Majestic Horse Functional Therapy

29/08/2025

Is your horse afraid of the chiro? Try an osteopathic approach instead.

Many owners have shared with me that their horses, who are anxious about the chiro and don't respond well to the forceful 'thrusting' involved, are much more relaxed and comfortable with osteopathic techniques. In my experience, the gentle yet powerful osteopathic approach is very effective for all horses, but especially for those who are prone to being more sensitive or nervous.

This is likely because an osteopathic approach to treatment uses a wider range of techniques to improve mobility and function in joints, bones and vertebrae, the nerves, the internal organs, the muscles, fascia, ligaments and tendons, and bodily systems — all without the ‘need’ for forceful adjustments. There is no hammer or rubber mallet involved, so if your horse is sensitive to the more intense chiropractic techniques and tools involved, they might find the application of osteopathic techniques to be a far more comfortable and positive experience.

Some horses can have trouble tolerating the short-lever HVLA (high-velocity, low amplitude) techniques that chiros use. HVLAs can be utilised in an osteopathic treatment session too to engage the restrictive barrier, but if your horse does not tolerate this technique well, there are many other osteopathic techniques that can be employed such as LVHA (low velocity, high amplitude) techniques; long lever techniques; Balanced Ligamentous Tension; Functional Method Technique; Fascial Unwinding, cranial osteopathy; craniosacral; pumping techniques and lymphatic pump; vibratory force techniques; soft tissue manipulation, visceral manipulation – all aimed at restoring overall whole-body balance, mobility and functionality, and to reduce any pain and discomfort.

After a thorough case history and assessment, I take into account not only what your horse needs physically, but also what will work mentally and emotionally for your horse too. If your horse has been afraid of the chiropractic techniques, I will take that into account and choose a technique that will deliver the desired results while also keeping your horse calm. I work with your horse and want them to have a great experience.

An osteopathic approach to treatment also has a broader scope and focuses on the whole body and the interconnectedness of the systems; and in helping to restore the horse's natural ability to self-heal and self-regulate towards homeostasis (by removing the barriers to health, mobility and function). While the practice of chiropractics stems from the early beginnings of osteopathy (the founder of chiropractic, Daniel David Palmer was a student of osteopathy's founder, Dr Andrew Taylor Still), osteopathy differs in its philosophy to that of chiropractic. To put it in very simplified terms, chiros tend to centre around the alignment of the spine, and how it affects the nervous system while in osteopathy, the guiding principles acknowledge that the body functions as an integrated whole, and disturbances in one area (local) can affect overall (global) health. How the muscles, joints, joint capsules, tendons, ligaments, bones and vertebrae, nerves, fascia, viscera, fluids and systems of the body all inter-relate and communicate is of importance. Osteopaths understand that structure and function are reciprocally interrelated and that a change in one will affect change in others. Mobility and function are important, as is the body’s innate ability to heal itself if the barriers to health are removed. The practitioner trained in osteopathy is that ally to help identify and facilitate the removal of those barriers.

So, if your horse doesn’t respond well to chiro treatments (and if you find yourself having to have the chiro out very regularly to make adjustments), and you're looking for a gentler way to help your horse feel their best for longer, let's chat. Send me an email at: majestichorse@outlook.com.au or text me on: 0466077561. You can also contact me through my website: majestichorse.com.au 💙

22/08/2025

My clients know I love the respiratory diaphragm…..but why exactly?

Well, put simply, because the respiratory diaphragm has such a massive influence on the health and wellbeing of your horse. I often refer to it as the ‘pump’ of the body. In an osteopathic approach to treatment, fluid flow is SO important – it directly impacts tissue health, immune function, and the body's natural healing processes. When the diaphragm is restricted from optimal movement in any capacity, the results can be far-reaching. For example:

🐴 Interrupted fluid flow: Fluid exchange is vital for normal physiology, as all the necessary processes of the body occur because fluids flow. If you don’t have good fluid flow (through channels, spaces and across membranes), all systems of the body are impacted and the return to homeostasis is significantly impeded resulting in a reduction in vitality in the body. When this occurs, disease shortly follows. If the respiratory ‘pump’ is not working optimally, then the blood flow (specifically the aorta and vena cava which pass through the diaphragm) as well as the lymphatic, interstitial, and cerebrospinal fluids are affected.

