Sleepy Horse Equine Bodywork, LLC

09/05/2025

It is crazy how much the tongue and hyoid apparatus can have an affect on the body. Very interesting read and diagrams about how connected everything truly is.

THE NEUROLOGY OF THE HORSE’S TONGUE AND IMPORTANCE IN PERFORMANCE

The tongue - we rarely see or think it but it is one of the most integral parts of the horse.

My work with people has put this into stark perspective - because we and our horses are mammals and have very similar central nervous systems we can take huge lessons from our own tongues.

The tongue has a part several functions - tasting, licking, chewing, swallowing but it has a whole other mechanism that we use daily but never give a thought to.

THE TONGUE IS ONE OF THE MAJOR COMPENSATORS IN THE BODY along with the jaw, hyoid and ankles (in a human).

What is a compensation?

A mechanism that the brain uses to strengthen the body’s pre-existing weaknesses due to physical and emotional trauma.

We may see our horses having issues with it’s tongue with symptoms such as:

These symptoms could indicate a horse is experiencing tongue pain or discomfort:
Dropping feed/hay
Not eating
Hyper-salivation
Bad breath
Bleeding from the mouth
Swelling in tongue and/or cheeks
Standing with head outstretched
Resistance to the bit or to handling of the head
Tongue hanging from mouth
Discolouration (a healthy tongue should be pink and moist)
Explosive reaction from nerve impingement

What is especially important to consider in horses?

Physical trauma in the body means that hey need their tongue to make that area stronger. Who we strap their mouth shut, we remove this ability to compensate, making weak muscles work, causing pain and risking injury.

When we put bits in mouth that do not have room for the horse’s individual tongue or use straight bar bits we risk compressing the tongue which causes trauma to the tongue and affects the horse’s ability to compensate.

When we pull straight back on the reins at a low level this nutcrackers and pinches the tongue causing pain and trauma.

Is there trauma in their body or emotions that the tongue is compensating for?

Iridology is a fantastic tool for locating areas of past trauma and I have found it very useful to consider when looking of the root cause of any compensation in the body.

When we see the horse eliciting their symptoms - what are they doing? If ridden, is it all the time/ lateral movements/right rein/left rein/walk/trot/canter/loose rein/tight rein/on a corner/on the straight/transitions - by seeing what muscles they *should* be using at that moment and what they are doing instead with their body, it can lead us towards the cause.

So much pain is hidden in our horse - as prey animals they are masters of disguise and it is only when our horses are really in pain do we actually see them as ‘lame’. There are so many signs before that. Looking at all these signs allows us to build a picture of what is going on within the horse and find it’s hidden pain.

The tongue muscles themselves tell a story.

The sternohyoideus and sternothyroideus muscles directly connect the horse’s tongue and mouth to the chest of the horse. This fascial and muscular connection carries on through the pectoral muscles along the ventral aspect of the horse, along the abdominal muscles and into the pelvis.

The tongue (via the hyoid) is connected to the shoulder, poll and head directly and to the hind limb indirectly via the facia - so tongue problems are who body problems and vice versa.

So what can you do to delve deeper into why your horse needs to use it’s tongue as a compensation?

First, look for something that can changes what you see in the tongue or the body - better or worse is always a good sign because it gives you clues. I would recommend slow motion filming at walk for comparison.

Change the bit (material/height/width/joints), take the bridle off, ride from the head collar, take the saddle off ride with the bit, change rider, weight the right side of the horse in your stirrup, weight the left side of the horse in your stirrup, put your body weight forward and backing the saddle, put varying degrees of pressure on the reins, halt and walk on with no/little/steady contact, lateral work with the shoulder leading and the hind end leading.

Each movement will give you clues and now you can start to look a t your horse’s history and piece together what you see.

For example -

Horse sticks tongue out during left shoulder in and right hand corners and has a profits thumb/scar on the right shoulder would lead me towards the injury that caused the scar, the scar itself and the physical and emotional trauma that the brain is still compensating for before I would be led towards direct tongue trauma.

Sometimes we see symptoms cascade - it starts with just a little tongue poke and then the tongue is out all the time - especially at competitions - as the stress levels rise and the capacity that the horse has at home, when he is relaxed, diminishes.

