Acupoint Therapies

10/28/2025

Check out the wildlife rehab using acupuncture!! 😍

10/12/2025

This new platform, called Hale and Hearty Horses is foremost a podcast to educate horse owners, trainers and caretakers about integrative healthcare for horses and holistic practices they can uitlize themselves. Because every horse deserves health in body, mind and spirit. Find Hale and Hearty Horses on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. And of course on Haleandheartyhorses.com.

10/12/2025

https://youtube.com/shorts/7nJ0ryC-DtM?feature=share

One of the greatest joys is getting this kind of thank you from a client. Warms my heart. Congratulations to my client the winner of the 2025 TB Makeover F...

10/12/2025

Jacquelyn’s story and her strength through the heart break of losing her son is beyond words. Her and her horses are dear to me as is the time we quietly spend in the barn during her horses sessions.

Congratulations Jacquelyn on this tribute to Austin. You have taken what would have broken most and used it to help others in need.

“You can find her book “The Dash” on Amazon. The Dash is a deeply personal and powerful tribute written by Jacquelyn Dickey in honor of her son, Austin Dickey was a gifted photographer, adventurer, and gentle soul who died by su***de at the age of 30. Through a blend of journal entries, photographic reflections, and raw storytelling, the book explores Austin’s vibrant life, his art, and the deep grief left in the wake of his passing.

The title refers to the symbolic dash between the dates of birth and death — the short line that represents an entire lifetime. This book is Jacquelyn’s way of making sure Austin’s dash is not defined by how his life ended, but by the love he gave, the beauty he captured, and the way he lived. It is both a memorial and a message: a voice speaking into the silence that su***de leaves behind, a hand reaching out to others who grieve, and a testament to the enduring bond between a mother and her son.”

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19eUBNPRYq/?mibextid=wwXIfr

09/13/2025

We will go out on a limb here…
Horses need their ribs to be functional.

That should not be a shocking or controversial topic, yet it is. Clinical significance of ECVM is highly controversial between veterinarians. ECVM horses are sometimes missing their first ribs.

I have heard the excuse that these horses have an anatomical variant. That if it was clinically significant or a malformation they could not be competing. That if they can compete with it- it must be a “normal variant” and not a malformation. If that is the logic used then that rule must stand for all – navicular, hock arthritis, OCDs, kissing spine, neck arthritis. As those are all accepted clinically significant diseases. We recognize that horses can be born with, develop early on, or can occur with use but yet often do compete successfully with these conditions.

Yes that missing rib and malformed lower neck can be the cause of pain, reactivity, lameness, girthiness, behavioral concerns, tripping/stumbling ex. Yes, it is a significant diagnosis, similar to the rest mentioned above. Some horses can be managed to have successful careers, and some cannot. However, missing your first rib, having your ventral neck muscles malformed and compressing your brachial plexus in the wrong area is indeed clinically significant, no one will ever convince us otherwise.

All to often, owners have been told heir horse’s necks were normal, but yet the malformation is present. Owners, trainers, and veterinarians who cite one paper determining that ECVM is not clinically significant, ignore their horses’ clinical signs, and discredit ECVM as a possible clinical cause - will always be invited to come see a necropsy with Rexos. Not all ECVM horses are unusable, similar to kissing spines- some struggle while others do not. They all however need support, management, and to be heard when they give subtle signs of pain. When you necropsy a horse who is clinically affected - their bodies so vividly tell a story of disfunction and pain. These horses show their stories of pain so clearly in necropsies. They can have one or more missing ribs, incorrect muscle attachments (thus biomechanics affected), serious nerve entrapments, trachea malformations, and more. It is impossible to walk away thinking this is not clinically significant.

Photo of rudimentary first rib, with abnormal brachial plexus placement trapped under. Yes that would be painful and cause tripping/forelimb lameness.

09/10/2025

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05/05/2025

Prescriptions are essential for health, but they often come with a side effect that’s frequently overlooked: nutrient depletion. From Adderall to antibiotics, these medications may be life-saving but can quietly strip your body of key nutrients like magnesium, vitamin C, and folic acid.⁠

Even after finishing your medication, its impact on your nutrient levels can linger for months or even years. Understanding how your medication affects your body is crucial. For example, Adderall may help with focus but can deplete your magnesium reserves, which are essential for mental health 🧠.⁠

But don’t worry! Knowledge is power. With the expertise of .pharmd we've crafted this drug-induced nutrient depletion chart to help you understand which nutrients might be affected by your medications. Don’t just treat the symptoms—stay informed and maintain a balanced, nourished body 💪🏼.

03/06/2025

Women’s harmones

01/19/2025

Strongly agree! Forcing position always causes compensatory injury in key areas of the body. Developing the horse to handle ridden work and thrive mentally, physically and emotionally requires a skilled team.

12/07/2024

Beautiful home grown scoby for my kombucha.

