Suz Crichton-Stuart EDO

08/08/2026

The Nuance of No

If a horse has no opportunity to say no, then what is the point in him ever saying yes?

Having free choice when “no” isn’t really an option isn’t free choice at all.

I believe both of those things.

But I also believe that, within a relationship, both you and your horse get to say no to each other.

Within the therapeutic context of my hands-on work, horses say no to me all the time.

They also say, “Ouch.”

“Watch it.”

“I don’t feel safe with you going there.”

And occasionally there is a very wholehearted, “F-off from there.”

I listen to all of those responses.

But honouring a no doesn’t necessarily mean abandoning the conversation.

My job is, in part, to find the areas a horse is protecting and work out why. If I simply backed away from every area that caused concern, I could easily avoid some of the places that most need investigating.

Equally, if a horse cannot trust my touch, or learn that I will listen when they communicate with me, why would they ever feel safe enough to allow me near the physical or emotional tension they are protecting?

This is what I think of as **the nuance of no**.

When I meet resistance, whether that is something as subtle as a change in expression or as obvious as a rapidly moving back leg, I don't simply push through it.

Instead, I ask around the question.

“If that's a no, what about here?”

“What about this pressure?”

“What about from this direction?”

I change where I am touching, how I am touching, the amount of pressure I am using and sometimes simply how close I am to the area.

I am looking for the boundary.

The place where the horse is aware that something feels difficult, but is still able to process what is happening rather than becoming overwhelmed by it.

There is an important difference between **discomfort and distress**.

Not every moment of useful bodywork is necessarily comfortable. Sometimes an area is sore, guarded or unfamiliar. But I want to work at the edge of what the horse can tolerate, not beyond the point where communication turns into defence.

Once I find that edge, I wait.

I slow down.

I breathe.

I soften my own body and give the horse time to assess what is happening.

And I watch.

Does the guarding reduce?

Does the horse begin to breathe differently?

Does their posture change?

Can I make the same contact again with less concern?

Sometimes the boundary begins to move.

An area that was initially completely off limits becomes tolerable. Then accessible. Eventually, I may be able to palpate the place the horse had been protecting and begin working out why.

Sometimes there is something I can help with osteopathically.

Sometimes what I find tells me that this horse needs a vet, physio or another member of their professional team instead.

And sometimes the answer is still simply no.

That distinction matters.

There is a difference between a **soft no** — uncertainty, guarding, “I don't like that”, “I'm not sure about this” — and a **hard no**.

A hard no means stop.

If I cannot find a place around the edge where the horse can comfortably remain in the conversation, I don't force my way through.

Instead, I may work indirectly.

I might work through other areas of tension and connected tissues, use gentler craniosacral approaches elsewhere, or use breathing and nervous-system work to reduce the horse's overall level of anxiety and guarding.

Sometimes changing what is happening elsewhere in the body alters how the horse responds to the difficult area.

And sometimes I simply leave that area for another day and move onto something else.

Because the goal of treatment is not for me to “win” and touch somewhere the horse didn't want me to touch.

The goal is to help the horse to feel safer and more comfortable in their body.

Sometimes the most useful thing I can do in one session is honour a hard no, help some of the softer areas around it to release, and show the horse that when they communicate with me, I listen.

Very often, the next time I see that horse, the conversation is different.

They allow me a little closer.

The boundary has shifted.

Trust has grown.

And we can start asking the question again.

That, for me, is the nuance of no.

Not assuming that every no means “never”.

And not assuming that because I believe something may help, I have the right to ignore the horse saying “stop”.

It is working in the space between the two.

Listening carefully enough to know when to ask again, when to change the question, and when to leave it alone.

For horses who are guarded, sensitive about touch, difficult to assess or who have learned to protect certain parts of their body, that conversation can be just as important as the hands-on techniques themselves.

05/08/2026

Part 2 –Hard ground and Healthy Horses
Building a horse that can adapt

I don't want horses that only move well on perfect ground.

I want horses whose bodies are adaptable enough to cope with whatever the British weather throws at them.

Because today's concrete can become tomorrow's slidey mud almost overnight.

So how do we build that resilience?

For me, it starts with slowing everything down.

Purposeful in-hand work and slow walk poles are incredibly underrated. Without speed or momentum to hide behind, the horse has time to organise each step, refine balance and improve proprioception – the awareness of where every limb is in space.

Add poles into the mix and things become even more interesting. Research has shown that walking over poles increases joint range of motion, alters spinal and pelvic movement and increases activation of important postural muscles. Every careful step becomes an opportunity for the nervous system to become better organised. Over time you're not just building strength, you're building better coordination. Better coordination means the body can distribute forces more efficiently instead of repeatedly overloading the same structures. It isn't enough to be strong within your average range of motion, you need to train the less common movement too so your horse is ready for whatever the environment presents.

Breathing is another piece of the puzzle that I think is often overlooked.

