Equine Insight

23/06/2026

I recommend PlusBac for horses and dogs if they need gut support for any reason, it is a fermented herbal liquid that is full of micro-organisms….like kombucha for animals!
They are really knowledgeable and helpful too if you want more information or advice.

☀️ HOT WEATHER SUPPORT FOR HORSES & PETS ☀️

Heatwaves, travelling, competitions and changes in routine can all place additional stress on horses and pets.

One of the first things owners often notice is a reduced appetite, lower water intake or a general lack of enthusiasm for feed. Maintaining hydration and supporting digestive function becomes especially important during periods of hot weather.

A healthy gut microbiome plays an important role in supporting digestion, feed intake and overall wellbeing. Many owners choose to add beneficial microbes to their daily feeding routine to help maintain digestive balance during times of stress.

If your horse is reluctant to eat during hot weather, try adding Plusbac Feed to a damp, cool mash. This can help encourage feed intake while also increasing water consumption when it is needed most.

Simple hot weather reminders:

• Always provide clean, fresh water
• Offer shade wherever possible
• Take extra care during travel and competitions
• Monitor feed intake closely
• Support digestive balance with beneficial microbes

Small changes can make a big difference.

Stay cool, keep those buckets topped up and help your horses and pets stay comfortable throughout the summer.

Shop Plusbac Feed → https://plusbac.com/

17/06/2026

A regulated nervous system changes more than behaviour.

We often talk about training, performance, biomechanics and behaviour but underneath all of those things sits something that is often overlooked:

The horse’s ability to feel safe enough to learn.

When a horse is spending large amounts of time in survival mode, hypervigilance, chronic stress or simply coping rather than thriving, it can affect far more than what we see on the surface.

A horse whose basic needs are consistently being met.. movement, forage, social connection, rest, appropriate workload, clear communication and feeling physically comfortable often becomes easier to handle, more available to training and more able to process information.

Not because they’ve been made obedient.

But because they have more capacity.

Capacity to think.Capacity to recover.Capacity to engage.Capacity to learn.

That doesn’t mean every challenge is a nervous system issue, and regulation doesn’t replace good training, boundaries or education.

But regulation creates an environment where those things can happen more effectively.

A horse that feels safe enough to stay curious can often show us more softness, more adaptability and more willingness.

Sometimes progress isn’t asking more.

Sometimes progress is creating the conditions where the horse no longer has to spend so much energy just coping.

Thriving horses don’t always become quieter horses.

But they often become more present.

And presence changes everything.

📸 Fine Photography By Georgia-Emily

17/06/2026

Herbal Bingo for Herbal Shenanigans! 💚

14/06/2026

Shared! If you suspect your horse has ECVM, read this new study.

🚨 THE "ECVM" DEBATE: THE GAME-CHANGING NEW EVIDENCE EVERY HORSE OWNER NEEDS TO SEE 🚨

If you own a Warmblood, Thoroughbred, or sport horse, you’ve probably heard of ECVM (Equine Complex Vertebral Malformation).

For years, a massive debate has raged between horse owners and traditional veterinarians. Owners frequently share heartbreaking stories of horses suffering from unexplained neck stiffness, stumbling, or sudden behavior changes under saddle. Meanwhile, the mainstream veterinary establishment has often remained skeptical, arguing that because up to 40% of some horse populations have these C6/C7 variations without ever showing symptoms, it should be viewed as a "normal anatomical variant," not a disease.

But a groundbreaking new 2026 study has just completely changed the game. Leading researchers Dr. Sharon May-Davis (the anatomist who first discovered the condition), Dr. Audrey DeClue, and Kate Workman have published a peer-reviewed paper in the journal Animals that finally bridges the gap between science, veterinary imaging, and what owners are experiencing on the ground.

Here is exactly what this new research means for YOU and your horse:

1. It highlights the "Domino Effect" Inside the Neck 🧩
Skeptics have long argued that a slight bone variation doesn't automatically mean a horse is in pain. However, this study looked at the most severe form (Grade 4 Aplasia), where a crucial bony anchor point on the 6th neck vertebra (C6) is completely missing and transposed onto the 7th (C7).

By examining these cases, researchers showed that this skeletal defect creates a severe domino effect on the surrounding soft tissue:

The Muscles: The longus colli muscle—the absolute core stabilizer of your horse's neck—is left severely altered or completely asymmetrical because its structural anchor point is missing.

The Blood Flow: In 13 out of 20 cases, the malformation actually deformed the bone channel (foramen transversarium), which could directly disrupt or destabilise the vertebral artery, which supplies vital blood flow to the horse's brain.

2. No More Veterinary Guesswork 📸
In the past, vets struggled to diagnose this accurately on a live horse because standard field X-rays of the lower neck are notoriously hard to align. This study changes that. The researchers successfully established a precise, concrete protocol using specific bony landmarks. Vets can now reliably diagnose this severe structural deficit in live horses using standard field radiographs.

3. It Validates Horse Owners 🐴❤️
If you have been told your horse is just "being difficult," "resisting contact," or "unwilling to work," this paper provides a massive sigh of relief. It indicates that these severe structural variations could be directly tied to localized neck pain, neurological coordination issues, and severe biomechanical instability. It isn't a training issue; it is a physical defect.

What should you do next?

Look at the Whole Horse: Because symptoms like stumbling or stiffness overlap with other issues (like kissing spines, ulcers, or hock arthritis), traditional vets worry owners will stop looking for answers once they see a neck X-ray. Use this new data as a tool, not a catch-all.

