Evelyn Brereton - Ev's Equine Services

05/09/2025

Handsome pants Elvis gets to come on a northern trip with me this week.

That means extra treats for him but also hopefully some good rides/work between clients.

Thankful that Valmont Farms is well set up with yards, arena and fun adventure mountain trail course to play in!

22/08/2025

Juezzy and I checking out some of the range of very clever hoof care products from The Equid Apothecary.
Tasmanian products including Equimud, Foot Sure spray and Equifibre.
I love using these every day tending my hoof care clients 💕

22/08/2025

Respiratory Diaphram.
I LOVE talking about the respiratory diaphragm and it's one of my favourite things to explain to clients and explain at dissections.

I also love this ladies work and here Magestic Horse Functional Therapy, explains the importance of the diaphragm so perfectly.

https://www.facebook.com/share/16bgg153cZ/

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 💙

12/08/2025

It's always lovely to receive feedback, hear how horses are feeling post session, learn where I can improve and what works for your horse.

I recently received this heart warming feedback, and look forward to watching this owner take her horse on a wonderful rehab journey now that his body is on the improve.

07/08/2025

For those who missed us on the free webinar :)

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16tqApZ1Lh/

Get more from Bones, Brains, Bodies & Behaviours on Patreon

30/07/2025

Today I got to check on the lovely big Saoirse, owned and loved by Kate Denny. Saoirse gave everyone quite a fright last week with impaction colic but is now happily on the mend.

I found her system to be a little slow today and her body reacted with a little seen phenomenon, along her spine where I initially palpated. (As shown in pic)
Although here I palpated gently, Saoirse's body responded with slightly raised skin and raised hair.

By the end of the session her system was feeling full and vital as her usual self.

Thankyou Saoirse and Kate for having me.

24/07/2025

Duchess helping me study, she's such a good support.

She also wants to remind my Ev's Equine followers of the shared page we have with India Woods from Valmont Farms, where showcase the Anatomy Workshops, case studies, webinars and dissection education- Bones, Brains, Bodies & Behaviours

Please join us there to see what we're up to :) we have some very exciting things coming up.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1ApTkPGAQ2/

18/07/2025

Yesterday was trim day for this old soul. Annie is mid to late 20's, we think, and was having a nap in the morning sun at hoof trim time, so she allowed me to do most of the trim while she was enjoying her lay down while her mum fed her snacks :) bless her ❤️

25/06/2025

One very special, interesting horse from the weekend.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EyJfnyWer/

Some findings are more easily and obviously linked than others 🧐 More on this SUPER interesting scoliosis case soon!!

11/06/2025

It's been so busy here that I forgot to announce the winners of the recent photo tshirt comp!

Thankyou to everyone who entered, I randomly chose name out of a hat and would like to announce Freyr McCormick and Millie Nicholls have both won themselves an Evs Equine Thsirt :)

Thankyou all!

09/06/2025

THE TRUTH ABOUT ME...on our 12 year anniversary of a life changing event that directed my life towards helping horses.

I'm going to be completely honest, open and bare with you for a bit. Some of you have asked me before about why I became a massage therapist and I may have given you an answer that wasnt 100% truth.

So further that the 'I love horses' explanation, I'm attaching a story that I wrote 3 days after an accident with my horse. I wrote it because I was having flash backs and nightmares and just couldnt sleep and needed it out of me head. It was never intended for anyone to read, I just needed to let it go. In a moment that could have taken my life, that could have taken OUR lives, she kept us safe and saved us both. This accident IS the reason why. She chose to trust me and I made a promise in what I thought was going to be our last hour to give back with all I have, to ALL of them.

This is my story.... (please bear with me, im not tech smart, ive just pasted here, its LONG)

