A Plus Equine Bodywork

11/21/2025

Looking for the perfect gift for your horse friend, trainer, coach, barn owner, lesson students, clients?

Gift certificates in any denomination are available. They can be used towards any of my services (bodywork, hoof care, boot fittings, saddle assessments).

11/17/2025

Your horse’s skeleton is built for impact — not confinement.

Three decades of equine bone research makes one thing painfully clear: Horses kept in box stalls lose bone density.

Not metaphorically. Literally.

Confinement triggers the same biological process humans call osteoporosis — and it starts fast.

Key findings from the research:

- Horses moved from pasture into stalls and worked only at slow speeds began losing bone mineral content within weeks.
- A single short sprint per week (50–80 m) dramatically strengthened bone.
- Corticosteroids mask pain and increase risk of further injury
- Good nutrition cannot override a lack of mechanical loading.
- A skeleton that doesn’t experience impact simply cannot stay strong.

All of this is drawn from:
Nielsen, B.D. (2023). A Review of Three Decades of Research Dedicated to Making Equine Bones Stronger. Animals, 13(5), 789.

So what does this mean for our modern domesticated horses?

It means bone weakness is not inevitable.

It’s a management problem.

It means many “mysterious” pathologies — stress fractures, suspensory injuries, joint degeneration, chronic compensation, recurrent lameness — are downstream consequences of bone that never had the chance to adapt to the forces nature designed it for.

Box stalls create osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis creates a whole lot of other pathology.

Your horse doesn’t need to be an athlete. But their bones require impact. Free movement. The ability to respond to their own nervous system’s cues to trot, canter, play, stretch, and even sprint.

Turnout is not enrichment.

Movement is biology.

Bone health is built — or lost — every single day.

A question I encourage every owner to sit with:

If you knew your horse’s bones were weakening in silence every day they stood still, would you keep managing them the same way?

Because in the end, it’s not confinement that keeps a horse safe.

It’s a resilient skeleton.

And only you can give them the environment their biology requires.

Change begins with us.

11/09/2025

Thank you Hannah’s Custom Designs! They look great!

11/09/2025

There is no magic pill

Patience, repetition, time, relax and change is usually what is needed.

Patience, because healing takes time, the body has to adjust Aswell as the mind. Everything is time dependent as to how long the recovery will take. If we are working on a horse that has spent years in a compensation or training pattern that leads to the reason, we are there then it makes sense the time will vary on when the horse has reached the goal of being comfortable to do what you ask.

Repetition, it is so important when we are asking a horse to now maintain a new pattern of movement that once we have done the bodywork the horse builds on the repeated exercises to continue the ease of the transition the horse will store this new information and the more, we do it the easier it will become and more importantly you will enhance ever changing progression. This doesn't have to be a huge array of exercises for hours a day but just a few good moves for 10 mins can be more effective and also, we then go back to patience as we must allow time for the horse to process the new information, we are giving it.

Time, there is no clock when it concerns horses you could have 10 horses with the same injury and they will all take different times to heal, adjust, return to work. Just because the horse down the road had the same problem and is now in work doesn't means yours is ready. Every horse has a different environment, management, routine and this is what makes horses so hard to put in a box of when or where they should be at a certain time of rehab.

Relax, take the pressure off yourself and your horse, everyone has an opinion and everyone is an expert when it comes to telling you what to do with your horse, remember we all work for you you can say no, carry the philosophy if your name is not on the passport then it's not your business.

Change, this can mean a lot of things like environment, feed or routine but mainly YOU may have to change, your horse may never be back to what they once were but that doesn't mean you can't have a new relationship with your horse, we have to make those horses best better, we often look at the end goal of competing etc and then lose out on the fun we could be having because at that moment in time the end goal can seem unachievable or so far away so if we just lower our expectations then everything becomes a bonus.

11/07/2025

Horses don’t need to be sore to benefit from bodywork.

Think of it like athletic maintenance! Just like a human athlete wouldn’t wait for pain to see a therapist.

💆‍♀️ Keep your horse feeling good, not just fixing them when they’re off.

DM me to book your horse in for an assessment and bodywork. Currently booking into December and January.

11/07/2025

Great idea! I’ve been using the Goldride pads to help my horse warm up before riding.

Using the code APLUSEQUINE can save you some money too!

https://goldride.ca/store/ols/products/gr-160-systeme-de-luminotherapie-multifonctionel-slash-light-therapy-system-multifonction

With the colder months quickly approaching, you might notice your horse “crunching up,” bucking, and requiring a lot more “warm up” time before they can comfortably ride.

While it’s not always the case, MANY horses suffer from Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM), a muscle deficiency that flairs up in cold weather ❄️

If you notice your horse is “cold-backed,” there are some ways you can reduce their discomfort. I like to suggest heating pads or electric blankets while grooming, along with thick, warm coolers, therapeutic blankets that reflect body heat, and longer warm up times before riding. I personally started using heating pad for my horse and I find it really helps!

Questions? Let me know! 👇🏻

11/06/2025

Travelling from Ontario to Tennessee next week with some availability for stops along the way.

Offering equine bodywork, saddle assessments (English and western), cold laser, and red light acupressure.

Message me to book in your spot!

11/06/2025

When the air gets crisp and you see frost on the grass, your pasture is changing more than you might think.

Here’s why that matters:

During the day, grass uses sunlight to produce sugars through photosynthesis. Normally, those sugars are burned for growth or stored in the roots overnight. But when it’s too cold, typically below about 5°C, grass growth slows or stops completely. That means those sugars stay concentrated in the leaves instead of being used up.
The result is that on bright, sunny days followed by chilly nights, the blades of grass can contain unusually high sugar levels.
Cool-season grasses, such as timothy, brome, orchardgrass, and fescue, are especially prone to this. These species thrive in cooler weather and naturally accumulate more sugars to help them survive cold stress. When temperatures fall, they can’t use those sugars efficiently, which causes even higher concentrations in the leaf blades.
For horses with metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, or a history of laminitis, that sugar spike can pose real risks, turning an ordinary pasture into a sugary treat their system can’t handle.
How to keep your horse safe in cold weather:
- Avoid turnout on frosty mornings when sugar content peaks.
- Turn out later in the day, ideally mid to late afternoon, once the grass has used up more sugar.
- Use a grazing muzzle or limit turnout time if needed.
- Feed tested, low NSC hay when the weather stays cold.
- Keep an eye on insulin levels and body condition. Early monitoring can help prevent flare ups. Ask us about our simple insulin testing options.

Cold weather doesn’t have to mean no pasture time. It just means smarter management. Understanding how grass responds to temperature shifts, especially in cool-season pastures, can help keep your metabolic horse healthy and comfortable all winter long.

11/04/2025

Red light therapy helps stimulate cell regeneration and collagen production which makes it perfect for tendon and ligament support.

It’s non-invasive, safe, and surprisingly effective as part of a structured rehab plan.

I often combine red light with gentle bodywork for best results. Want to learn how? Send me a message!

These leg and hock wraps are from Goldride
Use the code APLUSEQUINE to save when you purchase your own devices to use whenever you want!

11/03/2025

If your saddle keeps sliding to one side, it’s not always the saddle’s fault.

Often, it’s your horse’s body telling us there’s a strength imbalance or tightness pattern.

When we pair saddle assessments with bodywork, both the equipment and the horse stay in sync.

✨ Want to make sure your saddle and your horse’s body are working together? Let’s check it out.

11/01/2025

It’s hard to think about but soon snow and ice will be here!

Ice studs for your Scoot Boots supply extra grip and traction while riding (super helpful for if you condition up and down the roads during the winter!)

Send me a message to get your order in!