Balanced Bodywork for Equines

01/05/2026

Okay — breaking down one of my most common reasons for physiotherapy treatments.

Often times, owners or riders will say “I feel they’re tight on the left side of their body”. When I ask why, the response is usually “they really struggle on the left rein”.

When a horse struggles to bend either way, it is usually because the side of the horse’s body on the outside of the bend is experiencing dysfunction and tightness.

The outside of the body is then “shortened”, meaning the horse will fall in on turns, &/ find one rein significantly easier than the other. Other symptoms are; difficulty cantering one way, feeling like one of the riders legs is pushed out, poking of the jaw, asymmetrical hoof shape and more.

An important note here is that neither bend will be correct until your horse is symmetrical to bend each way. Just because they’re easier to bend one way, doesn’t mean that the body is actually functional; it will be likely due to the inside of the horse being more contracted and therefore positioned for “bend”.

Skipping over how I treat these cases (I will return at a later time with a post on this!), a few points on how exercises can help horses that experience one sided stiffness (of course after the cause has been investigated, identified and treated!!):

🐴 Instead of forcing the bend, counter flex your horse on their easier rein and yield the ribs inwards. This will help mobilise the ribs on the outside of the body, increasing flexibility and improving straightness.

🐴 Mobilise the pelvis — so many people reach for the neck, but if the pelvis can mobilise symmetrically to each side in quick succession, it can provide a basis for straightness and suppleness. Use transitions & & renvers on a figure of eight, progressing to counterflexing in each transition.

By trying to ask the horse to bend more, you will often be met with more bracing, so instead use gentle mobilisation work to loosen up and improve symmetry and function to both sides of the body.

01/02/2026

12/30/2025

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12/30/2025

Normal VS Healthy….. 🤔

11/26/2025

Horses aren’t hobbies.

They’re not status symbols or instant partners you “figure out as you go.”

They’re sentient, sensitive beings who depend on us to understand their bodies, their minds, and their emotions.

Yet many people enter the horse world believing they can simply buy or ride a horse without truly knowing how much their own level of awareness impacts that animal’s wellbeing. ❤️‍🩹

The truth?

✨ A horse’s welfare hinges on our education.

✨ Our mistakes — even unintentional ones — can lead to chronic physical, mental, or emotional issues.

✨ “Learning as we go” often means the horse pays the price.

From subtle lameness caused by poor tack fit…

to behavioral struggles rooted in pain or confusion…

to stress that could have been prevented with better handling…

horses silently carry the consequences of our gaps in knowledge.

If we love them, we must move beyond outdated ideas like “I’ll just figure it out” or “Riding is instinctive.”

It isn’t.

Good horsemanship is learned — thoughtfully, responsibly, and with humility. 🐴💛

Education isn’t about being perfect.

It’s about being prepared.

It’s about knowing how to recognize when things are going well — and when they’re not.

It’s about doing better because they deserve better.

If you’re ready to help build a future where horses flourish — not just survive — commit to learning, growing, and becoming the kind of human a horse can trust.

👉 Start your journey today:

https://equitopiacenter.com/equitopia-start-learning-today/

11/23/2025

11/04/2025

Did you know?
Digestion Starts With the Nervous System: How Massage Supports the Gut–Brain Connection in Horses

Most people think digestion begins in the mouth — when a horse takes the first bite of hay or grass.
But true digestion begins before a single chew.

It begins in the nervous system.

For the gut to function, the body must shift into the parasympathetic state — the “rest-and-digest” mode where physiology turns toward nourishment, repair, and balance.

The Gut–Brain Connection

Horses have one of the most sensitive nervous systems in the animal world. As prey animals, they constantly scan for safety — even when life appears calm.

If they sense tension, pain, insecurity, or discomfort, the nervous system transitions into sympathetic (“fight-or-flight”) mode, where survival takes priority over digestion.

