HorseDynamics Equine Bodywork

09/05/2025

I couldn’t have stated it better myself!

Before using an equine bodyworker:
Ask about their training
Ask about their experience
Ask for references
Your horses deserve qualified professionals. 💜🐴💜

06/17/2025

This was required information when I was originally certified in equine massage starting back in 2004 and I'm happy to see Equine Bodyworks By Mary Sargeant's post. Sharing because it's necessary and very helpful information that every equine bodyworker should have some knowledge of.

01/05/2025

Some excellent information for anyone responsible for their horse's health in the upcoming weather and the included link is a great read. Remember to also pay attention to your own health as the human body can suffer similar effects with the temperature changes.

The week ahead will be a trying week for those taking care of horses. I know that many of my northern friends may laugh because they don’t think that this is bad. But this is again my reminder to make sure that your horses are getting electrolytes because they do not like to drink in this weather. Please also remember that your horses muscles are colder than they usually are so even if you have an indoor arena take your time in your warm-up to reduce injuries.
Unfortunately this is the time of year that I see people take their cold and frisky horse out and let it gallop around on the end of a lunge line to wear it out.
I would like to encourage you to take this time in the winter to learn some groundwork exercises so that you can more efficiently gain a hold of your horses feet and mind before riding and without galloping around .

There is a very important organ in your horse’s body called “fascia” in this weather you could take the time to go read about the function of that special organ and then challenge yourself to think about how it’s function might be impacted by cold weather 😘
I will even give you a link to a woman’s page that does a great job with With nice easy Laymans terms to help you with equine anatomy. You’re welcome!
https://www.horsesinsideout.com/post/fascinating-fascia

11/20/2024

‼️ IMPORTANT UPDATES! PLEASE READ ‼️

🎄I will be taking a break for the holidays from December 23rd - January 2nd of 2025. At this time, calendar is fully booked through the 22nd unless there are openings due to rescheduling. I'm limiting time on phone and computer but will respond to any messages on as timely a basis as possible.

💲 There will be an increase in my fee for the second time since I started my business in 2004. Heaven forbid! I'm going up a whopping $5 to an even $100/session. Does it reflect my 1500+ hours of education and training, not to mention experience in the field? Absolutely not. What it does reflect is the priority I set from day one which is to be able to help as many horses as possible while being as gentle as I can on my client's wallet. I can say if someone is making a decision on what bodyworker to use based on how expensive they are, I'm not your girl! ☺️

➕Travel fee for anything over 30 miles from Charlotte city center is $20. I think I may have charged it three times in 2024. What else haven't I charged for? Unblanketing/blanketing, grooming prior to a session and sheath cleaning/bean removal (do you think your gelding got that 'sparkly' by himself?). Also, I include a saddle and bridle assessment (not a fitting!) in the first session with a new horse.

❤️ I am so appreciative of each and every client who has entrusted me with their horses, every professional that has taken the time to share knowledge that allows me to be more effective and of course, all of the horses that are generous with their wisdom, uplifting with their humor and comfortable enough to share their secrets.❤️

09/23/2024

Whether you haven't been able to attend a live dissection or just want to keep learning, an online dissection is an excellent tool! I've been to three in-person and two online and have learned something new from all of them. This one is being led by some of the best including Dr. Sharon May-Davis, Thirza Hendriks, Zephaniah Vermeulen, Peter van de Ven and others and will have special focus on tendons and ligaments. It will be a good one!

🇳🇱 Geschikt voor elke paardenliefhebber!

De online dissectie is waardevol voor iedereen die iets met paarden doet. Je hoeft zeker niet op professionele basis wat te doen om veel waardevolle informatie uit deze driedaagse cursus te halen. Hoe beter we het lichaam van het paard begrijpen en zien hoe alles met elkaar verbonden is, hoe beter we ze kunnen trainen en voorzien in hun behoeftes!

Ben jij erbij? Geef je snel op via onze website: https://equinestudies.e-quine.com/online-dissectie-2024/

🇬🇧 Suitable for every horse lover!

The online dissection is valuable for everyone who does something with horses. You certainly don't have to be working with horses on a professional base to get a lot of valuable information from this three-day course. The better we understand the horse's body and how everything is connected, the better we can train them and provide for their needs!