🐴 Postural and functional change: Beyond fluid dynamics, a dysfunctional respiratory diaphragm can lead to significant postural and functional issues. When the diaphragm isn't working optimally, it can influence the mobility of the ribs, creating a cascade of knock-on effects as other muscles compensate for this impaired function. Periarticular muscles like the intercostals may have to work harder than they were designed to, leading to their own dysfunction over time. Other key muscles such as the erector spinae and latissimus dorsi, can be impacted as well as the thoracolumbar fascia. The result is often wider myofascial issues and postural changes.

The Phrenic nerve which innervates the diaphragm originates in the cervical spine, so if there is dysfunction in the diaphragm there can also be dysfunction in the neck and vice versa (as the phrenic nerve also receives information from the fascia covering the organs). The spleen, liver and pancreas are all in communication with the diaphragm (as are many other organs eg. heart, lungs, stomach) so they may also be influenced by dysfunctional diaphragm action.

If there is restriction in the lumbar vertebrae, there may be an issue with the diaphragm (as the crus of the diaphragm attaches into the lumbar vertebrae). The crus of the diaphragm connects into the hindlimb (via the lumbar and psoas connections), so there may be pelvic changes and hindlimb issues. *I write “may” as each horse must be assessed for their individual presentation and the influencing factors (internal and external) taken into consideration as well. We could also hypothesise that if you have an anxious horse, they are most likely not using their diaphragm correctly (and may instead be using their scalene muscles more).

🐴 Cavity pressure gradients and gaseous exchange issues: The interaction between intrathoracic and abdominal pressure is a key component of spinal and pelvic stability. A dysfunctional diaphragm action may affect cavity pressures which can then affect peristalsis through the digestive system (directly impacting the gastrointestinal system). The diaphragm's movement is also fundamental to creating the pressure gradients that drive the entire process of gaseous exchange. An issue with the action of the diaphragm can lead to reduced lung capacity and oxygen intake, and inefficient gaseous exchange. If you have a horse with asthma, you will automatically be thinking about the lungs and respiration, but there are many ways that the horse can experience diaphragmatic disorder with instances of shallow, laboured, inefficient breathing, intermittent coughing etc, occurring every day that might not be noticed because the horse ‘seems’ fine. These horses however may be labelled as ‘lazy’ during exercise because they either fatigue quickly or don’t appear as athletic as others. It could be that their diaphragms aren’t working optimally, and they aren’t breathing efficiently or effectively.

As mentioned earlier, the diaphragm influences fluid flow (and as fluids also act to provide structural support helping to dissipate forces throughout the body and enabling improved shock absorption), if your horse has arthritis, having a functional diaphragm is imperative to help with this shock absorption and support.

So, everything in the body is connected and in constant communication and correlation. Structure and function are reciprocally interrelated (a core osteopathic principle) – if you have a change in one; you have a change in the other. There is also more than one diaphragm in the body and when one diaphragm is impacted; all are impacted – pelvic floor, thoracic inlet, tongue, tentorium cerebelli. This can create a domino effect, leading to multi-layered issues throughout the body.

Just like us, horses are a ‘fluid body’ and fluid mechanics is vital to health and balance. For the restoration of homeostasis; the ability to respond quickly to illness, disease and injury; and the maintenance of health and vitality, we need to have the optimal functioning of the whole body and a large ‘influencer’ on that is the functionality of the diaphragm. The same is true for humans as much as it is for horses.

There are several different osteopathic techniques for addressing the respiratory diaphragm and the choice and application of these will depend on each individual horse’s presentation and current state of health 💙

20/08/2025

Big congrats to Nicolette Cavit Equine and Shari for their first competition together. Here’s to an exciting ‘calm, happy, confident’ adventure together 🥰👏🏻🙌🏻⭐️Such a beautiful horse to treat too!

