Susan Clark - Equine Touch

02/10/2025

Superficial fascia
We can get so wrapped up in lines that we often forget about the sheets 😁

We often think fascia and its importance in a healthy body as new phenomenon yet as far back as the Persian pioneers of anatomy they knew the importance of this

As far back as 1012 Persian physician Avicenna (Ibn Sina) not only wrote about fascia as a functioning part of the body describing it as a nerve like, thin, transparent woven fibres that surround organs etc, described the different layers and lots of other very interesting findings (Honestly the rabbit holes take you far back lol)
If you havent read about him then it is a must its such an interesting read and often even back then people chose popular over fact 😃😃

We often only ever talk the deeper layers and how we can influence, like deeper is more significant than superficial yet if we look at the coverage it often means whatever we are doing we are having an influence on how this structure close to the surface may be affected by our influence

Now I could write a really heavy post about the intricacies yet to be honest i dont understand everything so you would probably get an edited copy cat version of other people's words yet not my own thoughts.

If we think of it as continous structures then its all connected, not a singular event, not from one place to another, not a direct route for i think of it as a structure that takes a scenic route instead of a straight path

The lymphatic system is closely connected to the superficial system so worth noting how restrictions can occur in both with our outside influence of not allowing free flowing movement of the body, static or restricted positioning of the horses frame does not only affect muscles

Superficial fascia is not only one layer each one responding to both internal and external influence creating a harmonious inside relevant to the outside and vice versa

Staying superficial often conjures up images of being less effective yet often like a domino the effects ripple down but can also ripple up if dysfunction is deep.

Visual for me helps see what can lay beneath our hands and if we can see what we may influence we may be more cautious in our approach

Hope this helps

29/09/2025

A quick post to say thank you so much to Anke and the organisers and Frances for hosting our Equine Touch & More Open Day today. Thank you also to all the fantastic guest speakers and for everyone who attended, we had a fantastic day! More photos and a write up posted tomorrow 😊

25/09/2025

Do you know which key junction in the horse’s body can influence comfort and movement throughout the entire body?
It's the Poll–Atlas junction! It is one of the most influential areas in the horse’s body. When tension develops here, it doesn’t just affect the head and neck—it can influence movement, posture, and comfort throughout the entire body.

In our blog, we recently revisited an article that explains:

▪️ Why the Poll–Atlas Junction is so significant.
▪️How tension in this area can affect the horse’s performance and well-being.
▪️ Ways that gentle, hands-on techniques can help release restrictions.

Understanding and addressing this key junction can support your horse’s overall balance and relaxation.

📖 Read the full article here:
https://mastersonmethod.com/releasing-tension-in-the-poll-atlas-junction-can-help-the-entire-body/

24/09/2025

Looking forward to join in.

🇬🇧 On Wednesday, October 15, I will be hosting another interesting webinar. We will delve into a fascinating aspect of horse communication, namely the calming signals of head turning, neck turning, and head lowering.

This time, it will not only be a theoretical webinar, but an interactive session. I have collected a lot of visual material that I will show during the webinar.

Do you see a calming signal in the videos, or is something else going on? And how exactly do you see that? You will learn to distinguish between the use of a head turn, neck turn, and head lowering as a calming signal or, for example, because the horse sees something or is distracted.

So, do you want to train your eye to gain an even better understanding of your horse's communication? Don't miss this practical session!

This webinar is free for the participants of the community. Not a member, but want to attend the webinar? That's possible! Register here: https://calmingsignalsofhorses.com/en/product/webinar-headturn/

🇳🇱 Op woensdag 15 oktober geef ik weer een interessant webinar. We duiken in op een fascinerend aspect van paardencommunicatie, namelijk de kalmerende signalen hoofddraai, halsdraai en hoofdverlaging.

