EquiKare, LLC

09/08/2026

One of our favorite things we do at EquiKare is offer respite and mental health stays for racehorses from our local tracks.

These horses are incredible athletes. They train hard, travel, compete, and live within a very structured routine. And just like human athletes, sometimes they need a little time away from work—not because something is wrong, but because rest and recovery matter, too.

A respite stay gives them a chance to step away from the track environment, enjoy turnout, graze, roll in the dirt, socialize with other horses, and simply be a horse.

There doesn't always have to be an injury to justify giving an athlete a break.

Sometimes a week or two of downtime, a change of scenery, some bodywork, and the opportunity to mentally decompress is exactly what they need before returning to training refreshed and ready to work.

We love being able to provide that space for our local racehorses.

Rest is part of training. Recovery is part of performance. And sometimes, the best thing we can do for an athlete is give them permission to just be a horse.

09/06/2026

What an honor it is to be trusted to play a part in a horse’s recovery and healing. ❤️🐴

This weekend, we sent another rehab horse home!

Stormy has been with us for the past couple of months rehabbing a ligament injury. At her most recent veterinary recheck, her lameness had improved to just a 1.5 out of 5 — which meant she was ready to take the next step in her rehab.

With the green light to increase her workload, we stepped things up a notch and focused on preparing Stormy for her transition back home. Now, she’s ready to continue the next phase of her rehabilitation at her home barn.

These are the moments that remind us exactly why we do what we do. Our goal isn’t to keep them here — it’s to help them heal, rebuild their strength, and get them ready to go home. ❤️

Good luck, Stormy and Abby! We’ll be cheering you on from the sidelines and can’t wait to see what comes next! 🐴💕

09/06/2026

I guess hanging our custom made sign and popping up on Google Maps finally makes it official.

Thank you so much to our friend, Robert Bomber for creating this masterpiece! Its absolutely beautiful.

09/05/2026

Sometimes rehab is about adapting, problem-solving, and realizing your first idea… wasn’t quite it. 😂

After a few days with our original pulley system for soaking Cobalt’s hay, we determined it worked—but it felt a little archaic and wasn’t quite as efficient as we wanted. Cobalt gets 4 nets a day, and those ~20 # dry nets jump to 60+ # when they come out of the water. That’s a lot of weight to move, over and over.

So, we leveled up from a manual pulley to an electric push-button system. 🙌
A HUGE thank you to David for looking at the problem, coming up with a much better alternative, and getting it installed so quickly!

One of the things we say often at EquiKare is that we meet horses where they are—and sometimes that means adapting our facility and our processes to meet their individual needs, too.

Rehab isn’t always fancy. Sometimes it’s simply identifying a problem, finding a better solution, and having some pretty great people around who can make it happen. ❤️🐴

09/03/2026

🐴 Itchy horse? Rubbing his coat off? Heat, sweat, dirt, bugs, and environmental irritants can be hard on equine skin.

When a horse starts rubbing, scratching, or damaging his coat, sometimes a good bath with the right products can make a big difference.

One of our favorites is EspanaSilk Antiseptic Shampoo & Conditioner. ❤️

This combination is a great choice for horses dealing with itchy, irritated, or environmentally stressed skin. It helps thoroughly cleanse the coat and skin while still being gentle and conditioning—because we don't want to strip already unhappy skin and make the problem worse.

The Antiseptic Shampoo helps remove the buildup of sweat, dirt, grime, and environmental irritants that can contribute to itching, while the Antiseptic Conditioner helps moisturize and condition the skin and coat afterward.

Especially during hot, humid weather, horses can get caught in a frustrating cycle:

🔥 Heat + sweat
🌿 Environmental irritants
🪰 Bugs
➡️ Itching
➡️ Rubbing
➡️ More irritated skin and a damaged coat

A good skin-care routine can be an important part of breaking that cycle.

Karrie of EquiKare is a Corporate Representative for EspanaSilk Grooming Products, and you can purchase EspanaSilk products directly through us!