12/07/2024

There has been so much going on around the topic of ECVM, this congenital malformation is one we are diagnosing, managing and studying at Denali Equine in partnership with Rexos Inc, under the guidance of the legendary Dr. Sharon May-Davis. We wanted to give you the top ten points on ECVM facts. (Sorry this is long- Well worth the full read!)

1. ECVM is a congenital condition, meaning they are born with it. We suspect it is a recessive genetic disorder because two unaffected adults can produce offspring with it. There are several groups racing to find the genetics behind this condition. More information on the horizon.

2. ECVM is not a fatal diagnosis. However, it can be. It depends on the severity of the malformation and how well the horse can functionally compensate.

3. Radiographs of the lower neck are necessary to diagnose the condition. These radiographs must be clear lateral and obliques of C6, C7 and ideally T1. These can be done in the field for most horses. However larger generators do get better images.

4. Variability: Horses can be either a bilateral or unilateral malformation of C6, which in 52% of C6 cases can transpose either bilaterally or unilaterally. To C7; T1 and the first ribs are variably affected.

5. Studies show horses with transposition of the ventral lamina to C7 are more likely to suffer from clinical neck pain than horses with normal anatomy. In our experience horses with rib malformations have more severe clinical signs than those with normal ribs (no clear studies yet).

6. The bones absolutely do not tell the whole story. However, bones do not lie. They often indicate the level of soft tissue malformations present. The more severe the boney changes- the more severe the soft tissue is altered around them.

7. Clinical picture: all horses are not lame, but they do all have subtle clinical signs. Most often the clinical signs are not limb related lameness (but can be). These horses can show signs of the pain ethogram, rearing, sporadic behavior, abnormal front limb flight patterns (especially with equipment), girthiness, resistance to go forward, doesn’t like physical touch (brushing, blanketing ex). The signs are so variable for every horse!

8. The common things heard from owners/trainers:
* The horse was always bad from the start (this is concerning for the more severe cases)
* The horse was fine until it wasn’t. We find this is from something changed in the program. i.e., was imported, switched barns, changed jobs.
* They don’t understand why the horse is failing quicker than usual as it gets older. As the horse ages the clinical signs become more apparent. The body can only manage for so long. Think of it this way- the foundation was built wrong from the beginning. Therefore, it takes time for the cracks in your walls or floors to show, it then takes those cracks a while before they become a structural problem in your house.
* A minor incident happened and now they’re not ok. Suspect an injury can cause the horse to spiral out of stabilization or have the ability to compensate. An example could be getting cast or trailering event then the horse was never the same. Example, you do not know your house wasn’t built well until the storm blows it over.

9. These horses have significant soft tissue pathology on necropsies. Therefore, no matter what the data is showing us: If the horse has ECVM, is clinical, and other differentials have been ruled out these horses are clinically affected by the ECVM.

10. On necropsies we have found:
* Missing, malformed and fractured ribs
* Abnormal nerve patterns, these nerves can be totally entrapped and compressed by abnormal muscle patterns. The dorsal scalene can trap the large nerves of the brachial plexus within its abnormal paths. The phrenic nerve can get pulled inappropriately and leave impressions within the ventral scalene.
* Abnormal muscles: dorsal scalene, ventral scalene, iliocostalis, longus coli, re**us abdominal, intercostal muscles, serratus ventails cervicis. All these muscles have critical roles in stability, proprioception, and biomechanics.
* Abnormal vascular patterns
* Trachea abnormalities
* Fascial changes

ECVM is currently a controversial and sensitive topic so we thought we would share a few known quick facts to help you understand this issue better. Please go to our website (www.DenaliEquine.com) to find more information and links to the current studies on this disease. We are researching and studying these horses! We are working on several angles of research right now throughout Non-Profit Rexos Inc. If you would like more information on how you can help, please reach out!

DeClue Equine saddlefitting.us

11/07/2024

This chronic, unblockable left forelimb lameness presented to us for evaluation. This is a rope horse for a very special client. As you can see from the pictures below, the left shoulder was bulged and the right shoulder was hollow. The horse was lame on the left front but the problem was actually originating from the right side.

Without the discoveries of Dr. Audrey Declue, we wouldn’t have been able to fix this horse. His lameness was not blockable. Let us repeat, blocking the limb did not improve his lameness! Spoiler alert, the problem wasn’t in the limb. We spend countless hours studying anatomy in vet school. We learn how to block lameness and we learn how to treat joints. What about the rest of the horse? What about the axial skeleton?

Dr. Kate Workman also needs credit for her endless patience as she taught Dr. Ashman how to think differently, how to treat these odd cases. She and Dr. Declue are pioneers in equine vet medicine and in research to change the future.

After a series of injections, shockwave, and rehabilitation, this big guy is back in business. We couldn’t be more thankful!