The Missing Piece

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Marshfield, MA
The Missing Piece

The Missing Piece provides in depth and overall equine fitness rehabilitation, as well as body work for performance enhancement.

03/18/2026

I know everyone hates to see me coming because you know I’m going to tell you to work on one thing with your horse and that is…. Ground work!

Ground has so many benefits for your horse, as well we yourselves. I can tell you that the riders who did ground work this winter, are all telling me how much of an easier transition they are having getting their horse back to work this spring! Ground work really is the base for all!

Reasons I like ground work:
🌸develop a trusting relationship with your horse
🌸get those transitions nice and sharp
🌸actually see your horse taking correct steps in their lateral work
🌸keep a better eye on your horse’s body awareness and if there is a pain response happening

So- if you are looking for a good way to get moving again and don’t know where to start or aren’t sure you are quite ready for riding or maybe your arena isn’t ready yet.. start with ground work! I promise, it will pay off as summer rolls around!

03/15/2026

Anyone who has had me see their horse at any time of year can tell you I always have one exercise in every written report: ground poles!

I love ground poles for so many reasons & because they help with so many things! They are great way to build fitness, test your horse’s brain, liven up the arena or test your skills as a rider! I also love that they can be used both under saddle and in hand, which is ideal in times like now, as the snow starts to melt and you are looking to get your horse going, but aren’t quite at the riding stage yet!

What is your favorite way to use ground poles with your horse?🐴🐴

03/11/2026

Listen, I know we are all so eager to get back to riding, spending evenings at the barn and getting our horses back in shape before show season, but we need to half halt for a second here…

The more you rush, push and reach for right now, the more your horse is physically going to pay for later. Please, take it SLOW. I know it’s boring and not fun, but if you have too much fun now, you won’t have fun later!

Take the extra time to do plenty of walking, stretching, short trot sets, be aware of footing conditions, etc. You are sore now that you are back to riding, so isn’t your horse.. remember that💗

03/08/2026

As the weather turns around and we all start to dig out from hiding in the barn, now seems like the perfect time to remind everyone to slow down and focus on the walk. I know, it’s boring, not fun and there’s no way it can benefit your horse all that much… right?

Wrong! Your horse has had some down time and it has been COLD. I can promise their muscles are tight, a little stiff and definitely half asleep still. If you don’t take the time to simply WALK your horse now, we will be spending a lot of time hand walking later!

The walk is a great way to:
🐴Get blood flowing and increase circulation to soft tissues, preventing tension and/or injury
🐴Allow your horse to get back into a work mindset in a safe, controlled manner for you & them
🐴Practice perfecting those transitions, aid responsiveness and foot work
🐴Build the connection back with your horse under saddle.. we all know we are a little hesitant to get back up there again after this winter
🐴See how your horse’s body is feeling & where they are at before pushing them into a program
🐴Build your horse’s confidence walking over tarps, poles or even in new places!

Drop your favorite excersise to do at the walk in the comments for a chance to win a coffee gift card to help give you an energy boost to get walking 😉

02/22/2026

Are you readdyyyyyy?! Another storm is on the way! Stay safe out there, horse girls, and remember, soon enough it will be fly season (I hope)🤪☀️

02/20/2026

This weekend makes one whole year since Tommy physically left our family. I can still relive these days from last year as if they were happening real time. He fought as hard as he could, he was tired, he was ready and as much as I said I was ready to make that decision for him, are we really ever?

I get asked very often when I’m going to ride again, when I plan to get another horse, when I plan to essentially.. move on. The reality is, I don’t want another horse, I just want my horse back. Given my injury, on top of everything we went through with Tommy, this has become such an onion of a situation.

I guess only time will tell, right? For now.. give your ponies an extra hug for me💗

02/10/2026

When cold man winter has been somewhat accommodating🥲 to letting me work outside, I have been busy keeping all the ponies, happy, comfortable and preparing for winter!

