Two Track Bodywork

08/15/2022

I have a some last minute bodywork availability on the days of Saturday August 20, Monday August 22, and Wednesday August 24. Can accommodate select evening appointments the remainder of August as well.

Also currently booking September sessions.

My bodywork sessions use massage and other hands-on techniques tailored to each horse with the goal of easing excess tension and encouraging healthy movement patterns, thereby increasing comfort and performance.

Certified and fully insured. Servicing within an hour of Orangeville/Shelburne (travel fees may apply).

Photo credit: Christina Matthews Photography

08/10/2022

This is one area it can be so easy to blame training or greenness when the horse actually has a physical issue. Of course, if your horse loses the ability to get a lead (or lead change) it used to, this is a huge red flag. But even struggling to figure it out in a green horse likely has a physical component that shouldn't be ignored. There may be a veterinary issue that can be addressed, or a physical imbalance your bodywork team can help you with to make that training go a little smoother.
https://equusmagazine.com/behavior/physical-causes-of-canter-lead-problems/?tum_source=EQUUSFB&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3MePw-PykZ57l09Z0SVYZWU2Bfi-9wLSeWQlSMqLZlPlfBcG92oqqRz9c

When your horse won't pick up the correct lead, poor training isn't usually to blame. The concept of leads at the canter or lope is simple enough:When a horse is on the correct lead, he starts each stride with the outside hind leg and ends it with the inside foreleg. Riders cue their horses to encou...

05/26/2022

Bodywork session availability for JUNE.

Regular travel area ranges from Palgrave/Schomberg to Angelstone, north to Shelburne and beyond. Send me a message for barns outside this... I can usually accommodate.

Feel free to message here, or (519) 714-2802 or twotrackbw@gmail.com

~Palgrave area, late afternoon~
June 17, 18, 23

~Open dates, afternoon or evening times~
June 1, 3
June 7, 8, 9, 10
June 15
June 21, 22
June 28, 29, 30

*Photo credit: Christina Matthews*

05/08/2022

There's probably a lot I could talk about after watching this, but I'm going to keep it short and just say: WOW! What incredible footage this is! Thanks to Centaur Biomechanics for capturing and sharing this.

04/11/2022

So excited to finally have some proper pictures of me doing bodywork. Spent a great evening with the talented Jess of Speckled J Photography and her lovely girl Zippy. The massage went great and the photos blew me away! Seriously, if you are on the hunt for an equine photographer, this girl has a great eye.

04/07/2022

Such a great illustration and explanation of a very important point! Having personally bought many used saddles over the years, sometimes without seeing them in person, I will confirm these measurements don't really mean a ton when it comes to setting the saddle on the horse.

“Dot to Dot” or “D to D” measuring on saddles:

Please for the love of everything, stop trying to fit a horse with “dot to dot” or “D to D” measurements. It does not work. Those dots or D’s are never in the same spot saddle to saddle & really they don’t tell you anything about the fit or the size. The tree of the saddle, you cannot see……..how long is your femur??? You cannot tell me exactly how long the actual bone is unless you plan to dissect it. There is too much muscle and skin hiding it. Let’s assume you’d like to remain whole - just as you’d like your saddle to remain whole. 😆 A saddle tree is no different. Unless you’re dropping panels, to measure from end of tree point to the end of the other tree point, trust me, anything you physically measure on the outside of the saddle isn’t going to give you anything accurate.

Besides that - let’s pretend for a moment you could get a proper measurement, do you have any clue how to then measure your horse to know what size they need?? Most people don’t. 💁🏼‍♀️ Add one more thing as an example - a tree with long points that measures 29cm, is not going to fit the same as a tree with short tree points measuring 29cm. So again, having any measurement isn’t really going to help you, unless you know exactly which tree measurement your horse requires in each individual tree.

I suggest, instead, you start looking at shapes. Headplate shapes to start - do you need a keyhole, A, open head or hoop?? Do you know the difference between them all? If not - start there. The head plate shape must match the horses shape……more specifically the horses “should be” shape, which isn’t always the current shape 😉 If you’re not familiar with the aforementioned listed shapes, scroll down on my page & find the post describing them & showing pics.

As I tell my clients everyday - saddle fitting is all about seeing shapes & matching shapes. It’s a giant advanced, adult version of square block goes into square hole…….but…….. how many adults do you know who would try putting the rectangle shape (on its side) through the square hole?? 🤣🤣

Photo Credits go to Steph Bloom

01/17/2022

Baby it's COLD outside. (For some of us anyway. As per usual... shush to all my Florida peeps).

If you're finding it's just too cold to ride but you want to make sure your horse maintains some fitness and doesn't stiffen up, here are some ideas for quick activities that let you keep those layers on (horse and human!).

1. Handwalk. Really! It's simple but effective. Even if your horse is still getting turnout, there is a good chance they aren't moving around out there as much as they are in other seasons. (Bonus, it can help warm you up too!)

2. Poles and obstacles. If your arena tools aren't buried under a foot of snow somewhere, go ahead and put them to use. Rather than going for calisthenic exercises like trotting grids, snow days are perfect for slow proprioceptive work. Try exercises like walking over poles at an angle and stopping halfway over a pole before restarting.

3. Backing up. This can help loosen your horse's topline and engage their abdominals. The great thing is you can do it pretty much anywhere the footing is safe, even just the barn aisle.

4. Core exercises, such as your standard "carrot stretches". Since these can be done in your stall or aisle, they are especially great on days when the footing outside makes going anywhere a hazard. And doing a few is quick! Just be especially mindful in cold weather to only ask for as much reach as the horse can willingly give in good form, and definitely stay away from any passive stretching (where YOU bring/hold the horse's body part into a position, versus the horse controlling the movement on their own).

Stay warm, and remember, this will end (and we'll be complaining about heat and bugs before you know it!)

06/03/2021

Just read Equestrian Canada will be looking at noseband tightness over the 2021 competition season. https://horsesport.com/horse-news/equestrian-canada-announces-noseband-measuring-pilot-project/amp/ Very curious to see what they find, as just two days ago I was reading a scientific publication about similar work done in England, Ireland, and Belgium. (Doherty et al, 2017). Out of 750 horses measured at competitions, 44% of horses fell into the zero fingers classification while only 7% were in the two fingers classification. 😬 Even as someone who groomed professionally and saw plenty of tight nosebands over the years, my jaw still dropped at those numbers.

I'm not anti-noseband, or even against an appropriate snugness. Just keep in mind how much difference that "one more hole" can make to this highly sensitive area for your horse (just like the difference between tall boots that fit snugly and ones that barely zip can determine whether you feel your toes while riding).

So if you are asked to participate in this pilot study, please do so and help us see where we are at here in Canada!

With equine welfare in mind, the Equine Health and Welfare Committee will be working towards the implementation of a noseband tightness rule.

04/11/2021

When equine bodyworkers talk about muscle function, trailering always comes up as the "classic" example of isometric contraction – where muscles contract without initiating movement. If you've ever done held a plank or wall sit for a long time, you understand this can be tiring... and presumably that floor or wall wasn't moving on you. Imagine doing that plank or wall sit in a moving trailer! Keep this in mind next time you hit the road with your horse and expect them to perform at the destination!

Researchers used a special horse trailer to study how horses move when they travel. They demonstrated that horses move frequently during travel to compensate for the movements of the trailer, and that a horse’s legs play an important role for dampening the vibrations from the road. Relatively litt...

04/10/2021

04/10/2021