21/07/2025

I was half way through writing a very similar post and then saw Lucy’s post (she beat me to it 🤣). We both share a passion for the care of the older equines, and seeing as she has so beautifully written the post below, I will share hers instead of mine. 💙

🐎Caring for the Older Equine 🐎

Many older horses when they have finished their 'working' life or 'usefulness' get popped out in the field to live a happy retirement. This is fine and mostly nice for them, however please do not forget about them. Many older horses have age related problems and diseases that still need you to be as proactive about. Such as:

** Nutritional needs - usually much more important to provide a correct and balanced diet appropriate to their weight and any clinical conditions. Some older horses may not manage long stem fibre as well as they used to, so please monitor their droppings for long particles of undigested forage and any signs of quidding and act or adjust their fibre ration appropriately.

** Dental Care - Horses teeth may often become a problem as they age and we must be mindful of diseases such as EOTRH. Routine dental check ups as advised by your BAEDT are of paramount importance.

** Veterinary Care - Just because their working life is over, please do not cut back on this. A lot of older horses suffer with arthritic joints, PPID, poor dentition and as such will need ongoing appropriate Veterinary Care and medication. Do not let them get stiff and in pain and expect them to just cope, and continue to do worm egg counts and treat with Anthelmintics appropriately

** Rugging - Older horses with clinical conditions such as PPID may need clipping and rugging to better manage their thermostat or may need a rug to aid and maintain weight through the winter. Please ensure you rug appropriately for the horse, and never over rug just because you are cold!!!

** Osteopathic Treatment - I treat a lot of older Equines to aid and maintain comfort with Veterinary Consent as appropriate to ensure that we continue to understand and notice any changes within the Musculoskeletal or Visceral system. Treatments are not just for horses in work.

The older horse population and their Care has always been a significant passion of mine and I always try to do my best with those in my care professionally and my two oldies!!! If you are ever in any doubt, then a lot of Vets now will be more than happy to do a health check for your horse and advise on appropriate management and I am always happy to use my professional knowledge and extensive experience to help alongside.

Picture of my fabulous OAP Quest 🫶

12/07/2025

If you have been watching the free Holistic Horse Care conference you will see that my friend and colleague Katey Campbell KC Equine Wellness was presenting on Day 5 with Dr Jeff Grognet. Her topic is: 'Solving the Toxic Overload Problem in Your Horse'.

The webinar is just over 30 mins and I highly recommend watching the discussion, but if you don’t have time to watch all of it straight away (remember the webinars are available for 48 hours after release), definitely watch Katey’s ‘Recipe for disaster’ description (at 21 mins 56 seconds) where she gives a very good example of allostatic loading and allostatic overload. Bear in mind that Katey is based in Canada so some of the stuff she mentions is slightly different to Australia, but the understanding of the actions that we take having a direct influence on the stress on the horse’s body, and how this can have a cumulative effect on the horse in a short space of time, is really important. Allostatic load is something that those trained in osteopathy take very seriously, as the current 'state of health' and the additional internal and external influences on the horse can quickly lead to ‘overloading’ the horse’s systems if not considered.

To watch the Equine Vaccine and Holistic Care Conference, go to this site and click 'sign up now' or see the post below and click on that.

Join us for the Equine Vaccines and Holistic Care Conference, where cutting-edge science meets natural wellness to optimize your horse's health. Whether you're a veterinarian, equine therapist, or a dedicated horse owner, this webinar will provide invaluable insights into:

28/06/2025

🙌🏻 Consistency is so important. My clients know that I reiterate this point all the time - for all the wonderful reasons Lucy mentions below in her post. 💙

Equine Rehabilitation - Being Consistant

When it comes to Equine Rehabilitation, there’s one phrase I come back to time and time again: consistency for longevity

Whether your horse is recovering from injury, managing a chronic condition, or building strength after a period of rest, consistent care and routine are absolutely essential for successful outcomes.