Dit keer is het niet alleen een theoretisch webinar, maar het zal een interactieve sessie worden. Ik heb veel beeldmateriaal verzameld dat ik tijdens het webinar ga laten zien. Zie je op de video’s een kalmerend signaal, of is er iets anders aan de hand? En hoe zie je dat precies? Je leert het onderscheid te maken tussen de inzet van een hoofddraai, halsdraai en hoofverlaging als kalmerend signaal of bijvoorbeeld omdat het paard iets ziet of afgeleid is.

Dus wil jij je je oog trainen zodat je een nog beter begrip krijgt over de communicatie van je paard? Mis deze praktische sessie niet!

Dit webinar is gratis voor de deelnemers van de community. Geen lid, maar wel het webinar bijwonen? Dat kan! Meld je hier aan: https://calmingsignalsofhorses.com/nl/product/webinar-hoofddraai/

Let op: dit webinar is in het Engels!

12/09/2025

The thoracic cavity as seen from the left side.

Anatomy enthusiasts can check out my work.
https://www.patreon.com/equineanatomyinlayers

11/09/2025

Behaviour is a reflection on what has happened, what is happening or what is going to happen.
Not all behaviour is undesirable in our eyes for when the horse goes quiet we often mistake their silence for a yes.

I find it fascinating how two professionals can watch the same video and draw two polar opposite views as to why the horses behaviour is happening, now often we are all just making assumptions because only the horse knows the complex reasons why but while I watched the video and noted the external stimuli that may have been the reason the other professional declared "these types of horses" "those types of owners" and how the behaviour made them feel not how the behaviour was about how the horse was feeling at the moment in time.

When we see a behaviour we need to know the background of the horse things like age, working life, home life, veterinary history, as this widens our lens on maybe why, we need to look at the enviroment the horse is in now to see if the immediate enviroment is altering the horses normal behaviour pattern, for example if you are picking up the horses foot and it proceeds to stamp it down and there is a fly hanging around then god knows we all love to talk about the nervous system yet this is one of the most basic neurological occurrences the reflex arc, and while the signal does not come from the brian to initiate a response the brain does recieve a signal because it will then send a signal to the central nervous system for for the horse to move, kick out , stamp its foot etc to remove the stimuli.

So do we make the horse stand still??? Would you be able to concentrate with a fly buzzing around you?? No your whole focus becomes on getting away from the offending stimuli or would you take away from the video the flies might of initiated a foot stamp and viola behaviour reflecting the external stimuli.

Pain is a huge reason why a horse may find it uncomfortable to stand on 3 legs, the horse had thrush so applying product will be painful, has it got thrush in the other feet?? Does adding extra load onto another foot by picking up one tip the horse over the threshold of pain it has already got
Again the nervous system nociceptors will be on fire and again the brain will only want to protect an area so will send signals to alert that area that then the horse will only think of protecting an area so its view of why you want the foot may be different from yours however many times you reassure the horse if it feels an internal our external demands will only heighten it.
A reluctance to pick up a front foot is hardly that front foot issue a horse will have to shift more weight into the hinds if a horse has arthritis in the hocks then often they will not pick up the front limb as that is the last leg standing. And why we need to ask age and history to establish a more global view of why.

Hairy legs that get picked up be the hair!!! I really hate this like how would you feel if I wanted you to move and I pulled you by the hair ??? We forget hair has its own nerve endings in the follicle and alot of hairy legged horses can also have skin or mite issues making that area super sensitive, mallanders or sallanders can thicken the skin imagine if you had sore thickened skin on the inside of your elbow would you be able to bend your arm??
Memory for these horses can impact on how they behave today, if the horse has been sore how does it know you only want to pick up the limb?? Pain memory is there to protect the body from making the same mistake.

Did you know that the bulbs of the horses heel and hoof has the same touch cells as our fingertips?? Touch matters and how we apply it matters even more

Horse first is often quoted until the human needs to get things done, wouldn't it be easier to find out why so the future sessions when working with the horse is not a rinse and repeat ??

Nervous systems are quoted without even understanding the basic, i dont write what I dont understand for then its only words without any action or worse the wrong action.

