Tracy Fawley, ESMT Equine Sports Massage Therapy

03/18/2026

03/04/2026

02/28/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭?

Let’s clear something up —
You are not “too old.”
You are not “too behind.”
And you are definitely not the only one who feels nervous walking into a barn.

Some of the strongest riders I teach started at 30, 40, even 60.

Courage looks different as an adult.
And honestly? It’s more impressive.

What made you start riding — or what’s holding you back? 🐎

02/27/2026

Hess Equine experienced a tragic first this week. With a combined 50+ years of practicing equine veterinary medicine, our team saw the first (and hopefully last!) case of equine rabies.

The reality is that rabies is 100% preventable with adequate annual vaccination.

The truth is that rabies is 100% fatal once symptoms develop.

The brutality is that there is no way to test for rabies in a living animal.

Pennsylvania was one of the top six states reporting the greatest number of rabies cases in 2022. The commonwealth continues to have a very high incidence of the disease in wild and feral animals.

EVERY mammal is susceptible to the rabies virus.

Horses by their very existence are in close proximity to wild animals that may carry rabies (notably: raccoons, foxes, skunks, bats, groundhogs, etc). We generally see very few cases of equine rabies because most horse owners follow veterinary recommendations and annually vaccinate against rabies.

There are two forms of the rabies virus:

1. Furious: this is marked by significant aggression, abnormal vocalization, foaming at the mouth, fear of water (especially human cases), the classic “old yeller” version. Furious rabies accounts for about 80% of rabies cases, making it recognizable with the single most common factor among domestically affected animals being the lack of proper vaccine administration.
2. Paralytic: these animals become weaker and weaker, eventually paralysis sets in, and finally coma & death.

The incubation period from the time of exposure to the saliva of an infected animal through a break in the skin (typically a bite or scratch) is normally 2-3 months but can be as soon as one week and may take up to one year for central nervous system infection and resulting symptoms. NOTE: this is NOT like “old yeller”, this is a disease that takes time to manifest.

The bottom line in preventing the unnecessary and tragic loss of your equid to rabies is PROPERLY VACCINATING THEM EVERY YEAR UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF YOUR VETERINARIAN.

If you believe you may have been bitten by a rabid animal or come into contact with the saliva of a potentially rabid animal please seek medical attention immediately and contact your local health department.

If you would like to learn more about the rabies virus and how it affects humans worldwide please visit https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/rabies.

02/15/2026

02/10/2026

01/20/2026

Karen Rohlf guides you to make training plans for your horse. 8 Weekly live calls with work time and Q&A. Based on the Happy Athlete Progress Journal.

01/19/2026

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧, 𝐨𝐫 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫?

Horsemanship is so much more than riding.

It’s the quiet moments in the barn getting to know your horse’s every quirk and habit.

It’s knowing how your horse moves, thinks, eats, rests, and reacts.
It’s recognizing when something feels off before it becomes a problem and knowing when to act.

True horsemanship means getting your hands dirty because it’s the right thing to do for your horse. It’s learning to clean a perfect stall, bandage a leg, give an injection and know when to call the vet. It’s all of the little not so glamorous details that require personal sacrifices every day. Horsemanship means putting the needs of your horse above your own wants. Sometimes that means a few extra hours at the barn to make sure your horse is feeling his best, and sometimes that means forfeiting that big show because Sparky isn’t.

Anyone can ride a horse.
Horsemanship is a dedication to being your absolute best for the horse that depends on you.

When you take the time to get to know your horse inside and out, and begin to truly care about the details of your horse’s well being above your own, that’s when you learn horsemanship.

𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦… 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘯.