Epona

09/25/2024

Did you know that the majority of movement in the cervical spine comes from the upper three vertebral segments in both horses and humans?

Dysfunction in these joints can lead to a number of pesky problems including headaches, neck pain, nerve pain, stiffness, TMJ issues, poor posture, and altered balance/proprioception!

Sound familiar? PT can help 🥳

Check out how here:
https://www.eponahealing.com/services-menu

08/08/2024

Bailey’s Blessings

While her time on Earth has ended, her spirit is always with me. She will forever be my teacher and I will forever aim to honor and share her blessings:

She taught me how to be a steward, not an owner. She demanded a patient and consistent earning of her trust. She taught me how to hear her, not just listen to her. She (sometimes comically) showed me not to always take things personally. When I thought I couldn’t succeed, our struggles forced me to a state of courage I didn’t know I had. She taught me resilience. She showed me what it meant to express yourself unapologetically. She showed me how to set boundaries. She became the symbol/logo of my business. She is the reason I became involved in hoof care. She enlightened me to the reality of how desperately horses need advocates. She taught me how to accept what could not be changed. That while some things can’t be cured, they can be healed. And that even something broken can be made whole.

I love you, my Bailey girl ❤️

07/30/2024

Ever wonder why that nagging ache or pain just keeps coming back?

Many people and horses get 'stuck' in the pain--> inflammation--> injury cycle. We'll get treatment or take it easy just enough to ease the pain and inflammation but then we flair it right back up!

To achieve better and longer lasting outcomes, we've got to go a few steps further to ensure that our mobility, strength, and coordination are restored. Pain and injury creates compensation patterns that require some re-patterning! Otherwise we end up right back at square one.

Additionally, it's essential to consider the WHOLE horse/human on a psychosocial level. Healing occurs in the context of all of the other realms of our life, so we can't neglect the impact of those factors (nutrition, stress, social support, etc.) on our healing!

I'm officially set up and back to business in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Don't hesitate to reach out

06/03/2024

A good reminder!

RESPECT THE FARRIER!

No, I’m not talking to your horse, I’m talking to YOU.

Recently, I’ve seen posts empathizing with horses who struggle with the farrier, and holding farriers accountable, but I didn’t see any empathizing with farriers, and holding us owners and trainers accountable, so here I am.

I also trimmed today, so I’m feelin’ it.

Sure, I’ve seen the typical posts that talk about disrespectful horses, but I think it’s high time to stop deflecting and blaming our horses for what is actually OUR disrespect and lack of responsibility.

We don’t just have a responsibility to our horses, but to our farriers.

I made a living trimming professionally for about a dozen years, I blew my shoulders out on it, got burned out on it, I know how demanding it is, so I’m a stickler for being appreciative of our farriers and setting them up for success.

If things don’t go well, we don’t get to blame our farrier for what is OUR lack of preparation.

Blaming our ‘disrespectful’ horses is pretty lame as well, no pun intended.

Trimming is physically hard work, it’s dangerous work, and it’s technical work.

First of all, we don’t get to complain about the quality of work if our horses can’t stand still.

Second, our farrier has every right to get firm or use restraints if they are concerned for their safety and we insist they continue.

If we aren’t comfortable with that, yes, we do have EVERY right to stop the session at ANY time and reschedule, but our farrier should be compensated for the missed appointment, and it will be our responsibility to prepare our horse for the next appointment, whether we do it ourselves, or pay a trainer, or plan on sedation, or schedule enough time for our farrier to give breaks or train, IF they agree to that and will be compensated for their time.

We should always compensate our farrier a training fee if they do agree to train on our horse, or reschedule if they don’t have the time or inclination to do so.

We should not complain that our farrier just didn’t have enough patience with poor Fluffy.

It is OUR responsibility to prepare Fluffy to be patient and comfortable with the poor farrier.

We should not blame farrier impatience for what is actually frustration when we expect our farrier to train on our horse without compensation, or without their agreement when they don’t have the time or inclination.

If our horse needs to put their foot down more often than normal for some reason, and doesn’t have good duration, it’s our responsibility to make sure that can happen without our farrier getting torqued on, and compensate monetarily for that extended time.

