MDR Equine Services

12/02/2025

💛🖤

THE COLD WEATHER IS UPON US! ❄️

Are you familiar with the many adaptations that help your horse stay warm during the cold winter months?

🌾 Hindgut digestion of hay produces the most heat, acting as a small furnace inside of the horse. This is why free choice; good quality hay is so important in the winter.

💪 Horses have a huge muscle mass and muscle activity produces heat. This includes running and playing and even shivering if their body temperature starts to drop. It is important to remember that these activities also will result in a bigger caloric demand so free choice hay and in some cases, grain, is often needed.

🧥 To blanket or not to blanket is a constant debate but either way, as it starts to get cold your horse will grow a thicker coat. If you decide to leave your horse unblanketed you may notice that they look “fluffy”. This is due to a phenomenon called piloerection where the hair stands up to better trap air within. Two layers of the coat also help with warmth. The inner layer is softer and has air pockets to create an insulating layer. The outer layer is coarse and has oils that keep moisture from penetrating the insulating layer and keep the horse warm.

⚖️ Wild horses go into the winter heavier than ideal, and the fat serves as an extra layer of insulation. However, if a horse is going to be kept heavily blanketed and in a barn during the cold weather months this is unnecessary and can lead to obesity related issues.

🦵Their distal limbs (below the knees and hocks) are made of mostly bones and tendons, tissues that are resistant to the cold temperatures.

🦶The hooves have an alternative route of blood circulation through larger vessels that can be used in low temperatures. This is why horses can stand in snow without detrimental effects.

👃A horse’s nose has a robust blood supply and is rounded so that it is less susceptible to frostbite than a human’s nose.
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Courtesy of the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee

12/02/2025

🌬️ Cold Weather & Sessions — A Horse-First Reminder

As temperatures drop, it’s important to understand how extreme cold affects your horse’s body during both massage and PEMF. My priority is always making sure each session is safe, comfortable, and truly beneficial for your horse.

❄️ Why Cold Weather Matters

Cold temperatures change the way your horse’s system responds to bodywork:
• Muscles tighten and lose elasticity, making release more difficult.
• Fascia becomes less pliable, which can make deeper work uncomfortable.
• Circulation slows, affecting how tissues warm, respond, and recover.
• Shivering competes with the relaxation needed for effective massage and PEMF.
• Sensitive, older, or arthritic horses can be impacted even more in low temps.

🐴 Helping Your Horse Get the Most Out of the Session

Warm, draft-free, insulated environments allow your horse to:
• Stay relaxed instead of bracing against cold.
• Respond more effectively to both massage and PEMF.
• Maintain circulation after the session to prevent re-tightening.
• Integrate changes comfortably and safely.

🎯 The Goal

The goal is to support your horse’s body so it can fully benefit from the work. When temperatures are extremely cold, making sure your horse can stay warm during and especially after the session protects their comfort, safety, and the effectiveness of both PEMF and massage.

🤍 My Priority: Comfort + Safety

I come fully prepared for winter with heated gear and layers. The focus is always on what your horse’s body needs to participate without discomfort or risk. If weather conditions make that difficult, we may adjust timing to ensure your horse gets the maximum benefit from their session.

📩 Questions or need to adjust an appointment?

Always feel free to reach out. Keeping your horse comfortable, safe, and supported is at the heart of everything I do.

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving from MDR 🖤💛

Today, my heart is extra full. I’m deeply grateful for the horses who meet me with curiosity, honesty, and trust every single day — for the quiet moments of connection, the big releases, the tiny shifts, and the privilege of working within their comfort and consent. They teach me more than they’ll ever know.

To my incredible clients: thank you for welcoming me into your barns, your routines, and your horse’s wellness team. Your dedication, communication, and unwavering commitment to your horses’ well-being is something I never take for granted. Working with you is truly a gift.

And to all the animals who make our lives richer — from the four-legged partners in the barn to the misfit ranch crew at home — thank you for the joy, grounding, and daily reminders of why this work matters.

