Deanne's Equine Bodywork

02/26/2026

And this is why grooming, yes grooming! is always part of the home care I give to my clients.

Grooming the most underrated massage technique out there 😁.

We often think of Grooming as just that getting your horse clean before we do anything yet again observation, assessment and palpation are in there aswell.

Remember how we learned to use a small soft face brush and would cringe at the plastic curry comb being used back in the day or scoff at the person using the body brush on the horse that lived out whispering they are going to remove the natural oils, c,mon we all have been a little judgemental 😅

Yet Grooming is a great way to see how your horse feels about you, the tools you are using, the pressure, the timing and if you are listening to what they are asking.

So here are my top tips as a bodyworker

First before brushes just wait and see how your horse feels about it, it may not be the brushes that they have angst with it could be the tack that follows, the routine ride, the stoney pathway they will walk over, for as much as horses love routine we love it more
So change up your Grooming routine become a little bit less rigid in that routine dont always do things the same way. Even something simple as untying your horse can make a world of difference for the horse in that moment.

I mean if your horse doesn't like you coming into their space then we have to ask why??

Now I am wierd I let my horses choose which brush and where they want groomed, Thomas likes a particular brush just behind the scapulas on that Latissimus muscle when the grass is growing and it makes sense he will be more on the forehand and while he may like the poo picker scraper on it he hates the plastic curry comb and will walk off if I dont make the right choice. I did try to explain to him I dont speak horse then realised he doesn't speak human, what a waste of a conversation 😅

Tied up or not?? I dont tie up because I like the horse to move around and often they position themselves so so we hit the right spot.

Behaviour, watch your horse while your Grooming often we miss the right spot because we are looking at the body not the face, if you brush past a place and notice a nice soft eye, go back over the area a little softer and more smaller movements then stop and stay (hey now you are a bodyworker congratulations 😁).
If your horse doesn't like an area then dont focus on it, horses can have an opinion on preference areas just like us, but its something you should note, a girth area may be ok in winter but as summer hits and the flies are out the Panniculus muscle or fly twitch may become sensitive so maybe in summer go a little easy in that area.
Keeping a mental note or writing it down can often help if that behaviour escalates as you will have a log

Brush type does matter chestnuts are way more sensitive to touch so they may not be happy to see a harsher brush, think of our sensitive areas and think would we like to be vigorously groomed on our face and heck I am not even going to mention the groin.😆
Mane and tails are sensitive hairs so just like us it can hurt if done harshly and we are setting up emotions for the next time (I know we all dread the hairdresser combing our hair) I was never allowed to use a brush on a tail we had to use our fingers as combs 😁

Technique is everything we have the superficial muscles, the superficial fasica, the lymphatic system all there which we can affect
I have a video of a lymphatic groom techniques on my page if we follow the path we can have a really good postive affect on our horse and dont forget the limbs
Soft swirling motions with a medium brush can do wonders for all those structures mentioned above a remember if we affect superficial we reach the deep.
Use your hands at the end like a karate kid, wax on wax off all over the body, going down the limbs then back up.
All the while watching your horse adjusting your pressure as you respond to the behavioural cues from the horse.

Dont rush, just once a week dont groom to do something else, just groom your horse with no other thought than to spend quality time with your horse often for horses Grooming is a prerequisite for something else it can be nice sometimes just to do nothing but the thing you are doing.

Ps no pictures of my horses as they are filthy 😅😅

07/29/2025

I was just talking about this the other day! Communication…..

What’s one thing I do differently as an equine bodyworker?

You won’t catch me hitting a client’s horse.
Not for biting. Not for pawing. Not for wiggling.
Not unless my safety is genuinely in danger—and even then, it’s a last resort.

At this point, I’ve been kicked. Stepped on. Bitten more times than I can count.
But I don’t see those things as “bad behavior.”
I see them as communication.

Because here’s something I live by:
All behavior is a form of communication—especially when the animal has no voice to speak with.

I remember working on a gelding who had been on stall rest for multiple injuries. To me, it was also clear he likely had ulcers. He was finally getting some turnout time again, but his body was holding a lot—tension, pain, frustration.

