Free to Be Equine Services

03/14/2026

03/14/2026

Hey equine bodyworkers! Do you feel triggered or full of self doubt when you see other bodyworkers posting how many horses they see in a day/week/month? Or when they post that their month is "fully booked"? Well - don't. Here's why.

- Different modalities and approaches take different amounts of time to accomplish. Some bodyworkers are in and out of a barn in an hour (or less!). They can see more horses in a day than someone whose sessions require 90 minutes, two hours or even more. This is an individual thing.

- Some bodyworkers work at a lot of boarding/training barns where they have many clients in one place. Again, they can see more horses in a day than someone whose geographical area or types of clients they work with require driving from location to location.

- Two practitioners' "fully booked" can mean different things depending on how their life and work is structured. Someone who splits their time between multiple jobs, or raising a family, will have fewer appointment spots available, so they will fill up faster than those who are offering appointments all day, five days a week. Neither one of these practitioners are doing it better than the other. They're just different life circumstances!

- Some bodyworkers prefer not to book several back to back appointments. I used to do that, but the way that I work (and who I am as a person) has changed a lot in 12 years of practice. Now I prefer to see fewer horses per day than I used to and that's okay. Neither one is right or wrong. It's totally up to the individual practitioner.

- No two bodyworkers are exactly alike, even if you took all the same education. Our life experience and who we are as people affects our work just as much as our knowledge and skill. Therefore it is completely impossible to compare yourself to another bodyworker. So do yourself a favour and don't bother comparing - just make friends with them instead! It is an amazing feeling when you can release yourself from comparison and instead move into a space of collaboration.

03/11/2026

Not that I would recommend this to anyone, but I do think that my own journey with chronic pain has helped me to become a better practitioner and advocate in my bodywork with horses.

I have been dealing with chronic pain in my neck and shoulder off and on since I experienced an injury in 2011 (which also triggers nerve pain and migraines). While I usually experience low grade pain most of the time, I also experience flare-ups now and then of very intense pain. The flare-up I'm in the middle of right now is one of the worst, has lasted quite a while, so I'm back on another journey of medical imaging and referrals in hopes of finding the right combination of tools to both calm down the pain and try to target the root cause(s) of it. I think we are getting closer all the time as doctors and other practitioners (and myself) understand the roles of fascia and the nervous system better than ever - even if there is a LOT we still don't know.

It really underscores to me that we can never "rule out pain" for horses. Nerve pain is incredibly complex and I have been chasing my own nerve pain for well over a decade now. Even after all that time, I still often don't know what triggers a flare-up. Sometimes it's over-use, sometimes it's under-use, sometimes stress or other emotional states and even hormones, diet, and weather play a role. It's also shocking to me how conditioned I've become to experiencing chronic pain - I'm so used to it that it has become my normal, and that has made it easier to ignore and neglect until my body is screaming "help me please!" with these flare-ups. We just never know what kind of pain horses are experiencing and they can be masters at hiding it.

These days I am feeling very thankful for my own education in fascial and nervous system anatomy and therapeutic techniques. It has helped me to understand my own pain and be my own advocate much more effectively. It has also given me so much more empathy, understanding, and resourcefulness when I am working with my equine clients and getting to the root of their pain, too.

I've had to reschedule some clients over the last couple of weeks due to this current flare-up and I really appreciate everyone's understanding! At this point I am still working, but I am keeping my days a bit limited, and listening to my body - which unfortunately does mean I have to reschedule from time to time, and I do apologize for that. It means a lot that my clients are willing to wait for me to feel better!

03/06/2026

03/05/2026

The “KISS principle” is one of my favourite sayings! From Wikipedia – “an acronym for ‘keep it simple, stupid’, is a design principle noted by the U.S. Navy in 1960. The KISS principle states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated; therefore, simplicity should be a key goal in design, and unnecessary complexity should be avoided.”

I was thinking about that principle today when I was browsing my social media pages. There is so much information out there on the internet right now. Everyone, everywhere is selling an ebook or an online course. We’re all writing articles, sharing information, making posts (like this one – except I’m not selling you anything!). On one hand, I absolutely love all of the information that experts have started sharing online during the pandemic and beyond, and I've benefitted greatly from this for my own work and education. But on the other hand, I’m often browsing these posts in my feed and thinking – my gosh, how overwhelming for horse owners. You can’t go online without seeing 12 different reasons why your horse is crooked/in pain/has poor biomechanics/is eating the wrong feed/has incorrect foot balance/signs that your saddle doesn’t fit – the list goes on and on. Tons of videos are being shared about how to pick out where your horse hurts, how to see if they have dysfunctional movement, how to test for this or that. I’m guilty of sharing a lot of these articles myself!