Wishing you a peaceful, cozy, gratitude-filled day with your herds, both big and small.
Happy Thanksgiving! 🐴🖤💛

11/20/2025

In response to a client question this week, I wanted to update all MDR clients on the biosecurity procedures I practice every single day—and how I am reinforcing them during the current EHV outbreak.

This isn’t to spread panic or concern. Education is the key to understanding, and informed owners make the best decisions for their horses and barns. My goal is simply to keep everyone aware, prepared, and confident.

I keep my protocols consistent, streamlined, and effective:

🔸All PEMF loops, attachments, cords, and surfaces are thoroughly disinfected with CaviWipes between horses and again between barns.

🔸 Hand + Skin Sanitation
I sanitize my hands, scrub under nails with a nail brush, and wipe down exposed skin before and after each horse.

🔸 Clothing Control (Sometimes Changing in the Truck!) I carry multiple clean layers and change clothes between barns when appropriate. Used clothes go immediately into tied trash bags until they can be washed and disinfected at home.

🔸 Smart Barn Scheduling
Barns are sequenced intentionally to minimize crossover risk. If a location becomes higher risk, scheduling is adjusted immediately.

🔸 No Shared Soft Goods

There is never a penalty for rescheduling due to illness—safety always comes first.

A Final Note

Thank you for working with me to protect the horses we all care so deeply about. Biosecurity is part of my everyday routine—not just something implemented during outbreaks—because consistency is what keeps horses safe.

I’m committed to working collaboratively with your veterinarian, farrier, chiropractor, trainer, and the rest of your horse’s team to support safe, ethical, horse-first care.

If you have any questions about precautions, scheduling, or whether your horse is safe to receive PEMF or bodywork right now, I’m always here to help.

Please note that I am currently booking into January, and spots are filling quickly. If you know you’ll need sessions during this time, please reach out as soon as possible so I can get you on the schedule.

— Kandice | MDR Equine Therapy Services 🖤💛

11/04/2025

MDR Equine Therapy Update 🖤🐴

I’m so grateful for everyone’s patience and support over the past few weeks. As many of you know, I’ve been recovering from a pretty wild accident that left me with a laceration and tendon tear to my knee courtesy of a circular saw (yes, you read that right 😅).

I’m happy to share that I’m back to working a few days a week as I continue to heal. My first priority is getting all previously scheduled clients back on the books and ensuring each horse receives the quality, attentive care they deserve.

If you’re a new client that has expressed interest in booking, please fill out the New Client Form on my website so I can reach out as soon as I’m able:
👉 www.mdrequinetherapy.com

Thank you again for the incredible patience, encouragement, and understanding during this downtime. Your support means more than you know — and I can’t wait to be back working with your horses soon.

10/07/2025

🌾 🐴

❄🐴🌾 Is it safe to graze horses after a hard freeze? What do I need to consider before turning them back out on pasture? Also, what defines a hard freeze?

🌡 A hard freeze refers to a frost that is severe enough to end the growing season. The National Weather Service defines a hard freeze when temperatures fall below 28ºF for a few hours. Cool-season grasses commonly found in Midwest horse pastures go into dormancy for winter and conserve their energy stores (starches and sugars) following a hard freeze.

❄️ We recommend keeping horses off pastures for at least 7 days after a hard freeze. Frost-damaged pastures are higher in nonstructural carbohydrates (starches and sugars) because plants can not use up their energy stores as efficiently. It can take plants 7 days to return to more normal nonstructural carbohydrate levels. Higher levels of nonstructural carbohydrates can lead to an increase risk for laminitis, especially in horses diagnosed with or prone to obesity, laminitis, Cushings, and Equine Metabolic Syndrome.

The decision to graze again after a hard freeze depends on the condition of your pasture. After a hard freeze, no additional regrowth of the pasture will occur, even though the pasture might appear green in color. If your cool-season grass pasture is

✅ taller than 3 to 4 inches, then grazing can resume 7 days after a hard freeze and can continue until the pasture is grazed down to 3 to 4 inches.
❌ shorter than 3 to 4 inches, then no grazing should occur after a hard freeze. Grazing below 3 inches can harm the plant and lead to poor productivity next season.

