Karen Perry Animal Therapy

26/01/2026

*****Natural Gut Health Workshop****

This Saturday, 31st January. This workshop is sold out. To those lovely people who are coming and have sent their deposit, we start at 9.30am, finish about 1pm. Wrap up warm!! We can huddle in my heated tack room, but we will be outside too! Hot drinks and cake available! If you need directions, please get in touch! Karenwperry@yahoo.co.uk

26/01/2026

25/01/2026

Colin made a bee line for this spear thistle yesterday and obviously enjoyed it. Generally, horses won’t eat a lot of spear thistle as they are ferociously spikey, although sometimes I will see them delicately nibbling the purple flower heads. This particular w**d had been partially uprooted, and was dying, so it must have been less pointy! All of the thistle family provide some detoxification properties, support the liver in blood sugar regulation and provide some gut support.

24/01/2026

Further to my rug post a couple of weeks ago…. Now is the time we are starting to see rug rubs. It is nearly the end of January, most horses have been rugged up since October, some more, some less. There is no end in sight for at least another 8 weeks, unless we are blessed with a rare warm and sunny day and we can have some glorious “rug off” time!

The most common rug rub areas are shoulders and withers. So many rugs are tight at the chest, some of them not even adjustable. If your horse is living in a tight shouldered rug for 23 hours a day, this will be having a negative effect on thoric sling movement, fascia and ultimately, stride length, as the horse adjusts his gait to deal with the confinement.

Wither rubs become sore really quickly. If the neck opening is the wrong fit, the friction quickly develops at the pressure point on the withers, this will rub the mane away and become very sore and reactive. I have seen this area rubbed down to the skin and bleeding! 🙈

What is the answer? It is, after all, a lottery buying rugs, as a 6’ in one make can be a completely different fit in another. I have even purchased an identical rug after one got ripped, and they had changed the fit!! So frustrating!

Try and have some rug off time everyday. Groom/massage in this time to restore fascial integrity and loosen tight spots. Change rugs if possible, from day to night. Allow horses to groom each other. Be observant to changes in hair, especially manes of hairy breeds, they can hide wither rubs until they become significantly sore.

There are companies pledging to help with this and produce a more bespoke type of rug, Equine Tailor was one I was reading up on.

Roll on Spring!

22/01/2026

In January, mother nature produces a mass of chemicals to reduce inflammation, prevent chronic diseases and reverse EMS.

Phytochemicals help the horse to cope with the effects of an over ingestion of Summer/Autumn WSC and starch. A diet, continuously too high in either (WSC/starch) produces unwanted fat pads, ‘cresty’ necks predisposing to other diseases such as laminitis and EMS. It is estimated that over 55% of our horses are obese and the forecast is that this will increase. In a natural environment, a horse would have access to many different phytochemicals from a wide range of plants, these chemicals interact with the body chemistry in a myriad of different ways to increase health and vitality. In January, a naturally grazing horse would eat large quantities of woody, stemmy material from herbs and shrubs.
Though we think this may be an inferior type of diet, perhaps its time for a rethink, as many shrubs contain beneficial active medicinal compounds?
Phytochemicals such as quercetin, luteolin and fisetin which produce lipolysis within the fat cells (adipocytes) releasing energy for use in the winter months. As the adipocytes shrink, any systemic inflammation such as EMS also stops completely! December and January are the best months for reversing EMS.
In high levels, glucose is damaging to the body and there is a strict policy on its control and storage, unused glucose cannot safely remain in circulation and high levels produce insulin resistance. Though we try to balance the diet by feeding a bagged formula, are we doing more harm than good in relation to disease prevention, as bagged feed does not contain the range of beneficial phytochemicals that can be found in a natural diet.
Best plants through January are wild rosehip branches and bark, wild blueberry bark, dried thistles, nettles and conifers. Any red berries foraged by the horse will also contain the phytochemicals needed to produce lipolysis.

From Carol Hughe ‘s Equibiome page, 2021.

20/01/2026

If you would like an oil blend personally preparing for your horse or dog, get in touch. If I haven’t met your animal before, I need an honest appraisal of their temperament and personality to make them a bespoke blend, which will be much more effective than an off the shelf mix.

Generally, essential oil blends are powerful aids for behavioural and emotional issues such as lack of trust, insecurity, anxiety, past trauma and can help with problems such as loading, travelling, spooking, issues under saddle, and lots more besides.

18/01/2026

It is always practically impossible to show, via a 20 second reel, just how effective essential oils are, especially regards emotional issues. But I still try, because I am so often blown away by the power of a concentrated herb! My darling Colin has not been himself since his best mate Rory left, and since Daisy went to Uni. I have done my best to keep him happy and calm, but he is easily upset, which he never used to be. Having only two ponies now brings its own problems, as when Baileys goes off on a Pony Club adventure, Colin is not a happy boy. I know the oils worked really well after the hunt upset him, so in order to regulate his nervous system today, when he was stressed and calling for his field sister, I did some groundwork and a hand graze, and then sat outside his stable and offered a few key oils. In literally, two and a half minutes, he was calm, processing the oils, heart rate lowered, nervous system regulated. Never ceases to impress me. It takes some knowledge, selecting the right oils for the job, and sometimes a bit of patience, but this was a super fast response.

15/01/2026

What is it about horses?

