Equuheart Integrated Bodywork

06/29/2025

Key takeaways:

- The sacroiliac joint is not responsible for flexion. That is the job of the lumbosacral joint. The SI joint takes on the shearing forces transferred up from the hind limb. It moves in a side to side action, not a hinge action.

-The SI joint acts like the shocks in your car. It absorbs concussive force. A sprung or collapsed pelvis is like blowing your shocks. The forces exerted from the hind leg, no longer absorbed by the SI and pelvis, will now be transferred to the lumbar spine. And so begins lordosis/ ITP crowding/ overriding/ roached lumbar.

-Once the pelvis has sprung or collapsed, the p***c symphysis fuses, the SI creates bone spurs and arthritis sets in.

-There is no undoing this. This is permanent. No injection, no bodywork, nothing is restoring the pelvis to healthy function.

Becks doesn't even begin to describe implications to the distal limb. A collapsed pelvis changes the whole orientation of the acetabulum to the greater trochanter (hip joint or pelvic connection to femur bone). That changes the orientation to the stifle... That changes the orientation to the hock.... You get where I'm going with this.

This was not supposed to be a post about the efficacy and ethics of injections. I've seen injections cause a great deal of relief for many horses. I've seen them do absolutely squat, and I've seen them destabilize a horse to the point of no return.

But it scratches at the back of my brain, this game of whackamole. Inject a stifle here, a lumbar vertebrae there, while something as noxious as a collapsed pelvis continues to ooze dysfunction all over the body, indefinitely.

I am so incredibly grateful to the equine sciences collective that continues to mine for answers. I look forward to the day when I can attend a whole horse dissection. Until then, I'll keep watching for those blinks and yawns 😉

06/28/2025

The most magical day of treatments ✨ something is in the air at this farm 🪄
Wishing everyone a great long weekend. I am heading to Montana and Utah for a couple of weeks, returning sometime around July 22.

06/19/2025

One of those sessions that gives me goosebumps.

This guy is a high performance sport horse with a cribbing habit. Hes quite primitive in the mind and extremely bracey. His tendency is poll high, jaw locked and back locked.

Well today we had a breakthrough. I stood about 5 feet away to "work" on his poll. This was how far away I needed to be for him to let go. And let go he did.

We stood together for several minutes while his eyelids grew heavy, his muzzle twitched, his breathing became rhythmical, his head kept dropping lower and lower. His field buddy had joined us at this point and was close by, dozing off.

When he came out of this restorative phase, he took a deep breath and sauntered towards me, placed his whole head in my chest and it was all I could do from bursting into tears. My friend Anya (who took these photos) blurted out "thank you" so fast that even she looked surprised. I knew she had just channeled it from him.

Horses are pure magic.

06/16/2025

When they weren't knocking over ladders, eating the Bemer blanket or cough/farting with the force of a jet engine they were actually pretty cute!

06/12/2025

Trying to be the best head rest I can be in this 1 precious life 😆

05/23/2025

I get asked this question all the time.

Here is where I try and steer anyone looking for a saddle:

1. Adjustability. Even if it's an easy change gullet system and that's it. We cannot continue to ignore the ever changing topography of our horses backs.

2. Long tree points. Your tree points MUST clear the wither and sufficiently reach your horses weight bearing muscle.

3. Wide gullet channel front to back. Your horses spine doesn't reduce to 1" in width under the rear of your saddle. So why would the gullet channel?

4. Appropriate panel length. If your panels extend beyond the 18th vertebrae you are now creating lasting damage to your horse's back.

5. Appropriate panel stuffing. I don't mind the latex and foam filled or air panels so long as they are free of indents and lumps. The panels job is to cushion the tree from your horses back. If your panels look like a lumpy flat tire, Sasha will throw your saddle into oncoming traffic.

6. Something that's in your budget! A nine thousand dollar saddle does not equal a saddle that fits. There is a saddle out there for every budget. It just might take time to find it.

I'm always happy to look at and answer saddle questions. I am a bodyworker first and foremost, my ultimate priority is the health of your horse's body.

We get asked this question all the time. And the honest answer is... we can’t tell you.

That’s not because we’re being evasive, but because the question itself misses the most important point.

At our core, we offer brand-neutral education, and there's a good reason for that: what works for one horse might be completely wrong for another.

So rather than recommending a particular brand or model, we want to equip you with the knowledge to make the right decision for your horse.

The best saddle isn’t a specific brand, it’s the one that fits your horse properly.
The best saddle is one that can be adjusted over time.

Horses, just like humans, grow, change shape, develop muscle, and sometimes lose condition.

Their bodies are influenced by training intensity, diet, age, injury, seasonal changes and many other factors. That’s why a saddle that fits perfectly today might not fit in six months.

So instead of chasing a "perfect" brand, what you should really be asking is:
How adjustable is this saddle, and will it continue to fit as my horse changes?

Someone reading this has probably invested in a custom saddle that hugs every contour of their horse perfectly, only to find six months later, that it’s causing their horse discomfort.