The quote of the day was even if the horse is in pain it needs to stand still, or back it up a few steps?? Erm why, standing still is hard to do when in pain and do you really want it to back up when the horse has already showed you the reluctance to load the hind end with the front limb actions.

So that is what i concluded from the video, those are the questions that would run through my brian, those are the thoughts I would have as to why, I wouldn't blame a breed I would ask why this breed has a collective behaviour and maybe question what our actions are when working with that breed because it just might not be them it might be you.

When a horse feels unsafe it has to move, when we feel unsafe we make it stand still and in that the nervous system is already at conflict.

We cannot just make assumptions without gathering all the facts that may give us some clue to a behaviour, do we want robots ?? And if we feel unsafe we can simply say stop it may work out better for the horse in that moment in time

10/09/2025

That pesky fly twitch muscle

We often obsess over fascial lines or the deep fascia yet the fascial sheets are not discussed as much and considering how superficial yet often reach much deeper and how much they cover, and how we can influence the superficial structures by touch, pressure yet we often think of superficial as somewhat inferior to deep yet all matters in the whole horse, the senses are the first mountain we must climb to ever to be able to affect those deeper structures and yet the visual clues that the superficial reveals tells us a story of what may be going on in those areas we cannot see

We have all seen our horses twitch their skin if a fly lands on them and often followed by a tail swish and a quick whip round with their head if the muscle doesn't dislodge the offending critter and that’s great that muscle is doing exactly what it is designed to do and why often we call it the fly twitch muscle rather than the term you may hear your therapist use eg. subcutaneous trunci etc etc etc (the latter part of the name will change depending on where the muscle is covering the body)

I have done a post before about this muscle because when over reactive it can cause a few issues so thought I would revisit it again

So what is it, what does It do and how this muscle can indicate other things that may be going on

Sub cutaneous means beneath the skin so we class this as a superficial muscle but it is deep enough that it should not for the most part be visible to the eye but at some times of the year it will become more visible and you will see this as a wavy line throughout certain parts of the body and again from neck to behind the last ribs

There are different latter names for where it is present in the body (see pic) and we have the subcutaneous, fasciae, coli, Omobrachialis, trunci, and superficial trunk fascia has to be included (This will enclose the subcutaneous trunci, now think of where it is and what structures will it affect )
It is a thin striated (can contract and relax independly) muscle
Fun fact in some humans we have the remnants of this muscle, on our forehead, scalp, platysma in the neck and other areas)

It is also referred to as the panniculus carnosus (panniculus derived from the Latin word cloth and carnosus derived from the Latin word flesh) it is a reflex that acts upon stimulation to the skin from the cutaneous nerves which are derived from spinal nerves, in simple terms it’s a reflex response which the horse has no control over it acts automatically when irritated, your vet may try to illicit this response when assessing neurological issues along the spine, it is super important in relation to the superficial fascial system and it makes sense for if the area becomes over reactive and the connection to the fascia are we going to lose some of the function of the skins ability to glide correctly (only my thoughts no proof lol)
It's so important we understand the action of the reflex response especially as we manipulate it so much only when the irritant has not gone with the horse make the conscious effort to get rid of it, food for thought if your horse is kicking out

Usually the reason we get called out is because often the horses have become "girthy" rather than the owner seeing that tell tale wiggly line along the body mostly they will recognise a reluctance to girth, headshaking when touched on the neck, a reluctance to stride under with the hind end, and so on and I guarantee you these calls will come in all at the same times of the year and 9 times out of 10 most of these horses have been diagnosed with ulcers or they have a sensitivity to the changes in grasses or other skin sensitivity issues etc. (mostly I will also see that tell tale swollen parotid gland Aswell)

Most of the horses that I come across are also maybe classed as nervous or sensitive but again gut brain relation works both ways each will affect the other often I see this a lot on a new horse in a new environment that may be a little worried about change

