King Equine Osteopathy

12/05/2026

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26/04/2026

A great insight into gaps your horse may have in its training.

Head on over to The Equine Catalyst for training videos and courses you can take that will help you tick all the boxes on this list.

Can your horse pass a Warrant of Fitness?
Not just on a good day… but in real life.
Can they: ✔ stand quietly for the farrier
✔ lead calmly beside you
✔ load when asked
✔ cope with clipping, hosing, and handling
✔ stand still to be mounted
Because this is where things really matter.
Not in perfect training sessions…
but in everyday situations.
This is the checklist I use with every horse I work with.

And what I’ve found, over and over again, is this: Most “problem” horse aren’t actually problems. They’re horses with gaps in their training.

So instead of chasing behaviours,
we need to go back and fill in the foundation.
That’s exactly what this checklist is designed to highlight.

👉 How many boxes can your horse tick?
Drop your score below if you’re brave 😄
This forms a big part of my course:
Educated – From the Ground Up
Where I show you exactly how to train these basics properly,
and use them to solve real-world issues.
👇 Link in comments

21/04/2026

Appointments available this Friday 24th April and next Thursday 30th April in the northwest Auckland area. I’m not normally available so if anyone would like an appointment for their horse, get in touch.

17/04/2026

Lovely horse for sale 💞🦄

22/03/2026

The 16th Elephant Osteopathy Workshop – Days 3–5

Day 3
Participants began the day with a scenic longboat journey along the Kok River to a Karen hill tribe village. Here, the group observed elephants managed in a more traditional tourism setting, gaining valuable insight into differing care practices and environments.

The afternoon included a cultural visit to Wat Huay Pla Kang in Chiang Rai, allowing participants to further immerse themselves in Thai heritage and spirituality.

The day concluded with a “Mekong Night” at the resort, featuring exceptional local cuisine alongside traditional Thai music, dance, and cultural performances.

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Day 4
The focus shifted to hands-on clinical experience. Participants observed, palpated, and treated seven elephants: Jathong, Kammool, Boonsri, Beau, Boonrod, Benz, and Boonma.

These elephants ranged in age from 19 to 63 years and displayed a wide variety of temperaments. This diversity provided an excellent learning opportunity, enabling participants to adapt their osteopathic techniques according to each elephant’s individual behavior, comfort level, and responsiveness to treatment.

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Day 5
On the final morning, participants continued practical work with three elephants—Boonsri, Beau, and Boonma. Having worked with these individuals throughout the week, the elephants demonstrated increased familiarity and trust, allowing for deeper engagement and more relaxed treatment sessions.

The workshop concluded in the afternoon with a comprehensive review session, including reflection on key learning outcomes, group discussion, and a Q&A. The program formally ended with certificate presentations to all participants.

16/03/2026

Day 2 – 16th Elephant Osteopathy Workshop

Today’s session involved the assessment and treatment of four elephants as part of the practical training component of the workshop.

We began with a structured clinical evaluation, including static observation followed by gait assessment to identify postural patterns, asymmetries, and movement restrictions. Participants were then introduced to a systematic body scanning and mapping approach, designed to refine palpation skills and encourage a more nuanced evaluation of tissue quality and structural relationships.

Following the assessment phase, participants were guided through the treatment process. Techniques applied included myofascial release, sustained soft tissue techniques, and cranial osteopathy. The focus was on developing sensitivity in palpation, understanding fascial continuity, and applying gentle, effective manual techniques appropriate for large mammals.

The session provided valuable hands-on experience and allowed participants to integrate observational findings with osteopathic treatment strategies in a clinical setting.

15/03/2026

16th Elephant Osteopathy Workshop – Day One

Today began with an introduction to elephant anatomy and physiology, exploring how osteopathic principles can be applied to animals that are significantly larger and biomechanically different from ourselves.

The group then spent time walking with the elephants in their natural environment, observing how they move and use their bodies while browsing, socialising, and communicating with one another. These observations provided valuable insight into their natural biomechanics and behaviour.

13/03/2026

Thai National Elephant Day was celebrated with a meaningful and memorable program honoring these remarkable animals. The day began with a spiritual blessing ceremony dedicated to the elephants.

School children then joined the celebration, taking part in hands-on educational activities. They observed elephant research, enjoyed traditional mahout games, and attended a fascinating elephant osteopathy demonstration led by Tony Nevin, where they even learned how to palpate elephants.

The celebration concluded with an elephant buffet, where the elephants gathered together to feast on their favorite fruits and vegetables — a fitting end to a day dedicated to learning, respect, and appreciation for these incredible animals.

22/02/2026

Contracted heels and knock on effects.

Just a quick post before I launch into my human clinic.... I’ve seen some recent cases of BAD farrier work causing badly contracted heels, navicular issues, tendon damage etc. With all these horses I was called out due to soreness or lameness often in the hind limb and lumbar spine.

If the horse has contracted heels and heel pain it will be altering not only his daily standing posture but also how he is able to move, shock absorb and use himself in work. It’s no wonder there will be tenderness in the back, hamstrings, stifles etc, nor knock on effects in the shoulders, neck and forelimbs as he attempts to redistribute his weight and ease the pain in his poor feet. If allowed to continue for too long Navicular changes, arthritic changes and spinal changes can occur.

Understanding basic foot health- being it shod or barefoot, is part of the basic pre requisite of being a horse owner. Ditto a basic understanding of saddle/gear fit, basic horse first aid, nutrition etc. We don’t all need to be experts in every field but I strongly believe there should be a basic competent level of understanding of what is right and not right. And there is NOTHING wrong with asking for help or second opinions...

I can do all the body work in the world and give all the rehab exercises in the world, but if the horses feet are terrible, their body and symptom picture will never improve. Thankfully there are MANY great farriers in this country who are more than able to remedy the situation and should be able to give you ideas on ongoing hoof care etc. And this is not a barefoot vs shod debate, I’ve seen bad in both areas and great in both!

NB.... just changed the photo (both were just stock pics off internet) as gives a clearer example.... I was in a hurry before the doorbell rang this morning!!

Sermon over 🙂

16/02/2026