Two Track Bodywork

08/10/2022

This is one area it can be so easy to blame training or greenness when the horse actually has a physical issue. Of course, if your horse loses the ability to get a lead (or lead change) it used to, this is a huge red flag. But even struggling to figure it out in a green horse likely has a physical component that shouldn't be ignored. There may be a veterinary issue that can be addressed, or a physical imbalance your bodywork team can help you with to make that training go a little smoother.
https://equusmagazine.com/behavior/physical-causes-of-canter-lead-problems/?tum_source=EQUUSFB&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3MePw-PykZ57l09Z0SVYZWU2Bfi-9wLSeWQlSMqLZlPlfBcG92oqqRz9c

When your horse won't pick up the correct lead, poor training isn't usually to blame. The concept of leads at the canter or lope is simple enough:When a horse is on the correct lead, he starts each stride with the outside hind leg and ends it with the inside foreleg. Riders cue their horses to encou...

05/08/2022

There's probably a lot I could talk about after watching this, but I'm going to keep it short and just say: WOW! What incredible footage this is! Thanks to Centaur Biomechanics for capturing and sharing this.

04/11/2022

So excited to finally have some proper pictures of me doing bodywork. Spent a great evening with the talented Jess of Speckled J Photography and her lovely girl Zippy. The massage went great and the photos blew me away! Seriously, if you are on the hunt for an equine photographer, this girl has a great eye.

06/03/2021

Just read Equestrian Canada will be looking at noseband tightness over the 2021 competition season. https://horsesport.com/horse-news/equestrian-canada-announces-noseband-measuring-pilot-project/amp/ Very curious to see what they find, as just two days ago I was reading a scientific publication about similar work done in England, Ireland, and Belgium. (Doherty et al, 2017). Out of 750 horses measured at competitions, 44% of horses fell into the zero fingers classification while only 7% were in the two fingers classification. 😬 Even as someone who groomed professionally and saw plenty of tight nosebands over the years, my jaw still dropped at those numbers.

I'm not anti-noseband, or even against an appropriate snugness. Just keep in mind how much difference that "one more hole" can make to this highly sensitive area for your horse (just like the difference between tall boots that fit snugly and ones that barely zip can determine whether you feel your toes while riding).

So if you are asked to participate in this pilot study, please do so and help us see where we are at here in Canada!

With equine welfare in mind, the Equine Health and Welfare Committee will be working towards the implementation of a noseband tightness rule.

04/11/2021

When equine bodyworkers talk about muscle function, trailering always comes up as the "classic" example of isometric contraction – where muscles contract without initiating movement. If you've ever done held a plank or wall sit for a long time, you understand this can be tiring... and presumably that floor or wall wasn't moving on you. Imagine doing that plank or wall sit in a moving trailer! Keep this in mind next time you hit the road with your horse and expect them to perform at the destination!

Researchers used a special horse trailer to study how horses move when they travel. They demonstrated that horses move frequently during travel to compensate for the movements of the trailer, and that a horse’s legs play an important role for dampening the vibrations from the road. Relatively litt...