Have an itchy horse and aren't sure which products to try? Send us a message—we're happy to help you find the right EspanaSilk products for your horse. 🐴❤️

Persistent or severe itching, hair loss, sores, or skin changes can also have medical causes, so don't hesitate to involve your veterinarian when needed.

EspanaSilk Grooming Products

09/01/2026

🐴 **As One Goes Home, Another Arrives…**

As we sent one horse home this weekend after successfully completing her rehab stay, we welcomed another into the EquiKare family.

Meet **Cobalt.** 💙

Cobalt comes to us with a couple of different rehab needs. He initially sustained an injury, but while on stall rest, another complication arose. Cobalt is insulin resistant and developed an acute case of laminitis.

So, for right now, his original injury isn’t our first priority.

**We always say that we meet horses where they are when they arrive—and we mean it.**

For Cobalt, that means focusing first on getting his insulin levels and laminitis under control. Because of his metabolic needs, his hay also needs to be soaked before feeding. And when something needs to be done every single day, we’re big believers in finding a way to make the process safer, easier and more sustainable.

So… we built a pulley system! 🙌

It allows us to soak and drain Cobalt’s hay while taking a whole lot of the heavy lifting out of the process. Sometimes good rehab care involves sophisticated modalities and carefully designed exercise plans. And sometimes it involves a bucket, some rope, a pulley and a little ingenuity. 😉

Once Cobalt’s metabolic health and laminitis are stabilized, we can turn our attention back to the injury that brought him here and get busy with his rehabilitation plan.

But first things first.

**Meet the horse where he is. Address what he needs today. Then build from there.** ❤️

Welcome to EquiKare, Cobalt. We’ve got you.

08/31/2026

Controlled Exercise: An Important Piece of the Rehab Puzzle

Rehabilitation isn’t just about rest. At the appropriate stage of recovery, controlled exercise can become one of the most important parts of the rehab process.

And controlled exercise can look different for every horse.

It might be simple handwalking. It might mean walking over different terrain, incorporating gentle inclines, adding poles, or gradually introducing other exercises as the horse progresses through their rehab plan.

The goal is always the same: intentional, controlled movement designed for that individual horse and where they are in their recovery.

Controlled exercise benefits both the mind and the body. ❤️

It gets horses out of their stalls and gives them a change of scenery and mental stimulation. Physically, appropriate movement helps increase circulation, supports the healing process, begins rebuilding strength and coordination, and helps encourage recovering tissue fibers to organize and regain functional tensile strength and integrity.

Right now, we’re thankful that many of our rehab patients can do their controlled exercise outside. Fresh air, different surfaces and changing terrain give us so many opportunities to work both the body and the brain.

But we also know what’s coming… ❄️

Colder temperatures, snow, ice and unpredictable footing can make consistent controlled exercise much more difficult.

We’re incredibly grateful to have indoor space that allows us to continue our patients’ rehab programs safely and consistently throughout the winter—regardless of what Minnesota weather decides to do.

If your horse is facing weeks or months of rehabilitation, have you thought about what that plan will look like this winter?

If you need a place where your horse’s rehab can continue through the colder months, reach out to us. We are currently reserving winter rehab spots at EquiKare.🐴❤️

08/31/2026

🎓🐴 **Another EquiKare Graduate!**

Today we say farewell to another beautiful girl as **Risque’ heads home after successfully completing her rehab stay with us!**

Risque’ came to EquiKare recovering from a tendon injury, and from the beginning, she absolutely **excelled in her rehab plan**. She progressed beautifully through each stage and bounced back faster than any of us anticipated.

Rehab is never about rushing the process—it’s about listening to the horse, following the plan, monitoring the little changes, and allowing the body the time and support it needs to heal. Sometimes, they surprise us. **Risque’ certainly did.** ❤️

One of the best parts of what we do is watching a horse arrive needing a little extra help and eventually seeing them walk back onto that trailer ready for their next chapter.

**Good luck, Jaime and Risque’!** We’re so excited to see what comes next for you both. Thank you for trusting EquiKare to be part of her journey. 🐴❤️

08/26/2026