It’s amazing how patient a farrier can be when they aren’t getting tossed around, and are actually getting compensated for overtime like any other professional.

Our horse’s bad joints are not an excuse to contribute to the deterioration of our farrier’s joints.
If we have an arthritic horse, we should visit with our vet about using some pain relief before the appointment, for the sake of both horse and professional.
If the horse simply needs trimmed with the foot lower, we might consider giving a tip; the farrier will probably need a masseuse, unless they’re fortunate enough to be as short as me.

Farriers love their job, they love our horses, or they wouldn’t be doing what they’re doing, but it’s really difficult for them to love their job and love our horses if we aren’t pulling our weight.

That means doing what is necessary to get our horses comfortable physically, and having them used to getting their feet picked up, handled, tapped on, rasped on, held between legs, with the same duration that will be expected by our farrier, BEFORE our farrier shows up.

But it isn’t always about foot handling.

If our horse can’t confidently and patiently stand on their own for the same duration that it takes to get their feet worked on, adding a stranger who’s asking them to do it on three legs isn’t going to improve the situation.

Our horses should be comfortable standing, whether it’s tied or with us holding them, for the same duration it takes to get their feet done; we can use a hay net to facilitate some patience and peace of mind initially.

Finally, we should never, EVER expect our farrier to put up with herd bound issues. If our horse can’t stand still, we should bring in a buddy so our farrier can do their job.
Separation anxiety should be addressed on our own time, not our farrier’s.

Being respectful of the hard work that a professional puts in not only physically, but intellectually, and skill-wise, doesn’t mean we have to get harder on our horses, it means we have to get harder on ourselves, and show a little more appreciation.

“A person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected.”

05/23/2024

I’ve got a little bit of inventory left that I’m moving along at a discounted rate + the cost of shipping. In addition to what’s pictured I have several sizes of plugs and wedges. Please reach out to me if you are interested in purchasing anything!

05/23/2024

Bailey’s booting regimen is as special as her personality 🤣

* Lion king diapers
* Dr. Scholl’s special moisture absorbing powder
* $16 dollar organic socks 🧦
* And EasyCare Inc. Protective Hoofwear’s RX boots

05/19/2024

Before and after 5 weeks in a direct glue composite shoe package with casting material for this OTTB, Hank.

Nice to see his frog width and bulk improve so quickly. I’m continually amazed how quickly the hoof can adapt given the stimulus it receives (for better or worse!).

05/18/2024

Happy foot Friday! Hope you will have a great weekend 🙂

05/17/2024

De-rotation trim to lower the palmar angle, and improve 50/50 balance around the COR for this sweet quarter horse, 'Mister.'

05/16/2024

5 months of progress for this OTTB:

4-5 week trim/shoe cycle
1 cycle in direct glue, 4 cycles in indirect glue

05/11/2024

I have some exciting (and bittersweet) news to share!

I will be joining the team at the Daisy Haven Farm, Inc Rehabilitation Center in Pennsylvania in the position of Integrative Physiotherapist to provide hands on orthopedic physiotherapy for horses and humans. I will also continue to support the International School of Integrative Hoofcare! I'm excited and honored to be in partnership with the International School of Integrative Hoofcare and Daisy Alexis Bicking with a shared vision of collaborating to elevate the standard of care for equines.

That being said, Colorado has been my home and the birthplace of my business where I have been blessed to have made so many friends, colleagues, and connected with so many lovely horses and humans. THANK YOU ALL for your patronage and for trusting me with the care of your horses (and yourselves!). As hard as it is to leave, I'm confident that one way or another CO will pull me back for workshops, events, and who knows what else :-)

The business continues on, just down the road ;-) Please do not hesitate to be in touch with any questions!