Its January, the grey is endless, the temperature hovering above freezing, it mostly rains. There is mud. Always, there is mud.
It is tricky to be uplifted and positive in January. Mental health issues become compounded and relentless. SAD is a reality.
Don’t for heavens sake watch the news, or look at social media, there is not a lot of fun to be had there. All around us life seems to be gloomy, frightening and devoid of joy.

But then there are horses!

I have just come home after a fairly pants day, wet, cold, miserable.
But then I shout Colin and he throws his head up and trots over to the fence. And that cheers me up unmeasurably! And I know that my battery will be replenished and my happy meter balanced just from bringing them in and pottering about with them.
Yes, yes, I hear you, they are expensive and self-destructive and sometimes push us to the limit. But you cannot deny, there is something very powerful about the soul of a horse, especially your own horse, the one you have a bond and connection with. But any horse will do!
I remember as a kid, spending lots of time sitting outside other peoples horse’s fields, just breathing them in, watching them interact with each other, occasionally ambling over to blow in my face with their gentle, curious faces.
It isn’t something you grow out of, not if you have truly let them under your skin.

I had a sticker as a child that proclaimed
I ❤️ ponies! Sometimes I just want to shout it out loud!
Horses. **More effective than anti-depressants! *

* disclaimer- most of the time! 😉

14/01/2026

This is the most fabulous post I have read in ages 🥰

Igor has only jumped in the ring 2 times over the last 18 months , yet he was the most rideable he’s ever been this weekend .
This is due to a number of reasons , undoubtedly and thankfully he is feeling physically good , but also because I have spent the last 18 months changing my outlook and improving my systems.

I have developed strict rules for myself whilst training - and this applies with all my horses !

-It must be fun - For both of us ! This means that the sessions are always positive. If they are too intense they are not happy and I’ve learned that they need to feel it’s achievable and enjoyable. Then they are happy to give their all.
- I work on their relaxation as much as their new skills . There is no point in putting in power and expression if you can’t relax them, over time it becomes bubbling tension . They need to be able to perform and then relax , particularly at competitions . Too much switch on is exhausting for them.
- There will be days when they don’t feel as good , that’s the nature of challenge and growth . I use these to understand and work out the limitations of my current training and reassess equipment used , my own posture etc . I very rarely have 2 of these days in a row , as I now use these for positive development, but you have to be extremely honest with yourself!
- I am constantly evolving and learning. You just have to be careful that you tweak things not make huge changes on a regular basis , or the horses will get confused, but done correctly they can learn unbelievably fast.
- I do small amounts of daily bodywork with all my horses . Loosening before tacking up , stretching and some light massage afterwards. It means I can feel areas of tightness and prevent issues and improve others that have been problematic or chronic.
- Less is more . The quieter I am with them on the ground and riding , the more we are able to bond and communicate.
- I make sure I am totally focused on them when I’m with them. I believe they deserve my attention and they really notice if you are not !
- Lastly , I tell them they are brilliant - every day and I never take them for granted now !

13/01/2026

I read a fabulous line this week.

Horses will never fake feeling good about massage!

How simple and obvious! They wont pretend to enjoy any hands on treatment just to please us! They show up with honesty, and let us know exactly how they feel!
Its what I love about my job, finding the treatment that suits that horse, no two horses have the same requirements, the same problems, the same pain threshold. Going through my toolbox of techniques and modalities to find the one that horse responds positively to, is where the experience and skill comes in. And reading the animals responses.

When working with essential oils, the most important factor is choice. Under no circumstances should the animal be forced to participate. They must be allowed to leave at any point. And as a result, the responses are honest, obvious and borne through a need of the biological chemical. And then the animal enjoys the experience, given the opportunity to choose what they need. How liberating!

I have known personalities to change dramatically, partly due to the herbs we are able to offer, but also because the horse is given a choice. Lets face it, they don’t get to choose much in their lives. We dictate whether they stay in or go out, what they eat, who their friends are, where they go, what they do…..

My greatest wish is that owners can learn to read their horses ( and dogs) better, pay attention to the subtleties of behaviour and learn to listen. Profound changes happen when we open ourselves up to what our animals are asking. And its always better to pay attention before they start shouting…

11/01/2026

How have we all coped with the freezing/windy/snowy/rainy weather? ( delete as appropriate!)

Whichever bit of weather you got, it has been pretty horrid. Here in Leicestershire we have had freezing conditions, then some snow, some rain, and then freezing again! So the fields have been sheet ice with ruts in, the roads are black ice and the arena under snow! Tricky week to keep horses entertained and active!

My guys have had plenty of nettle tea, clivers and calendula for lymph flow and plenty of other free choice herbs for enrichment.

Some lovely, winter warming herbs are;

Cinnamon- a popular warming herb, helps to dry dampness in the body and can aid curculation and digestion. Recent studies have shown that cinnamon may regulate insulin and lower blood sugars.

Ginger- can improve circulation to all parts of the body, aid lymphatic cleansing and calm digestion. Warming and comforting, can be used fresh or as a tea.

Kelp- a seaw**d that is warming in nature and contains a huge amount of minerals and micronutrients. A small amount goes a long way.

Celery seed- really helpful if your horse is suffering from a chill, also helps with degeneration of joints and tying up.

Hopefully we have a milder week ahead!