Cristina’s Equine Bodywork

03/07/2026

We are working with her chiropractor on some RH issues … check out the improvement using the Hackett Equine balance pad ✨

Using the pad helps her find relaxation and support while developing her proprioception and activating the deep stabilizer muscles 💪 💕

Her owner will be purchasing her own set so she can continue working on developing the RH. Balance pads are an easy addition to your daily routine.

Note: we don’t force the horse onto the pad - we offer it and let them use it how they need to. And …. less is more… they do not need to be on them for long to get the benefits.

03/04/2026

I just finished the lecture: “Surgical advances in managing cervical conditions: From ‘pinched nerves’ to spinal cord compression” presented by
Jose M. Garcia-Lopez, VMD, DACVS, DACVSMR, Associate Professor of Large Animal Surgery.

Take aways:

✨Cervical pain is a significant cause of poor performance in equine athletes

✨Cervical pain can look like an unwillingness to work, lameness, neurological deficits, or “not quite right”

✨Look for - neck stiffness, pain, muscle atrophy, muscle hypertrophy, lameness

✨Evaluate with - palpation, lameness exam, dynamic movements, imaging (x-ray, ultrasound, CT)

✨Treatments include - NSAIDS, injections, surgery

✨ Causes are multiple and not very well known. Still much to learn. But include - genetics, injury, tension (style of riding, muscle development etc).

03/03/2026

“Lasting change comes from movements the horse controls, not movements done to them”

03/03/2026

I’m going to wrap up this series with the 𝐂𝐎𝐗𝐎𝐅𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐉𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐓 aka the 𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒋𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕.

The equine hip joint is located between the acetabulum of the pelvis (aka the hip) and the head of the femur.

The hip allows for flexion, extension, and limited rotation. This is all SUPER important for stride length, collection, as well as acceleration / deceleration.

𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐌𝐔𝐑
Unique to horses, we don’t have this😉
Restricts excessive abduction (away from the body)
Stabilizes the femoral head within the acetabulum
𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐌𝐔𝐑
Stabilizes the femoral head to the acetabulum
Provides central joint stability

𝐆𝐋𝐔𝐓𝐄𝐔𝐒 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐔𝐒
Largest propulsive muscle
Drives hip extension and power of the hind end
𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐋𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐆𝐋𝐔𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐒
Assist in stabilization and controlled rotation
𝐁𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐏𝐒 𝐅𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐒
Extends the hip and brings the body forward
𝐒𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐎𝐒𝐔𝐒 & 𝐒𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐒𝐔𝐒
Major hip extensors contributing to engagement
𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐎𝐑 𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐀 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐄
Assists in hip flexion
Stabilizes the lateral limb
𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐎𝐀𝐒
Primary hip flexor
Critical for protraction (the leg coming forward)

𝐆𝐋𝐔𝐄𝐀𝐋 𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐀 & 𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐀 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐄
Integrate the hip musculature into the thoracolumbar and pelvis

The hip joint plays a huge role in hind end extension.

During the push off phase of stride, concentric contraction of the gluteals and hamstrings extends the femur caudally (backwards, behind the body), driving the body forward.

In collection, the hip must flex under load. This allows the horse to lower the pelvis and coil the hind limb beneath the body.

Here is a little snippet in where hind end engagement begins.

In turns and lateral work, the hip manages controlled rotation and stabilization.

Power originates in the hip, but must be coordinated with SI stability to be efficient.

Hip dysfunction in horses is often subtle and easily confused with SI, stifle, or lumbar pain…. It’s easy to get lost because of how interconnected the hind end is.

Common signs of possible hip dysfunction -
• Reduced stride length behind
• Difficulty bringing the limb forward (protraction restriction)
• Resistance to collection
• Loss of impulsion
• Cross firing
• Struggling to sit in a turn or stop

Seeing a trend here?

If the hip is strong and powerful but the SI cannot stabilize, we have an issue. If the SI is stable but the hip cannot generate extension, performance plateaus. It’s a cycle.

When both systems are balanced, the horse feels soft and strong… not heavy, strung out, or disconnected.

Because the hip joint is deep and heavily muscled, primary osteoarthritis is not as common than soft tissue strain or muscular imbalance. However, repetitive heavy work load, especially in young or poorly conditioned horses, can lead to joint inflammation, muscular strain, or compensatory overload patterns.