🌾 Plants rely on stored nonstructural carbohydrates in the lower 3 inches for energy. Therefore, the 3- to 4-inch minimum height recommendation is necessary to help maximize winter survival and can help predict a vigorous and healthy pasture come spring. We do recognize horses rarely graze uniformly and pastures tend to have areas of both over and under grazing. You will need to base decisions on the average appearance of your pasture

10/05/2025

Lessons Beneath the Surface:

This weekend was one of deep learning and even deeper gratitude.
I had the opportunity to participate in a whole-body equine dissection — an experience that was as humbling as it was enlightening.

To witness the intricate design of the equine body firsthand — every muscle fiber, fascial layer, tendon, joint, and organ — is to truly appreciate the miracle of movement and adaptation. Each structure tells a story: of balance, compensation, and resilience.

For those of us dedicated to equine bodywork, experiences like this bridge the gap between science and feel — between what we know anatomically and what we sense through our hands. Continuing education like this keeps our work grounded in both understanding and respect.

My deepest gratitude goes to the incredible equine who made this learning possible — a silent and generous teacher whose contribution will continue to guide countless hands and hearts in the years to come.

A heartfelt thank you to Trinity Equine Services for the phenomenal instruction and guidance and to KR Acres for graciously hosting such an impactful weekend of education and connection. Working alongside High Peak Equine and meeting other same minded professionals was a cherry on top!

Every moment spent in study is a way to serve the horse better.

Maintain,Develop, Restore — through understanding.

09/17/2025

🦄🫶

If the Mind Is Unsettled, the Body Cannot Heal

We see it all the time. Horses labeled as “spooky,” “difficult,” or “bad-tempered.” But look deeper, and the truth is simple: these horses are not misbehaving—they are crying out. What we are witnessing is not defiance, but unmet needs.

At the core of every horse’s survival is one essential requirement: safety.

Without it, nothing else matters. A horse that is perpetually on edge, scanning the horizon, or bracing under pressure is not choosing to be difficult. It is living in a state of fear. And fear rewires the nervous system. Repeatedly scolding, pushing, or forcing a horse in that state doesn’t fix the issue—it confirms their belief: humans are not safe.

Over time, those pathways solidify until the horse no longer reacts with uncertainty, but with defensiveness. And who can blame them.. any one of us would do the same if we were in a constant state of terror and nobody was listening.

Yet, again and again, practitioners and trainers are asked to “fix” these horses so they can perform—compete, show, or simply obey. But here’s the hard truth: we cannot fix tissues that are locked in fear. A body braced for survival will not soften, no matter how skilled the technique or how advanced the training.

The physical issues are not primary. The mind is.

Healing—real healing—only begins when the horse feels safe enough to finally exhale. Until the nervous system lets go of its constant bracing, the muscles, fascia, and joints cannot follow.

Until the horse’s mind is settled, the body will not yield.

This truth is missed far too often. People look for the quick fix, the new modality, the stronger technique. But none of it matters until the foundation of safety is in place.

So if your horse is in panic or fear—that is the first and only priority. Not bodywork. Not more training. Not pressure disguised as “progress.”

Your task is simple, though not always easy: do whatever it takes for your horse to feel safe, seen, and heard.

Only then can healing begin.

09/12/2025

❤️🫶well said!

One of the best things about our industry is the diversity of professionals who care for horses.

Vets, farriers, trainers, saddle fitters, therapists, nutritionists, bodyworkers—we all bring something different and beautiful to the table.

That diversity should be our greatest strength. When horses and their people have access to a team of knowledgeable professionals, the outcomes are almost always better. Horses recover faster. Owners feel more supported. Professionals learn from each other.

But too often, I see the opposite.

