Quantum Equine Therapies

08/14/2026

Bespoke formulation for metabolic disregulation. How pretty is it?

07/07/2026

HERBAL TIPS TUESDAY:
𝙲𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚞𝚕𝚊 𝙴𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

Calendula is widely touted as an excellent anti-inflammatory, wound healing, lymphatic flow stimulating, tissue regenerating super star. It’s common name is “marigold”… can’t be a down side, right?

𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗:
𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘮. 𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴. 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘺𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘺, 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘴 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴.

• Mild potential anti coagulant effect.
If your horse is running on medication(s) designed to stop EIPH (specifically lasix, I’m not getting into sildafinil etc etc etc etc here), there may be some concern. While there is no known DIRECT interference between anticoags and Lasix (which does not work to prevent EIPH by being a coagulant, it’s a loop diurectic) physiologic stress (fluid balance, reduced plasma volume, electrolyte shifts) COMBINED with an anticoag can INDIRECTLY impact “hemostatic stability” in some horses. You have to watch the dose and timing of each thing you put in to the horse. In an herbal formula for an EIPH horse, you can absolutely get away with some mild anticoag effect from one properly dosed ingredient. Keep it chill.

** additionally, we already feed a lot of anti coagulants on a regular basis. Garlic in your lick tub?

• May increase effects of sedative medications.
Calendula is not a CNS depressant in the veterinary sense so you’re not going to throw some marigold at your horse before the farrier shows up BUT if you’re already working your horse on an rx sedative or mood stabilizer, this can come into play as you may experience more sedation than you’d like. Or maybe you want that. Or maybe your personal health insurance company wants that.

• May lower blood sugar levels.
Sounds great on paper, but if your horse is metabolically unstable, on medications for EMS, insulin dysregulation or any of the other fun stuff we have going on… Honestly, in a horse you’re really unlikely to see this be an issue but last I checked horses aren’t reading the Phsycians’ Desk Reference with any regularity. If there’s a potential for them to be weird, they will absolutely be weird. This one can either work in your favor or not.

• May cause blood pressure reduction.
Another one that sounds great on paper but is potentially an issue. Using guanabenz? You’re already lowing BP. Again, highly unlikely you’d notice this in your horse but the potential exists. To be frank, you’d have to shove the entire home depot spring selection of marigold directly up your horse’s nose to make this one be detrimental. The problems are when you STACK.

• May interfere with the efficacy of corticosteroids.
This one is debated ‘round the clock. Some clinical herbal texts reference it, some don’t. Another one for which we have very little peer reviewed data. It’s more conceptual than anything but interesting that the concept exists.

• Diuretic effect… back to what else you’ve got going into the horse. Lasix? Some extra dandelion leaf? It’s one of the most mild of diuretics and some herbal references don’t even classify it as such. Becomes more of an issue the more stacking you do.

TO SUM UP:
𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚’𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨. 𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙗𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙨, 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨, 𝙩𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙨… 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙨𝙚. 𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙡𝙖 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙜𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙚, 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙡𝙮𝙢𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙣. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜.

𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙄 𝙖𝙨𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡….

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘫𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘨𝘱𝘵, 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘈𝘐 𝘪𝘴 𝘞𝘐𝘓𝘋𝘓𝘠 𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘈 𝘓𝘖𝘛 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴…. 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘸𝘰. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘐.

03/24/2026

Edited to clarify.... I love my peeps in all the states so it hurts that one feeling I have left when I see them argue about things. We're all in this because we chose horses over crystal m**h. Let's be kind.

NORTH V SOUTH

I’m going to do som**hing I rarely do, and that’s weigh in on and/or have an opinion on a matter related to the actual sport of barrel racing—not just the biomechanical portions that actually fall under my purview. I exhibitioned a horse once, so we’re going to play keyboard warrior ninja princess here for a second.

And this is gonna be long-winded AF. If you make it through, God bless and here’s a cookie.

We need to leave this “north vs south” thing to John Jakes’ great Civil War novel that was then made into a miniseries starring Patrick Swayze and some horses.

There’s all sorts of social media chatter about it. There’s all sorts of non-social media chatter about it. You may or may not be surprised by how often it comes up and how often I’m asked what I think about it, since I work so much in both regions.

Everyone wants to make it an argument about the caliber of horse and rider in each region. I think it has nada to do with caliber/quality/whatever, but there are some differences geographically, and I think when people go down this rabbit hole, that’s what they’re trying to say. I don’t think anyone truly believes there are crappier horses up north. That’s not anything I personally have heard anyone say. If someone does mean that, then I suppose bless their hearts and stuff.

