Bristol Equine Therapy LLC

08/17/2026

Miss Smarty one of my favorite cow pony's enjoying her groin and stifles released. Picture might not show it, but she almost pinned me in the wall making sure I had full access to her groin and inner hammies. 🤣🤣

07/22/2026

Have you ever wondered why your horse carries themselves a certain way? 🤔

No matter how much riding and training you do, you just can't seem to resolve the issue. At that point, it's time to take a closer look at your horse's posture.
How a horse stands, how they hold their head and body, and which legs they choose to bear weight on can provide missing puzzle pieces when trying to understand changes under saddle. Undesired posture changes while being ridden are often compensation patterns that allow the horse to perform the task at hand. Simply trying to "ride through it" isn't going to solve the underlying issue.
Here are a few things to look for in your horse's standing posture:
💥 Refusing to stand square
💥How the pelvis is loaded (Is it tilted to one side? Or Tilited forward or back? )
💥 Tail position
💥Whether one shoulder or pectoral is more developed than the other
💥Whether they consistently bend or carry their neck more to one side than the other

These are just scratching the surface, but they can be important clues to areas that may need some TLC. So instead of fighting the symptoms and focusing on what your horse isn't "doing" under saddle, ask yourself a different question: Why can't they do it under saddle?

The way a horse stands can tell you a lot about where they are compensating and where they may be hiding weaknesses.

07/04/2026

Happy 4th of July!! From the Bristol Equine Family! 🧨🇺🇸

06/29/2026

Mane splits?

Have you seen your horses mane split to one side? It had me thinking 🤔. Over the years owning my own horse Winnie. Her mane has changed its way of laying over the years.

One thing I noticed is since her Mom is a bodyworker, and she gets work very routinely. Her mane barley splits. Yes, horses can have whirls that cause the mane to split. Thats normal. I am talking about no whirls ,no cowlicks. Normal mane that just wants to lay opposite. It can be a sign of tension in the fascia and muscle of the neck. So next time you look at your pony. See the way the mane lies. It can also be a indicator of compensation within the fascia and muscle groups.

Not studied just a noticeable observation that I have seen with client horses and my own horse as they receive bodywork.

06/26/2026

Poles are always a great tool!

05/30/2026

Just some random nighttime thoughts from your neighborhood equine bodyworker...

Are you giving your horse enough time to recover after a workout or competition? As horse owners, we've all seen our horses get sore after exercise from time to time just like we do. Have you ever thought about how long it actually takes them to recover? Horses often take longer than humans to fully recover from strenuous exercise. This isn't because of their size, but because it takes longer for them to restore glycogen stores within their muscles.

General recovery timelines:

Light to moderate work: 1–3 days
Intense workouts or competition: 3–7 days

Horses also experience DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) just like humans. DOMS typically peaks around 48–72 hours after exercise and can last 2–3 days.

So, what can you do to help speed recovery and reduce soreness?

1. Provide a quality post workout meal or snack.
Just like humans, horses benefit from proper nutrition after exercise to help replenish glycogen stores and support muscle recovery.

2. Establish a good cool down routine.
Meaningful movement after exercise is key to promoting circulation and reducing stiffness.

3. Condition your horse appropriately.
I've said it before: never increase duration and intensity at the same time. Gradual conditioning helps prevent soreness and injury.

4. Incorporate active recovery days.
Keep the body moving. Aim for at least 12 hours of turnout daily, ideally 24/7 when possible.

5. Keep the fascia healthy and mobile.
Light massage and releasing muscular tension can help support recovery and maintain healthy movement patterns.

Just remember: the next time you're sore after a workout, take a moment to consider how your horse might be feeling too!

05/06/2026

Love this. As a student of this every growing industry and the rabbit hole that is equine therapy. You never stop learning. No questions are "stupid questions". If you are willing to ask the question you are willing to learn. Reason I love my clients asking all the questions! If you ever think you know it all. Well I always use the saying, "Then it is time to hang your spurs up." 🤓

When learning we often have the expression of huh!!!🧐.

I remember my first anatomy and palpation class, there I was freshly qualified, pretty smug that I now possessed magic hands and could heal the world, mollycoddled in an enviroment of well done, you rock, and lots of ego smoothing surrounded by others who also possessed the magic in their hands all of us on the same level.

Until I went to that class, where i slowly realised I knew Jack sh*t😆, "point out so and so" came a voice across the room, honestly i was looking out the window at that point, but as heads turned towards me I thought wtf I have no clue, arghhh all those moments in school where I hadn't paid attention came flooding back, I looked at my hands, feeling like if I just held them up like jazz hands they might see the magic I felt yet looking around i realised I would look slightly wierd 😅.

So what did I do, i simply said "I dont know, can you explain it" and the tutor almost had a look of surprise then glee as she could talk about a subject she was passionate about, and I would be the willing victim.
For good tutors want to educate not embarrass the student, and good students ask questions in order to learn.

