Success In Motion Veterinary Services

05/09/2026

Is your horse struggling with allergies? Would you know if they were? Check to see if your horse is exhibiting any of these signs and more at the link in the comments.

05/09/2026

A recent study from the University of Tennessee provided strong support for something trainers, movement specialists, and bodyworkers have observed for years:

Ground poles significantly increase activation of important postural and core muscles in horses.

What the Study Found

Walking over ground poles increased activity in:

• Longissimus dorsi — a major topline and spinal support muscle
• Abdominal muscles — critical for core stability and support of the spine

Even at the walk, poles require the horse to:

• Lift the limbs higher
• Stabilize the trunk more actively
• Organize posture and balance with greater precision
• Continuously adjust limb placement and timing

At the trot, researchers also found increased activation of the abdominal muscles.

Trotting over poles requires greater dynamic stabilization, and the increased limb elevation demands more coordinated control of the trunk, pelvis, and spine.

What This Means

These findings support the long-standing use of cavaletti and ground poles as a low-impact way to:

• Strengthen the topline
• Improve abdominal engagement
• Support spinal stability
• Enhance proprioception and coordination
• Encourage improved posture and self-carriage
• Develop better movement organization through the whole body

One of the most important aspects of pole work is that it influences both sides of the postural system:

• The dorsal chain — including the longissimus muscles along the back
• The ventral chain — including the abdominal support system

This balance is essential for efficient movement, force transfer, and development of a healthy, functional topline.

But pole work is not only muscular.

It is neurological.

Each pole creates a movement problem the horse must solve in real time.

The horse has to:

• Judge distance
• Adjust stride length
• Control timing
• Stabilize the trunk
• Organize the limbs in space
• Adapt moment-to-moment to changing demands

That process requires attention, coordination, body awareness, and ongoing nervous system regulation.

In many horses, poles appear to improve focus not simply because the horse is “behaving,” but because the nervous system is becoming more engaged and organized around the task.

Pole work may also influence neurological tone — the background level of muscular and nervous system readiness that affects posture, movement quality, stiffness, and coordination.

For some horses, this can help reduce excessive bracing and improve adaptability through the body.
For others, it can help improve postural engagement and overall organization.

Why It Matters

Regular pole work can benefit many types of horses:

• Young horses developing coordination and posture
• Performance horses improving strength, agility, movement quality, and limb awareness
• Horses rebuilding core control and stability after periods of weakness or reduced work
• Older horses maintaining mobility, coordination, and movement confidence

Importantly, many of these benefits occur even at the walk, making poles accessible to horses across a wide range of ages, disciplines, and fitness levels.

Rather than simply “making horses pick up their feet,” poles appear to challenge the nervous system, postural system, sensory system, and muscular system together — encouraging the horse to organize movement with greater control, awareness, and adaptability.

https://koperequine.com/step-by-step-the-benefits-of-walk-poles-for-horses/

05/08/2026

Allergy testing is $100 off through the May and June! So if you’ve been dealing with recurrent hives or allergy issues, this may be a great opportunity! Allergy panel and the first set of allergy shots are included in the discount.

05/01/2026

Sleep is one of the most overlooked parts of horse welfare
Horses can doze standing up, and they do this often throughout the day. But that light sleep is not enough. The deeper stages of sleep, especially REM sleep, only happen when a horse feels safe enough to lie down.

And this matters more than most people realise.

REM sleep is where the nervous system resets. It’s where the brain processes information, where learning is consolidated, and where the body shifts out of a constant state of alertness. Without it, the horse doesn’t fully recover, no matter how good everything else looks on the surface.

A horse that isn’t getting enough REM sleep doesn’t always show it in obvious ways at first. It can look like irritability, dullness, inconsistency, or a horse that seems unpredictable in their responses. Sometimes it shows up as tension that doesn’t resolve, or a horse that struggles to stay present and regulated, even in simple situations.

In more prolonged cases, you’ll see what’s often called sleep deprivation. These horses may start to collapse or buckle slightly when they try to enter REM while standing, because the body begins to override the lack of proper rest. It’s not a training issue. It’s a biological need not being met.

For a horse to lie down, a few things need to be in place.

They need to feel safe in their environment. That includes their herd dynamics, their surroundings, and their ability to not feel constantly on alert.

They need physical comfort. Pain, discomfort, or even subtle issues in the body can prevent a horse from wanting to lie down or get back up again.

