Cristina’s Equine Bodywork

07/24/2025

⚖️ I use balance pads for proprioceptive and postural therapy, helping to make horses more aware of their bodies and to activate and release deep stabilizer muscles. We can learn a lot about a horse’s preferences and compensation patterns by the way they respond to them.

For example:

✨If a horse always loads one limb more heavily, they might favour that limb. It might indicate soreness on the opposite side.

✨If a horse rotates or twists on a pad, there might be imbalance or asymmetry in the body - possibly from pelvic, sacral, or shoulder tension.

✨If a horse only puts its toes on, they might be stretching out sore ligaments and tendons.

✨If a horse only puts its heels on, they might be trying to relieve heel pain.

✨If a horse shifts weight quickly, they might not be able to tolerate pressure. The pad might be too challenging. There might be pain/discomfort in the limb or somewhere else in the body.

✨If a horse consistently places a foot on a certain pad (hard, squishy or slanted): the horse is choosing what feels good or supportive - self-regulating therapy.

✨If a horse avoids the pad, they might not feel safe, it might be too unstable, or the foot/leg/body associated with that limb might be uncomfortable.

After I have introduced the pads, I leave them and let the horse find the position they need. It’s very interesting to see what they choose!

www.equinemassage.co

07/18/2025

🔺The “equine pyramid” of health and performance is a framework that outlines the priorities of care and interventions for our horses 🔺

It is not an exact guideline but the concept is that basic needs and foundations must be addressed before advanced therapies or training can be truly effective.

🚫 Bodywork is not a substitute for veterinary or farrier care, it is an important complementary therapy once the foundations are in place.

Think of it as enhancing comfort, function, and performance — and potentially helping you detect issues before they become problems.

It is not something to be done before veterinary care and it is not something to be done only where there’s a visible problem - that is a vet call!

Your horse will get the most out of its bodywork sessions when their basic needs and foundations of care are met.

🩺 Bodywork is done at the approval of vets especially if your horse has an injury or ailment. NOTE: ONLY vets can diagnose. Information that comes up in a session can help you sort through issues but only a DVM can diagnose and often imaging equipment is required so there is no way for me to know what is happening inside your horse.

🩴 Bodywork will not be successful if your horse has issues with their hooves but it can be beneficial during the hoof rehab process.

🐎 Bodywork will not be successful if the horse’s tack is causing discomfort. But bodywork can help identify this issue and help alleviate discomfort while the tack is being assessed.

🌾 Bodywork will not be successful if a horse is hungry.

☺️ Bodywork will not be successful if a horse’s well-being is a concern. If it is lacking in enrichment, consistency in handling or its interaction with people. Coaches and trainers are the ones to help with this.

Bodywork is an important part of a horse’s regular maintenance and we must consider the pyramid to ensure they get the most out of it ✨

KEY TAKE AWAY …. It takes a village🧑🏼‍🔬👩‍⚕️🧑‍⚖️👩🏼‍🏫🕵🏻👨🏽‍💻

www.equinemassage.co

07/17/2025

Bodywork for foals ✅

Setting her up for a life of comfort and mobility.

Important things to remember:

💕Always work with veterinary guidance, especially if there’s a health concern (e.g., contracted tendons, angular limb deformities)

💕 Sessions should be short and positive, allowing the foal to move, nurse (she nursed twice) and explore.

💕The dam should be present to help the foal feel secure.

💕Consent and curiosity are key—working with the foal’s natural interest, not against resistance.

07/14/2025

Dr. Workman treated 171 Lumbosacral joints in the past 12 months. Why? Because it is one of the most problematic junctions in the equine spine- both clinically and also on necropsy results.

The lumbosacral joint is the main point of flexion and extension of the pelvis. This is the spinal section responsible for pelvic flexion and hind limb engagement (NOT the sacroiliac joints or ligaments). This major site of flexion has a central spinal disc section, associated articular facets, intervertebral foramen and the intertransverse joints between L6 and S1. It is mainly flexed through the hypaxial muscles- particularly psoas major. Some studies show alterations to the anatomy between the lumbar spine and sacrum at 30-33%. This means 30% of horses have an underlying structural issue that will cause complications to their ability to flex their pelvis (engage hind end). This structural defect will likely lead to not only lower-level performance but also higher rates of degeneration (arthritis, joint erosion, foramen narrowing, nerve impingement - PAIN).

That is why we treat so many lumbosacral joints and far fewer sacroiliac joints. Clinical exam and detailed ultrasounds can help us determine if this region is problematic in your horses.

07/13/2025

Watch the video to learn how Jochen came to become a saddle maker…

https://youtu.be/GIhbtzXjYvM

07/07/2025

🐎200,000 Horses analyzed
👩‍🏭6,000 Riders Helped Per Year
🔬38+yrs In Research & Saddle Innovations
👩‍💻2.6 million views of educational videos

SCHLEESE - THE FEMALE SADDLE SPECIALIST

Jochen will join me live:

✨MONDAY JULY 14th @ 4pm EST

to answer some of our questions around saddles, saddle fit and how to keep our horses feeling their best!

I know many of you have saddles that you love 💕 The goal of this educational program is to spread awareness and education about the ailments of improperly fitted tack and the benefits of properly fitted tack.

He will be answering questions that some of you asked in my poll recently. And answering questions that come up often in my bodywork sessions.

https://schleese.com

…

07/07/2025

07/05/2025

07/05/2025

07/04/2025

📸 Why do I take before and after photos??

‼️They are in no way an accurate representation of anything ‼️

They are just a different way of viewing the whole horse. Some information to add to the work and very helpful to look back on to monitor progress. Photos are good from the beginning to the end of a session but really informative from session to session.

They show us if there were any change in posture and stance afterward the session - improvement?? Is the horse showing us something new? Sometimes when I start to peel back the layers, they show us something that makes them look less comfortable than when we started. And that’s good!! That’s information!

What does their facial expression tell us? Are their eyes more relaxed and soft afterwards? How are they standing? How are they holding their head? What did the neck do? Chest? Back? Hind end? So many pieces to look at. During each session we are gathering information. It is the horses way of telling us what’s going on, what they are feeling.

www.equinemassage.co