It’s been a little bit of all things this winter: soft tissue injuries, pain behaviors, taking advantage of some lighter work loads to relax the body, joint support and any other needs the horses may tell me they have, but I couldn’t be more grateful to be working with so many wonderful horses, owners and veterinarians each weekend! Seeing everyone progress, despite the weather hurdles, is always so heart warming💗

Is your horse telling you they need support? Don’t wait too long to reach out! We can get them feeling back to normal in no time!

02/05/2026

I just wanted to drop by to remind you that tight backs in your horses affect so many other parts of their bodies without you even knowing it! Think of their core/back as the central part of their body. If the core and back are tight, sore or weak, they are almost guaranteed to be compensating somewhere else!

This mare has had a reduced work load due to the winter weather, as has everyone, but we know her back is always going to be a tight spot for her. Her mom said that over the past month, she noticed her being a lot more stiff, crabby and unhappy about her hind end being touched. As you can see, I was releasing her mind back and the tension was seen all through her core, even into her flank!

Just because your horse is out of work for the winter does not mean their bodies are healthier, in fact, it usually makes things worse! Not only are they cold and tensing their bodies, now they are standing in one place decreasing their circulation that feeds their soft tissues to keep them healthy!

How you can help:
❄️Get all the ponies walking 20 minutes a day
❄️Continue a normal stretching routine, after you get them walking, of course
❄️Invest in a heating pad
❄️Stick to your bodywork schedule! I promise it helps!

Reach out today to get your horse back on track so they can hit the ground cantering when spring training rolls around!

02/02/2026

I thought it was fitting to share this quote to remind all of my hard work, dedicated, ready to quit horse pals out there to keep going!

You can be grateful to have a farm, these horses and a job you are so passionate about, while still facing the never ending challenges the winter brings. If anything, I think these challenges should highlight our gratitude for these horses and this level of hard work even more when you can look back at the aisle at the end of a cold day and hear all of the horsed nibbling away, happily tucked into their warm stalls for the evening💗

01/27/2026

Hey everyone! I know it has been a quick second since posting on here, but not to worry, I am still out and about seeing horses! Sometimes we all just need a little break from good ol’ social media!

I don’t think I’m the only one, though, that needs a break from this winter weather!

Just a reminder for our cold weather policy:
❄️Walk your horse 15-20 minutes right before my arrival the help warm up their body
❄️Have an enclosed place in mind for their visit to keep the wind out!
❄️If you don’t feel well, please reschedule!
❄️I will only see horses if it is 30 or above, otherwise we will need to pick a new day!

Thank you for all of your understanding! Stay warm & safe! Spring has to be around one of these corners!

11/27/2025

The past year-year and a half has been a bucking, spooking, hell of a ride, to say the least! I am so thankful for each and every person who has continued to let me help their horse, supported myself and my family through all things crazy and genuinely just been in my corner.

Being a business owner is really hard, being an equine business owner is 300x harder. I will never be able to truly express how thankful I am to all of you.

As the year starts to wind down and the holidays arrive, I will be spending more time with my family and re-evaluating what will be best for the business in 2026 to continue to support all of you. So, we may be quiet on here, but not to worry, I will still be helping your horses and looking forward to seeing all of your faces each month!

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I couldn’t keep doing this without any of you💗🦃

11/22/2025

I know so many of us are guilty of thinking just because we cause no visible harm to our horses, that we must not be making them sore or causing internal damage at one point or another. Most times, it never occurs to us until it’s far too late and our horses are screaming…

When I did the dissection last fall, this all really came to light for me, seeing the horse from the inside out.

Once we damage a soft tissue, or even a bone, it can be really difficult to gain that health & strength of the tissue back to where it originally was. This is something that is so important to think about when working with our horses…

That “sort of fitting” saddle, may seem mostly okay on the outside, but is really destroying the horse’s back & scapula. Those wraps that you think are “good enough” could be over heating or putting improper pressure in just the right spot to damage a lower leg structure. Your horse seems to not love that bit, it’s probably jamming them just right in the pallet or pressing just too much on the bars of their mouth.

Next time you think something is “good enough,” I want you to stop and think if it’s worth more damaging your horse’s body or taking the time to make sure everything is perfect.

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Marshfield, MA

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https://themissingpieceest.com/#home

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