Instead of collaboration, I see competition. Instead of respect, I see judgment.
Instead of building bridges, we build walls.

And here’s the truth: when that happens, horses lose.

👉 Owners get confused when professionals contradict each other. Sometimes they freeze and do nothing. Other times, they bounce from one professional to the next, never giving any single plan time to work.
👉 Horses slip through the cracks when interventions are piecemeal or conflicting.
👉 Trust erodes—between owners and professionals, and between colleagues.
It doesn’t have to be this way.

Collaboration doesn’t mean we all agree. It doesn’t mean we always do things the same way. What it does mean is listening, respecting, and building solutions together.

I’ve seen both sides:

🦄A mare with back pain whose vet, trainer, farrier, and saddle fitter all pointed fingers at each other. Her owner, overwhelmed, did nothing. By the time she got into rehab, things had worsened.

🦄A young gelding with lameness whose farrier, dentist, trainer, and therapist all worked together, each in their own role but with open lines of communication (we love a group chat). The horse recovered, the owner felt empowered, and the professionals learned from each other.

🧩Same puzzle pieces. Different picture.

The difference wasn’t who was “right.” The difference was collaboration.

💡 But What About Disagreement?
It’s unrealistic to expect everyone on a horse’s care team to see things the same way all the time. In fact, disagreement can be valuable—it brings different perspectives to the table.

What matters is how we handle it.

Constructive disagreement looks like this:
💙Stay curious. Instead of “you’re wrong,” try “tell me more about how you see it.”
💙Acknowledge shared goals. Even if we differ on the how, we all want the horse to be comfortable and successful.
💙Offer, don’t attack. “Here’s what I’ve noticed and why I recommend this,” is more productive than “that approach never works.”
💙Find the overlap. Often the best solution is a blend of ideas—a compromise that honors different perspectives.

When handled this way, disagreement doesn’t divide the team. It actually makes the plan stronger.

And honestly, that takes an ego check. If your need to be "the one with the answers" is bigger than your willingness to collaborate, the horse will pay the price. Owners don’t want drama. They want a team who puts the horse first.

So here’s my challenge to all of us—pros and owners alike:
✔️ Professionals, let’s be open to learning from each other, even when we disagree.
✔️ Owners, build teams of people who communicate and respect each other.
✔️ And all of us—let’s put horses before egos.

Because raising the standard of care won’t come from one person being “right.” It will come from all of us, working side by side, united by one mission: the horse comes first. 🐴💙

09/02/2025

Big or small, MDR loves them all. 💕

Rosie may be a mini, but her body works just like any other horse’s—muscles, joints, and nervous system included. Minis can hold tension and develop compensations too, which means bodywork is just as valuable for them. 🌿✨

Every horse deserves individualized care, no matter their size. 🐴

08/07/2025

MDR spotted in the program at Otter Creek Horse Trials!

I’m so proud to be a sponsor of this incredible event that celebrates the heart, grit, and partnership of horse and rider.

Wishing all competitors safe, successful, and connected rides this weekend—I’ll be cheering you on! 🖤💛

The program for the Summer Horse Trial can be found on our website,http://ottercreekfarm.com/index_htm_files/ProgramSummerHT_2025.pdf

Photo By:

08/04/2025

There’s an energy in the quiet moments—the kind you don’t force, only feel.

This weekend was full of them. From bodywork sessions where horses leaned into stillness, to one who stood just behind me, gently resting his head on my back—offering a kind of wordless companionship that said, “I feel that, too.” Even the wonderful updates from clients on horses making strides in their recovery journey.

Bodywork is more than muscles and motion. It’s presence. It’s resonance. It’s creating space for the nervous system to soften—for trust to unfold between horses, between humans, and often between both.

Grateful for a weekend spent in good company, supported by amazing clients and soulful horses. From hands-on healing to time in the saddle, these moments are a reminder of why I do what I do.

The energy in a session doesn’t just come from what’s being done—it comes from how it’s held. And this weekend, it was held with intention, connection, and care. 🖤