It is a truly fascinating way to approach management of our horses and it offers so much freedom from the norm when we are able to give the vet a host of relevant information to help them help us and our horses in the highest way possible.

https://onlinepethealth.com/the-role-of-the-tongue-and-hyoid-in-movement/

09/02/2025

Meet the new face of Sleepy Horse!! This is our new lease horse Blake!! He is a 10 year old, Belgian Warmblood.

We’re so happy and excited to have the opportunity to lease him while my friend is off to vet school in Scotland. His mom did the jumpers with him and now we’re going to see how he likes Dressage!! ☺️❤️

08/25/2025

I never stress enough the importance of doing carrot stretches with your horse. It is a great way to monitor your horse’s progress and flexibility over time.

The Benefits!!

⭐️ Flexibility and Range of Motion
- Helps keep the horse’s muscles supple and the joints mobile
- Increases movement within the joints, how far a horse can bend, flex and extend the neck, back and pelvis
- Fluidity of movement within the gaits

⭐️ Core Strength
- Engagement of the abdominal and stabilizing muscles of the horse
- Strengths the thoracic sling
- A strong core helps to prevent soreness & injury
- Better back support to carry the weight of a rider

⭐️ Spine Health
- Increases spinal flexibility. Horses often develop stiffness in the neck and back due to poor posture, tack fit, riding techniques, old age, etc.)
- Helps prevent soreness or tightness in the back

⭐️ Injury Prevention
- Stretching helps prevent injury
- Creates elastic muscles that absorb shock and prevent strain. It’s like us doing yoga and mobility work
- Stiff muscles are more likely to cause strains, sprains, tears, etc. Stiff muscles cause horses to compensate within their bodies
- Helps correct muscle imbalances and create better alignment

⭐️ Increases Proprioception (Body Awareness)
- Improves balance and coordination
- Teaches the horse to move in a more controlled, bio-mechanically correct way
- Helps the horse use their body more evenly

❗️ Key Points ❗️

- Warm your horse up first

- Keep the horse’s ears straight!! No twisting of the head, only go as far as the horse can go without twisting

- If the horse wants to twist you can guide the carrot around your body instead

- Use smooth, controlled movements and try to hold the stretch for at least 3-5 seconds

- Start gradually with the stretch and build up over time

- Watch your fingers and use a big enough treat between a closed fist to avoid getting bit by the horse

07/21/2025

Warming Up Your Horse Before Exercise and Competition: How To Avoid Injury and Muscle Strain

What is a warm-up? The term 'warm-up' accurately describes what happens when we transition the body from a resting state to a state suitable for activity: the muscles are literally 'warmed up', receive increased blood and oxygen supply, gain flexibility and therefore reduce stress on tendons and ligaments. This also allows time for joint lubrication.

A warm-up will also ensure increased oxygen supply to the blood and the elevation of the heart rate from a resting rate to an activity rate. If you warm up your horse gradually—instead of 'jump-starting' his heart-rate—you will also have a calmer, more relaxed, and more willing horse.

Sufficient warm up before exercise, training, and competition is essential, in order to avoid injury to muscles, ligaments, and tendons. A simple routine can save lots of pain and dollars spent on vet visits.

Why should I warm up my horse before working?
Just like your own muscles after a full day sitting in your cubicle or driving your truck, for example, the horse's muscles are unflexible and his movement will be stiff after a day of lack of activity in his paddock or stall. This even more so in the winter, where movement is even more restricted and the horses cannot kick up their heels on pasture. Many horses spend most of their day in a stall year round, which limits the horses' movements even more warm up your horse

Our bodies-rider's and horse's-are made up of mostly fluids! Warming up body fuids inside muscles reduces the internal friction of a muscle and therefore prevents injury. Mobility and elasticity of muscles is increased, which minimizes the strain on ligaments and tendons.

Avoid muscle spasms, discomfort, stiff gaits and in extreme cases torn muscles or tendons or anxiety and unwillingness to work by warming your horse up properly at the beginning of every ride.