05/07/2024

What do I do as a hoof care provider if I think a horse is not receiving adequate hoof care, the lack of which is resulting in progressive pain/dysfunction/reduced quality of life for the horse? You’ve tried to educate the owner and advocate for the horse, but if your efforts fall on deaf ears, what options do you have? What can YOU do? This post is a follow up to my original post on this topic, which you can find here: https://www.facebook.com/EponaPT/posts/821305343388511

Let’s start with who would be involved in this process (in Colorado):
In Colorado, the procedure for reporting suspected equine cruelty or neglect is to contact local law enforcement, animal control or a local humane society. Here’s a link to a map with contact info for each county in CO: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=14CWtoLORO5TrvRGKFRs24tmTu3dFCcdX&femb=1&ll=39.026249546964664%2C-105.5509105&z=7

If additional assistance is needed after contacting local agencies, you can submit a complaint directly to Colorado Department of Agriculture Bureau of Animal Protection staff through their online submission form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSerZEMhdyoJcG43hH05bs389fMoi6_DNAnHd_6Nf1k9kHTzXA/viewform. Only BAP agents and law enforcement can respond to complaints related to livestock in the state of CO. Complaints are formally submitted online and can be made by anyone. You don’t have to be a veterinarian or equine practitioner to submit a complaint.

The authority of BAP agents and the CO Department of Agriculture’s ability to enforce Colorado’s animal protection statutes is described in the Animal Protection Act, Article 42, Title 35 of the Colorado Revised Statutes (the Act).

Now the tricky part—how do we define neglect with respect to hoof care?
The BAP has a page on their website titled ‘Recognizing Animal Mistreatment’ and includes common signs of ‘severe’ animal mistreatment. One of the bullet points in the list is “Continued lack of dental or hoof care or shearing.”

So what’s the definition of continued lack of hoof care? Is it the total absence of hoof care? Is it a lack of adequate hoof care? I couldn’t find the answer to this question, so I emailed Dr. Courtney Diehl, DVM (Program Manager, Bureau of Animal Protection). She confirmed for me that “There are no specific guidelines for hoof care in the statute [Animal Protection Act, Article 42, Title 35]. We refer to industry guidelines and best practices for husbandry recommendations on each species.”

She went on to say:
“I would say that insufficient hoof care can absolutely constitute neglect, but these cases can also become a professional vs professional situation- i.e, the owner could claim that they were following the recommendations of their farrier and if another farrier disagrees with the shoeing style or frequency, well, who is right? Same applies to veterinarians- when they disagree, the case becomes less straightforward. If the owner doesn't agree with a farrier's recommendations, it could constitute neglect, or it might not. If an owner is trying to do the right thing but is limited by finances and other resources, that's not always a straightforward situation either. Again, these cases are handled individually by the BAP team.”

So the bottom line? If you feel a horse is experiencing neglect of hoof care, there are avenues to report the concern. But the extent to which a horse’s hooves are determined to be neglected or not neglected will come down to the professionals involved who are responding to the complaint. I am fortunate to not have been through the process of making a complaint, so I can't provide any personal experience about the process.

While I'm glad that there are systems in place to report, identify, and manage harm and neglect, I also hope that the standards to more clearly define adequate hoof care for horses will be elevated. Which is part of why I became a mentor for the International School of Integrative Hoofcare --because knowledge is power, and when we know more we can do better!

Beyond that, I’m on a mission to continue to educate people about the landscape of Equine welfare standards in general, beyond hoof care.

While I’ve always had a love for horses, and want nothing but the best for all of them—it wasn’t until I had the experience I did with the horse pictured in this post that my eyes were really opened. I knew I needed to learn and do more. She was my first exposure to animal welfare standards in the academic setting. To put it nicely, I was extremely underwhelmed with several general practices related to horses in research settings that I later learned were universally accepted.

If this topic continues to be of interest to my followers on this page, I will share more with you about her journey from the racetrack, to her use in medical research, to a teaching program, a failed attempt at the repro program, and ultimately her designation to be euthanized at the age of 9 with no life threatening conditions due to lack of usefulness for the institution (and no attempt or plan to re-home).

Her track name was Limited Banking. Her university name was Promise. I renamed her Roisin aka Ro (an Irish name meaning Little Rose). The university allowed me to become Ro’s steward, but unfortunately, she had a life ending colic three weeks after she arrived. And while it brought me peace to be able to give her a soft landing, I am reminded every day that there are countless other special souls like her who need people to continue to speak up and bring awareness to these topics.

Will you join me? Please start by sharing this post 🦄

-Maggie