In young horses, the proximal femoral physis and pelvic growth centers remain open until about 5-6 years old. The acetabulum and femoral head must mature and ossify fully before they can tolerate repetitive torque.

Developmental timing matters.
Conditioning matters.
Symmetry matters.

When we zoom out, we can really see how interconnected the body is. One structure affects the next. The body is constantly working together.

If one piece falls behind, another compensates.

This is why understanding anatomy matters. And I understand it’s a lot and very overwhelming. And that’s okay. It’s allowed to be. It’s all about peeling back the layers to learn more. The more we learn, the better we can understand our horses.

It’s about how well the body coordinates as a balanced entity. 💜

#𝙐𝙣𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨

03/02/2026

02/27/2026

02/26/2026

✨ Every. Word. Of. This. ✨

This vet sums up my work perfectly!

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

02/25/2026

12 Important Ways Fascial Health Shapes Your Horse’s Entire System

Fascia: The Integrative Regulatory System of the Whole Horse

Fascia is not just connective tissue. It is an active interface between mechanics, neurology, circulation, immunity, and cellular signaling. It constantly participates in regulation at multiple levels of the system.

Here’s a comprehensive breakdown.

Ways Fascia Functions as a Regulatory Tissue

1. Sensory Regulation

Fascia is densely innervated. It contains:
• Ruffini endings (slow stretch, parasympathetic influence)
• Pacinian corpuscles (rapid change detection)
• Golgi-type receptors (tension/load sensing)
• Free nerve endings (nociception & interoception)

Because of this, fascia helps regulate:
• Muscle tone
• Postural adjustments
• Protective guarding
• Autonomic balance

It continuously informs the nervous system about load, tension, shear, and pressure. Motor output is adjusted based on this feedback.

Fascia helps regulate how much tone is appropriate.

2. Autonomic Regulation

Slow sustained fascial input has been associated with increased vagal activity and reduced sympathetic arousal.

Through its mechanoreceptors and interoceptive pathways, fascia participates in:
• Heart rate variability
• Stress response modulation
• Breath patterning
• Baseline arousal level

It acts as a bridge between mechanical input and autonomic output.

3. Mechanical Load Regulation

Fascia distributes force across regions of the body via:
• Myofascial chains
• Aponeuroses
• Epimuscular transmission pathways

It regulates:
• Force transmission
• Joint compression vs decompression
• Elastic recoil
• Shock absorption

When fascial glide and elasticity are optimal, load sharing is more efficient. When restricted, the system compensates with increased tone.

4. Fluid Regulation

Fascia is a hydrated, gel-like matrix composed largely of extracellular matrix (ECM).

It regulates:
• Interstitial fluid dynamics
• Lymphatic flow
• Venous return
• Diffusion of nutrients and waste

Ground substance exhibits thixotropy — viscosity changes with movement and pressure. This means fascia regulates fluid viscosity based on mechanical demand.

Movement and manual therapy influence this property.

5. Cellular & Biochemical Regulation

Fascia houses fibroblasts, myofibroblasts, immune cells, and vascular structures.

Through mechanotransduction (via integrins and cytoskeletal signaling), fascial tension influences:
• Gene expression
• Collagen remodeling
• Inflammatory signaling
• Tissue repair processes

Mechanical input becomes biochemical response.

Fascia regulates adaptation at the cellular level.

6. Proprioceptive & Spatial Regulation

Fascia contributes to:
• Body map accuracy
• Joint position sense
• Movement coordination
• Stability perception

Altered fascial tension can distort proprioceptive input. Restoring glide improves spatial clarity.

Tone recalibrates accordingly.

7. Neuromuscular Coordination

Fascia connects muscles into functional units. It regulates:
• Timing of muscle activation
• Synergy between muscle groups
• Elastic energy storage and return
• Efficiency of movement patterns

It is not just a wrapper around muscle — it coordinates force between muscles.

8. Inflammatory Regulation

Fascial tissue participates in immune signaling and inflammatory processes.

It regulates:
• Cytokine signaling
• Local inflammatory responses
• Tissue repair dynamics

Chronic mechanical stress can alter inflammatory tone within the ECM.