As I began the session, he tried to bite when I touched specific areas. Instead of correcting him, I noted the spots and gave him space. He was telling me what didn’t feel good. What overwhelmed him.

But the owner quickly jumped in, saying,
“He knows he can’t do that.” And gave him a swift and hard whack.

And in that moment, I was reminded just how often horses are punished for speaking up.

That’s why I will kindly ask owners not to correct their horse during my sessions.
It’s so important to me that I’ve even added it into my intake paperwork.
Because when we interrupt the horse’s feedback with discipline, we shut down the very communication I need in order to help them.

This is why I don’t “correct” horses during bodywork. I listen. I adjust. I meet them where they are.

Because the equine nervous system isn’t designed for confrontation—it’s built for survival.
And when a horse paws, fidgets, or even bites, they’re not being “bad.”
They’re saying, “Something doesn’t feel right.”

👉 Maybe that spot is painful.
👉 Maybe they’re overstimulated or emotionally overloaded.
👉 Maybe they’re trying their best, but their nervous system is still stuck in survival mode.
👉 Maybe they just aren’t able to have a deep session that day—and it’s my job to recognize that and adapt, or make the call that today isn’t the day.

If I were to meet that with force, I’d be shutting down the very trust I’m trying to build.

As a bodyworker, my job isn’t just to loosen muscles.
It’s to help your horse regulate their nervous system. To create a space where they feel safe enough to soften, breathe, and heal.

So no, I won’t hit your horse.
Even when they’re “misbehaving.”
Because all behavior is communication—especially when your horse doesn’t have a voice.

05/29/2025

Interesting….🧂🧂🧂

It is impossible to monitor daily consumption. 𝘼 𝙨𝙖𝙡𝙩 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙬𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 4 𝙥𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 3 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙤 2 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙨, depending on the weather to meet the 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙪𝙢 requirements for an 1100-pound idle horse. Horses rarely spend the time 🕰 necessary licking a salt block to meet their daily needs. This could require a horse to bite off and eat chunks to do so.

Minimum daily requirements should be provided in bucket feed. White salt blocks or loose salt are optimum as a palatable 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 source of salt. Red mineral salt blocks can be bitter and deliver only a very minute amount of additional minerals. Mineral requirements should be met in the core diet.

🧂Salt is the most crucial mineral horses require and often overlooked in the equine diet. Despite providing a salt block, the vast majority of equine🐴 diets do not provide sufficient sodium.

If your equine doesn’t sweat and/or drink enough water, feeding adequate salt may alone resolve the issue.

Learn more about how much salt is needed, when & why👉 https://www.thehaypillow.com/blogs/news/why-horses-need-salt-why-salt-blocks-are-not-the-answer

05/20/2025

K-Tape for the win! Arthritic hock improvement….

digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1126&context=honorstheses

04/24/2025

Sleep deprivation can also really affect a horse’s behaviour — they may become anxious, spooky or even aggressive —and understandably so,”

😴 Horses don't need a lot of sleep (around 3 hours or so a day), but at least 30 minutes of what sleep they do get needs to be REM sleep. 😴

💤 REM sleep can only happen when they lie down, because it requires complete relaxation.

💤 For other types of sleep, many horses do this while standing up because they are prey animals and naturally want to be able to make a quick getaway if a predator appears.

💤 They have a clever and unique ‘stay apparatus’ in their bodies which acts as a stabiliser to enable them to sleep.

💤 This is an anatomical mechanism which locks a hind leg in place to keep horses upright.

💤 It consists of the patella, which is located in the stifle joint on the hind leg and will pop out of place to lock the hind leg into the standing position.

💤 The stay apparatus only locks into place in one hind leg. The other hind limb will be relaxed.

💤 When the horse wakes up, they simple unlock the patella and start moving again.

💤 A second reason for sleeping standing up is that horses are large animals. If they were to lie down for extended periods of time it would restrict blood flow to internal organs.

🌜 Who knew sleep could be so fascinating! 🌝

Read the full article about how horses sleep below:

https://www.yourhorse.co.uk/horse-care/how-do-horses-sleep/

04/24/2025

Thank you Tack Nutrition!!! What a difference a professional makes…. I could not have done this myself. My saddle looks gorgeous!!