Now I never use to ask, I carry other people's words along time, I mull over them, I always see criticism even if is a compliment, when I was in college at the age of 19 I asked a question and was reprimanded 37 years later I still remember it and how it made me feel.
I asked what the bony growth coming from the fetlock was and a booming voice came across the room "An ergot, you stupid girl". I never asked another question again during that course and walked away with top marks simply to prove her wrong, yet the lesson i learned was I never wanted to be the person that made others feel inadequate simply because they wanted to learn.

Its why I share so much, why I do things in a different way, because I want to reach that person like me who became afraid to ask.

Recognising your weakness when it comes to knowledge means you can change your approach and make it your strength, even stopping something is not a failure because trying to be something you cant doesn't mean you cannot be something else and excel in it.

The stuff I share with you is often not what I learned, and yes I make mistakes but to acknowledge them means you can move on and learn more.

So if you are just about to embark on a new course and you feel stupid because you don't know, its ok its the reason why we choose a course is because we are there to learn, you know good tutors thrive on questions, and a good tutor will cater for the eclectic bunch of students sat quiet, heads full of questions but arms full of lead because you dont want to raise your hand, get it raised ask the question, for if you do you will come out of class with a little more knowledge.

And if someone doesn't know what an ergot is, be careful with your reply as you may be setting them up to carry that criticism for the next 37 years ☺️

04/21/2026

It’s wild to think that 12 years ago, I never imagined I’d seriously pursue this or become a bodyworker. This was with my best friend’s horse back then. Funny how something that once felt like a small “maybe” can grow into one of the best decisions you ever make when you finally go for it. I’m so grateful I took that leap of faith. I love helping owners and their horses stay comfortable, happy, and feeling their best.

04/15/2026

Absolutely love her content! Great podcast and video for more information on the iliopsoas.

04/15/2026

Living in the AI age makes it so much harder for horse owners to know who they should trust. Chatgpt makes it so easy for "professionals" to pump out daily content without having to sit down and be present with what they're writing. You just speak an idea into your phone and a polished article emerges.

The problem with this isn't the strategy of multitasking, it's the uncertainty of ability in the real world.

How do you know that professional can produce results that back up the articles AI has written for them?

This is part of the reason many of us are having to take off half of a work week to head to Houston to face the vet board to fight to keep our jobs.

This is what makes people weary of our therapy industry.

I was looking this morning at a continuing education course that I was really interested in taking. Then the more I looked into it, the more I realized all of the posts were written by AI and I'm about 90% sure the whole website is AI created too. Maybe it was done to save time, but I couldn't bring myself to spend the money on it.

I realize if I'm questioning this as a professional then I know it has to be hard to navigate as a horse owner. Let me give you a few tips that might help...

✔️ Ask the professional to create a custom protocol for your horse specifically.

🚫 If they can only produce information that sounds like they memorized their own equipment pamphlet or Chatgpt post... I would question the ability of the professional. If they can't answer your "why" and "how" questions... I'd consider it a 🚩

👉 You'd be amazed at the "professionals" I encounter that can't explain their equipment or techniques... So they dress it up with fancy wording, beautiful photos, or talk in circles about what it does. Can you actually walk the talk your AI post says you can?
These type of people are why we struggle to get the veterinary industry to take us seriously.

✔️ There's no magic potion, supplement, equipment or technique that fixes everything.

🚫 If someone is screaming from the rooftops a piece of equipment is the "cure" for everything... They're a BIG reason the vet board is trying to take our jobs.

👉 Equipment cannot "make the body heal". However it can assist the body in faster or more thorough healing. For me personally, when I encounter "professionals" that are entirely dependent on their equipment that tells me they haven't put enough skills points in themselves and in my experience that is a 🚩

✔️ Ask that professional how they feel about speaking to or working with your regular team of professionals that cares for your horse.

🚫 If they get quiet or shy away from speaking with your vet that might be an indication they don't know how to articulate their findings into words while staying in their scope of practice. Their excuse might be: "vets suck and never believe me anyway." I see a lot of victim mentality when in reality it's a lack of skill.

👉 Other professionals might not find value it what you have to say. I have plenty of vets that disagree with me, but I still provide my findings and evidence with confidence. I know what I see/feel and professional difference of opinion doesn't phase me. Most times I find that it is extremely easy to work with a team of professionals and collaborations create big results. Most times it's all in how you word things and the energy you put out.
When I encounter "professionals" that hate on vets and other professionals constantly, I find those people reek of insecurity and negative energy... That's a big 🚩 for me and I don't want that kind of energy near a horse...

💁‍♀️ There are so many excellent professionals out there that could really help your horse, and I don't want you to judge us all by the extremely flamboyant actions of the 🚩red flags🚩 of the industry. Hopefully these tips help you navigate the posts on social media.