Mechanical environment influences inflammatory state.

9. Pain Modulation

Because fascia is richly innervated, it plays a role in:
• Nociceptive signaling
• Central sensitization input
• Mechanosensitivity

Improving fascial mobility may reduce aberrant nociceptive input and lower protective motor output.

10. Energetic & Elastic Regulation

Fascia stores and releases elastic energy.

It regulates:
• Movement efficiency
• Energy conservation
• Elastic recoil in locomotion

Healthy fascia supports spring.
Compromised fascia increases metabolic cost.

11. Boundary & Compartment Regulation

Fascial layers compartmentalize:
• Muscle groups
• Neurovascular bundles
• Organ systems

These boundaries regulate pressure differentials and directional force transmission.

Compartment stiffness affects internal mechanics.

12. Psychophysiological Regulation

Because fascia interfaces with the autonomic nervous system and interoception, it participates in:
• Emotional expression patterns
• Chronic holding strategies
• Stress embodiment

Postural tone often reflects long-term autonomic patterns.

Fascia becomes part of the organism’s regulatory history.

In Summary

Fascia regulates:
• Tone
• Load
• Fluid
• Cellular signaling
• Inflammation
• Proprioception
• Autonomic balance
• Elastic efficiency
• Spatial awareness
• Protective response

It is a communication network as much as a connective tissue.

When you work with fascia, you are influencing regulation across systems — not just mobility.

https://koperequine.com/from-poll-to-sacrum-the-dural-sleeve-and-the-dural-fascial-kinetic-chain/

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02/22/2026

02/22/2026

There was a time when I genuinely believed you just had to work with what you were given.

If a horse was croup high, that was just their conformation.

If the connection wasn’t quite right, that was just how they were built.

If they struggled to bend, struggled to lift, struggled to load… well, that was just the horse in front of you.

And for a long time, I trained like that.

I adjusted around it.
I compensated for it.
I accepted it.

Until I realised something that completely changed the way I see horses.

Not everything we label as “permanent structure” is actually permanent.
Not everything we assume is fixed… is fixed.

Posture can change.
Balance can change.
Range of motion can change.
Loading patterns can change.

Even things we think are just “their way of going” can change.

That realisation was game-changing.

Because once I understood that many of the patterns I was seeing were influenceable — not fixed — I stopped just managing horses.

I started helping them.

Instead of saying, “That’s just how they are,”
I started asking,
“Why is the body organising itself like that?”

Where is it stabilising?
Where is it overworking?
Where is it avoiding load?

And once you understand that, you can reverse engineer it.

You can give the horse space where there wasn’t space.
You can help them find balance where they’ve only ever known compensation.
You can allow muscle to develop where previously it simply couldn’t.

And that is when horses start to feel different in their bodies.

Feet become easier to pick up.
Turning becomes softer.
Connection becomes clearer.

Not because we forced anything.

But because we changed what was happening inside.

These days I do a lot of posture and movement assessments. I’m actually correlating the data from them at the moment, and what’s emerging is fascinating.

Patterns repeat.
Compensations repeat.
Training issues and physical restrictions overlap far more than people realise.

And the most satisfying part?

Watching a horse who has struggled for years suddenly find space in their own body.

Watching them realise movement doesn’t have to feel like effort and tension.

Watching them become more comfortable.
More capable.
More willing.

That shift — from “this is just how they are”
to “this can be influenced” —
changed everything for me.

It trained my eye.
It deepened my understanding.
And it reshaped how I train, how I teach, and how I advocate for horses.

Because so often the horse isn’t limited by who they are.

They’re limited by what their body has been allowed to organise into.

And that can be changed.

02/21/2026

As prey animals, when a horse’s neck is tight and elevated it puts them into flight mode🚀. Creates tension. Anxiety. Reduces air flow.

Helping horses to relax through the neck and breathe 🌬️, will help create more suppleness and reduce anxiety. Good air flow creates more fluid movement through the entire body. Something I am working on in my own riding!! (NOTE: I am not recommending people ride with their horse’s nose on the ground).

When a horse is tense and braced we also run the risk of soft tissue injuries. Spending a moment on the ground helping your horse find relaxation is a great way to help them move and feel their best ✨

02/20/2026