The rib cage isn't simply a protective box around the lungs. It is designed to move. Every breath requires coordinated movement of the ribs, diaphragm, spine and surrounding muscles. When a horse adopts a more globally braced posture, breathing and movement can begin to influence one another. Restricted movement can alter breathing mechanics, while altered breathing patterns may contribute to increased muscle tone and reduced ease of movement. It becomes a conversation between the respiratory system, the nervous system and the rest of the body.

This is one of the reasons I find Clare Frost's work -Equine Breathing so fascinating. Equine Breathing is based on the idea of retraining horses towards quieter, more normal breathing, with the aim of supporting normal physiology rather than simply treating symptoms. Clare also emphasises that horses often become deeply relaxed during the process and that owners frequently report improvements in comfort, fitness and general wellbeing, although research specifically investigating these wider effects in horses is still developing. My sessions with Clare while I work towards my Equine Breathing Trainer certification are delving deep into the nuances of how over breathing can effect everything from fitness to behaviour and couching to headshaking. It is fascinating!

Alongside this, regular gentle bodywork such as The Equine Touch sessions can help reduce unnecessary protective muscle guarding, making it easier for horses to access comfortable, efficient movement. I never see manual therapy as "fixing" horses. I see it as helping remove some of the barriers that prevent them from moving well in the first place.

The lovely thing is that just like all the body systems work in synergy so do these simple to use interventions.

Movement improves movement.

Breathing supports movement.

Comfort and confidence encourages movement.

And every positive movement experience teaches the nervous system that it is safe to become a little more adaptable.

These are exactly the principles I teach every day—whether that's through my in-hand exercise eBook, Equine Touch workshops or starting to introduce owners to Equine Breathing as part of my training. None of them are quick fixes. They're practical skills that allow owners to support their horse's resilience long after I've gone home.

Because you can't choose the ground your horses walk on.

But you can influence how well prepared their bodies are to meet it.

04/08/2026

Hard Ground and Horses Part 1

It seems that hard ground and heatwaves are becoming a more regular part of life here in the UK. So how does this impact our horses, and what can we do to help them adapt to this new normal?

Firstly, let's look at some of the ways hard ground affects the body.

Every footfall creates force that travels up through the limb. On firmer ground, less of that force is dissipated by the surface itself, meaning the horse's own musculoskeletal system has to absorb and redistribute more of the energy. This isn't inherently a problem—healthy horses are remarkably well adapted to cope with these forces—but if repeated loading exceeds the tissues' ability to adapt, injury becomes more likely.

When we picture a horse being "jarred" by hard ground, it's easy to imagine bones bashing together. In reality, it is more helpful to think about how the body's support structures respond to the forces they experience. Healthy joints are extraordinary shock absorbers. The ends of the bones are covered in smooth cartilage, cushioned by synovial fluid and enclosed within a joint capsule supported by ligaments, muscles and surrounding connective tissues. Modern science increasingly describes the joint as an organ in its own right, with all of these structures working together to distribute load and allow efficient movement. Repeated loading on hard ground may increase protective muscle tone and alter the behaviour of surrounding soft tissues as the body adapts.

As the fascial system forms a continuous web throughout the body, this adaptation—along with changes in muscle activity and nervous system control—may contribute to more widespread stiffness and a gradual loss of fluid movement long before there is sufficient tissue change to produce obvious lameness.

The body cannot adapt one structure at a time; there is continuous feedback between all systems. This is what allows the body to function as a whole, rather than a series of parts like a bicycle. Cartilage, bone, muscles, fascia and the nervous system continually respond to one another, meaning that what begins as a change in the loading environment can gradually influence movement throughout the entire horse.

These adaptations occur over different biological timescales. Muscle can begin to show measurable changes in tone and coordination within days to weeks. Fascia typically remodels over weeks to months. Ligaments adapt more slowly over months, and bone—being the most metabolically conservative of these tissues—may take many months to years to fully remodel in response to sustained changes in loading. When the first heatwave arrived in May, the ground hardened very quickly, but now, half a summer later, it is possible—through careful, progressive loading and appropriate work—to have a horse that is better adapted to this new normal.

This global increase in muscle tone and connective tissue tension can also influence the axial skeleton. The spine may feel less mobile, and the rib cage less able to expand and move freely. This is particularly important when you consider that the equine thorax contains over 120 individual joints. The diaphragm attaches to the sternum, lumbar spine and inner surfaces of the ribs, meaning that breathing mechanics directly impact movement of the thorax and spine. When the body adopts a more protective posture, breathing and movement begin to influence one another, with each having the potential to reinforce the other. Changes in breathing efficiency can also influence blood chemistry through alterations in CO₂ levels, with downstream effects on the body’s homeostatic systems. Changes in homeostasis effect the emotions and behaviors, which in turn effect both movement and breathing.

The hooves are affected too. During prolonged dry weather they often become harder and lose moisture, reducing their ability to deform under load. As the hoof is the horse's first line of shock absorption, this reduced deformation may mean that more impact forces are transmitted further up the limb.