04/07/2025

Unfortunately bodywork can’t fix this!!! 😂😂

As seen in a Kentucky Kroger…
Folks if your horse’s legs look like this you may want to call the vet. 🫣

Here’s your pass: Feel free to share your best keyboard warrior recommendations of how we should treat this horse. 🧐

📷 credit: Sandra Middleton

02/18/2025

This is always a good reminder. We all know that we should warm up our horses before asking them to perform strenuous activities – this applies even more in cold weather. See below for some “why’s” and tips to prepare for a ride in colder weather.

Cold Weather Riding Tips:
❄️ Research has proven that exposure to cold causes increased stiffness in muscles, joints and connective tissue, including tendons and ligaments.

❄️ Cold muscles are less elastic and don’t absorb shock or impact as well as warm muscles.

❄️ Cold muscles contract slowly, nerves fire less rapidly, and blood flow decreases.

❄️ Cold increases viscosity of synovial fluid, making joints feel stiff. Joints need to “warm up” before a workout just like muscles do.

❄️ Cold muscles are less responsive to signals as nerves supplying the muscle don’t fire as rapidly. Movements may be less coordinated.

❄️ Cold air contains less moisture. Dry air can cause inflammatory responses, leading to potential airway injury. (Watch the temps - even when riding in an arena.)

❄️ Plan an extra 30 minutes for additional grooming, warm-up & cool-down in cold
weather. (Blanketed horses may be cleaner – but grooming is the start of your warm-up.)

❄️ Full-body curry, brushing, and gentle toweling stimulate circulation and begin to warm muscles.

❄️ Put a wool cooler or quarter sheet on the horse to keep this warmth in while you tack up. Keep it on for the first ten minutes of your ride.

❄️ Extended Warm-Up - walk for at least 10-15 minutes, then loose-rein trot & transitions for another 5-10 minutes. This will warm muscles, joints, and tendons (see above points). Incorporate bending, suppling exercises, and transitions.

❄️ Cool down thoroughly – An active walk post-ride helps cool down, reduce stiffness, and aid recovery.

❄️ Put your cooler back on to wick away any dampness and protect them from uncomfortable chills that could cause muscle stiffness.

Remember, a proper grooming and warm-up routine is crucial to prepare your horse's muscles and joints for exercise in cold weather. And cooling down is equally important to maintain equine health and prevent injuries.

02/07/2025

Love this!

Why Retired and Low-Work Horses Need Treatments Too 🐴✨

Bodywork isn’t just for competition horses—horses in light work or retirement benefit just as much! Here’s why keeping up with treatments is essential for their well-being:

💪 Staying Comfortable:
Just like people, horses can feel stiff or achy even when they’re not doing intense exercise. Think about how you feel after sitting still for too long or skipping your usual activity—your muscles get tight, and your body doesn’t feel its best. Horses are the same! Regular treatments keep them comfortable and mobile, even in low activity levels.

🧠 Promoting Mental Well-being:
Bodywork isn’t just physical—it’s relaxing for the mind too. For retired horses or those in light work, treatments offer a chance to unwind, reduce stress, and feel good, which is just as important for their happiness as physical health.

🚫 Preventing Stiffness and Compensations:
Horses in light work or retirement still move and interact with their environment, and small imbalances can creep in. A slipped step in the field or compensating for an old injury can lead to tightness or poor posture over time. Treatments catch and correct these issues before they cause bigger problems.

🔄 Aging Gracefully:
For retired horses, treatments can help manage age-related issues like arthritis, reduced flexibility, and muscle loss. Just as regular stretching or massage benefits aging people, bodywork helps older horses stay comfortable and active for longer.

🌟 Quality of Life:
Your horse has worked hard for you, whether they were a competitive athlete or your trusted trail companion. Continuing care in their later years shows your appreciation and ensures they enjoy their retirement to the fullest.

Every horse deserves to feel their best—whether they’re winning ribbons or simply enjoying life in the pasture. 🐎💖 Ready to give your retired or lightly worked horse the care they deserve? Let’s book a session to keep them moving comfortably and happily! ✨