JC Dunnit Equine Services

04/24/2024

👏🏻TREAT THEM ALL LIKE WINNERS👏🏻

I have always wondered why we wait until a horse is winning to give them our all. I have been told several times that this is because, “when they start giving us their all, we will give them ours.” I can’t help but wonder, though, how much easier it would be for them to “give us their all” if they were comfortable from the beginning.

Why do horses have to earn quality treatment? Imagine if our parents waited for us to be successful to take us to the doctor when we were hurt, feed us properly, take us to the dentist, allow us to be outside, take us to the chiropractor/massage therapist when sports made us sore, etc,. That is EXACTLY what we do with our horses day in and day out, and sometimes even the winners aren’t given the quality care.

It is easy to shrug it off and say that horses don’t “need” bodywork. Why is it that we wait until something is needed in order for our horses to keep performing to get it done? The purpose of bodywork is to PREVENT, and when done consistently, it does a great job at doing just that.

I have said it once and I will say it many more times, I believe that if everyone had their performance horses on a regular bodywork schedule from a young age, and used kinesiology tape to support areas of the body that NEED support during performance (because we all know the fetlock is NOT the only area that needs support, yet for some reason it’s the only area that gets it), we would have a lot less of a need for injections, NSAIDs, and other pain management techniques given regularly starting from ages 9-10+. I am not against most of these techniques, however I do hate to see how in demand they are, knowing that with proper preventative care horses could last so much longer comfortably without the need of steroid injections or NSAIDs.

Preventative care is the best treatment, for all horses, not just the winners.

*DISCLAIMER*
I understand that it is difficult to afford horses no matter what, most professionals understand that, as we own horses ourselves. Most, if asked, will work with you on a plan that suits you in order to help your horse. All it takes is to ASK!

04/24/2024

SET THE EXAMPLE

In today’s world it’s hard to go against the newest or oldest “norm”…

Finding likeminded people is the best way to grow and learn about anything new but…

Being an example of doing things differently AND still respecting others that achieve their goals in another way is the best way to be. Always.

If you aren’t willing to accept that there’s more than one way to do things people won’t be open to hearing your ideas and experiences.

We need more people that can respectfully agree to disagree-while still supporting each other’s journeys.

Give grace.
Support each other.
Add value.
Lift each other up.

Lately, I’ve seen a huge uptick in “anonymous posting” and it has me thinking…

Have we been so quick to rudely judge a persons actions or questions that they feel like they can’t ask a question publicly?

OR are we so soft skinned that we can’t handle peoples opinions?

Either way-I encourage those of you that enjoy sharing to keep doing so in the most valuable ways!

….for those that get some sort of satisfaction out of being overly critical without adding any value at all-do better.

This world has enough people criticizing-choose to be a supporter.

04/15/2024

⚡️DO YOUR RESEARCH, PT. 2⚡️

As people with horses, we all have our own opinions about what is best for horses. High-Sugar Grain vs. Low Sugar/No Grain, Yearly Dental work vs. “As-needed” Dental work, Bodywork vs. No Bodywork, Regular Hoof care cycle Vs. “As-needed” Hoof care cycle, etc,. I realize that for most, these are viewed as personal opinions, which is why I wanted to share some articles with you, backed by research. All of these topics have direct effects on your horse’s wellness, so it is of upmost importance to truly KNOW what you’re putting your words behind.

⚡️Grain:

“For most horses, little or no
grain/concentrate is needed if they are on a good quality forage/hay.”

“An overload of high-sugar type feeds or high levels of fructan can upset the normal population of bacteria or protozoa - changing the environment within the hindgut that causes a cascade of problems.”

Colorado State University
https://denton.agrilife.org/files/2013/08/sugar-in-feed-and-forage.pdf

In general, the recommended amount of NSC (Non-structural Carbohydrates-the combination of sugar and starch content) for horses is around 10-12% between forage and feed. Below, I’ll share a link where you can research how much NSC your feed has. Just to put it into perspective, here is the NSC content of some of the more popular feeds:

Purina Omolene 200-40% NSC
Purina Omolene 100-35% NSC
Purina Strategy Healthy Edge-17% NSC
Purina Senior Active-18% NSC
Tribute Ultra- 26% NSC
Tribute Kalm N EZ (Textured)- 15.5% NSC
Tribute Ultra Complete-32% NSC
Tribute Seniority (Textured)- 22% NSC
Tribute Essential K- 12.5% NSC
Triple Crown Naturals Pelleted- 22% NSC
Triple Crown Perform Gold- 16% NSC
Triple Crown Low Starch- 13.5% NSC

*Remember that all amounts are IF you’re only feeding the serving size. All amounts will increase if you’re feeding over the recommended amount*

Search for your grain here: https://madbarn.com/feeds/

⚡️Dental Work:

“Every dental exam provides the opportunity to perform routine preventative dental maintenance. The end result is a healthier, more comfortable horse.”