Rehabilitation isn’t a quick fix. It’s a carefully structured plan that requires patience, dedication, and trust in the process.

As an Equine Osteopathic and Rehabilitation Practitioner, I often remind my clients that the body responds best with regular, appropriate exercises. That might mean sticking to as best we can a precise schedule, applying hands on therapy techniques at the right intervals, or adjusting the horse’s environment to support healing.

Why consistency matters:
• Supports physiological adaptation – The body needs repeated and regular input to rebuild strength, improve mobility, and regain balance.

• Builds progression safely – Rushing or skipping steps can lead to nwgative setbacks. A consistent routine ensures gradual, sustainable improvement for longevity

• Allows for accurate assessment – Yhe regular assessment process is paramount. When we keep the variables steady, we can more clearly observe how your horse is responding and adjust the plan as needed.

Rehabilitation is a team effort – between Myself, other Paraprofessionals, The Owner, and the Horse. When we all stay consistent in our roles, we give the horse the best chance at long-term recovery and performance.

If your horse is on a rehabilitation journey, remember: baby steps, done often and correctly, make all the difference.

If you'd like support developing a structured and consistent plan for your horse, feel free to get in touch – Those that know me will know i'm always here to help.

20/06/2025

𝙋𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙞𝙘 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 continued…

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟮: 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗣𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗰 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
When an Equine Osteopath is assessing your horse for mobility, they often detect signs of increased activity in the sympathetic nervous system—the “fight or flight” branch of the autonomic nervous system. This heightened activity is usually triggered when nerve receptors are activated due to pain or immobility somewhere in the body.

There are also parasympathetic centers—particularly within the skeletal system—that interpret pain and immobility. These responses can originate from any number of tissues, including organs, muscles, blood vessels, and fascia. In this example, we’re focusing specifically on pain or immobility originating from a pelvic room organ.

As discussed previously, the pelvic room contains numerous structures. When dysfunction is detected by both sympathetic and parasympathetic centres, it often points to a visceral origin—meaning the problem may lie in an internal structure like an organ, muscle, blood vessel, or fascial connection.

If your Equine Osteopath EDO® detects this kind of dysfunction, they may find associated immobilities in the skeletal system, particularly at:
• C0-C1 (the occiput and atlas), which is the area where the vagus nerve—a major component of the parasympathetic system—receives sensory signals from every organ in the body.
• Specific segments along the thoracic and lumbar spine, especially a group of segments (a “slice” of spinal marrow with two incoming and two outgoing nerves) that are particularly immobile.
• The sacrum, which is the parasympathetic centre for pelvic room organs.

Through careful assessment, your Equine Osteopath EDO® can determine whether the primary issue originates from a pelvic room organ or if it’s a secondary effect of a musculoskeletal problem.

This is a powerful example of how Equine Osteopathy takes a whole-horse approach—looking at the interconnectedness of systems to locate the root of dysfunction and restore homeostatic balance throughout the horse’s body.

19/06/2025

⭐When massage isn’t enough… what led me to equine osteopathy 🐴

As someone trained in equine osteopathy (and as someone who is also trained in equine myofunctional therapy), I started my professional therapy career providing equine massage, but soon found that (for me) this wasn’t enough. I quickly felt its limitations. Whilst I enjoyed being an equine massage therapist, I also felt frustrated in that I could sense deeper issues in the horses I treated that massage alone simply couldn't address. I wanted to offer more; to truly help the horses in my care. This desire to offer more comprehensive help led me to train and specialise in equine osteopathy. Soft tissue techniques are still utilised as a tool in my treatment sessions, so my myofunctional therapy training remains relevant, but the advanced study of equine osteopathy elevated my skills significantly, deepening my understanding of anatomical structures, biomechanics, functionality, physiology, and expanding my treatment techniques and therapeutic capabilities. Osteopathy truly is a well-rounded and an incredibly comprehensive modality – it addresses not just the soft tissue (muscles, tendons, ligaments) but also the bones, the joints, the viscera, the fluid flow in the body, the fascia, the systems of the body, the diaphragms, the tensegrity, and all the factors (both internal and external) affecting or influencing the body as a whole.