Sunday 9th June 2013- around 1.30 Gem (my 7y/o anglo, endurance horse) and I head off for a nice ride in our brand new Horselines Polocrosse Deluxe saddle. After gem having 2 months off we decide to have a nice slow walk of our usual 12k track which is all roads (sealed and gravel) and we know it very well.
We headed over the first hill and hit the 6k of flat road which we usually head around at a pretty good pace and gem remembers this and is pretty keen to get going, but I keep reminding her that were taking it easy today and we need to walk. Shes not so convinced and we settle for a nice strong working walk.
At about 5k from home we were wandering along the side of the gravel road and I felt gems back near side foot slip followed by her hind end and the next I know were falling backwards into a ditch I hadn’t even noticed until we were half way in. the next few moments were a blur of bushes and legs and when all was still I found us both at the bottom of a very narrow 4 meter deep ditch that ran under the road, instant intense pain running through my legs. Mine and Gems heads were covered by black berries so I pulled at them, aware of them tearing at my skin but I needed to get them off of us. Right, gem was completely upside down and struggling a little but lay still for me when I soothed her. Both of my legs were under her body and her neck lay up my torso and her head near mine. I pushed her head over to the right of my to asses things a bit better, I couldn’t get my legs free no matter how I struggled. “heeeelllpp….. help me….’ The houses were too far away on this quiet road, no one would hear. I find myself thinking im in some kind of deranged movie. What is going on? What is happening here? This is just a weird nighmare right? God the pain in my leg is intense. I remembered my phone was in my vest pocket, I reached for it but my vest had been twisted around in the fall and the zip to my pocket was now around at my back, I wiggled and pulled and finally got my zip undone and phone out- no range. . Wait, isn’t there a number you can call for emergencies when you dont have range? What is it? 111? 222? Damnit, 000? God that still doesn’t work, I put my phone back in my pocket, almost losing it in the blackberries. God, we would never be found. Wait theres a car. ‘HELP ME….HELP’. The car kept going, theres no way they can hear me. We’re only 1 meter from the side of the road but 4 meters down, and covered by blackberries, no one would see us.
My legs were quickly loosing feeling. Ok gem, we have to work at this. Gem was laying nice and still for me and not panicking but now I needed her to try and move. I hit her on the chest and yelled at her ‘cmon Gem we have to get out of this, MOVE’… she struggled a little and I managed to move her head over to the left side of me as I ducked under her neck in the little room we had there, I got my right leg free! That’s a start! With my left leg stuck tight under the saddle and taking her whole weight, the whole time yelling for help at the top of my lungs, I reached down and managed to undo the girth, the breast plate clips but received no relief.
Another car, I grabbed a handful of earth and tried to throw it up so the passing car could see ‘HELP ME!!!’… I cant even throw the dirt up far enough to reach the top of our ditch… Im starting to feel like Gem and I have reached our end and we would never get out of here. My thoughts turn to the beautiful faces of my 2 daughters and my amazing husband at home, not 5 kilometers away. I need to see my babies again, and with the pain driving through my left leg I contemplate what life would be like without it as im certain it’s a possibility.
‘HELP ME…… OH GEM, MY LEG….. HEEEEELLLLPPPP US’…. Why can no one hear me. My phone, maybe I have range now? I check my phone again but still no range. What was that emergency number…. 112! I dial the number and I hear a mans voice, oh god it worked! ‘000 which emergency service do you require’. My voice was shaky and rushed ‘oh god I don’t know, im trapped under my horse in a ditch and no one can see me’, I don’t recall what his reply was but then I heard a ladies voice ‘what is your emergency?’ ‘Im trapped under my horse, in a ditch’ she cut me off, ‘where are you’ I told her the name of the road but I had no idea how far down the road I was, I didn’t know the numbers. I gave her my husbands phone number and told her to call him and then told me that police and ambulance were on the way and wait, whats that, another car…. ‘HELP….. WERE DOWN HERE… HELP MEEEE’ . I hung up but was somehow not at all relieved? What were the police and ambulance going to do if I was still in the ditch? How long would it be till they would find us? How would they get us out? I need to get OUT, my leg… god, gem we need to get my leg out… I tried digging under my leg , but its just rock and heavily compacted clay, that’s not helping…. ‘HELP…. My throat is dry and my voice sounding hoarse.
‘HELP’…. It feels like weve been down here forever. Where is everyone? I stroke Gem down her neck as she lay there, helpless and upside down, legs in the air like a dog. Gem this doesn’t happen to us…. We are getting out of here, I promise to her. The worry in her beautiful eye makes me promise SHE WILL get out of here. ‘HELP US’. Over the screaming of my own voice I hardly hear the car that has slowed to a stop just near, is that voices? HELP, I yell louder. ‘WERE DOWN HERE, HELP’…. Oh god theres a man appear in view. The look on his face is concerning. And a lady, god ive never been so happy to see other people. He asks what he can do to help, I don’t know. The lady tries to come down the side of the ditch to me. I yell to her not to come down, it would just be dangerous and its too steep. The man (Malcolm) tells the lady (Jo) to call 000, I tell him I already have and someone is on the way. He says he has a rope and I ask him to throw it down. I tied the end around Gems off side leg and ask Malcolm to try and take some of her weight so I can see if I can get my leg free. He pulls gently and gem struggles. GOD, the intense pain of her writhing on my dead leg. I cant stand it and I cant move it an inch still. I have to yell at him to stop. Woah gem, I soothe her again and she is still, but my leg is now in a worse position and the pain is unbearable. I cant help but scream.
I tell Malcolm we just have to wait till someone else gets there to help. Trying to hold back my screaming out in pain. Ive never felt pain like this. Another couple arrive, an elderly couple, they have no ropes to help. God where is more help? Please get us out….
Over the side of the bank I see my neighbours face. (My husband contacted JJ to come find me as he had to wait for someone to arrive to care for our girls before h came) A little relief comes over me and I cry out to him, pleading, ‘oh JJ, you have to get us out of here, I need to get out’. JJ has more ropes, there are many more faces around the edge of the ditch now. Another rope comes down and I tie it around gems halter and another rope for gems other front leg. Some one starts to pull already, ‘NOT YET’ I yell through muffled screams of pain. ‘I need a rope around me so we come out at the same time, I don’t want to be under here if she struggles again’. An older man throws a rope down from the other side of the ditch and I tie it under my arms. I reassure gem we are going to be ok and look up at JJ, who has the rope attached to her halter- ‘JJ, Gem has to get out of this ditch. She IS coming out, ok….Promise me’. He nods his head.
The next part is a little blurred also, everyone pulls their ropes at once and my leg is free and then the two men on my rope pull me up the right side of the ditch and as I get to the top I turn to see gem half way out the other side of the ditch, she takes 2 last huge bounds and is out…. Gem is out… a cry of relief. I yell ‘thankyou everyone, thankyou’. JJ’s mum is there, I was relieved to see her. I Knew she worked at the local aged care facility, she would be sure I was ok. She covered me with a space blanket and checked me over, she was asking me questions but I had to check gem was ok. ‘Is gem ok, is she alright?’ I yelled over the ditch. She was fine, They were putting her in the paddock just across the road as the gathering crowd was making her nervous. ‘are you ok?’ someone asked me, ‘im fine as long as gem is’ was my response. There was my husband. As the feeling started coming back into my leg, the pain was worsening. The ambulance arrived in good time and I was soon being taken care of with some pain relief, checking often to see that gem was ok, I was informed that she was trotting around the paddock. Then I saw a familiar face, Louise, a member of the local riding club. She lived just up the road and came down when she saw a random horse in a paddock that usually didn’t have horses. She told me she would walk gem home to my house, I was so glad for her lovely kind offer. I would rest easier knowing she was home with her paddock mates.
So off to the hospital and to the surprise of the doctors, there were no broken bones. Possibly a chip off the talus bone in my ankle and some serious swelling and bruising along with some possible tendon and ligament damage. I had a few other small injuries like a swollen elbow and quite a few bruises. Although the Blackberry scratches were quite impressive! I was home by midnight Sunday night, but there was no sleep for me with vivid flash backs of the whole ordeal.
Gem and I have both had quite a bit of treatment, kinesiology and bowen to name a few and I hope we will be back on the tracks in no time to get fit for our qualifying 80k endurance ride.
Id like to use our accident as a way to let others know of the 112 Emergency services contact number that you can use when out of range. It certainly saved valuable time for Gem and I and if it could help one other person in an emergency then this story is worth it.
Id also like to give credit to everyone who helped us both and my special mare Gem. In the situation we were in, she could have quite easily caused much more damage had she panicked. Shes a beautiful soul.