A simple basic warm-up for recreational riders of all levels:
- Warm up your horse on a long rein in the walk
- Alternate the pace of the walk
- Start with straighter lines
- Then continue with large circles, squares, serpentines, & shallow loops (20 meters, through the width of the arena)
- After 10 minutes, make squares, circles and serpentines smaller
- Warm up a total of 15 minutes at the walk for best results

For more advanced warm up exercises for FIT horses at least 8 - 10 minutes into their walk warm up:

Ride Walk Single Ground Poles
Ride Walk Shallow Loops on the Center Line
Ride Walk Shallow Loops Down the Long Side
Ride Walk 4 Loops Down the Center Line
Ride Walk 2 Loops Down the Long Side
Ride Walk Shoulder Fore and Counter Shoulder Fore
Ride Walk Leg Yield Right to Half Pass Right
Ride Walk Leg Yield Left to Half Pass Left
Ride Walk Leg Yield In, Half Pass Back
Ride Walk 10 meter Circles
Ride Walk Shoulder Fore and Counter Shoulder Fore (one of my favorites!)
Ride Smaller Walk Squares (Integrates a Few Steps of Turn on The Haunches)

As a note, in the warm up I usually limit the lateral work to a few “baby steps” as the purpose of these exercises during the warm up phase is to supple and loosen the horse up purely for their benefit. If you feel your horse become more anxious or tight, re-evaluate how you are utilizing the exercise or consider waiting to do the more difficult exercises later on during the work session once they are better warmed up.

I would also encourage you to experiment with a few minutes of in-hand or lunge line walking for a start to the warm up from the ground before adding your weight to the horse’s back. I’ve seen some very positive differences with horses by allowing them a few minutes of walk warm up time without the weight or interference (or micromanaging) of the rider so an option I highly recommend playing with in the warm up phase as well! This also allows you extra time to evaluate from the ground how your horse is doing physically and mentally that day, puts both horse and rider in a more relaxed state of mind instead of rushing to jump on and ride, and allows you to make any tack adjustments, if needed.

07/02/2025

Imbalances and problems in the horse’s hooves can really affect the entire body. It is so important to think about when you are assessing your horse.

06/30/2025

I’ve never officially advertised my Multi Radiance cold laser sessions… so here it is!!

The laser may be added onto massage sessions for a discounted price or used for individual laser sessions. If more than one horse is lasered at a barn, there is a discounted multi-horse laser price.

First, the horse is palpated for any soreness. Depending on what the horse needs, a full body unwind session and the major joints may be treated or it may be a more localized session for injuries, wounds, etc.

Recently, I have seen a major difference with the cold laser on client horses recovering from tendon and ligament injuries and horses with muscle spasms, arthritis, back pain, SI pain and/or with wounds and abscesses.

Any horse can benefit from the laser such as your older, stiff horse for mobility and comfort….or your show jumper with a heavy workload for sore muscles and injury prevention.

I have loved adding the laser into my business and seeing all the different things it can treat!! It doesn’t just have to be a horse, it can also be used on dogs, cats, pigs, goats, you name it…

Contact me with any questions or if you’d like to try it on your horse!!

06/30/2025

It’s so important to pay attention to your horse’s respiration rate, water intake and sweating this time of year. Especially in South FL where I am located, we run into a lot of anhidrosis cases.

06/12/2025

Myofascial Release

What is fascia⁉️

Fascia is a 3D web of connective tissue that surrounds every organ, muscle, bone, nerve, blood vessel, tendon, ligament and so on. It comes from the Latin word band or bandage and connects every cell of our body.

Think of fascia when you peel an orange and the white inner layer that surrounds and supports the wedges or when you see the white filmy layer on raw chicken.

Fascia maintains the structure of the body while also supporting movement. Fascia becomes restricted, looses elasticity and forms adhesions due to a variety of factors such as injuries, chronic stress and tension, ill-fitting tack, dehydration, inflammation, repetitive movements, posture, improper riding techniques, etc.

This is why myofascial release can be so powerful and beneficial for horses. It alleviates pain and discomfort, improves range of motion/glide, supports healing by improving circulation and lymph flow, encourages relaxation for mental well-being etc.

How is it done⁉️

Myofascial release uses gentle, sustained pressure that focuses on feel and feedback from the horse. It is about continually asking the horse if you can go into their space and follow the tissue like a slow current as you feel it unravel.

I like to think about fascia as “wet sand.” If you slap it, you stay on top of it. If you gently rest on top of wet sand with continued, gentle pressure you will sink into it.