Finally, it is always valuable to look at things from the perspective of the nervous system. The horse's central nervous system is constantly assessing the environment and deciding how best to keep the whole body safe. If movement repeatedly becomes more demanding or less predictable, the nervous system may adopt a more protective movement strategy, increasing muscle tone and reducing the range of movement options available in an effort to minimise perceived risk.

Rather than viewing hard ground as simply a problem for the feet or joints, it is perhaps more helpful to think of it as a whole-body challenge. Every tissue has the ability to adapt, but every tissue also has its limits. Our role is not simply to avoid hard ground altogether—that isn't always possible—but to help our horses build the strength, coordination, movement quality and resilience that allow them to cope with the changing world beneath their feet.

In Part 2 lets look at things you can do to help your horse adapt and thrive.

03/07/2026

Something I’ve become quite well known for with my bodywork clients is leaving homework.

There are two reasons for this.

Firstly, I genuinely believe that the cumulative effect of small, repeated exercises, stretches and moments of awareness is often far greater than one big treatment session with me. I see my role as being a bit like a consultant – helping you identify what needs attention, then giving you the tools to keep making progress between appointments.

Secondly, I think horse carers are incredibly capable people. When they understand why something matters, they usually love learning practical things they can do to help their horse partners themselves.

So I started putting together a couple of pages of notes covering the things I most often recommend.

A couple of pages somehow turned into 34… complete with 11 videos demonstrating 7 of the exercises I prescribe most often.

I’ve been gifting it to my clients, and the feedback so far has been really lovely:

“Thanks, this is so helpful!”

“Thank you, Suz – what a great lot of information to share.”

So I’ve decided to list it on Etsy too, in case it might be useful to other horse owners who are looking for practical ways to support their horse’s comfort and movement between appointments.

This Guides & How Tos item is sold by HappierHorseProject. Ships from United States. Listed on Jul 3, 2026

02/07/2026

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/better-breathing-for-horse-and-human-tickets-1991797665435?aff=oddtdtcreator&fbclid=IwZnRzaASzh-RwZG9mA2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR7WjRZPyKpg3NbwO_4yLbS6sJo-5cxFHlTcfhRj5MvZQotTC85ci-hHMyictA_aem_aviHKrkzALUVFurfoZSotQ&utm_id=97757_v0_s00_e0_tv2_a1dennhbc2e4u0

Having just started the training to become an Equine Breathing Trainer this event is a must watch.

I spend a lot of my time talking to clients about the physical, emotional, fascial and physiological importance of the respiratory diaphragm.

And in so many horses I find restrictions to the movement which has wide reaching impacts from itchiness to sore lumbar spines, tight base of neck and pecs to mud fever.

A strong part of my ethos is to leave each horse’s person more knowledgable and with more hands on skills to help their horse themselves. Equine breathing is a perfect fit technique for that. It is so simple and easy to do and so deeply effective.

Join us online as we explore the powerful role of breathing in supporting the health and wellbeing of people and horses.

17/06/2026

If I have helped you learn Equine Touch or helped your horse to feel and move better- please could you take a moment to help me by leaving me a google review. I appreciate you and your time.

https://g.page/r/CX_ex49othn9EAE/review

15/06/2026

Really important research published about the implications of ECVM. If you have a TB, warmblood or Sports horse it is well worth reading this excellent summary and the paper is linked too.

🚨 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

11/06/2026

This beautiful video put together by Wowphotography.equine really captures the essence of a session with me. What’s your take away of how I work from watching it?

03/03/2026

Equine Touch Courses 2026!!
It's time folks, the light is noticeably back, the sun feels warmer when we see it and the fluffy coats are shedding - time to learn a new skill and help your horse have a fabulous summer feeling comfortable and soft doing what you love together.

Courses are held nation wide with the network of The Equine Touch International teachers, click the link in the comments to see the events page.

You can learn the Foundation level in 2 different formats
2 x 2 day courses a month or so apart £400
1 x 3 days £360

The split Foundation class was introduced by ETF as a means of making the learning of Equine Touch even more attractive and accessible, especially to the horse owner, since it was originally to the horse owner that Equine Touch was meant to appeal. The 2 day course has become a popular choice as a taster; for the client who wants to learn the basics at an affordable price enabling them to keep their horse topped up between practitioner visits, and for folk who find 3 days hard to fit in with other work commitments. It really boils down to personal choice as to whether a student opts for the split course or the standard 3 day one.

Should a student complete Foundation (Level 1) and choose to go no further they will have everything they need to make a difference to their own horse. It is having the basic skills from this level that is essential for all our practitioners. Never money wasted!

My dates are:

10-11th April Foundation part 1 Clyro Herefordshire

4-5th May ET Foundation part 1 Pontypridd Maggie's Voice Equestrian Center

12-14th June ET Foundation 3 day Abergavenny Field and Forest Track Livery

15-16th June ET Foundation part 2 Pontypridd

10-11 July ET Foundation part 1 Clyro Herefordshire

11/12 September ET Foundation part 2 Clyro Herefordshire

24-26th September ET Foundation 3 day Clyro Herefordshire