Canadian Institute of Equine & Canine Body Works

01/12/2026

Curious about our upcoming Functional Postural Courses? Check out Integrated Veterinary Therapeutics to join the conversation!!

01/12/2026

**“Pain has been ruled out.”

“It’s definitely NOT pain.”**

We can never 100% rule out pain.
Pain is individual, variable, and unpredictable.

I have a disc injury in my own back.
Some days I can barely bend, my core won’t function, my back locks, and I am in a lot of pain.
Other days? I can dance the night away 💃

When my back flared badly a few years ago, I couldn’t walk.
Panadol, Nurofen… even morphine didn’t take the pain away.

Nerve pain is not logical or consistent.
I’ve seen horses explode unpredictably, shut down, collapse - and then appear completely fine minutes later.

Fascial pain can change day to day depending on:
- movement and loading
- hydration
- muscle tension
- nervous system state

Arthritic horses often become grumpy, stiff, and still in cold weather.
With the right joint support, appropriate mobility work, and sensible workload, they can become far more comfortable and expressive.

Muscle conditions, like myofibrillar myopathy, can change overnight.
Jelly can go from moving freely and feeling strong to dragging, lethargic, and weak - literally from one day to the next.

Some pain doesn’t show up until:
-the body is loaded
- fatigue sets in
-a specific movement stresses a vulnerable area

👉 Pain cannot be ruled out as a cause of behaviour. Ever!!

Horses have only one way to communicate with us - their behaviour.
It is our responsibility to listen and to ask better questions.

And no —
Bute, Equioxx/Previcox, or other NSAIDs are NOT sufficient to rule out pain.

I have been involved in countless dissections of horses of all ages and the amount of pathology that was not diagnosed is always surprising - the horses body is complex and we do not have all the tools to rule out pain in every area.

💥I have seen;
-part of the liver adhered to the caudal ribs with an undiagnosed pelvic fracture
- Diaphragm and Spleen Scarring from an old trauma
- The brain adhered to the skull creating a balance issue
- Fusion of the vertebrae from the underside (any area that cannot be imaged)
- Fractured ribs in the chest area
- Calcification in muscles

These are just to name a few things that would be difficult to diagnose in the LIVE horse but would be creating pain!!

I’ve worked with countless horses labelled as:

“not in pain”

“nothing wrong”

“just behavioural”

They often arrive as a last resort and when we identify the underlying dysfunction and put the right practices in place, their entire demeanour changes.

🦄When posture, stability, strength, and body function improve, I consistently see horses become: - emotionally regulated

Because their body becomes a safe, balanced, predictable place to live in.

✨ This is why I run my FREE Posture & Behaviour Masterclass.
To help you understand the real physical contributors behind:

the “lazy” horse

the “reactive” horse

the horse that won’t stand for the farrier

🐴 It is your responsibility to educate yourself and advocate for your horse.

👉 Join the FREE Posture & Behaviour Masterclass
📅 Sunday 18th January | 8am AEDT

Register here - https://www.integratedvettherapeutics.com/registration-fb-jan26

Because behaviour is never “just behaviour.”

01/12/2026

Every situation is unique!

01/06/2026

Check it out!!! 📖📖🤓🤓

Anatomy of Equine Bodywork – The Equinology® Approach by Debranne Pattillo is available in 4 parts as a digital series in Kindle

12/17/2025

Join in person in September in Alberta!

This morning I had a question posted in my Equine Functional Posture Course and I thought it would be good to post here as it is an important question

“My horse has been cleared by the vet to be ridden… but when is the right time to actually start riding?”

This is such an important question!!

Being cleared by the Vet means tissues have healed enough to tolerate load.
But healing and readiness are not the same thing.

Before we climb back into the saddle, it’s worth asking a deeper question:
👉 Is my horse’s body prepared and able to carry me well - physically, posturally, and emotionally?

True readiness is about function, not just timeframes.

I look for signs like:
• Can they maintain balanced posture at rest?
- Limb alignment and positions
- Head and neck position - braced or relaxed?

• Do they have mobility and strength through the thoracic sling to enable lift at the base of the wither and maintain balance and weight off the forehand

• Is the core able to support the spine, or does movement collapse under load?
- Is there mobility of the spine in a belly lift?
- When they trot is the back well supported or is it dropping downwards with a disconnect to the pelvis

• Are they moving with ease, confidence, and symmetry or guarding and compensating?

• How do they respond to light requests - calmly and softly, or with tension and resistance?

🐴Riding too early doesn’t always look dramatic.
Often it shows up quietly:
– Loss of balance
– Subtle resistance
– Changes in behaviour
– Tension, stiffness, or reluctance
– Patterns that become “training problems” later on

💡 The ideal time to start riding is when your horse can carry themselves before they carry you.

This is where groundwork, posture work, controlled loading, and progressive reintroduction to movement become acts of welfare, not delays.

Because of the horse…
we owe them the time to rebuild balance, strength and confidence in their body not just return to work.

If you’re unsure, listen to what the body is telling you.
Posture and behaviour are always communicating - we just need to learn how to hear them.

💜🐴

12/17/2025

🇨🇦Dr. Raquel Butler in person in Canada - September 2026!!!🇨🇦

12/17/2025

🍁🍁CIECBW is EXCITED to present Dr. Raquel Butler (Integrated Veterinary Therapeutics) ONSITE in ALBERTA in September 2026!!!🍁🍁

For all members who have taken the online course(s) send your proof of receipt for a 30% off discount code!!

For everyone else take advantage of our BOGO - Sign up for level 1 and get level 2 at 50% off!!

Register at:

Level 1 - https://www.ciecbweducation.ca/product-page/eq1900-equine-functional-posture-level-1

Level 2 - https://www.ciecbweducation.ca/product-page/eq1910-equine-functional-posture-level-2

For more information please DM or email info@ciecbweducation.ca

12/09/2025

Love the Equibands!!!

12/08/2025

Did you miss the Black Friday sale - here's another amazing opportunity to get the Essential Facts of Equine Physical Therapy for a great price!!! Check out Veterinary Compendium!!