Two Spines Harmonize, Equine Sports Therapist

11/17/2025

When It’s Not Just the Feet

Sometimes, as we are going on our hoof rehab journey, we realize that maybe the feet aren’t the main issue.

As a hoofcare pro, it’s easy to get caught up in looking at the hooves. We see all the ways the feet need work.. we can see underrun heels, or long toes, or weak digital cushions and frogs, or even thin soles. We can notice broken back HPA or bullnosed hooves that likely have low or negative palmar/plantar angles. We see all these little clues, and we start working on ways to help the feet.

It’s easy to hyperfocus on a specific trim, or some kind of shoeing package, or even a fancy boot and pad set up. And some of us that have an extra interest in things like nutrition and biomechanics may harp on the perfect diet for healthier hooves, or the ideal turn out set up and footing considerations.

And some horses don’t seem to improve in all the ways we expected despite all these carefully modified care plans.

The truth is- there’s an entire body attached to those feet we are so obsessed with, and a horse with a history of movement patterns, old injuries, handling different riders, enduring all kinds of training approaches, dealing with various tack options, and a million other things that can affect their upper body. Their upper body often needs just as much attention as we put into their feet!

I am so fortunate to have Becca Upham-Davis of Elite Equine Massage, LLC who comes regularly and works on all the rehab cases here at the farm. A few days ago, she had her first appointment with one of our more recent rehab cases here. This sweet little gelding has fairly uncomplicated feet, but still struggles with stiff movement and topline development.

At the beginning of the appointment, Becca noticed the height imbalance of the front carpus/knees. Although this gelding was standing square and does not have high/low hooves, his right knee appeared to be sitting quite a bit higher than his left.

Becca worked on him for about an hour, assessing each part of his body. She found he had a good amount of tightness in the muscles around his right shoulder, and spent time working through it with both massage as well as stretches and targeted exercises to relax that side of his body.

Once the massage was done, not only did he walk out better, with a longer stride on his right front, but his knees were nearly instantly level.

We sometimes forget that the muscles and fascia are also holding these bodies together, and working on them can make a difference. We have spent a few months chasing our tails a bit just looking at this guy’s hooves, and our focus needs to shift a bit to making sure the upper body is getting the care it needs too! I am excited to see his progress as we continue to peel back layers of the rehab onion.

A huge thank you to Becca / Elite Equine Massage for being part of the team to get these horses more sound and comfortable!!!

11/09/2025

What a beautiful day for horsing around in the Okanagan! Unplanned energy work session, a bit of hands on bodywork, and then took Charlie for a walk.

10/05/2025

10/05/2025

Finished up a couple of busy days with bodywork and trimming!

09/28/2025

Unfortunately I have to make this post. I am tired of chasing people for payments.

Please pay me on time and promptly otherwise you will face two consequences.

🚩 I will no longer come to you for bodywork or trimming, or both

🚩 I am going to start charging late fees

I am a human being with bills to pay, and most appointments require a lot of fuel. I like to refuel my vehicle at the end of the day, partly for bookkeeping purposes. It’s rude to not pay for appointments or pay late.

Moving forward I ask that people pay at the time of appointment I am tired of chasing people down for payments. After 24 hours of non payment I am going to charge an extra $10. After 48 hours you will be moved to a cash only customer and face me removing you off my customer list.

***if for whatever reason you can’t pay at your appointment and you are in good standing with me, please contact me before your appointment and arrangements can be discussed***

09/26/2025

I had a customer today asked me how Sakura’s navicular has been. At first I was thinking not much has changed… Then thought, what am I saying!!! Her feet have been awesome 😎 I can’t remember her last “lame day” not saying it will never happen but here is today with her.
Here’s her feet, they have really opened up. Are they perfect 👌? No but they are so much better!!
Here I am practicing getting on her (more for me, she’s been great). She is barefoot, no boots either.
Doesn’t look foot sore to me 😁😁😁

09/22/2025

The Body's Connection to the Hoof

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in hoof rehab is that the hooves never exist in isolation. We can trim, balance, and protect the feet all we want, but if the horse’s body isn’t healthy, the feet will always tell us.