Without further ado:
1. Northern horses and southern horses are different.
Nah, they’re sorta identical. Even when you factor in differences in regional stallions, are they really that dissimilar? Probably not. You have bloodlines that may be more popular in one area than another, but truly, if you look back ONE generation, they’re about the same.

2. Conditioning.
Try keeping a horse up north as fit as one down south ALL year. It’s harder, and it’s why you see a lot of trainers, competitors, and otherwise head south for the winter. There’s rarely a blizzard in Wickenburg. Your southern friends are rarely coming off of six months of forced layoff because it’s negative 88 freedom units. They’re already rolling by the time we’re shedding out. Does that mean the horses are better? No… just fitter sooner.

3. Arenas / access to races and expos
I’ll use last October in Texas as an example. I watched a friend of mine exhibition horses several times in one week, each time at a different arena, and we never drove more than an hour and a half from her home. Up north, we are SO spread out, have fewer private arenas, and have fewer good, safe public arenas per square mile. Draw your own conclusions from that. I’m neither a trainer nor a gingerbread man today.
** There are also differences in arena size, indoor v outdoor, # of races within driving distance without quitting your job and living in your stud stall.

5. Quantity of entries
The most recent social media kerfuffle was over someone saying they came to a Texas race and felt “humbled.” There are 5,414+43 entries at even a smaller race, and due to GEOGRAPHY you’re gonna have a higher percentage of some fancy pants horses show up—and a higher ratio of pro to ammy. I genuinely believe that’s what the person meant. Maybe I’m wrong. I’m wrong about a lot of things, and obviously wrong about a lot of people. Ask my therapist.

6. Vets
Popular opinion is “there are better vets in the south”… I’m going to disagree on this one and probably die on this hill wondering why Custer was a dingbat. They all went to the same schools. Do you think they magically lost brain cells when the zip code changed??
**It’s fair to say we have FEWER of them. I know plenty of people who have a four-hour drive to get to any clinic at all, much less one that specializes in performance horses. The few we have in my little area are booked out a month, and we’re probably lucky it’s only a month.
**It’s also fair to say that they see different things. Every vet I know collaborates with vets and other professionals in other areas—and that goes both directions. None of them stuck their brains in a jar and FoodSaver’d the air out.
**When I am south, I can work on a horse, make a plan with a client, and get a vet appointment for that horse within the week. Last place I was at, I just walked the horse over to see the vet and we had everything handled in 24 hours.
This is an accessibility issue, not a quality issue.

7. Stats….
** “that’s a 1d horses up north but that means… ###x in the south and so the price tag….”… comes up a lot. Someone is going to bring this up in comments on this thread or I’ll just get yelled at later. I can’t really speak to this point. I’m not in that part of the industry. I’m in any other either, so probably this whole post is stupid. I will say if you have a horse that is 1D out of 50 entries vs 1 that is 1D out of 500 entries may look different on paper? I leave that part up to yooz guyz.

There’s probably more… point of the whole thing is one is not better than the other. They’re different. Different does not equal worse.

Falling off the soap box now. Love you bye.

Edited to add.... we should be north AND south not V....

11/10/2025

11/08/2025

Why Herbs Act Differently in Horses Than in Humans

Herbs don’t work the same across species — and digestion is the main reason why. Humans are foregut digesters, relying on enzymatic breakdown in the stomach and small intestine. Horses, on the other hand, are hindgut fermenters. Their small intestine handles proteins, starches, and fats, but most plant material — including the active compounds in many herbs — passes into the cecum and colon, where trillions of microbes take over. Those microbes can alter, inactivate, or transform herbal constituents before they’re absorbed.

That means herbs like peppermint, ginger, or fennel, which act quickly in humans, have a slower, subtler effect in horses — often influencing gut motility more than systemic function. In contrast, mucilaginous herbs such as slippery elm, marshmallow root, and flax are almost designed for horses, working locally to soothe and protect the hindgut lining.

Because horses depend on microbial fermentation, herbal effects are usually delayed, gentler, and more cumulative than in humans. Their gut acts less like a blender and more like a slow, living chemistry lab — where plant compounds are transformed before entering circulation. Understanding this difference helps us choose herbs that support what the horse’s body actually does best: digest, ferment, and heal from the inside out.

10/20/2025

Had a date swap tomorrow

Leaves me with appt spots for TWO horses tomorrow in Stephenville

Send a message to learn more

10/18/2025

Allopathic herbalism......When you use herbs like tiny pharmaceutical stand-ins — one herb per symptom, dose like a pill, and hope the magic happens. Basically, “Herbs: now with a prescription label!”

