially, we MUST consider what we are asking of them, and what soft tissue is needed to support correct biomechanics. Without that , we risk putting our horse into compensation patterns.

Long term compensation patterns = high risk for injury and unnecessary wear and tear .

10/19/2026

10/15/2026

I usually stay as far away from this topic as possible... cause if there is one that has a clear divide , it's this one.

I want to start off by saying nuance is important, and so is context.

I get why 2 year olds are ridden.

Futurities, trainer's won't take anything older, there's a delusion that it is inherently harder to start something older, we want to get on their back before they are " too strong" 🙄

But I have watched far too many hours of dissections to sit here and tell you that early riding doesn't have consequences. Specifically to the pelvis, lower neck regions, and thoracic spine.

But this where nuance and context is still important.

What is the additional background information, and what are the specifics within a statement like " riding 2 year olds."

What environment did those 2 year olds come from? A perfectly groomed pen, or roaming 160 acres with playmates?

Have things like hoof angles, bodywork and dental been looked after before entering training?

What IS the program they are being put in? 90 days of circles, or a light backing broken up by in hand work?

WHO is riding them? A 250lb man or a 140lb female?

What has been done to prepare them for training? Are we pulling them from their small pen and sending them into a program? Or have we done in hand work to prepare our horses thoracic sling, wake up their stabilizers, start to activate those muscles that are so important for functional development.

Is the program year round or are we getting on their back the last 30 days of that 90 day program , then are we kicking them out to mature?

Is this a racehorse, a reiner, barrel horse, destined to be a jumper? Those are very different programs.

We cannot deny that what we subject our young horses to as 2,3 even 4 year olds... can impact them later in life. There is undeniable evidence of this. I see it everyday.

But the how, matters.

10/13/2026

OOF. Part 1....

I want to preface this by saying this isn't an anti injection post.

I see this all the time... you feel like your horse isn't performing, should be doing something better, or just feels off. You feel like you have put the work in, but yet they still aren't using their hindquarters, can't maintain axial rotation, have no bend etc etc

Off to the vet you go. AS YOU SHOULD.

But..

They don't find anything of interest.

Flexions are nothing special. Joints clean.
Hoof angles could use a tweak, but nothing major

Here is the thing... a soundness exam that your horse passes with flying colours does NOT mean they are functional.

What do I mean by functional?

I mean: does your horse have the soft tissue development ( strength, mobility, physical capacity )to support correct biomechanics , to do what you are asking of it.

Do they actually have a thoracic sling and the supporting hind quarter muscles to USE their hindquarters. Or do we just think they do, and therefore should.

Soundness and functional capacity can be very separate conversations .

It takes having a hard look at your horse and identifying gaps in their strength and development.

It might mean you have to learn something new.

It means committing to a program that is more about what your horse needs to develop, than it is about competition.

You should absolutely continue to involve your team of professionals, but don't assume something was missed, just because there isn't a place that needs a needle in it and they passed a soundness exam ( that's actually good news !!)

Stay tuned for part 2.. I have soooo much to say about this because I see it everyday ( and my own horse is the poster child)

10/09/2026

Something I think about often... so grateful to those that include me in their program.

I keep my very first gst return hung up in my office. $823 is what I reported . For 3 months.

If I recall correctly what I was charging, that was probably around 12 horses .

12 horses over my first 3 months of business back in spring of 2013.

I easily do that in one week,most weeks between June - October... and i work somewhere else full time occupying 40 hrs of my week .

Forever humbled.

10/07/2026

I think I am doing this instagram trend wrong but...

Seriously... I am going to be honest with what I am seeing with your horse.

Sometimes there is no easy way to tell you that there are some things I see that aren't good.

I believe educating owners is empowering them, which is why I start those hard conversations . If I tell you your horse is doing just dandy , when I'm seeing things that tell me they aren't, how can you learn what dysfunction looks like so you can help your horse ?

I have the privilege of being called into many rehab situations, where the horse is also working closely with a veterinarian and a farrier. You didn't hire ANY of us to give you some BS.. you hired us to help get your horse back on track.

Look, I do care about your feelings. I am not some heartless person that enjoys seeing your face drop when I point something alarming out. I don't like it at all actually...

But I can't sleep at night when I haven't been honest to owners. That used to really impact me in my early years when I felt like I had to sugar coat things, but knew I just walked away from a horse that was in trouble .

My approach is not for everyone. I acknowledge that. If you are looking for someone that will tell you what you want to hear.. that ain't me.

A core value of my business is having integrity, because I care about your horse. And that means being truthful with you ... even if I get the feeling that you don't want to hear the " good, bad and, ugly " .

" we cannot force someone to hear a message they are not ready to receive, but we cannot underestimate the power of planting a seed ."

10/05/2026

You're not letting your horse process...

You're worried about how many minutes they are on the pad so you can switch to the next foot..

You're counting reps ..

Checking your watch because you had 3 other exercises planned ..

You gotta let em cook !

The most challenging and IMPORTANT part of rehab with horses , is sitting back and letting your horse's nervous system process the new input it is receiving.

THAT is where the changes integrate .

That is where new neural pathways are born.

The most successful rehab plans include you holding space for your horse's nervous system . Not simply moving from one exercise to the next .

Not sure if you are letting your horse process or you don't know what that looks like ?

I can help! Once you understand what that looks like, you can't unsee it.

10/01/2026

Look I get it ... your friend has a specialty service they offer ( guilty ) ...

We all need a plumber, hair stylist , car salesman, etc at some point in our life , but not everyone needs an equine bodyworker.

Sharing, reposting, liking and saving your friend's business posts helps to push their content out into the algorithm.

Content pushed out further into the algorithm = potential clients can learn about your friend's business.

It's advertising of sorts, doesn't cost you a dime and means a lot to your friend with a business.

So next time your friend with a business posts something, don't just scroll on by, even if you don't understand the post or it feels a little cringe..