Buck-It-Better

06/09/2025

Not sure how we did it! But we did it!! 💒 👰🏻‍♀️ 👰🏼‍♀️

With a very challenging few weeks leading up to the wedding, good old horses like to test your sanity 🤣 What we thought would be a fairytale reunion with Merri & Rose, didn’t quite work out that way! Merri had a bit of a meltdown, which caused her to injure her annula ligament (in her bad leg 😭) initially suspected her tendon, we were preparing to say our goodbyes to her 2 days before the wedding. (Shes a huge girl, arthritis, 17 & was severely struggling to get up and down despite a ton of pain meds). Anyway, the scan revealed her tendon still intact but her ligament twice the size of what it should be 😢
But we agreed to give her some time.

We have managed to get her back out in the field and started to reduce pain medication. But we have some serious thinking to do ahead of winter as this type of injury is likely to reoccur (bit like us going over on our ankle badly and it remains weak and easily done again) & her quality of life will always be my priority! If she cannot comfortably get up and down its no life for her! But we have some time to think things through for properly & enjoy some time with her ♥️

Time did work wonders for her & Rose and they are back together, grooming each other and the milk bar has remained closed 💪🏼😆

Rose is doing fabulous & has adjusted to several changes incredibly well! 🌹 😇

Despite our emotional little roller coaster, we had the most amazing day with our fabulous friends & family 🥰

Oh & we added some additional chaos by rescuing a little sausage, everyone meet Nacho 🐾

Yes we are bonkers 🤪

Cant wait to see all your Neddies in the next few months! 🐴 🙌🏼

03/09/2025

😂😂

16/08/2025

I may be taking a little break from massaging, but Im always down for baby Donkey snuggles 🥰 How adorable is little Petal? 🌺 😍

06/08/2025

Morning everyone 👋🏼

I am sorry I have been very quiet these past few weeks, I have been a tad distracted 🙈

My precious girl had a very poorly eye, which quite quickly deteriorated. We got her into the vets as quickly as we could (putting a real challenge to our gradual weaning plan for baby Rose) but, after intense treatment, the eye wasn’t improving as we had hoped and the risk of it reoccurring was very high. So we opted for an enucleation (eye removal).

Merri is doing well and has made a full recovery, allbeit with some additional assistance and support. She doesnt have 100% vision in her remaining eye, so it was a very difficult decision to make 😭

Amongst this our little Diamond appeared to have a touch of laminitis, which meant we had to separate the herd and manage carefully- not ideal with newly partially blind horse 🙈
Meanwhile baby Rose is enjoying a little break away with some other friends whilst her mummy recovers!

Oh and I get married in just over 3 weeks so planning a wedding hasnt been easy 😂

Anyway, I will be back to usual come September and will have some free appointments to come and see your beautiful horses for some treatments 🙌🏼 🐴

I may do a cheeky offer to celebrate becoming a Mrs! 👰🏻‍♀️

Have a lovely rest of the summer holidays & I will see you all in a few weeks 🐴🥂

23/07/2025

🧠🐴 Poll & TMJ — Small Areas, Big Impact! 🐴🧠
Did you know that two of the most powerful yet often overlooked areas on your horse’s body are the poll and the TMJ?

You’ll often see me working through the Poll & TMJ a lot during your 4 legged friends treatments and here’s why ⬇️

✨ The Poll – Located right behind your horse’s ears, this spot is where the skull meets the top of the spine. It’s a MAJOR nerve center and a key player in how your horse carries their head, neck, and body. Tightness here can lead to resistance, stiffness often presenting as being unable to bend or head shaking when ridden and even behavioral issues under saddle.

🦷 The TMJ – The temporomandibular joint (a fancy word for jaw joint) is vital for chewing, balance, and relaxation. When this joint is restricted, it can create tension all the way down the neck, shoulders, and back (thoracic sling) – affecting your horse's overall performance and comfort.