They need appropriate space and footing. If the ground is hard, wet, unstable, or restricted, rest becomes something they avoid.

And they need a lifestyle that allows for true downtime, not just turnout in a space where they still feel the need to stay vigilant.

This is why sleep is not separate from behaviour, training, or performance. It sits underneath all of it.

A horse that is well-rested will regulate more easily, learn more clearly, and move through their environment with more stability. A horse that is not getting enough sleep is always, in some way, trying to compensate.

So when something feels “off,” and it doesn’t resolve with training, management changes, or adjustments in the work, it’s worth asking a much simpler question.

Is this horse actually able to rest properly?

Because if they can’t, nothing else will fully settle.

04/19/2026

https://thehorse.com/features/managing-your-performance-horses-joints/
By definition, osteoarthritis refers to the degeneration of articular cartilage that lines the ends of bones inside joints. That layer of articular cartilage is what cushions the bones to dissipate concussive forces as the horse moves, permitting smooth, frictionless motion.

While we used to focus just on the joint’s articular cartilage, we now know OA is a whole joint disease, also affecting the layer of bone lying directly beneath the cartilage (subchondral bone), the synovial membrane lining the joint, the joint capsule, supporting ligaments, and other structures such as the menisci in the stifle joints.

Learn more about managing your performance horse's joints at TheHorse.com/JointHealth, brought to you by Bimeda-US.

04/16/2026

TUESDAY TIDBITS: EQUINE DENTAL HEALTH 🦷

Equine dental health is not only crucial for keeping your equine companion's pearly whites healthy but also for the overall health of the animal in general.

Common dental issues such as the ones mentioned in the graphic can negatively affect the health of the teeth themselves as well as gum, gastrointestinal, and overall mouth health. Dental issues can also impact chewing and food grinding, further exacerbating digestive tract issues.

Has your horse struggled with any of these dental issues before? Let us know below ⬇️

As always, if you have questions or concerns about your horse's dental health, contact your equine veterinarian.

04/15/2026

With cases of refractory gastric ulcers management becomes the mainstay in helping manage these horses.

Find out why some horses might not fully recover from gastric ulcers and how veterinarians manage these cases.

04/13/2026

DID YOU GUESS CONJUNCTIVITIS FOR #4? 👀

If so, you were correct! ✅

Common signs of conjunctivitis include the following:
• redness
• swelling
• discharge

Note that allergies and insect hypersensitivity are often common triggers.

As we mentioned in our first post, any issues involving the eye are an emergency. If you arrive at the barn and notice your horse's eye resembling this photo or exhibiting any other eye issue, please contact your veterinarian right away.

Thank you to everyone who shared their guesses on the original post of this series! We loved reading through all of your answers!

04/12/2026

Pasture rotation is one of the best tools we have for ensuring soil health and forage productivity. It's not as simple as just moving equines from one grazing area to another though. There are a couple of things we need to do along with that.

Non-negotiable: picking, dragging, or harrowing pastures. Leaving manure in piles doesn't help fertilize soils and it suppresses grass growth and encourages weeds.

Highly recommended: mowing after rotations. Pastures aren't evenly utilized by equines. They have preferred areas, non-preferred (ignored) areas, and bathrooms. The preferred areas may be grazed to the 3" height where removal of animals is necessary, but the other areas may be 10-12" or taller.

Mowing brings everything back to 3" so that it all starts growing at the same stage. This creates (much) more new growth, which means more forage and more uniform utilization. It also knocks weeds back and prevents seed production.

Rotations are vital, but they don't work well if we don't follow pasture management principles.

04/11/2026

This consignment tack store is great! They have all sorts of English tack, breeches, show clothes and horse items such as No bows leg quilts and standing wraps! Highly recommend!

04/09/2026

IT'S TIME FOR A MYTHBUSTER! 📢

Many people think that horses can safely eat grass clippings (grass is grass, right?) but that is a pretty common misconception and grass clippings actually pose a number of dangers to our equine friends.

While grass is meant to be slowly picked, ripped and chewed by the horse, grass clippings can quickly clump and cause choke if the animal ingests too many too fast. Grass clippings are also prone to fermentation which can cause colic, stomach and intestinal impactions, founder and laminitis.

Take-home message: Keep your horse away from grass clippings and in general never feed horses any food without the owner’s permission.

Thank you to the Horse Owner Education Committee for providing this information.