A good formula is intentional and precise. Every herb has a job, every action matters, and together they support the whole person, not just the symptom.

Take headaches, for example. One person has a hot, pounding tension headache. Another has a dull, cold-type headache from deficiency. Same label, totally different approach. Different tissues, different energetics, different herbs.
..Formulate with intention. Treat the individual. Respect the science.

Send a message to learn more

10/17/2025

PHYTOCHEMICAL PHRIDAY!! FRANKINCENSE

This topic blurrs the lines between Phytochemistry Phriday and (history of) Therapy Thursday. Since we missed yesterday, this seems appropriate.

"Frankincense is nature’s fragrant gift, a resin born from the bark of ancient Boswellia trees that has carried the whispers of temples, sacred rituals, and healing hands for thousands of years. Its golden tears hold stories of devotion, medicine, and magic, bridging the sacred and the everyday across centuries and species." (see, I can use chatgpt, too)

******************************************************************

B. sacra – The Ancient Temple Resin

This is the classic “frankincense” of the Arabian Peninsula. Ancient Egyptians burned it in temples and used it in embalming rituals as early as 3000 BCE. The Middle East valued it as a spiritual gift, and it shows up in biblical accounts as a gift for kings. Humans prized it for its smoke, fragrance, and “purifying” effects. Modern research shows it contains aromatic terpenes and anti-inflammatory compounds—but back then, it was mostly sacred and symbolic. Wildlife like Arabian primates have been seen chewing it occasionally, probably for flavor, but humans definitely got first dibs.

B. carterii – The Smelly but Sacred Cousin

Closely related to B. sacra, B. carterii comes from Somalia and nearby regions. Its history mirrors B. sacra: burned for religious rituals and valued in trade. It was often exported alongside other resins across the Red Sea and into Europe, and later into modern aromatherapy. Not much evidence of use in animals—humans have dominated this one.

B. serrata – India’s Medicinal Marvel

This Indian frankincense has a long history in Ayurveda, dating back over 2,000 years. Known as “Salai” in traditional texts, it was used for arthritis, swelling, respiratory issues, and digestive health. Fast forward to today, and B. serrata is the go-to species for veterinary use. Horses get it for joints and tendons, dogs and cats for arthritis, and livestock sometimes get small doses for inflammation. Its anti-inflammatory triterpenoids are the reason modern science is so interested in it.

B. papyrifera – The African Trader

Native to Ethiopia and parts of East Africa, this species was traded across Africa and the Middle East for centuries. Humans burned it, chewed it for minor oral and digestive benefits, and exported it for religious ceremonies. Not widely used in veterinary contexts, but its chemical makeup is somewhere between B. serrata and B. sacra, so it’s sometimes included in modern herbal formulations.

B. frereana – The Rare “King of Frankincense”

Found in northern Somalia, this resin was historically valued for its quality and light aroma. Humans used it primarily in ceremonies and as high-end trade resin. Because it’s rare, it hasn’t really made it into veterinary or modern medicinal use, though anecdotal reports mention occasional livestock or primates chewing it.

10/10/2025

Som**hing I’ve noticed in the horse world — and it’s been true forever:
You know your horse.
You feel their rhythms, their breath, their energy —
better than any vet, trainer, bodyworker, or gingerbread man ever will.

If your gut says som**hing’s off — it is.
I don’t care if they’re clocking sub-17s and looking like a rockstar on the outside.
If you say he’s not okay, he’s not.

Trust that deep knowing.
It’s instinct, intuition, and connection —
and it’s what true horsemanship is built on.

10/09/2025

(history of) Therapeutic Thursday

Ever wonder why lungwort looks like lungs? 👀

Long before modern science, healers followed the Doctrine of Signatures — the belief that a plant’s appearance revealed its healing purpose.

**Lungwort looked like lung tissue …used to support breathing.
**Hawthorn berries resembled the heart …used for circulation and calm.
**Plantain leaves mirrored skin …used to soothe bites and scrapes.

They didn’t have lab results or clinical trials — but they PAID ATTENTION

That deep connection to nature became the foundation of both herbalism and hands-on therapy.

Today, in equine wellness, we still use that same awareness — watching how the body, breath, and movement reflect the inner workings

Healing begins with observation — just like it did centuries ago.

Help me out here. What topic would you like to see me cover for Phytochemisty Phriday??