Sometimes, improving the hooves truly does improve the whole horse. Better movement leads to stronger muscles, improved circulation, and reduced strain. But the opposite is also true: if we don’t address systemic health, with considering things like nutrition, metabolic balance, inflammation, or even pain elsewhere in the body, the feet will never fully heal, no matter how skilled the trim.

The truth is simple: fix the body, and the feet will typically follow. Ignore the body, and the feet won’t hold.

Hoof care is never just about the trim. It’s about seeing the whole horse.

A huge shout out and thank you to SURE FOOT Equine for sponsoring our SOLD OUT Humble Hoof Podiatry Clinic happening at the end of October! Sure Foot Balance pads help us so much here at our rehab facility to get horses to feel better in their body and improve their hoof health, and it fits in perfectly with our podiatry clinic topics of how the body affects the feet and vice versa. While our in-person attendance is sold out, we do have video recording options available to still see the lectures and sessions by our amazing clinicians.

09/15/2025

✨ Low Toe Woes ✨

Most horse owners know long toes are bad… but do you know why?
Think about walking around in oversized, flat shoes all day. You’d be sore, unbalanced, and achy. For horses, that’s what long toes feel like—and the damage goes deeper than you think.

Here’s what’s really happening inside the hoof:

🐴 Coffin Bone Damage – Long toes put constant pressure on the coffin bone, causing permanent erosion and painful imbalance.

🐴 Mechanical Laminitis – The long toe acts like a lever, tearing at the laminae (the “Velcro” that holds the hoof together). Healing can take up to 2 years with proper trimming cycles.

🐴 Cracks & Flares – They aren’t “just how your horse is built.” They’re a sign the trim cycle is too long, leading to infection, distortion, and pain.

🐴 Hoof Distortion – Instead of a healthy round shape, long toes stretch the hoof forward, pulling out the frog and sole.

🐴 Coronet Band Stress – Waves in the coronet band = the hoof wall is too long and pushing upward unnaturally.

🐴 Body Pain – Just like you’d ache from bad shoes, long toes strain your horse’s joints, muscles, and movement patterns.

✅ The Fix? Beveling the toe and frequent trim cycles. This allows the hoof to roll naturally, protects live tissue inside, and restores proper movement through the entire body.

Healthy feet = a healthy horse. 💪🐎

09/15/2025

🚨🐴 Is Your Horse Struggling with Lameness or Pain? 🐴🚨

🌿✨ Now Accepting New Clients – Holistic Hoof Care & Bodywork for Horses ✨🌿

I’m excited to bring together my two passions—healing hooves and restoring movement—to help horses feel their best. 💚

👉 For a limited time, the first 3 clients will receive a discounted rate!

I specialize in helping:
🍎 Horses with chronic issues such as recurring lameness or body pain
🍎 Horses deemed “unrideable” due to hoof problems
🍎 Rescue horses in need of extra support to regain comfort and confidence

⚡ What’s required:
✔️ Horses must be safe to handle
✔️ Owners open to regular trim cycles + integrated bodywork for best results

✨ If your goal is to enjoy more happy, rideable years with your horse—and you’re not ready to give up hope—this may be the solution you’ve been searching for. ✨

📩 Message me today to reserve your spot and claim the introductory offer!

08/27/2025

Interesting… I will have to read more about this

Pete Ramey: The Bars of the Hoof "Leaving a longer bar (and sole ridge around the frog) accelerates the process of achieving a deeply concaved sole by providing support to the internal structures and reducing sole wear. I already learned this lesson about the other parts of the foot years ago. The less I trimmed the sole, the deeper the solar concavity became. The less I shortened the foot, the shorter the foot became. The less I trimmed frogs, the more sound the horses were. Every time I have learned to back off, my horses became more sound, and the rehabilitation of pathologies accomplished more quickly. I was a just a bit slower in seeing the same truth about the bars. Now I’ve come to view them as a critically important weight-bearing structure and see that as with every other part of the foot, over-trimming them makes them grow too long, too fast."
Read more: https://www.thehorseshoof.com/pete-ramey-the-bars-of-the-hoof/

08/16/2025