Tapotement as a Calming Aide in Left-Brain Extrovert Horses

Posted on January 27, 2012 by

Those of you who have a left-brain extrovert (LBE) horseanality understand what a challenge it can be to get them to stand still and focus for very long.  It's like having a child with ADHD.  They typically have very big play drives and lots of energy.  I have found in my years as an equine massage therapist these horses can be quite challenging and often difficult to perform a massage on because they simply cannot stand still and relax long enough for me to get much done.   I started to notice a pattern with my friend's horse on which I worked regularly.  He is a very LBE horseanality type and couldn't be still for more than about 30 seconds at a time.  However, when I used a very specific massage stroke called tapotement on him, he immediately became very still and seemed to really be "listening" to what I was … Continue reading →

Leave a comment
Quote

Quote Of The Week | Horse’s Mouths Can Speak Without Words – Will You Listen?

Posted on January 20, 2012 by

"The main secret for a horse that is heavy upon the hand, is for the rider to have a very light one; for when he finds nothing to bear upon with his mouth, he infallibly throws himself upon the haunches for his own security."



 ~William Cavendish
Leave a comment

A Prescription For Parelli – Partial Disengagement On-Line To Improve Spinal Mobility

Posted on January 17, 2012 by

As part of my new series "A Prescription For Parelli" we will discuss games and exercises taught within the Parelli Natural Horsemanship program that can be used to target specific imbalances in the equine body.  In this article we will cover partial disengagement as a ground exercise which can help with improving both vertical and lateral spinal mobility, strengthen the topline, and increase pelvic flexibility.  This article is not meant as a horse training tool or to teach equine massage, nor as a replacement for veterinary care.  It's purpose is strictly to provide you with simple bodywork exercises that can help increase the performance of your horse.   Many horses have a preference for one direction over another, just as people tend to be right or left handed.  In many cases it's more about muscle memory and ingrained habits than anything physical that needs to be "fixed".  With simple repetitive … Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Quote Of The Week | The Nuts and Bolts Of Horsemanship

Posted on January 14, 2012 by

"It's a lot like nuts and bolts – if the rider's nuts, the horse bolts!"

~Nicholas Evans

Leave a comment

Avoid Cold Weather Dehydration In Your Horse This Winter – Warning Signs & What You Can Do

Posted on January 13, 2012 by

The onset of cold winter weather brings many changes in the way we must manage our horse care practices.  We bring out the winter blankets, tweek their diets to account for seasonal availability of forage, changing metabolic needs, and winterize our tack and barn equipment.  Along with these changes, one very important aspect of horse management that is sometimes forgotten is to make sure that your horse drinks enough water.  When the temperature of the water sources available to your horse drops, so does their desire to drink it.  It's hard to know how much water your horse is drinking when you have large tanks or stock ponds as your sole water source.  According to the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, the average 1000 pound horse in regular maintenance needs to intake approximately 10-12 gallons of water a day.   Symptoms/Consequences Of Dehydration In Horses Dehydration can have … Continue reading →

Leave a comment