A Plus Equine Bodywork

10/23/2026

Last minute availability on Sunday October 25 between Walkerton and Chatham.

Scoot Boot, Cavallo, or Equine Fusion hoof boot fittings, bodywork, or Red Horse hoof product drop offs available!

10/21/2026

My new apprentice is pretty cute. Not very handy at handing me tools though.

10/21/2026

10/11/2026

Happy Thanksgiving!

So incredibly thankful for each and every one of my amazing clients for having me as part of your equine care team ❤️🐴

10/11/2026

10/10/2026

10/08/2026

The all too common trend that has swept equine groups far and wide. Let’s talk about it.

“Looking for a farrier ASAP. Anonymous for privacy.”

Farriers: Interesting… 👀🤨

“Horse is easy.”

Farriers: Define easy.

“Just needs a trim.”

Farriers: You don’t say.

“Previous farrier just stopped coming.”

Farriers: What makes someone just stop showing up to a great client?

“Need someone who can handle difficult horses.”

Farriers: You need someone who doesn’t care if they die tomorrow.

“I’ve tried several farriers in the area already.”

Farriers: Bingo.

“Horse hasn’t been done in 4–6 months and I need someone tomorrow between 7pm and midnight.”

Farriers: There it is. We’re getting somewhere now.

The truth is, when you’ve been doing this long enough, you start recognizing the subtle signs. 🚩🚩

Sometimes “looking for a farrier” really means “my horse doesn’t stand.”

Sometimes it means “I’ve gone through everyone local.”

Sometimes it means “ I don’t pay my bills.”

Sometimes it means “ I cancel appointments at midnight the night before .“

Sometimes it means “the last farrier finally fired me.”

Sometimes it means” I’m not willing to communicate my concerns with my current farrier .“

And sometimes it means “I waited until it became an emergency and now I need someone to rearrange their entire schedule.”

If you’re posting anonymously, demanding ASAP, giving zero details, and wondering why nobody’s jumping at the opportunity…

Just remember:
You’re not only looking for a farrier.
The farrier is deciding whether they’re willing to take you on as a client. Established farriers are overwhelmingly busy and don’t troll the internet looking for work. Their work speaks for them. Their clients refer them. Veterinarians refer them.

10/07/2026

Lameness vs compensation or stiffness - pain vs avoidance of new patterns?

Firstly before reading on, I am not a vet. I do not have a vet’s education and you should in no way replace veterinary investigation and support or advice with any thing i say.

But - a lot of times when people find their horse has some hitch in their get along, something has happened to their horse’s gait or normal responses to riding have changed, they fear pain and back off.

While we can never definitively say a horse is not in pain, there is a difference between pain and stiffness, uncertainty, or fear of changing a pattern.

And- even if there WAS pain and it is now treated, those patterns can still exist - leaving with us with a pain response and (assuming) no pain.

Quite often I help people and their horses through these spots, revealing a magically sound horse who was limping, balking, sucking back or unsteady in their gait just a few minutes or days ago-
It’s not magic, it’s mobility and movement patterns.

If the horse is actually lame - say a bone fracture - it will worsen with movement.

If the horse is STIFF or reserved in movement patterns, it should improve pretty soon with GOOD movement, not just moving around.

Where things get tricky is people often say the horse takes 15-20 mins to warm up and move out of it, and often these are sloppy or incorrect warm up patterns. We need to address range of motion, joint flexion, alignment, breathing, and of course most importantly help the horse feel safe in being in these.

To tie it together with a personal example: I found my knees and joints to be very sore and painful suddenly. I started a mobility training program and really disliked the first week of the work - but I was reminded if I feel stiff that is not the same as pain. I worked through it preserving correct range of motion over depth of squat or intensity and so on - two weeks later I already feel “sound” again.

Joints need to work through their correct range of motion, and when a horse hurts, they often protect themselves, often to their own detriment.

Don’t panic. Ride in rhythm - see what you get on the other end and re evaluate

10/07/2026