In this state:
• Digestive motility slows
• Blood moves to muscles, not the GI tract
• Nutrient absorption decreases
• Microbiome balance may shift
• The body prepares to react, not digest

This is why horses who are:
• Tight through the poll and jaw
• Braced through the sternum and ribs
• Holding abdominal tension
• Managing chronic soreness or ulcers
• Anxious, watchful, or reactive

often show digestive challenges, fluctuating stool, gas, mild colic tendencies, or difficulty maintaining weight and topline.

Their systems are not failing — they are protecting.
But protection mode and digestion mode cannot run together.

When Calm Arrives, Digestion Activates

When a horse feels safe, supported, and able to soften into their body, the nervous system shifts.
Relaxation is the signal that unlocks the digestive system.

From there, the brain communicates through the vagus nerve and enteric nervous system to:
• Activate digestive enzymes
• Initiate peristalsis (gut movement)
• Increase blood flow to digestive organs
• Support hydration and nutrient exchange
• Prepare the body to heal and replenish

Digestion is not a mechanical event — it is a neurological permission state.

How Massage Supports Digestive Health

Massage and myofascial bodywork don’t “treat” digestion directly.
They create the internal environment digestion requires to function well.

Skilled touch influences:
• 🧠 Autonomic nervous system balance
• 🌬️ Breathing and rib mobility
• 🩸 Circulation and lymph flow
• 🪢 Fascial mobility and abdominal motion
• 🌱 Vagal tone and parasympathetic activation

When the nervous system feels safe, the body says:

“You can rest. You can digest. You can heal.”

Signs of Neuro-Digestive Release During Bodywork

Owners often notice:
• Gut gurgling
• Soft chewing and licking
• Yawning and stretching
• Deeper, slower breathing
• Passing gas
• Softening of topline and ribs
• A calmer, more connected demeanor afterward

These responses are the body shifting back into a physiologic state where digestion and repair can resume.

Why This Matters

Digestive health isn’t just about what goes into the bucket.
It is deeply tied to:
• Nervous system safety
• Comfort and movement
• Fascial freedom
• Breath and diaphragm function
• Emotional regulation

Massage is one of the few modalities that can influence all of these at once.

When a horse regularly accesses parasympathetic balance, we often see:
• Better nutrient absorption
• Improved weight and topline
• More consistent stool and gut comfort
• Softer behavior and focus
• Better immune function and recovery capacity

A relaxed horse digests better, learns better, and lives better.

The Takeaway

Digestion doesn’t start in the stomach — it starts in the brain and nervous system.

Through mindful touch and nervous-system-aware bodywork, we help horses:
• Release tension
• Breathe fully
• Settle their mind and body
• Enter the “rest-and-digest” mode
• Support natural digestive function

When a horse can digest life with ease,
they move better, feel better, behave better, and heal better.

11/02/2025

Getting your horse to drop his p***s for a sheath clean?
How do we do it?

🐎Do we pull it out? (Don’t do that).
🐎Is there a secret tickle spot.
🐎Do they need sedating.

You ask us ALOT……but I’m sorry to tell you, it’s not that simple.
In reality it’s ponies personal preference - some will wang it out when you pull out the curry comb or the stud muffins.
Some used to get it out but they got savvy and quickly learned you like to pick at it when it’s out so that thing stays tucked farrr away when they are in your presence..😂
Some never drop it, sometimes from sheer laziness or they have too much build up in the sheath or *whispers quietly* - it’s a very little willy…🫣

The thing is, removing beans and that crusty build up can be uncomfortable for your horse - it will be more uncomfortable if it isn’t removed once or twice a year though..!
Because it can be uncomfortable they aren’t going to necessarily want their wi***es our for the process, I certainly wouldn’t!

That being said some LOVE the process - and a little too much sometimes!!

We actually prefer that horse keeps his p***s retracted during a sheath clean, you will actually provide a more thorough clean for horse or pony if it is inside and even though we can’t diagnose anything, it does make it easier for us to provide a little health check for any abnormalities.

Obviously if pony is sedated they will likely hang it out but that doesn’t make it any easier for us to clean - unless it’s a cheeky pony that hates the process of course! 🐎