Are you joining? Register quickly via our website: https://equinestudies.e-quine.com/en/online-dissection-2024/

08/09/2024

I'm not one to use tools but I know other therapists as well as owners have invested in a massage gun. A tool like this can be as harmful as it is helpful and it all depends on how knowledgeable the user is. A couple years ago, I saw a horrifying video of a bodyworker using one of these on a horse's cervical spine and the damage could be irreparable. Using one of the horse's legs, head and even some of the bony landmarks is a big NO! If you choose to use one of these on your horse, please take the time to educate yourself.

YOU ASKED ABOUT:
MASSAGE GUNS

I have a love/hate relationship with this tool and let me explain why…

#1 they are only as effective as the person using them which means in the wrong hands used the wrong way they can be very counterproductive and in some cases harmful.

#2 they should ONLY be used over larger muscles, NOT over bony areas and NOT over leg tendons/ligaments or anywhere near the horses head.

#3 they do NOT replace professional bodywork or hands but can be a very valuable tool to complement both.

I have owners that are directly instructed how to properly use a massage gun in an area in between professional sessions when appropriate.

I have students and fellow therapist friends that have physical restrictions that make a deeper more percussion stroke manually hard for them-and they use a massage gun to help.

I bought a really nice gun on Amazon a few years back and it’s still working today.
It comes with multiple different heads that are a firm foam and very easy to disinfect.
I typically use the largest roundest head and the flattest one-I stay away from pointy ones because I have other tools that are easier to control with a point.

So-in short, massage guns can be great but I encourage you to ask a professional how to best use one if you’re an owner.
If you’re a professional, know when to use them in place of your hands.

I’m always happy to help guide you either way.

I’d love to make occasional Friday sharing posts so feel free to comment about anything you’d like to know more about as an owner or a professional and I’ll do my best to cover it!!

07/20/2024

Some fascinating and important information on hind limb enervation.

03/19/2024

This is going to be a fantastic webinar presented by Dr. Kevin Haussler via the Veterinary Spinal Compendium site. Sign up! Also, take a look at the upcoming schedule for more educational opportunities. Especially for us 'nerve nerds'!

The hyoid apparatus is currently a topic of great interest and is considered a key contributing factor to lameness and poor performance issues in horses. In this webinar, Dr. Haussler will review the anatomy and biomechanical features of the hyoid apparatus, including the muscular attachments and in...

03/04/2024

I've been doing under saddle sessions involving CST on both horse and owner for almost 10 years now. No, I don't advertise it and it's only available to clients whose horse also receives regular bodywork. Initially the work was performed on the horse with sometimes profound effect on the rider (your horse is your mirror in more ways than one!) with the physical changes making a significant difference in movement and biomechanics. I wanted to formalize the human part not only to continue the work with horse/rider but for some future plans that I'm not yet sharing. Always learning, always continuing the journey!

03/01/2024

Don't miss this one!

**𝗠𝗬𝗢𝗙𝗔𝗦𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗖 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗 – 𝗔𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗬 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗟𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗢 𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗢-𝗦𝗔𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗣𝗬**

𝗗𝗥 𝗥𝗜𝗞𝗞𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗭

SUNDAY 3rd MARCH 2024 @ 14:00 HRS GMT

Most of the Myofascial Kinetic Lines attach on the head and can therefore be affected by the bridle and the training position of the head and neck. The anatomy and the lines of the head will be presented and the pressure points of the bridle taken into consideration to understand how it can affect the head locally but also the whole spine. The lines also surrounds the temporo-mandibular joints (TMJ) so if there are problems affecting that, it can manifest as loss of subtleness in the gaits. The attachments of the deep lines to the cranium can affects the cerebrospinal fluid and should be considered in cranio-sacral therapy.


𝗧𝗢 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/myofascial-kinetic-lines-on-the-equine-head-tickets-790055305687?aff=oddtdtcreator

CPD Certificates
Video replay
Q and A

01/08/2024

A young horse might look mature on the outside but this excellent video shows the damage, some of it lifelong, that can be done by putting a horse to work before the body is ready. This kind of damage is seen all too frequently in OTTBs but any young horse can be adversely affected by asking too much, too soon.

12/22/2023

The books are closed for 2023 and I'll be taking a break until January 2nd. I am so grateful for my clients, many of whom I am blessed to call friends, the amazing horses that I've been privileged to work with and that have taught me so much and the fellow therapists and instructors who continue to share knowledge so that we can all do better. May all of you and your loved ones have a Merry Christmas and I wish you only the best for the New Year! I'll see you in 2024. 💕💕 ~ Stef

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