Free Flow Equine Therapies - Susan Rousak

27/05/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1Fsv62M4Gs/

Hello Everyone, Sunday’s rituals for me is to watch NASCAR, NFL Football, or WNBA depending on the time of year, but most importantly for myself, to take time to focus on gratitude. I do this by being…

25/05/2026

One of the harder parts of my job is recognising when a horse needs veterinary involvement and having that conversation with an owner.

It’s not a recommendation I make lightly.

I understand how stressful it can be to reach that point — emotionally, financially, and mentally. Sometimes owners feel torn between different opinions from professionals on their team. One person may feel it’s training related, another may think it’s farrier, management, tack, or behaviour. It can become incredibly confusing when everyone is looking at the horse through a different lens.

I understand that too.

And the reality is, involving a vet doesn’t always mean immediate answers. Sometimes diagnostics take time. Sometimes the issue is multifaceted and requires a combination of veterinary care, rehab, management changes, training adjustments, and support from multiple professionals working together.

But when I suggest veterinary investigation, it’s because I’m seeing consistent signs that the horse is uncomfortable and that what has been tried so far is not resolving the issue.

As professionals, these conversations can be difficult to have. There’s always the possibility the client may not agree, may choose another path, or may never return. But our responsibility has to remain with the horse in front of us.

So if someone on your team suggests involving a vet, please know it’s usually coming from a place of care, education, and experience — not judgement, fearmongering, or overreaction.

Your horse deserves to have discomfort taken seriously.

15/05/2026

Nominations for ETAA awards are open 🌟🌟

This year the Equine Therapies Association of Australia (ETAA) is hosting awards to celebrate excellence, innovation, and dedication in equine therapy across Australia.

Nominations are now open to the public. If you'd like to nominate me, or any other therapists who you'd like to recognise, you can click on this link:

https://form.jotform.com/261203118568050

Categories are as follows:
🌟 Equine Therapist of the Year (for each state)
🌟 New Therapist Award
🌟 Research & Development Award
🌟 Service to Industry Award

Nominations close 5 June 2026.

Photo credit: Lagoballo

11/05/2026

There’s a big difference between bodywork being done TO a horse… and bodywork being done WITH a horse.

“Doing TO” often looks like forcing a release, overriding tension, or expecting the horse to stay still and accept whatever is being applied. The horse becomes passive in the process.

Working WITH the horse means listening to the feedback they give us:
✨ The shift of weight
✨ The lick and chew
✨ The fidgeting
✨ The bracing
✨ The stepping away
✨ The moments they say “that’s enough”

Because tension isn’t just physical. It’s communication.

Sometimes a horse needs movement before release.
Sometimes they need choice before relaxation.
Sometimes they need to feel safe enough to let go.

True bodywork isn’t about “fixing” a horse while they quietly tolerate it. It’s about creating a conversation where the horse becomes an active participant in the process.

The most powerful changes often happen when the horse feels heard, not handled.

And that can look a lot less dramatic… but create much longer lasting results. 🐴

06/05/2026

Mandy is back in Canberra this weekend and has one spot left for a rider and/or horse assessment. Below is some detail of what Mandy can offer. Mandy is often booked out in advance for her trips so this is a great opportunity if you've been wondering what the hype is about! 😄

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1LusiaMcS9/

05/05/2026

When your equine professionals don’t agree… what do you do? 🤯

Your trainer says “more forward.” Your bodyworker says “they need to soften first.” And suddenly you feel like you have to choose a side.

But here’s something worth considering:

Your bodyworker is often seeing the why behind what you’re feeling under saddle.

They’re not just looking at behaviour or performance—they’re looking at tension patterns, compensation, soreness, and where your horse physically can’t yet do what’s being asked.

So when they say “slow down,” “release,” or “don’t push through that”… it’s not about holding you back.

It’s about making sure your horse is actually able to do the work without bracing, protecting, or breaking down.

Because here’s the reality: You can train through dysfunction… but you can’t build true strength or longevity on top of it.

That doesn’t make your trainer wrong—far from it.
But it does mean timing matters.

✨ If the body isn’t ready, adding more pressure often creates more compensation
✨ If you prioritise release and correct function first, the training sticks faster later
✨ What feels like “lack of progress” is often actually foundation building

So what can you do when advice feels conflicting?

✔️ Listen to the body first
✔️ Use your bodyworker’s insights to inform your training—not replace it
✔️ Focus on what your horse can do well without tension, then build from there
✔️ Keep communication open between your professionals whenever possible

The best results don’t come from choosing between training and bodywork.

They come from letting bodywork guide how you train.

Because a horse that feels safe, comfortable, and able in their body will always give you more in the long run.