“When turned out on pasture, horses graze almost continuously, picking up dirt and grit in the process. This, plus the silicate in grass, wears down the teeth. Stabled horses, however, may not give their teeth the same workout. Feedings are more apt to be scheduled, not continuous, and include processed grains and hays. Softer feeds require less chewing. This may allow the horse's teeth to become excessively long or to wear unevenly.”

AAEP
https://aaep.org/horsehealth/importance-maintaining-health-your-horses-mouth #:~:text=We%20often%20select%20breeding%20animals,and%20may%20even%20live%20longer.&text=Horses%20evolved%20as%20grazing%20animals,perfectly%20adapted%20for%20that%20purpose.

⚡️Bodywork:

“Equine bodywork, including techniques like massage therapy, chiropractic care, osteopathy, and acupressure, contributes to improved gait, posture, and behavior.”

“Horses recovering from injuries or surgery often face a long road to return to their previous levels of activity. Here, bodywork acts as a form of non-invasive support, accelerating the healing process. It helps by gently reintroducing movement, reducing the formation of scar tissue and easing the transition back to full health.”

The Equine Institute
https://equineinstitute.org/new-blog/the-role-of-equine-bodywork-in-horse-wellness-and-rehabilitation?format=amp

⚡️Hoof Care:

‘“An important point to remember is that excessive growth will cause the hoof to deteriorate; therefore, more frequent work is better than allowing hooves to grow long.”’

‘“Untrimmed or poorly trimmed feet are prone to flaring, chipping, and hoof defects,” Maki said. “These all reduce the effectiveness of the hoof in bearing the weight of the horse.”’

Vet Med at Texas A&M University
https://vetmed.tamu.edu/news/homepage/dont-horse-around-when-it-comes-to-hoof-care/

⚡️Remember, we ALL think we are doing the best for our horses, but wouldn’t you rather know? Doing your research is the best way to ensure your horse is feeling its best! Beware of sponsored articles, especially within the feed industry. Hopefully these articles I have shared help you and your horse in some way! Feel free to message me with questions, or if you would like me to send you more articles on any of these topics. As always, message me to book a massage and/or taping for your horse, and talk to one of my sponsored riders and get their discount code for discounted services!

03/22/2024

Why get your young horse massaged?

“They aren’t old enough to need maintenance yet,” is what most people think when they think of getting bodywork done on their young horse, HOWEVER:

-These horses have went straight into the work force, so they are bound to compensate for their new workload with sore muscles.

-Horses do not “naturally” know how to properly carry themselves under saddle, so they are using their body in a way that is unnatural, therefore causing soreness.

-Helping the body bring more circulation throughout the muscles will allow the body to support itself more, therefore preventing injury.

-COMFORTABLE HORSES ARE EASIER TO TRAIN💛 Many of the “bad habits” horses form throughout training are pain behaviors, so if we can prevent that pain, the horse will be more comfortable and a much more focused student! It is hard to focus on work when you’re hurting!

No horse should have to “earn” the right to be comfortable. Too often, young horses have their soreness neglected due to having to “earn” their right to get bodywork. They have to prove themselves “worthy” of it, but it is difficult to prove yourself while dealing with new soreness. Young horses deserve bodywork too, and I have seen many benefit from it time and time again!

I’d love to help your horse feel the benefits of Equine Massage Therapy and Kinesiology Taping! Message me to inquire or book today💛

03/13/2024

🤍STAY TEACHABLE🤍

One of the hardest things in this industry, and in life, is staying teachable. It is HARD to admit when we have been doing something “wrong” for so long. It is HARD to learn that some of the most normalized behaviors in the horse world are not meant for our horse’s comfort, but for our own.

The question I always keep in my mind is this: Is my pride more important than my horse’s comfort?

^^Lets break this down. Is being right more important than correcting soreness on my horse that I’ve been unintentionally causing?

I’m sure all of us, especially when we were starting out, were told that many of the things we did were forming bad habits for our horses, or causing them discomfort. It’s always a kick to the side to hear that. Most of the time, we would rather argue our point than open our minds to the fact that we have been going about things the wrong way.

