Liz Wenman - Veterinary Chiropractor - MSc MAA MMCP

05/09/2026

Please consider a rescue centre when looking for your next partner…

# “I CAN’T AFFORD TO KEEP MY HORSE” — RISING COSTS FORCE OWNERS TO SAY GOODBYE

For many horse owners, giving up their animal would be almost unimaginable. But rising costs are leaving some facing exactly that heartbreaking decision.

An animal welfare charity in Oxfordshire says it is seeing increasing numbers of owners asking for help because they simply **cannot afford to care for their horses anymore**.

The Blue Cross centre in Burford is currently taking in around **20 to 30 horses every month**, while nationally the charity says there has been a staggering **160% surge in horses being relinquished in recent years**.

This year's dry weather has made an already difficult situation worse.

Poor grass growth and hay shortages have increased pressure on owners, while the everyday costs of responsible horse ownership continue to mount. Feed is only part of the equation. Farrier visits, vaccinations, worming, veterinary treatment, grazing and suitable facilities all have to be paid for.

And unlike many household expenses, these aren't luxuries that can simply be cancelled when money gets tight.

For some owners, surrendering their horse may ultimately be the most responsible — and most painful — decision they can make.

One of the horses now waiting for a new beginning is **Mr Darcy**, who was relinquished by his owner and is being prepared for a new home.

The charity is urging struggling owners **not to wait until their horse's welfare begins to suffer before asking for help**. Those experiencing difficulties are encouraged to reach out early, without fear of judgement.

Behind every statistic is an owner potentially saying goodbye to an animal they never imagined having to lose.

Because sometimes loving a horse also means recognising when you can no longer give them everything they need.

**Could you imagine having to give up your horse simply because you could no longer afford to keep them?**

18/08/2026

Want to watch something extraordinary…. Here it is!

15/08/2026

Yes indeed….

Touch Over Tools: Fascia Knows the Difference

In bodywork, tools can assist — but they cannot replace the intelligence, sensitivity, or neurological impact of human touch.
Hands-on work communicates with the body in ways no device or instrument can.

1. Hands Provide Real-Time Feedback Tools Cannot Match

Your hands sense:
• tissue temperature
• hydration and viscosity
• fascial glide
• subtle resistance
• breath changes
• micro-guarding
• nervous-system shifts

This information shapes your pressure, angle, and pace.
Tools apply pressure — hands interpret and respond.

2. The Nervous System Responds Uniquely to Human Touch

Skin and fascia contain mechanoreceptors that respond strongly to:
• sustained contact
• warmth
• contour
• slow, intentional pressure

Human touch activates pathways that:
• quiet the sympathetic system
• reduce pain signaling
• soften protective muscle tone
• improve movement organization

Tools stimulate tissue.
Hands regulate the nervous system.

3. The Effect of Physical Contact Itself

Physical contact changes physiology — even before technique begins.

Touch triggers:
• lowered cortisol
• increased oxytocin
• improved emotional regulation
• better proprioception
• reduced defensive tension

Horses and dogs — whose social systems rely on grooming, leaning, and affiliative touch — respond especially deeply.
Tools can compress tissue, but they cannot create that neurochemical shift.

4. Hands Follow Structure; Tools Push Through It

Fascia does not run in straight lines — it spirals, blends, suspends, and wraps.

Hands can:
• contour around curves
• follow the subtle direction of ease
• melt into tissue instead of forcing through it

Tools often pull or scrape in a linear path, bypassing the subtleties that create real, lasting change.

5. Tools Can Override the Body’s Natural Limits

Hands feel when:
• tissue meets its natural barrier
• the nervous system hesitates
• a micro-release initiates
• the body shifts direction or depth

Tools can overpower these boundaries, creating irritation, rebound tension, or compensation patterns.
Hands work with the body’s pacing — not against it.

6. Hands Support Whole-Body Integration

Bodywork isn’t about “fixing a spot.”
It’s about improving communication across the entire system.

Hands-on work:
• connects multiple lines at once
• enhances global proprioception
• improves coordination and balance
• supports the body’s natural movement strategies

Tools tend to treat locally.
Hands treat the whole conversation.