Photo by Kenny Webster on Unsplash

02/05/2026

Last night I attended the Australian Small Business Champion Awards as a finalist!

These awards support and recognise small businesses Australia wide. While I didn't win my category, it was amazing to be a finalist - they had over 8500 entrants all up! 😳

It was a fun evening listening to other small businesses and their stories. Running a small business is tough work, but it's so rewarding as well. Remember to support small businesses where you can 😃♥️

01/05/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1AuiA4oK64/

What wormer to use for this upcoming late autumn/early winter worming treatment??

There is a lot of conflicting information out there about which wormer to use and it can be confusing.
FECC is recommending you use one the brands pictured and listed below. These wormers will target the most amount of parasites for this time of year, importantly Strongyles (including encysted), Bots, Tapeworms and many more.

But other companies/Facebook/blogs etc say not to use a wormer with Moxidectin (which the wormers pictured/listed do contain) why is FECC recommending the use of them? FECC advice is led by the recently released Australian guidelines for equine internal parasite management which were developed by leading equine parasitologists and vets. Within these guidelines it recommends once yearly use of a wormer that contains Moxidectin and this is the time to use it. Moxidectin has a higher efficacy in penetrating the intestinal walls and targeting encysted strongyles and the larval stages of small strongyles. Which are one of the parasites we focussing on in this worming.

However, we do want to limit the use of wormers with Moxidectin to once a year. This is so we can "preserve" this drug class and not overuse it which will lead to resistance developing. As part of this monitoring for resistance and efficacy we suggest all horses get a FEC and a follow up FEC 14 days post worming (called a FECRT) we can monitor the effectiveness of the wormer and monitor for resistance.

Another reason we do not recommend the Ivermectin/praziquantel wormers at this time of year is because we are trying to encourage and preserve our winter dung beetle species and their populations. Ivermectin is the most lethal of the wormers on dung beetles with toxic level being observed up to 1 month after worming. Moxidectin's aren't as lethal and have a shorter toxicity and are safest for dung beetles.

Recommended wormers: Ultimum, Equest plus Tape, Neovemox plus Tape and Equigel with Tape. These are the wormers that have a Moxidectin/Praziquantel combination.

30/04/2026

I find these issues when fitting Micklem and similar bridles. They can be very tricky to fit!

https://www.facebook.com/share/1JcT8egQcj/

🐎 Do you use a micklem or similar bridles?

Many people ask me about the 'micklem' or similar style of bridles that have an 'anatomical' shape.

First of all, I recognise that some horses 'go well' in these types of bridles, but i think that's a matter of opinion as it's likely that previous bridles have been so poorly fitted.

But here are some points about these bridles I'm sure you haven't previously thought about.

This is one of my clients I recently visited. They very kindly allowed me to demonstrate why I tend to find 9/10 micklem or similar bridles dont fit well or suit some horse's head shape.

With everything, the horse has to have the right head for the bridle. Not all bridles are a 'one style for all', much like our human clothing and horse rugs, etc.

So, on the left is an image of where the owner had fitted the bridle.
Points to make here
- The noseband is too low and presses on soft tissue of the nasal cavity and onto the fragile nasal bone
- The strap around the mouth, so many people say to me, 'it's not a flash'. No, it's a drop noseband. Especially fitted too low, which these often are, they act like a drop noseband, and you can over tighten them to forcefully close the mouth. The drop puts pressure onto the danger zone around the nasal areas! There's no arguing here. If people are inclined to do it up tight, this is what happens.
- The buckle is way too close to the TMJ and placed too high on the Trigeminal nerve before it branches and over the main nerve centre up there!

Photo 2 - I lifted it up on the cheek buckles (note that the throatlash strap is actually not done up and I am holding it back so it's not dangling as it was now too small to go around the horses jaw).
- The noseband is in a much better position on the nasal plane. However, the curve of the noseband is rubbing too close to the sharp cheek bones.
- The buckle is now riding the TMJ and the facial nerves
- The headpiece has become tighter to the poll and pressing into the poll, ear, and brow area.

Photo 3 I have dropped it so that the buckle is at eye level between where the Trigeminal Nerve branches. (Again, I'm holding the throatlash strap)
- The noseband is so low!
- The bit can not be lifted any higher in the mouth and is sitting very loosely. With the possibility of sawing in the mouth, hitting teeth, and being very uncomfortable for her.

Bless her she was so very patient with us while we faffed with her bridle.

It demonstrates why these bridles are very hard to adjust and position right on the majority of horses.

I often see other types of bits being used with these bridles too ie gags and pelhams. They are only designed to be used with snaffles. Anything else will negate the poll pressure and transfer 100% of the pressure onto the mouth.