That "perfect" fit becomes a costly mistake if you can’t adjust it.

Adjustability allows you to extend the life of your saddle, ensure ongoing comfort for your horse, and prevent expensive vet bills due to soreness or injury caused by poor fit.

A well-fitted saddle doesn’t have to be custom, it just needs to follow solid saddle-fitting principles and be adjustable in the right ways.

But here is where it gets tricky: many saddle brands advertise their saddles as “adjustable.” But not all adjustability is created equal.

In tomorrow’s post, I’ll break down exactly what to look for when shopping for an adjustable saddle and what separates truly adjustable saddles from those just using the word as a marketing tactic.

If you're saddle shopping or just want to be more informed, you won’t want to miss it.

05/12/2025

Consent based bodywork.

05/11/2025

Space for progress...
Chatting with my brilliant friend and peer Sophie Sannossiob this morning got me thinking.

Initial sessions with a horse can feel messy and disjointed. They don't know me, I'm bringing awareness to areas of tension they've expertly masked or blocked.

I have to assume it's like someone pointing at a bruise you've covered in makeup assuming no one else can see. What the hell right do I have to go reminding you about it?

It's only when I have established trust with a horse that the real changes unfold. Tension release therapy is not a one and done modality. It's layers of compensation peeled back over time coupled hopefully with new balance and strength training patterns by the owner when I'm not around (homework).

I am only human. I can also get discouraged when a session doesn't result in a beautiful release of tension but I have to remind myself it's only leaving space for progress. A new vantage point that we push off from each time.

05/09/2025

Update… from Arizona!

In an effort to keep this page about bodywork and reduce too much crossover between my two worlds, I have launched a page that will house all of my saddle fitting adventures across the United States as well as Schleese saddle inventory I have available to try in BC.

I am returning to Kamloops June 11 and taking bodywork clients from then on!



https://www.facebook.com/share/1DnQUUSk8b/?mibextid=

02/14/2025

Nice to meet you 😊

I have a few new followers and I thought I would update my bio on here!

My name is Sasha, I am a certified Masterson Method Practitioner currently living in Kamloops, British Columbia.
I have a special interest in structural integration and nerve release. Currently, I am pursuing courses with Balance Through Movement as well as Postural Rehabilitation.

I also work for Schleese saddles as part of their team which takes me throughout the United States on saddle sales and fitting clinics.

I am an ex competitive show jumper, turned dressage wanna-be turned aspiring academic art of riding student. I am so so blessed to work with a wonderful trainer here in Kamloops and lease a super talented school master.

My passion lies in horse welfare. Everything I subscribe to speaks for their well-being and attempts to create harmony between human and horse.

I offer bodywork services in Kamloops and surrounding areas as well as saddle fit consultations.

02/12/2025

Saddle care and leather cleaning tips as promised.
These are recommendations Schleese saddles gives to our clients. Brand recommendations may vary but we'll get into some of the facts, because that's what we like here at Equuheart...science!

1. Leather, like our skin, prefers a nice ph balance. Anything too acidic or too basic will not be good for it.
Sweat is very acidic and soap is basic. Neither of these things should sit on the leather of your saddle for an extended period of time.
You wouldn't lather your skin with soap without washing it off and I'm sure you don't love the feeling of sweat drying into your skin. Yuk. Your saddle should be wiped clean of both of these things any time they come into contact with the leather.

2. Oil, particularly vegetable oil based products leech through leather (which is porous) and dissolve glue. Ever had someone put peanut butter in your hair to get out something sticky and awful or am I aging myself? Same concept. Avoid using oil products on your seat or flaps. Most seats and knee rolls use glue to adhere the leather to the foam underneath it. I'm sure you've seen saddles with wrinkly, puffy leather on knee rolls and seats. Chances are oil has been used, it weakens the glue and friction pulls the leather from the foam. Oil based products can be used on your panels, leather girth and sweat flap.

3. Sweat + oil/conditioner rots your leather and eats through stitching. Weve all seen it, the dreaded school bridle/saddle. The leather is dark, it's mushy, it's sticky it's awful...could you even find a stitch of thread if your life depended on it? Kids don't clean the sweat off the tack but they're instructed to use whatever gunk is in a nearby tin. They slather it on with a vile old sponge before the next kid comes along to bake some more sweat and cream into it. I can smell this scenario, it's visceral for me, I WAS that school kid 😂.

4. Limit conditioner on your billets. Do not include them in the regular conditioning of your saddle unless you want stretched, wonky uneven billets with droopy holes. If you discover cracks in your billets that go deeper than the very surface of the leather, they are unsafe. Use a good quality leather soap (that you wipe off after), to keep them clean and in good working condition.

5. We recommend a beeswax based or animal fat based conditioner for the seat and panels of our saddles. Passier Lederbalsam is a good one.

In summary: always clean the sweat off your saddle before applying conditioner. Make sure you are using safe products, in the right places, for your leather. Ask your brand rep if you're unsure. Chances are you paid a pretty penny for your saddle, make sure it lasts for many years!