Moray Equine Therapist

07/07/2025

Monday with Tilly Terror
This is a day I have mentioned to several people as it shows her character to a T.
Walking along a single road and chatting to my friend on her horse there's a wall to my left with a grass platform. Who would think anything of it?
The next thing Tilly whips left and I grab her mane as she bounces up and over the wall standing at the top proud as punch leaving me sitting on her still wondering what just happened. She doesn't grab the grass or do anything but just stands there surveying her kingdom.
This pony is mad and no way I'm sitting on her to get back off. I jump off, reins over her head and jump down off the wall. Holding the end I encourage her down and she glee fully jumps down with her front end and slides her hinds down the wall.

I shake my head, laugh and jump back on her. The nutty horse tries to whip left and do the same trick so I hold her straight. Getting frustrated as not being allowed to do her own thing she jigs sideways and backwards before hitting the deck and landing on her knees.

One and a half hours from home I now have a pony with bleeding knees so I lead her home for a long walk. She's pulling my arm out it's sockets and no way can I do this for miles so I hop back on as she's not lame.

We get to a stream and I take her in so I can wash her knees to try and make her not look like a murder victim (grey pony so it looks bad).

After that day any time we passed a similar looking wall I feel her bunch up and get ready to go so I had to keep the right rein contact as no-one wants a pony in their garden.
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What has your horse done that you didn't expect?

30/06/2025

Tilly Terror - She brings back so many happy memories and some frustrating ones. This little mare would pull the rope over the gate post, pull the gate towards herself and go for a stroll around the yard until breakfast time. The yard was safe thankfully but she would weave in and out of cars, eat grass she could find but when you got to the yard, looked around and spied her she would trot off as though you wanted to catch her right then.

A different field the gate latch was left as horses went out and wandered off into the field. It got locked at night but it was constantly in use during the day and right beside the stables. I got into my car, start reversing and Tilly opens the gate and brings herself in. I put the car back, take Tilly and put her back. This happened a few times before I finally locked the gate! She would wait until I was in my car and the door closed before she would swing the gate open.

Even now she still will play with a gate.

28/06/2025

SPACE TAKEN - there are limited spaces in July and Aug.

massage - £35. I am a fully cert and insured Equine Sports Massage Therapist. -

🐴 Reduce muscle tension
🐴 Increase blood flow
🐴 Improve flexibility
🐴 Can help reduce injury

📒✏️ Pm me to get pencilled in to help your horse.

26/05/2025

Tilly Terror Monday Madness

Lets talk about the day I met her. Highland ponies were not anywhere near my favourite breed. They were alright but I had not met any I gelled with.
6am in Nov 2006 and I'm out with my camera (still very much a beginner) and taking photos of various horses in all the fields. I had been told a new horse was arriving that evening to be brought on and sold and it was a young Highland pony mare.

I wander into the first paddock and see the new horse, a chunky Highland and take a few photos of her alongside another Highland just because (picture here).
I move into the paddock and focus on one horse. The next thing I know this little Highland that's 4 years old comes up behind me and peers over my shoulder at my camera wanting to know what I'm doing. Hi Tilly.

I take my shots and move on. This pony following me around the paddock and stopping as I do. I hop over the fence into the next paddock and the young horse follows but as I walk away I hear banging. Tilly has her hoof on the gate and now I'm worried she's going to slip and her hoof will get caught in the bars so I start walking back towards her. She's a sly one and pulls her hoof back and stands and watches me.
Turning my back on her I walk away again and sure enough the gate starts clanging. (Another photo of her standing with her previous companion). This young pony has learned very quickly how to get attention so shaking my head and praying she does not injure herself I walk away.

I should have known then that this pony was full of mischief but there was something about her so I decided to take her on and start working with her and see what she was like.

12/05/2025

I am going to do a meet my ponies this week as it's due to them that I have my Equine Sports Massage Therapist Cert

Meet pony 1:
This pony doesn't need much introduction in Moray as shes been on various yards due to my own needs changing. Tilly is a grey 23 year old Highland pony and we've been a partnership for 18.5 years.

We have had ups and downs as we all do especially when she escaped her field daily or when she was so stressed on one yard that she was galloping and rearing - shouting at me that she wasn't coping.
A quick move and she reverted back to my sweet girl instantly.

She may be sweet but she's not innocent. This girl has oodles of personality and I've had many friends in peels of laughter with her antics.
(Watch out for Manic Monday and I'll share some of these stories each week).

In her ridden career Tilly has done low level dressage, show jumping, showing, cross country and endurance as well as miles upon miles of hacking.

Health wise she has had 4 abscesses, has asthma, a few diastemas and at one point I got the vet out telling them, "she's not sound but she's not lame" as it was so minute but she wasn't her usual striding, happy self as it was every so often she wasn't quite right. She came back and her age has caught up to her so we do what Tilly wants to do. One week that's trotting up the beach but the next she's raring to go and is like a small, chunky Thoroughbred racing across the sand.

I credit my healthy pony to my team of longterm regular experts: saddler, dentist, vet, physiotherapist, sports massage therapist, podiatry and others brought in as and when required plus her own determination that she'll be one hoof in the grave before she retires.

If you know Tilly feel free to throw in a comment on a memory that stands out to you.

08/05/2025

Get in touch to book a massage for your horse or pony. There are so many benefits to a massage that it's "not just a pamper" and here are just a few of them:

✅️ Increased flexibility
✅️ Improved suppleness
✅️ Improved circulation
✅️ Improved lymphatic drainage
✅️ Release tension
✅️ Reduce stress

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🎊 It's Tallah's birthday month so a reduced price of £30 to celebrate. 🎊
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Helping get your horse balanced for optimal performance

I am a fully insured & trained Equine Sports Massage Therapist.

Price for a full body massage is £35.

Contact me to book your horse in.

08/05/2025

My newest client was this handsome gelding. I've heard about him for years so it felt like I already knew him and he was just as lovely in person as I imagined.
His owner does a great job with him and his tiniest Shetland companion would have easily fitted in my car but I suspect their owner might have noticed if she went missing 😂

08/05/2025

Testimonials from 2 lovely clients.

27/10/2023

Compensatory patterns are fascinating and how the issue stems from what can seem like an unrelated body part.

Every horse's posture tells us a story. A story we should listen to and study....

Studying how the horse works helps us recognise their strengths, weaknesses and compensatory issues.

Anatomy is so interconnected it is impossible to affect one part of the horses body without influencing his balance, posture and movement throughout. This helps explain why sometimes a issue which appears in one area is caused by a problem or weakness in another.

This picture illustrates some common compensation patterns.

15/10/2023

How fabulous is this poster? Dressage is often seen as different from schooling and often riders think they're not good enough to give it a go. It's all about breaking it down into manageable chunks and think of what benefits it gives to the horse.

What an excellent poster for visual learners!

13/10/2023

I'm Carrie and I've been studying for months and am nearly finished my training to be an Equine Sports Massage & Rehabilitation Therapist.
I've been involved with horses for over 20 years in a variety of roles and now dedicate my time to my own horses.