Once we get out of that beginner stage, though, we tend to stop learning. We get comfortable where we are at.

🤍THE BIGGEST MISTAKE YOU CAN MAKE IS BELIEVING THAT YOU KNOW ENOUGH TO STOP LEARNING🤍

Never stop learning. Never stop researching topics. Never get so comfortable with your horse’s routine that you stop asking yourself, “Is there a different way to do this that is more beneficial for my horse?”

I believe that if EVERYONE who owned horses did research on nutrition, environment, tack, bodywork, hoof angles, and the affects of different routines we have created for our horses, we would end up having more comfortable horses.

BECAUSE:
-The research shows that processed grains cause inflammation throughout their bodies.
-The research shows that movement increases circulation, therefore increasing healing. It shows that confining a horse is not always the best way to promote healing.
-The research shows that improper hoof angles can be detrimental to proper movement and the longevity of a horse’s career.
-The research shows that scheduled feedings can cause gut issues due to horses naturally requiring 24/7 access to forage.

The answer is not perfection, but education. Everyone makes mistakes in their horse’s care, which is to be expected as they cannot communicate their needs to us directly. This is why we use the research into their body’s response to certain factors of their routine as their communication to us.

🤍If their body is responding negatively to what we are feeding them, riding them in, how we are trimming their hooves, the amount of movement we are allowing, etc., why keep doing those things?

I challenge you to research one topic a day, and really look into it. This could be nutrition, hoof-related, tack/equipment, movement (the effects of keeping horses stalled), bodywork, or anything else that comes to mind!

*I do not claim to know what is best for YOUR horse. This is why research is so important. My intentions are to encourage you to continue researching, and to never get comfortable with the amount of information you know! We are all still learning, and my hopes are that none of us ever quit.

03/12/2024

⚡️2024 JC DUNNIT EQUINE SERVICES SPONSORED RIDERS⚡️

I am so excited to have these girls representing what we are about, and I can’t wait to cheer them on all year and become a part of their equine wellness team! 💛

The drawing winner for $10 off a bodywork session is Kalleigh Winesburgh!

03/10/2024

Thank you SO much for everyone who applied and shared! Sponsored riders and drawing winner will be posted tomorrow!

03/08/2024

It’s the last day to apply!! Please share the original post💛 Everyone who shares will get put in a drawing to get $10 off of their next session!

⚡️2024 Sponsorship Applications⚡️
🩵Please Share🩵
I am so excited to be sponsoring a few riders this season!! No matter the discipline, anyone with horses is welcome to apply!! Applications will be accepted until this Friday, March 8th. Apply via the Google Forms attached at the bottom of this post. Please be sure to read all of the details on the flyer and on the top of the application before applying to be sure this is right for you. I cannot wait to build new relationships!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2DkWSMx-9Ltc3BfWn7nUbYsbN0T2QyfVTTihRnPYR9v_0pA/viewform

Download this app for free at: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1544827472

03/05/2024

⚡️Why should you apply to be a sponsored rider for 2024?⚡️

-Heavily discounted services
-Many free perks
-A new cheerleader in your corner
-See the positive affects of Equine Massage Therapy and Kinesiology Taping firsthand
-Learn different ways to help your horse as an owner
-AND MORE!!

⚡️Why are monthly services a requirement?⚡️

Massage frequency depends on each horse and case, HOWEVER, most of the applications I have gotten in the past and recently have been performance homes. With competition season coming up, horses will be used every weekend. Massage Therapy and Kinesiology Taping are both meant to be preventative services. If the services were only given bi-monthly, each time I came back it COULD lead to essentially “starting over”, due to the horse being used hard and not getting bodywork done more consistently.

On top of this, I want to allow you to see the progress firsthand with each session. This requires consistency, especially during competition season when a horse is being used hard. While many do see big progress from the first session, it doesn’t always work that way. Each case is different.

Think of it like this: If you started taking medicine, and the first pill made all of your symptoms go away and you felt amazing, would you quit taking them just because you feel amazing right now? No, because the effects will eventually wear off as you go about your life and continue to do the things that caused you to need the medicine in the first place. A similar ideology goes with massage. The jobs we ask our horses to do cause soreness, so if we stay “one step ahead” of that soreness, we will see progress much quicker!!

