Kat's Equine Therapy - Equine Sports Massage Therapist

12/10/2024

Very excited to announce my new venture into Aberdeenshire! From end November, I will have spaces available for FULL LIVERY between Mintlaw and Ellon.

If you would like to know more, please send me a message or take a look at the dedicated webpage on my website!

The livery package is designed for retirement livery, however, horses/ponies in work are welcome too. I'd be very happy to discuss any specific requirements for individual horses and ponies.

Green Havens Livery Centre, set on 24 acres, caters to all types of horses and ponies and offers full livery packages, particularly suitable as retirement livery.

14/02/2024

As usual, some good advice from PC Australia!
I often suggest walking exercises (either ridden or from the ground) for clients as they are beneficial for stretching the muscles, getting your horse fit and warming up/cooling down. Some exercises (for example, pole work) are also brilliant to develop your horse’s proprioception and get them thinking about where they are putting their feet - which is then very useful on rougher terrain or when jumping!

Here's 10 good reasons to walk a horse. You can probably think of more 😊

1. Horses were born to move around and graze. It is not acceptable to keep horses confined in yards or stables without providing lots of opportunities for movement (unless they are injured and a vet prescribes confinement.)

2. Leading your horse at the walk can improve your horse’s groundwork, a very useful training tool which is taught in the PCA certificate manuals. It also helps build trust.

3. Leading your horse at the walk on a ‘ride’ is good for your physical health too.

4. Walking helps make horses supple and strong. They are working but don’t tire as quickly as they would at faster paces. If your horse is coming back from injury or a long spell, it should be the basis of his return to work for several weeks.

5. There are many movements you can perfect at a walk before moving on to faster speeds. (eg turning around bending poles or drums, riding into corners, serpentines, working over poles on the ground).

6. Walking helps release tension in a tense horse. It allows for full contraction of the long back muscles in a contraction-relaxation cycle. The fine-tuned motor control that is possible at the walk can enable you to help your horse find more range of motion and joint flexion. For example arriving at Pony Club or a competition can be stressful so the best thing is to quietly walk your horse around until he settles.

7. Walking with friends and their horses helps your horse socialise and learn to work in groups without the stress of any activities. Tackling some rougher country with other horses and riders can help with your horse’s confidence and sure-footedness.

8. It is a great way to get a horse fit, especially if the terrain is undulating or hilly.

9. Walking is the best way to start warming up your horse before he starts work, and to cool him down afterwards. He should not be tied up after strenuous work until his heart rate returns to normal. Once the saddle is removed he should be washed down to remove sweat and then walked as long as needed.

10. Walking does not have to be boring. If you cannot walk along tracks or through paddocks, set up obstacles such as a working equitation/handy mount course * or do some polework *

* Both are Disciplines of the Month which can be found on the PCA website, with plenty of ideas to try.
https://ponyclubaustralia.com.au/sports/discipline-of-the-month/

25/01/2024

As the 2024 season gets ever closer, everyone will be busy preparing their horses and ponies for upcoming competitions and events! Let's hope this weather improves soon...!

If you are interested in booking a treatment session for your horse or pony to help improve both physical and mental wellbeing, send me a message!

I am a member of the International Association of Animal Therapists, so you can also read a bit more about me in my bio on their website.

🐴🥰🐴

16/01/2024

It does cause a lot of disruption to life (carrying those many buckets of water to frozen troughs is not exactly what I'd call fun...), but I do love a snowy walk!

Anyone else got some snowy scenes??

🐕❄️❤️

29/11/2023

13/11/2023

It is awful to read the stats on this.

I knew bullying happened within our industry but never imagined it could be this bad.

This has to stop.

With the focus on SLO these days we are at risk of losing our entire industry - and for good reason! We need to not only do better and be better for our equines but also for the other people in the equine sector.

Let’s make some noise about this.

If you are affected by bullying in the equestrian industry, get in touch with Riders Minds - website and phone numbers below.

76% of equestrians have been bullied

Research conducted by Riders Minds, has revealed that 76% of equestrians have been bullied, with a
further 85% saying that they have witnessed bullying within the industry.
Of those equestrians who have been bullied a staggering 77% felt unable to speak out.
The shocking survey results have been released in conjunction with Anti-Bullying Week, with this
year’s theme being ‘Make a Noise About Bullying’.
Victoria Wright, Founder and Chair of Riders Minds said, “The results of the recent survey are
staggering, to see around 80% of people having experienced or witnessed bullying within an
equestrian related environment is a bitter pill for the industry to swallow.
With the launch of our anti-bullying campaign, we hope to target the issues physically or over the
internet, by creating a movement that the industry can follow. In response to people needing mental
health support more than ever, Riders Minds have extended the services that we provide with
instant online counselling support, one to one sessions, new self-help content online and the
continuation of our 24/7 helpline. We are proud to be one of the few mental health charities to be
able to offer this service.”
Mental Health Coach and Riders Minds Consultant, Sylvia Bruce said, “The effect of bullying on
mental health is more far reaching than many realise. It’s not only the direct effect on the bullied
who can experience emotional, physical, physiological, thoughts and behavioural change, often with
devastating effects including su***de, but also the ripple effect on those loved ones supporting the
person being bullied, the witnesses, those handling bullying cases, and even the equines if the
bullied person’s behaviour and responses change. We must come together - bullying has no place in
equestrianism.”
In response to the statistics, Riders Minds have launched a bullying resource on the website with
information detailing what bullying is, advice on what to do if you are being bullied, or are
witnessing bullying, and support for those affected.
To find out more about Riders Minds and to access the live chat go to https://ridersminds.org/. If
you would like to talk to someone call the helpline on 0300 102 1540, or text 07860 065 202. All of
the Riders Minds services are free, 100% confidential, and accessible 24 hours a day.
For more information on Anti-Bullying Week go to: https://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/.

27/10/2023

Using terms like ‘naughty’, ‘lazy’ or ‘stubborn’ to describe a horse’s unwanted behaviour demonstrates a lack of understanding by the rider or handler.

Using such terms shows the person is not a knowledgeable horse person who recognises the part their behaviour plays in the horse’s behaviour.

Horses need clear and consistent aids and consistent expectations for their behaviour. If aids are unclear (for example, using the same aid to ask for two different things) or behavioural expectations are inconsistent (for example, if you reward a behaviour one day and then punish it the next day), the horse’s world becomes unpredictable and scary.

In this situation, the horse is unsure which behaviour you want when you apply an aid or which behaviour will lead to them receiving a reward or being punished. This leads to confusion and worry in the horse, who then tries to solve it first by flight response (running out, running backwards, trying to escape), then by fighting and finally by giving up.

This is explained more in the rider certificate manuals and in the PCA Horse Welfare Policy https://ponyclubaustralia.com.au/about-us/resources/
Or go to the Horse Welfare Policy under Policies and Risk Management on the PCA website.

* You should of course always have your horse checked by a vet to ensure pain or injury is not causing performance issues.

24/10/2023

** 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗺𝗻/𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀 **

During November and December I am offering £𝟱 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲!

Treat your horse or pony to a sports massage for 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 £𝟯𝟬 – that’s more than 10% off the usual price.

Get in touch today for more info and to book!

Further discounts may apply for multiple horse bookings or multi-session bookings.

23/10/2023

I am excited to announce that I am now based permanently in Crieff, Perthshire. Still happy to travel so will be covering Perthshire, Angus, Fife and Stirlingshire.

If you live outwith these areas but are still interested I would still love to hear from you - I am happy to travel further if there are multiple horses or ponies looking for treatment 😄

** 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗺𝗻/𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 ** - 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙬 - keep an eye on this page...!