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think this sharing of information is bad. I think it’s so fantastic that horse owners have access to this information and can empower themselves – and therefore provide a better life for their horses – through knowledge. But how do we apply this knowledge in a practical way? How do we sort through it all and pick out what we actually need to do and fix and what is redundant, repetitive, or fights what we’re already trying to achieve?

There is absolutely such a thing as doing too much, too fast. That’s why bodywork is rarely just one appointment and then magically everything is fixed. We can’t overwhelm the systems of the body, or the mind – change must be created slowly, and build on itself, to be truly effective. This is also why I rarely give out more than a handful of “homework” suggestions at a time for my clients. It’s not useful to give the owner ALL of the exercises at once when it’s not appropriate to start doing them all at once, and it’s an overwhelming amount of information. If you went to your physiotherapist and they gave you 15 different exercises to do every day, how likely are you to do all of those daily, and do all of them correctly? How would you know what was making a difference? If your physio gave you just a couple of things to work on each time you went for an appointment, you would be far more motivated to work on those exercises AND you and your physio could measure your progress and see what’s working for your body. What about if your physio saw you once and then told you that you have to lose 15lbs, drink more water, start journaling about your pain, take 5 new vitamins, buy a standing desk, go vegetarian, start taking pilates classes, and do a 30 minute stretching routine twice a day? Maybe all of those changes would be very helpful for you, but it is not helpful to tell you to make all of those changes at once.

So please remember, next time that your trainer/coach/bodywork/farrier etc. asks you to make one small change for your horse (or for your riding), or show you just a couple of things that you should be working on, even if they seem very simple – there is a method to our madness! You aren’t a bad rider or irresponsible horse owner for implementing positive changes one small step at a time. By utilizing the KISS principle, we can reach our goals for our horses in a healthy and sustainable manner.

02/25/2026

Since this year’s theme for is “Sprinkle Kindness”, I thought I would share a few easy ways to do that for our horses, our barn communities, our equestrian social media spaces, and ourselves.

👚 Change the way we talk to/about our horses to be a little more kind.
Whether you are like me, and actually talk out loud to your horse, or whether it is more of an internal dialogue, notice the underlying tone. For example, if your horse performs some airs above the ground on the lunge line, instead of saying “what the f*** was that?” Or “Are you serious right now?”, you could say “wow, those were some cool moves! Are you ready to settle down and work now?” It may seem like a very insignificant thing, but it can change our entire energy/intent, which our horses can feel.

👚 Check our internal monologue. I think most of us are guilty of speaking to/about ourselves in much more unkind ways than we would dream of doing to someone else. Even something so simple as saying “oopsie daisy” when we accidentally drop our lead rope on the ground, instead of muttering “bloody idiot” is a great start to intentionally shifting our internal monologue.

👚 Choose compliments over criticism. Although we usually mean well when offering unasked for advice to our fellow equestrians, it’s important to remember that unsolicited advice is criticism. Full stop. So unless someone has directly asked for our opinion or help, don’t give it. This applies to in-person interactions as well as online discourse. Bonus points if you can offer a compliment or friendly word instead!

👚Talk about people behind their back…. positively!
How we speak about others when they aren’t around is just as important as how we speak directly to them. Negative gossip/tearing people down behind their backs is one of the most insidious forms of bullying that can happen in equestrian spaces. An easy way to shut it down if someone else tries to start going down that path with you might look like this: Friend: “ugh, did you see Jane Doe working with her horse yesterday? What a nightmare, she’s ruining that horse!” You: “Well, I think she’s just doing the best she can, just like the rest of us. If she asks, I have a trainer in mind i can recommend”

It takes a little bit of effort to change old habits, but even just small shifts like these can go a long way in eradicating bully type behaviour and language that hurts others instead of lifting them up.
Together we can work to instill more kindness in equestrian spaces, both online and in person.

What other ways to sprinkle kindness would you add to this list? Let me know in the comments!

02/21/2026

There are so many ways to support a horse that is on rest from an injury. A common misconception that we see in the equine therapy/physio/bodywork industry is that such work only has value for horses if they are ridden regularly. When a horse is on rest, especially with a restricted movement recovery space (stall or paddock), it is vital to ensure that their body is receiving support throughout their recovery. This looks like:

🐎 Gentle exercises to regain or maintain both joint and soft tissue range of motion and strength, preventing long-term mobility issues.

🐎 Techniques to improve or maintain coordination, balance, and overall physical function, helping your horse return to daily activities and riding safely.

🐎 Proprioceptive work to maintain or adjust posture and movement patterns, reducing the likelihood of reinjuring the same area in the future.

🐎 Promotion of blood, lymph, and cerebrospinal fluid flow, as well as joint fluid production, which is often diminished with lack of movement and can hinder the body's ability to heal.

🐎 Pain relief through both hands-on bodywork and supportive tools such as red/NIR light, kinesiology taping, etc.