I would love to help you and your horse experience all of the benefits of bodywork throughout this season, and help you learn new things along the way-All at a lesser expense to you!! Apply via the Google Forms below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2DkWSMx-9Ltc3BfWn7nUbYsbN0T2QyfVTTihRnPYR9v_0pA/viewform

Download this app for free at: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1544827472

03/03/2024

⚡️2024 Sponsorship Applications⚡️
🩵Please Share🩵
I am so excited to be sponsoring a few riders this season!! No matter the discipline, anyone with horses is welcome to apply!! Applications will be accepted until this Friday, March 8th. Apply via the Google Forms attached at the bottom of this post. Please be sure to read all of the details on the flyer and on the top of the application before applying to be sure this is right for you. I cannot wait to build new relationships!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2DkWSMx-9Ltc3BfWn7nUbYsbN0T2QyfVTTihRnPYR9v_0pA/viewform

Download this app for free at: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1544827472

03/01/2024

SUNDAY—> THURSDAY

If you want to SEE the evidence, here it is:

In the before/after of the knee, focus on (from the perspective of the camera) the right side of the left knee. Just look at the difference in less than one week! This is with ONE session, so just imagine what monthly sessions could do for YOUR horse‼️

In the before/after of the hind leg, I wish I had gotten better before angles, but his leg was swollen up and down the fetlock, but now we can see that “curve” a bit more.

Equine Massage therapy paired with Kinesiology taping has so many benefits, most of which are hard to capture on camera, but here is your “proof”💛

Nothing makes me happier than helping horses! I would love to help yours! Message me to inquire or book!

02/19/2024

Some positive releases from tonight + fluid drainage/circulation tapings!

02/12/2024

‼️THERE IS NO “FIX ALL” FOR YOUR HORSE‼️

There is no supplement, medicine, bodywork modality, injection, etc. that will FIX all of your horse’s issues. The ONLY way to truly fix an issue is to get to the root of the problem, not to bandaid it.

-The only way to fix soreness caused by saddle/tack fit is to get a saddle/tack that fits your horse properly.
-The only way to get rid of inflammation caused by your horse’s diet is to start giving your horse the proper nutrition.
-The only way to fix soreness caused by improper equipment is to stop using that equipment.

❕THE ONLY WAY TO FIX AN ISSUE IS TO FIND THE CAUSE OF THE ISSUE AND REMOVE IT FROM THE EQUATION❕

❓How does bodywork help, though?
Bodywork can help work out the soreness caused by previous issues. If the horse is sore from a previous saddle fit issue, massage can help reduce the pain in those sore muscles, and break up the tight fascia. If your horse has an ongoing saddle fit issue, massage can help relieve the pain momentarily, but if the root of the problem has not been fixed, the soreness WILL come back. As a CAEMT, my goal is NOT to give your horse momentary relief. My goal is to find the sore areas, and help you connect the dots and figure out the root problem.

Bodywork is meant to be a method of prevention for things such as inflammation, not a temporary bandaid. Although Equine Massage Therapy and Kinesiology Taping can be GREAT at relieving pain, it is not meant to be the sole “fix” of pain.

❕THE BEST WAY TO SOLVE AN ISSUE IS TO PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING❕

I would LOVE the chance to make a difference in your horse’s life, and to help you get to the bottom of any issues your horse may be having. I would also love to help you prevent soreness through doing bodywork sessions on your horse! 🤍My Legging up Season Sale is STILL going on! If you book with me before Valentine’s Day at 9PM, your bodywork session will be HEAVILY discounted! To book, or for more information, message this page, or text me at (618)-927-5853!

02/09/2024

I think it’s safe to say miss Harlow enjoyed her massage😂 She only yawned about ten times (never when I had my camera out, which is why the last picture is very blurry😅).

Book a massage with me today by messaging this page, or call/text (618)-927-5853!

02/07/2024

⚡️Legging up season sale⚡️

It’s that time of the year again, so I’m offering a HUGE sale to reach as many horses as possible! If you message me to set up an appointment for your horse before Valentine’s Day at 9PM, you will receive this deal! The appointment does NOT need to be before Valentine’s Day!

If you have never tried massage therapy on your horse, this sale would be the perfect time to, “test the waters” without breaking the bank! Each session includes thorough muscle testing to check where your horse is sore, addresses the WHOLE body, not just the “problem” areas, and an extensive breakdown of their sore areas and how they could connect!

I can also tape those areas in order to extend the benefits of the massage, or tape other areas affected by what type of work they do in order to support those areas and prevent injury/soreness!

Message this page, or (618)-927-5853 to book with me, or feel free to ask any questions you may have!
*I am not a vet, and cannot diagnose your horse. Always consult with your vet if you think your horse has any issues*