Talk to Your Vet: If you have a horse with unresolved, chronic neck pain or unpredictable behavior, ask your veterinarian about this specific 2026 study. Vets now have an exact radiographic blueprint to look closer and get you definitive answers.

Our horses can't speak, so they rely on us to look past the surface. This new research gives us the power to finally see the full picture, make informed breeding decisions, protect horse welfare, and provide our equine partners with the exact care they deserve.

📝 SCIENTIFIC PRECISION UPDATE: To ensure we interpret this brilliant new data with absolute clinical accuracy, it is important to note a specific detail regarding the study's scope!

While the paper provides an incredibly compelling, highly logical anatomical framework for why these horses experience issues—mapping out exactly how the longus colli muscle and vertebral artery are structurally altered—it is an anatomical description of end-stage, symptomatic horses rather than a dynamic biomechanical study. Because it didn't include a healthy control group, strict science means it doesn't prove direct causation or the exact firing mechanics of the pain itself.

What it does definitively prove is a massive game-changer for diagnostics: veterinarians now have a validated radiographic blueprint to accurately identify this severe Grade 4 defect in live horses. It gives us the structural pieces of the puzzle so we can stop guessing and start looking closer! 🎯

If you are interested in reading the paper here is the link below:
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/16/3/482

14/06/2026

Oh I love these releases, go Trevor! 😍

14/06/2026

Russell from Centaur Biomechanics is very good, his webinars are very interesting and this looks good too.

10/06/2026

A really sensible and informative post on teaching your horse to go bitless or bridleless.

HOW TO TRAIN A HORSE TO GO BRIDLELESS…

It’s easier than you think.

Whether you wish to go without a bridle one day or not, I think the skills that are required to safely be able to ride bridleless are valuable for all Equestrians.

First, let’s look at the skills required:

Pace control without relying on reins ✅

Brakes without relying on reins ✅

Turning off of seat and body cues ✅

Neck reining ✅

Emotional regulation and relaxation ✅

 This is a short synopsis of the most important things that you will need to have in place in order to make this safe.

As I’m sure you can acknowledge, all of these skills are beneficial, even if you are fully tacked.

So, the first things to work on, with the safety of your tack are the following:

- making sure that you can slow down and increase your pace without touching your reins.

You should be able to drop your reins onto the buckle and not have your Horse speed up at all.

You should be able to ask your Horse to come to a halt without touching your reins.

This begins with teaching your horse pace control in response to your seat aids.

So, for example, you could start practising this by slowing your posting and having your horse slow down at the trot.

You could start practising this by really reinforcing the idea that sitting deeper in your seat means to slow down.

Practising lots of upward and downward transitions without a reliance on the reins.

- Steering without reins.

This is where being mindful of where you use your body when you’re asking your horse to bend really comes in handy.

Generally speaking, your Horse’s body is going to be heavily influenced on the direction that your hips and shoulders are pointing.

So, even when you’re schooling in regular tack, start being really mindful of what your body is doing, and what cues you maybe unconsciously giving with your body.

A huge part of being successful in riding bridleless is using your body cues and making sure that they have more meeting.

Small things like taking a deep breath and exhaling, adjusting the position of your body and shoulders, etc. will have a lot more meaning when you need finer tuned cues.

So, start practising getting a reliable response for steering without needing to create a direct action from the reins.

- Neck reining

This is super easy to practice from the ground, but you can also practice it under saddle. It will be fine tuned by the things listed above as well.

But, getting your horse to reliably respond to neck training cues instead of direct contact on the mouth or their bitless Bridle will help create responsiveness.

- Emotion regulation and relaxation.

This is the most important thing.

And this is where a lot of people have things fall apart, and believe that their horse will never be able to do this.

It is unrealistic to expect your horse to be responsive, relaxed, and calm during rides when they do not have their needs outside of riding adequately met.

The horse who is stalled 24/7 is going to struggle to be safe to ride with less equipment in comparison to the horse that gets full-time turn out.

How their life is outside of training matters immensely, and it will greatly impact behaviour and how safe they are to ride, whether you are fully tacked or not.

So, starting with the baseline of meeting, basic needs is important.

From there, really honestly look at the picture of your horses relaxation under saddle.

If your horse is frequently running through your hands, having issues walking or standing still, and otherwise displaying stress behaviors, this is something that absolutely needs to be worked on for their well-being and for your future success.

There are many things that can influence stress.

Pain, discomfort, poorly fitting tack, previously negative experiences etc.

Start taking stock of what stimulate your horse tends to respond to the most.

Honestly, look at the living situation that you provide for your horse and whether or an audit is offering them opportunities to adequately meet their needs.

And be honest with yourself about what your horses regular baseline is when it comes to an anxiety.

Regardless of the equipment you use, the goal should be to have a relaxed horse that can do all of these things without needing to be held together by you death gripping the reins.

You never even need to have the goal of going without a bridle and these skills still matter.

It is far too common for people to be completely reliant on their tack to keep them safe.

Riding horses who are actively trying to bolt through their aids.

It simply is not safe to have the primary safety crutch be a harsher bit.

If your horse can’t walk on a loose rein, this is something that needs to be practiced.

If your horse can’t go from being in a high period of activity, like cantering or jumping, to walking calmly on a long rein, this is something that should be worked on.

Relaxation and responsiveness to light cues are two very important skills.

I’m going to go more in detail on this in the future, I’m working on a mini course for this to help people with transitioning to bitless and/or bridleless so stay tuned.

10/06/2026

Great ideas here for grass sensitive horses if you have the space available to be creative.