21/05/2025

Horses will test every fibre of your being and some days its ok to not be ok.

I remember the awe that I felt as a kid at watching horses, watching people ride and being so excited that I might have chance to feel that myself.

Learning to ride, and learning the amazing feeling of moving with such effort across the ground with the wind at your face and mane waving before you.

Then you dive head on into the forever horse addiction with is raught with ups and downs, highs and lows, elation and heartbreak.

The relationship and freedom you feel when your huge prey animal soul mate is happy and well is unexplainable to people who have never 'known' a horse. You can sense how they feel and what they might need with the nuances of movement and connection.

In their presence, your heart is full, you feel needed and your soul replenished.

As always, in relationships, sometimes we experience turbulence in ways of misunderstanding, injury or illness. These times can be troubling and hard work.

Your every fibre is spending every waking moment analysing and rethinking your decisions and searching for the path that leads you both towards synchrony and fulfilment.

There are many people who will offer experiences and opinions, either asked for and sometimes not. Some will carry judgement and some will be supportive and unwavering.

For the days that you sit in the paddock, head in hands, and heart full of despair- know that your horse knows.

He knows the efforts you make and that you are exploring for him. He knows that you are trying hard and you are working for him.

On the days that you are riding high on your magical unicorn, two souls moving as one- treasure it, hold that feeling in the middle of your heart and reach for that memory any time you need to be reminded of why we love these amazing huge equines.

Use that feeling on the days you're not ok, it's ok to be there for a short time. There will always be a better day, keep at it, and keep reaching for the people that support you and your horse