Flyin’ 2B Equine Therapy Services

05/01/2025

We hear it often in the equine community; “he bucks when I ask for the canter,” “she bolts at the mounting block,” “she squeals and bucks after jumps,” “he rears when I put my leg on!” 🤷🏼‍♀️

Majority of equestrians try harsher bits, pull out the crops and spurs, or turn to trainers. And unfortunately a lot of horses are labeled as “dangerous” because at a certain point their rider (or trainer) either DIDN’T listen or STOPPED listening to pain responses and the horse in turn had to get “louder” with their communication! 🔊

I was having a conversation with a client the other week and she simply asked me, “what is your opinion on rearing?” As a bodyworker and someone who works with 100s of horses, I find undesirable behaviors (rearing, bucking, bolting, kicking out, etc) as a pain response that wasn’t listened to when the horse was trying to communicate in a quieter “tone.” 🔇

As equestrians and horse owners alike let’s make sure our horses don’t have to yell for us to listen!! 🐴

01/07/2025

⭐️ Round Bale Feeders and Hay Waste ⭐️

Time for a research recap! This one is an oldie but a goodie and was actually published shortly before I started grad school at the University of Minnesota by one of my advisors, Dr. Krishona Martinson. She has been a long time mentor and inspired me to focus on applied research and finding ways to communicate the results to horse owners! Now onto the research!

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate different round bale hay feeders to identify which ones were most effective at reducing hay waste for horses. We all know horses are expensive so it is a great way to determine cost savings opportunities associated with feeding hay.

Materials and Methods: Twenty-five mature, idle horses (Quarter horses and thoroughbreds) were used in the study and divided into 5 groups with 5 horses each. Each horse group was housed in a different paddock with a different hay feeder for four days. Hay was weighed prior to being placed in the feeder. Hay waste was collected daily and hay remaining was measured on day 4 to determine consumption. Horses then rotated paddocks with a new feeder and new hay bale. This process was repeated over 40 days until every horse group consumed hay from all 9 hay feeders as well as the no hay feeder control. To determine payback, 2010 prices were used for feeders and hay was valued at $110 per ton.

Results: All hay feeders significantly reduced hay waste when compared to the no feeder control (P

05/02/2024

I'm absolutely shocked to learn that this is becoming standard practice, especially at shows. I don't care if your chiropractor is also a vet.... Sedating a horse so they can be forced through an adjustment is incorrect practice and not putting the needs of the animal first.

Would your chiropractor work on you if you showed up stumbling drunk to their office? Would they work on you if you were passed out from too much pain medication? Absolutely not. Partly because it's unethical practice and partly because it's a legal liability if bodily harm happened during the adjustment.

👉 So as the owner and advocate of your horse why would you stand by and let this happen to your equine partner?
Does their aversion to being cranked on tell you nothing? How many ways does a horse have to say "no" before you hear it?

I am not anti-sedation. There are many, many times when sedation is needed for procedures involving horses... But adjustments should never be one of those times.

👉 If your horse is so tense that you can't do an adjustment correctly and calmly, then what you need is a bodyworker that can work with the muscles and fascia to release that tension because.... Your horse is stuck in fight or flight mode.

Healthy alignment will not hold in a horse (or human) that is stuck in a sympathetic state of fight or flight. If anyone tells you otherwise, they need to go back and research more on the nervous system and fascia.

It does no good to align the tires on a truck that is on fire.

Fact of the day: It is easier to align a horse than it is a human. Why? Because we have two very different types of spines. People have a compression spine, meaning our disks stack on top of one another and have to be decompressed to relieve pressure on the nerves and create better joint spacing. Horses have a suspension spine (think Golden Gate Bridge) so their joints are easily influenced without using tons of pressure.

If goals aren't being achieved through routine adjustments, then the muscle and fascia need addressed first. Skeletons would simply be a pile of bones lying on the ground if it wasn't for muscle and fascia giving us our shapes. They also create our compensation patterns too.

I've typed out this entire post and I'm still in shock that professionals in the industry would take such a risky short cut. I'm not even sure how they can logically explain why this would benefit a horse. I also wonder how much bruising is happening to the body during these sedated adjustments and then those horses are going out there and competing. It makes me ill to think about it.
Competition should never come before the needs of the horse. Shortcuts usually lead to disasters later on.

Do better. Your horse deserves better.

Professionals doing this. Do better. Your clients deserve better.

03/27/2024

My sister in law runs a rescue and rehab and has some pups available for adoption! If you can donate please consider it. Any donations or shares are very appreciated ❤️. (Be sure to check out her page as well for the available pups)

Our balance at the vet at the moment is $968.70.
Any donations to help reduce the balance any are appreciated Charlie’s bills will add 400+ to this amount.
Remember we have a fundraiser going on that ends on Sunday.
https://aschleysnider.scentsy.us/party/17807451/whispers-promise-fundraiser

https://cash.app/$Whisperspromise

03/24/2024

So happy it's Spring 🌸🌞🌱 Did you know MagnaWave can help maintain a healthy gut balance? 🐄 Not only can PEMF help the inflammation in the intestines, but it can also help with the metabolization of feed and supplements to keep your livestock eating well 🌈

To learn more about MagnaWave for livestock visit https://magnawavepemf.com/magnawave-for-livestock/ 🌟

Thank you Grace Contreraz for the adorable pic 🥰

03/23/2024

Cattle showman!!! It is spring show time.. and I know we wish we could.. but it is not recommended to work on bred livestock(or humans😁)! If you have any questions please reach out.

02/29/2024

🩺Tuesday Vet Tip 💡

Commercial feeds are deficient in iodine and salt as it will limit intake due to palatability. Forage is naturally low in iodine and salt as well.

Salt is critical for maintaining your horses’ hydration. Iodine is a vital part of thyroid function which includes cell regulation important for your horses’ metabolism and hoof growth.

A white salt block is a good option for summer months. However, not all horses prefer to lick a block. This time of year keeping a salt block can have the added difficulty of it melting 🫠.

Adding 2TBSP iodized salt 🧂 to your horses grain will meet the average horses salt and iodine requirements.

If you are using a white salt block, your horse should be consuming an ounce per day, roughly 2 lbs a month. Mark your calendar 📆 when you purchase a block and do the math that your horse is actually consuming the appropriate amount.

01/14/2024

Keeping this ole bay feeling his best on this 30 Degree day.

I’m beyond grateful to have clients who take care of me while I’m working on their animals in this cold weather. We pulled the bay into the tack room and cranked up the heater.