Crossroads Equine Massage & Therapy, LLC

08/08/2025

I don't post so many pictures of my work anymore. Mostly because I'm pretty busy and dont take time to post. But here is a good example. Just in case folks thought I had stopped working... 😂🤣 the work never stops...

07/12/2025

It really helps to pay attention to what "weeds" your horses are eating. It will tell you a lot about their health.

Some common field weeds:

👍Milk thistle... liver, milk production
👍Dandelion... liver, digestion, inflammation
👍Chickweed... diuretic, anti-inflammatory, digestion
👍Plantain/Buckhorn... wound healing, respiratory, digestion, anti-inflammatory
👍Mullen... antibiotic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, respiratory
👍Purslane... anti-inflammatory, blood sugar
👍Mares tail... most horses don’t eat it but if they do take note... diuretic, anti-inflammatory
👍Sand burrs... inflammation, cancer, diuretic

Self medication is a tool everything uses to stay healthy. A healthy pasture should contain some weeds to help keep our horses healthy.

Monospecies grass pastures aren't healthy for them. It's like only eating strawberries every day for every meal. Eventually you need protein to build muscle, other amino acids, etc.

06/25/2025

Trust the horse... we all hear it a lot. When doing bodywork it means trust the horse to know what feels good to them.

Look at how she chose to arrange her feet on/off the pads. She stood that way for a good 10 minutes with lots of jaw adjustment and head/neck stretches.

What does it say to you about her body?

Check back tomorrow for my comments.

05/08/2025

What are isometric exercises?
💪Isometric exercises are a type of strength training that involve holding a position to engage specific muscles without changing their length.

Humans do isometric exercises. Can horses do them to?
🐴Yes they can!

What are isometric exercises used for?
💪Isometrics build muscles during early phases of 🐴 rehab before starting active exercises.
💪Isometrics build muscle endurance.
💪Isometrics improve flexibility by engaging specific muscle groups.
🧠Isometrics engages and helps to retrain the brain.
🎶Rythmic engagement helps the brain to rewire.

Which horses benefit from isometric exercises?
🐴Isometric exercises can help any horse.
🐴Arthritic, 🐴navicular, 😷surgical recovery, 😵injury rehab, 👶young, 👵old and more!

05/02/2025

My horses love the Bon Cheval CBD treats.

Fun Fact Friday with Bon Cheval CBD!

Did you know horses have about 205 bones in their bodies—and a few of them really feel their age after a tough ride or a cold snap? Just like us, horses experience stiffness, stress, and inflammation. That’s where CBD comes in!

CBD (cannabidiol) works with your horse’s endocannabinoid system—yes, they have one too!—to help support:
• Joint comfort
• Calm focus under saddle
• Recovery after a long haul or workout

And here’s a kicker:
A horse’s gut is 100 feet long! Our Bon Cheval CBD is gentle on the digestive system, long-lasting, and easy to feed!

Your horse deserves to feel their best from hoof to poll.
– For the horses we love and the rides we live for.



Melissa Ashcraft - Horsemanship Page Transitions Equestrian Center Sandra Beaulieu Mindset Equestrian/ Karen Fulcher Brandi Lyons Horse Training Braveheart Beasts Katie Mills Crossroads Equine Massage & Therapy, LLC Twenty Four Carrots Tres Bien CBD Jeff Michael Horsemanship at Split Creek Equine Solutions Lugos The Palomino

04/24/2025

I totally forgot to share the live I did Sunday here, duh!

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1ZfiLmtjzV/

03/04/2025

See me at the Indiana Equine Roundup for my launch of Equine Myofascial Equilibrium and Nerve Release classes

03/04/2025

See me at the Equine Round Up to find out about the new Nerve Release Training using my Equine Myofascial Equilibrium techniques!

C-Bar-C Cowpokes Arena in Cloverdale, Indiana

02/27/2025

One of the things that caused me to dig into equine anatomy books was trying to figure out WHY things worked or didn't work.

Massage and myofascial release is so much more than kneading muscles or hand holds. Both are our attempt to communicate with the horse's brain.

Classes just don't teach that. I'm stepping in to fill that void.

Launching March 2025!
Crossroads Equine Nerve classes.

Introduction to Nerves
The Equine Brain
Cranial Nerves
Cervical Nerves
Foreleg Nerves
Thoracic Nerves
Lumbar/Sacral Nerves

When you learn the nerves you learn how to make changes that will stick.

12/31/2024

Does your horse carry their body inverted? Head up, hollow back? Even in the pasture?

Does s/he have long guard whiskers around 1 or more eye?

It's time to check their eyes! They could have issues with the pupil that is blocking light/vision at the top. That will cause them to raise their head to try to see out of the bottom of their eye under the blockage..

Raising their head will hollow out their back.

Those blockages can move around causing things to appear and disappear. That can make a horse spooky, defensive, irritated. It can affect sleep.

It's worth checking your horse's eyes every year or so.

The growths can be removed by an ophthalmologist using a laser.

Talk with your vet if you see anything in the pupil.

12/25/2024

Merry Christmas to my client family. Wishing you blessings throughout the year!

12/10/2024

I keep finding all kinds of interesting things with my thermal camera.

A recent client was pulled out of the stall, walked 5 feet to the crossties and I took som images. Right legs and hooves were completely cold. Left showed more normal circulation pattern.

I used this as an opportunity to show how my EME process can influence circulation. If you're patient you can see the blood flow return to the coronet band and then warm up the Hoof with vascular flow on the videos.

Someone posted a while ago about how to prove the impact that bodywork like EME, has on the body.

This was too cool not to share. I did switch color gradients mid way because I thought it did a better job. Since this was not planned I didn't think about that at the beginning.

Contact me for how EME can help your horse.