My approach now is about the ‘why’ behind a horse's challenges – discovering the root cause of the issue/s; addressing the primary and secondary issues; removing the barriers to health; assisting the re-establishment of homeostasis; and achieving better health and exercise outcomes and overall vitality. Part of the osteopathic approach to treating the equine patient lies in understanding the complex, dynamic system that is the body, and the multitude of influencing factors that contribute to, or detract from, ‘health’. Treating only symptoms can neglect the underlying causes that might be affecting the local area and the global ‘whole’. Because of this osteopathic approach, I am now often the one called in for the more complex cases.

While equine osteopathy may not be as well known in Australia, it's a highly popular and established field in Europe (particularly for high-performance horses), as well as in Britain, the United States and Canada. This does mean that those of us who sought top-tier equine osteopathy training had to pursue it overseas – and that is why there’s not many of us in Australia who have that level of training that I have been fortunate enough to achieve.

An osteopathic approach offers a truly holistic and effective treatment, and ALL horses can benefit from this modality. It is my belief that an osteopathic approach to treatment is not to foster dependency, but to empower the body to heal itself. What I mean by this is that once the initial issue has been effectively addressed and the horse’s body has regained a significant degree of its natural function, the need for frequent sessions diminishes. Obviously, a caveat to this would be if a sudden change occurs such as an acute injury or fall etc that necessitates treatment. In essence, the osteopathic approach is about achieving lasting change and promoting self-healing and self-regulation, rather than creating a continuous cycle of intervention.

If your horse is having the same treatments each month but is not improving, or if you are having trouble getting to the real crux of the issue, send me a message or give me a call and we can discuss. I am also always excited to work with other equine professionals and therapists as part of a care team – especially if they are intuiting that there are deeper issues at play that are outside of their scope of practice. Working in collaboration with other equine professionals is always a joy and something that I wished occurred more in the equine industry. As always, my commitment is in seeing your horse reach its fullest health potential in body, mind and spirit 💙

17/06/2025

🏆Small Tour Champions🐴CDG 2* Regional Championships ⭐️
Nicolette (Cavit Equine) and King Fred 💙 Big Congrats!

17/06/2025

Continuing on from a previous post about why I ask a lot of questions prior to assessment and then treatment, the next part of my assessment process always begins with a general health screen (and neurological testing if appropriate). The main reason I do this is for safety – of your horse, the owner and myself. I need to understand whether the horse is safe to treat.

The second reason is to understand whether the cause of the complaint/reason I have been asked to see the horse is of a systemic or neurological nature. By understanding this, I will be able to determine the next steps and best path forward for the horse (and whether this involves further veterinary assessment).

If there is a comorbidity to consider, I need to understand how much this is impacting the horse’s current state of health. Comorbidities affect the vitality of the horse and will impact the allostatic loading; increasing the load on the horse and affecting the degree to which the horse is able to accommodate and assimilate any assessment or treatment I undertake.

As part of my general health screen, I will assess heart rate and respiration rate and then the heart (pulmonic, aortic, mitral and tricuspid valves), lungs, trachea and gut sounds. I check digital pulses and hoof heat; capillary and jugular refill; conduct a dehydration test; test nostrils, sinuses, eyes, ears, mouth (gums, tongue and teeth); lymph nodes (submandibular and salivary, parotid, retropharyngeal, cervical chain prescapular, prefemoral); conduct cranial nerve testing; a general body scan; and then reflexes, hoof placement and other specific neurological testing if needed. If I consider that a horse may need a neurological assessment, I will conduct a full one prior to proceeding to any treatment.

Ultimately, conducting a general health screen prior to my osteopathic approach to treatment is first and foremost for your horse’s safety and mine as well, but it is also my duty as an equine clinician. You are trusting me with your horse and that is a responsibility I take very seriously 💙