🔍 Why It Matters:

Tension in the poll or TMJ can mimic training or behavioral problems
Poor saddle fit can contribute to or worsen poll/TMJ stress
Bodywork and proper saddle fitting can relieve discomfort, improve movement, and boost your horse’s mood (yes, they smile inside too!)

As an equine bodyworker and saddle fitter, I assess these critical areas during every session — ensuring your horse isn’t just pain-free, but also ready to perform their best.

📸 Have a head-shy horse? One that resists the bridle , tosses their head or is unable to offer bend/suppleness ? It’s time to get their Poll & TMJ checked!

30/06/2025

CHRONIC PROGRESSIVE LYMPHOEDEMA (CPL) – NOT ‘JUST COB LEGS’
CPL is a condition that we see relatively often in our ‘hairy’ population, but just because it is common doesn’t mean that it should be ignored and considered ‘normal’.

CPL is a long term (chronic) condition which results in the build up of fluid within the layers of skin in the legs (lymphoedema), resulting in inflammation and fibrosis of the tissue within the legs, and the loss of elastin. Affected horses will have thicker than normal skin, and go on to develop nodules or rolls of skin on their legs. These will generally worsen over time.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for CPL, and so long-term, ongoing management is needed to try slow progression of this condition.

Management focuses on four areas:
🟢 Lymphatic drainage – movement, movement, movement! This helps pump fluid back out of the lower limbs. Certain massage techniques and compressive bandaging may help in some cases.
🟢 Skin hygiene – secondary bacterial and yeast skin infections are common in these cases due to the lack of airflow to the skin. Regular clipping of the feathers, medicated shampoos for bathing and good stable hygiene are recommended.
🟢 Ectoparasite control – whilst mites are not the sole cause of CPL, their presence will make things worse by promoting inflammation. In severe cases, topical mite treatments may be recommended over injectable treatments, as the thickness of the skin can be problematic. Fly strike (maggots) are also possible.
🟢 Diet - higher starch/sugar diets are linked to higher insulin levels, and in turn higher levels of inflammatory cytokines within the blood stream – this can promote inflammation within the lower limbs. Therefore, a low sugar diet is recommended in these horses, and weight loss where appropriate.

If you have any questions on CPL, as always, please feel free to contact our team.

27/06/2025

My baby Rose is experiencing some very understandable growing pains at the moment! Not surprising, being 14.1 at under 1 years old!

People keep asking me why my yearling looks like a fully set horse 🙈🤣

The muscle on this filly, honestly Is quite unreal! Shes great to be handled but still learning every day & have been using natural horsemanship for as much activity as we can at this stage.

I knew a full massage would be a-lot for Rose to digest in one go, so I just did a snip-pit to see how she reacts and identify some areas shes a bit uncomfortable with. As I predicted, her hind end- shes ridiculously bum high too 🤣

Think she loved a good bit of work on her hamstrings what do we rekon? 💪🏼🥰

25/06/2025

Anyone else? 🪰 ✋ 🤣

22/06/2025

Great little description of the thoracic sling!💪🏼 🐴

18/06/2025

🥵 ☀️ Heatwave Incoming…. ☀️ 🥵

Us humans love it! But our horses may not share our enthusiasm!

A few things to keep your best friends more comfortable 🐴

💦 Lots of fresh, cool water & encourage drinking as much as you can, they may appreciate a nice mash 😋 or a bit of apple bobbing 😆

🌳 The choice of shelter or some shade, especially in peak times 🌞

🐎 Exercise when its not too hot, so early mornings and late evenings may be wise ⏰

🚿 Rinse off & cool them down (& no its not dangerous to leave excess water on them 🤣)

Enjoy the sun folks! ☀️

09/06/2025

04/06/2025

New rug day! Im in love with these waterproof fly rugs with all this wet, warm weather. 🩷💜
Always has to be Swish Horse Rugs 🐴