7. Physical Touch Builds Trust, Comfort, and Confidence

Comfort creates confidence.
Confidence nurtures optimism and willingness.

Hands-on work:
• reduces defensiveness
• supports emotional safety
• encourages softness
• creates a more receptive body
• builds trust and relationship

Tools cannot build rapport or communicate safety.
Hands do — instantly.

Additional Elements (Optional Enhancements)

A. Co-regulation: Nervous System to Nervous System

Humans, horses, and dogs all co-regulate through touch and proximity.
Your calm hands shift their physiology — and theirs shifts yours.
This shared state enables deeper, safer release.

B. Touch Enhances Sensory Clarity

Touch refines the brain’s map of the body (somatosensory resolution), improving:
• coordination
• balance
• movement efficiency
• reduced bracing

Tools cannot refine the sensory map with the same precision.

C. Hands Integrate Technique and Intuition

The brain blends tactile information with pattern recognition and subtle intuition.
Tools separate you from that information.
Hands plug you into it.

In Short

Hands-on wins because touch is biologically intelligent, neurologically profound, and relationship-building.
Tools press — but hands listen, interpret, regulate, and connect.

When the body feels safe and understood, it reorganizes more deeply, moves more freely, and heals more efficiently.

https://koperequine.com/how-horses-experience-touch-the-three-neurobiological-pathways-that-shape-their-response/

30/07/2026

HELP REQUIRED

🐴Monday, Wednesday, Fridays🐴
8- 11am

Filling & delivering hay nets, putting fly cream on, poo picking, checking water troughs etc for 9 field kept horses.

🦄Experience with horses essential 🦄
must happy with dogs and barn cat

⭐️ Churt near Farnham⭐️

Please get in touch for more details.

14/07/2026

The girls out on the Surrey Savanna!

13/07/2026

I hope we all follow…

Bees are tiny creatures with a huge impact on our planet. 🌼🐝 Protecting pollinators means protecting our food, flowers, and future. Do you think every country should follow this step? 💛

08/07/2026

I don’t fix horses - I activate their own inate healing so they can make themselves function and feel better ###

06/07/2026

What a wonderful weekend with a fantastic group of ladies and their horses and ponies.

Friendship, laughter, support and no judgement.

We do have one space still available on our next camp in two weeks.

So if this makes you smile, come and join the fun.

25/06/2026

Heat stress in horses:

A literature review where all the papers are studies and an overall of the research is presented showed the temperature range for horses comfort and how to manage heat stress. The abstract is a summary of the paper.

See below for the details of the paper if you want to have an in-depth read

* Review Paper
* Open access
* Published: 15 April 2023
* Volume 67, pages 957–973 (2023)

Abstract.

Healthy adult horses can balance accumulation and dissipation of body heat to maintain their body temperature between

37.5 and 38.5 °C, when they are in their thermoneutral zone (5 to 25 °C). However, under some circumstances, such as fol-
lowing strenuous exercise under hot, or hot and humid conditions, the accumulation of body heat exceeds dissipation and
horses can suffer from heat stress. Prolonged or severe heat stress can lead to anhidrosis, heat stroke, or brain damage in the
horse.

To ameliorate the negative effects of high heat load in the body, early detection of heat stress and immediate human
intervention is required to reduce the horse’s elevated body temperature in a timely manner.

Body temperature measurement
and deviations from the normal range are used to detect heat stress. Re**al temperature is the most commonly used method
to monitor body temperature in horses, but other body temperature monitoring technologies, percutaneous thermal sensing
microchips or infrared thermometry, are currently being studied for routine monitoring of the body temperature of horses as
a more practical alternative.

When heat stress is detected, horses can be cooled down by cool water application, air move-
ment over the horse (e.g., fans), or a combination of these.

The early detection of heat stress and the use of the most effective
cooling methods is important to improve the welfare of heat stressed horses.

21/06/2026

Please note: I will be cancelling all my appointments this week when the temperature reaches 25 degrees or above.