Imbalances and overworking or underworking in some areas can make this muscle visible if you see it in the neck it could mean an issue around the front end and if you see it visible around the edge of the ribs it may be a hind end issue so correct balance when working is so important so the horses body can work in harmony but we must remember internal and external and whole horse

Dehydration can also be a cause of why it becomes visible, but I don't see this often

And we have to put things into context if your horse has been out all day in the sun and there are lots of flies and insects about then of course you may see this more visible or If your horse has just moved to a new place and undergoing more work etc again you may see it more visible as always we have to look at the bigger picture and mostly if we can't explain why then we need to look further as to the why for example if this is visible throughout all the year then what is going on for us to see something which sits in the deep layer of the skin

When you see which muscles can be affected (and this is only a few) you can understand why maybe your horse is not a happy bunny at some points of the year, just look at how much the girth will cover an area of affected tissue,

I do not work softly on these horses as it can be super irritating, even placing the lead rope over the neck can irritate them, I mostly use myofascial release of long holds of compress and stretch but like I say if the horse then goes out and there are lots of flies etc we usually only offer temporary relief it's how long this is present I more focus on

Again, this is only my view through the years of working on horses and I am giving you my thoughts as to what I correlate but for me It makes sense if you look at the two pictures and merge them together are these not the area's most horses have at certain times of the year??

20/01/2025

Without question, the biggest game changer in my understanding of horse posture, movement and training was when I learned about the influence that hoof balance has on the whole horse.

Over the duration of my career, I have learned that healthy, appropriately balanced feet underpin not only the entire nervous system of the horse, but can be the difference between healthy and unhealthy movement AND injury, recovery from injury or re-injury. I have found that a horse with balanced feet will literally walk on symmetrical muscle mass - meaning from a physiotherapy perspective, having balanced feet supersedes any exercise I can prescribe.

I have also found that having balanced feet makes it considerably easier for a horse to find healthy posture, which then strips out a layer of complexity during training because your horse can already find neutral. This means that when we have horses, if we can get their foot balance right, we really are setting them up for success.

This month, I am delighted to be joined by the wonderful Beccy Smith of Holistic Equine, where she will be discussing what healthy hoof morphology really is, the factors that influence it and what you can do to help your horse. Beccy is an Integrative Equine Podiatrist who truly considers the whole horse with respect to hoof health. Her keen eye and attention to detail is second to none in the hoofcare sphere and I cannot wait for this webinar!

27.01.2025 19:00 GMT

Recording available if you can't make the live ❤️✨️

12/01/2025

09/01/2025

Happy New Year! 🎉 I saw a very special mare today 💖. Lo**ta is a highly sensitive Lusitano who came to her owner with a myriad of emotional, behavioural and physical issues.

The progress in these photos is a result of years of patient and dedicated care from her owner and a concerted team effort from everyone involved in her care and I’m grateful to be part of this team

When I first met her she was missing hoof structure, her internal foot was incredibly weak, she had shallow, infected frogs and was very uncomfortable.

She also was very wary of having her feet handled and so applying orthotic materials was really tricky, sedation not being an option for a number of reasons. She has a collection of boots that for one reason or another rubbed her or became unsuitable for continuous use.

Once the winter hit and her growth slowed - she wore down the progress we had made with her hoof growth and went into glue-on duplo shoes to support her and keep her comfortable through the winter period.

She has since gone from strength to strength in her feet and is now allowing me to do all the farrier holds and use the hoof stand with only minimal snorting!

It is so great to see this progress; to see her comfortable, happy and enjoying her groundwork. Very well done to her patient owner ❤️

With expert input from her team;

Equine Touch from Nicola Studd - Equine Touch Instructor & Practitioner
In hand work from Kat Layfield
Osteopathy from France de la Cour
Remedial Farriery from Dan Stern
Expert care from the yard owners at Isaacs Farm livery

Sorry if I’ve missed anyone. See photos - I’m so proud of her for this hind heel progress - each mm was hard won 🎉