My dog just had spinal surgery two weeks ago, and his neurosurgeon gave me a list of physio exercises to start right away, on top of his daily amount of walking. She also referred us to a canine rehab specialist to receive more specific exercises about a month post-op. This is common in the small animal world, but oddly does not usually translate into the equine one; despite the negative impacts that reduced movement has on horses, and how hard their bodies work for us when we ride. Reaching out to a qualified equine therapist* to support you and your horse during injury recovery is vital to their present and long-term physical health.
*Your therapist may need you to receive veterinary clearance for bodywork.

I'm always happy to provide support for horses on rest and injury recovery. I do so through a combination of modalities, as well as teaching my clients how to do gentle but extremely productive exercises with their horses throughout their recovery process.

02/20/2026

7 tips on blanketing from an equine bodyworker!

As we start to near the end of winter, I see a lot of impacts on my equine clients from wearing heavy blankets for the last several months. Wither and neck sensitivity, shoulder sensitivity, trigger points and pressure sores, rubs, and loss of mobility in the neck and shoulders are common. Since I live somewhere that gets quite cold and damp in the winter months, keeping blankets off all winter is typically not a solution for most horses. However, it is important to be aware that blankets can create a lot of problems while solving others. These are my best tips for keeping your horse as comfortable as possible even when requiring a blanket during the winter months.

1. Make sure your blankets actually fit. Blankets that are constantly rolling to one side, sliding back, or digging into the neck, shoulders, or wither are not fitting your horse properly. There are good guides online to blanket fit, or ask your local equestrian retailer - they are often very knowledgeable on blanket fit, and can recommend sizes and brands that fit your horse's unique shape.

2. Swap out blankets regularly. This gives you an opportunity to clean them as well as change up the areas of pressure on the body.

3. Choose appropriate blanket weight for the weather. Blankets with too much fill will cause sweating which contributes to rubs (among other health issues). Layering blankets can often cause issues with weight, pressure points and rubs as well.

4. Clean them throughout the winter. Build up of dirt, sweat and skin oils on the inside of blankets will increase the chances of rubbing and chafing.

5. Give your horses breaks from blankets when you can. If the weather is clear and not overly cold, your horse could really use the opportunity to air out their skin and roll in the dirt without a blanket on! Just monitor the weather so that if they aren't used to being blanketless, they don't get caught without one in a cold wind or when the rain returns.

6. Brush your horses! A lot of people don't bother to take off the blanket and brush their horse regularly if they aren't riding. Ideally you are doing this daily - to monitor health too! - but several times a week at minimum.

7. Consider regular bodywork throughout the winter to both monitor and support your horse's comfort!

Can you think of any other suggestions? Please feel welcome to share this with your equestrian friends!

02/19/2026

Not an ad, just a happy equine therapist who loves having this high powered, low level laser therapy (LLLT) device for photobiomodulation therapy for her clients - aka light therapy! Because of its concentrated, higher power density design, it's perfect for specific uses like targeting acupuncture points, tendon/ligament lesions, TMJ/poll sensitivities, trigger points and nerve pain - all of which I encounter regularly in my work.

Here I'm using it to help a horse who is recovering from a hoof abscess by boosting circulation and cellular activity in the area of the foot, with the goal of reducing inflammation, encouraging faster drainage and healing, and providing some non-invasive pain relief. It does not replace medical care, but it is a great method to support healing without harm.

I also use the LLLT device on dogs and even on myself - I find it especially effective for calming down irritated nerves in my neck and shoulder from an old injury. Touch can be painful in that case, but light therapy calms it right down, allowing the soft tissues to relax and restore joint mobility too.

01/20/2026

Some days, social media feels incredibly heavy for anyone who genuinely cares about horses.

On one hand, it can be a place of connection, learning, and thoughtful conversation. You can share ideas, challenge each other respectfully, and walk away with a broader understanding than you started with. Those moments matter, and they are the reason many of us stay.

But on the other hand, it can feel like a constant flood of harm.

• Abusive practices framed as “training.”
• Outdated methods repackaged with polished language.
• Blatant misinformation, where selective sources are used to create the appearance of scientific credibility.
• Extremism and rigid camps, where black-and-white thinking replaces nuance and curiosity is treated as betrayal.
• An endless stream of advertising, where everyone is selling something and promising the world.

When you spend your life paying attention to horses’ bodies, expressions, stress signals, and emotional states, it becomes impossible to unsee these things. And seeing them over and over again is exhausting.

There are days when the lies are loud.
The harm is visible.
And the division feels louder than the learning.

But alongside the noise, there are also thoughtful, ongoing conversations. People ask genuine questions, share different perspectives, and challenge ideas with curiosity rather than defensiveness. Those exchanges matter, and it’s something worth protecting.

They don’t erase the harm that still exists, but they remind us that connection, education, and change are possible. Even if it’s slow. Even if it’s messy. Even if it doesn’t look like a viral post.

And that’s what makes the heaviness easier to carry.