Try it with your own horse. Rest your hand on a tight muscle and allow it to sink into the tissue for at least 90-120 seconds. Use light pressure like you are resting your hand on a table. Stay still and wait, while you listen with your hand.

You may feel a shift in temperature, softening, bubbling, ripples, subtle expansions, tingling twitching, tension releasing, etc. See what you feel and notice. It’s all about listening with your hands.

Let me know, I’d love to hear!! 😊

Jeni Jo Photography

05/02/2025

Something that has been on my mind lately when working on horses has been the equine nervous system and how much the horse can handle before reaching the threshold.

With all the modalities on the market, lots of people want to throw the “kitchen sink” at a horse to make them feel better but truly “less is more.” Instead of trying to do PEMF, massage, laser, taping, etc. all at once, it’s better to split it up and give the horse time to process in-between. Also, consider chiropractic adjustments as well.

It’s important to understand how the horse is responding during a bodywork session and know when to take a step back to not push the horse over the edge. This sometimes includes having to completely alter the course of action during the session and what you aim to achieve.

It’s about recognizing if the horse is within the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) or has transitioned into the sympathetic nervous system (fight, flight or freeze). The sympathetic nervous system of the horse blocks out pain and discomfort as a survival mechanism. This system kicks in when the body senses fear or danger. On the other hand, the parasympathetic system is when the horse feels safe, relaxed and calm. This is where we want the horse to be during a massage session to allow the body to heal.

Signs that your horse may be reaching the threshold of their nervous system during a session can include things like:

- Sweating
- Trembling or shaking
- Increased heart rate and breathing
- The need to move around
- Tight lips and muzzle
- Elevated head and tense body
- Whinnying
- Nervous pooping
- Swishing tail
- Whites of eyes showing
- Yawning and stretching (can be relaxed signs but also signs of stress)

04/02/2025

Great day of helping dogs and horses feel better yesterday!! 💙🌙

Both dogs got cold laser therapy, fascial work and KT Taping. The 4 horses got massaged and lasered!

All of them really enjoyed their sessions. I’m so glad I can help make a difference in their physical and mental well being!

03/17/2025

A few weeks ago I had the amazing opportunity to ride in a 3-day clinic with Mary Wanless who developed the Ride with Your Mind: Rider Biomechanics.

For those of you who don’t know, not only do I have a passion for my massage work but also for rider and horse biomechanics. Ever since I was young, I’ve always had a desire to get my horses moving correctly underneath me and balanced within their bodies.

This clinic was all about increasing the rider’s body awareness. It was about recognizing asymmetries in our bodies and how to ride through them to achieve a level of straightness and impulsion. It was about engaging and supporting our own body weight so the horse can better move underneath us.

Mary gave so many great analogies and questions to think about as we ride and here are a few that stood out to me:

⭐️ Feel like you are hanging in a harness to support your own body weight.

⭐️ If you pull the horse out from under you, will you land on your feet?

⭐️ Does he feel hollow, flat or round underneath you?

⭐️ Push the wrinkles out of his neck. You want him to lighten and reach for the bit. Is your push forward more than his push back?

⭐️ Feel like there are 2 hoses running up both back legs up along the top of the body and shooting out both ears. You want the water moving fluidly through with no kinks and evenly between both sides.

⭐️ Thigh Attachment: You can’t suction any part of the horse up into you unless you have contact with it.

⭐️ In the canter think of the horse as a dribbling ball underneath you. Instead of hitting the ball back down, pull it up into you.

⭐️ Engage your core on all 4 sides like you are pushing air into an instrument.

⭐️ How stable can you be in the saddle? Stability is key to success.

⭐️ What percentage of your body weight is in each seat bone? Stirrup? Thigh vs. stirrup?

⭐️ Think stifle to browband. You want to bring the contents of his body up and out.

⭐️ Don’t settle for any speed, be picky.

⭐️ Continuously have a conversation with your horse.

⭐️ Post light and be stable in saddle so he can lift up into you. Using too much of your seat gives him something to brace against. Balance the leg to hand aids instead.

03/10/2025

La Te enjoying her massage and BEMER session! This why I decided to name my business “Sleepy Horse”. Just look at her face 🥺

Every massage I aim to bring the horse mental relaxation, improved mobility and overall physical comfort 💙