The Shiift Method by Mandy McConechy, Ayr (2026)

26/12/2025

Tradition : Give your horse a Guiness and Christmas

Truth: Alcohol is poison.

Not that is an uncomfortable truth!

When there is such a drinking culture amongst people. It does not matter how we wrap it, sugar coat it or just plain lie to ourselves - when we choose to drink alcohol we are choosing to poison ourselves.

When alcohol is celebrate by all, what would the harm be in giving one to the horse?

It is tradition after all. But is tradition serving our horses optimal welfare?

Let's explore the (mostly) peer-reviewed science, not my opinion:

Alcohol (ethanol) is contraindicated in horses because equine physiology makes it biologically HARMFUL rather than BENEFICIAL.

Horses metabolise ethanol inefficiently due to relatively low hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase activity, leading to prolonged systemic exposure and increased toxicity (Cunningham, Textbook of Veterinary Physiology). Summarised peer-reviewed work.

Ethanol acts as a central nervous system depressant by potentiating GABA-A receptors and inhibiting NMDA glutamate receptors, impairing coordination and behaviour in a large prey species reliant on proprioception (Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics).

In the gastrointestinal tract, alcohol irritates gastric mucosa and disrupts hindgut microbial fermentation, increasing the risk of colic, gas distension, and exacerbation of gastric ulceration (Equine Veterinary Journal; Journal of Animal Science).

Ethanol also suppresses antidiuretic hormone, causing diuresis and dehydration, which is particularly dangerous in horses due to their high sweat losses and limited thirst response under stress (Veterinary Clinics of North America: Equine Practice).

Hepatically, ethanol metabolism generates acetaldehyde and oxidative stress, promoting hepatocellular injury and inflammation; horses are especially vulnerable to liver insults because of their sensitivity to toxins and limited hepatic reserve (Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine).

Finally, equine nutrition research shows no unique nutritional benefit of ethanol that cannot be safely achieved through forage, balanced concentrates, or non-alcoholic brewer’s yeast supplements, making alcohol exposure scientifically unjustifiable (National Research Council, Nutrient Requirements of Horses).

Are you promoting your horse's optional welfare or are you choosing to take an action that flies in the face of all current knowledge for made up and fanciful tradition?

21/12/2025

This makes me laugh - not the thousands of horses who have been harmed but he vaccines) - but the idea that something that required 6 monthly protection could suddenly at the drop of a hat change to being yearly protection.

And people believe it!! Without thought or question.

How much does something not have to make sense until you vote with your feet?

I will not risk my horse's health for a rosette - and really that is what it is.

But I will not vaccinate my horses at all - in fact I won't vaccinate any of my animals or myself, when it is time for us to die, we will die.

I have even been considering the end - is euthanasia serving our animals at a soul level? Who are we to decide it is time for an animal to die because their suffering is making us uncomfortable?

We are told it is the kindest thing, but, at what cost to the should within that soul's journey? Why are we all so hell bent on prematurely ending a natural part of an animal's life, the transition to death? Something I am still mulling, because it is not a small topic.

With an average of 33% of vaccinated horses studied showing vaccine breakdown (i.e., they developed clinical signs of influenza despite vaccination) in one study and in 2003 when a large batch of newly vaccinated horses became ill post vaccination with the exact thing they had been vaccinated for - that was all I needed to know.

It aligns with my life and I have made the decision that IF they are going to get flu and die, then that will be what happens.

But I will not torture them twice a year trying to prevent something that , let's face it, does not prevent it anyway - all it takes is a slight difference to genetic makeup and it is useless.

I knew the risks. I knew the protocol. 5 days off work after flu jab, no sweating. Ice and swellings.

And I thought hat this was ok. But I do not think so now!
For me - I cannot do that. I cannot put my own ideals and goals above my horses health and inject a poison into them so (if they survive it without any long lasting effects) I can them go and use them to fulfil my goals.

Both actions are seen as risks, but I would encourage you to think - once you put something in the body that results in an illness - it is inside you, there is nothing you can do.

If I become ill, I can then add stuffing to help me get better, but I will never be able to take the vaccine out, after it causes harm.

What I can do, is I can allow my animals to live as naturally as possible. I can accept Mother Nature either way supporting this or not. I can provide herbs and food to support their immune system.

While 1 scoop of nuts is easy and quick, forage based feed with multiple supplements to support act individual horses's immune system and health will serve your horse far better.

But I cannot accept me injecting toxins that I know are harmful into my horse's system that may alter this process.

I trust in God. I trust in nature. I trust that everything happens for a reason and that everything that happens for me. Above all else, I have trust and faith that no mater what happens, it is supposed to happen and in divine timing.

It is not going to all be plain sailing, but I am going to learn exactly what I need as I encounter the waves.

This may not be your way, you might think I am nuts, but I know many many people who are of the same philosophy.

Tell me, what do you think about the high number of adverse reactions equine vaccinations cause?

18/12/2025

The vet and medical services are broken.

They are multi billion pound industries that, in general, do not serve the animals and people they care for.

Daily I see people across the world struggling with their animals symptoms, incapacitated by their own symptoms and stuck in a place where they can not find a way out of, with their needs being unmet be the healthcare system.

It breaks my heart seeing all of this suffering.

This year alone, I have worked with a lady abandoned but the NHS with FND barely able to stand and walk and no idea when it may end who returned to 95%+ health within a few weeks of working together, a lady wrongly diagnosed and medicated for one issue to them find out the medication was making her sick because the diagnosis and medication were wrong.

What hope do people have if medicating an issue is so easy to get wrong? And giving someone a diagnosis, tell them it is their mind and there is nothing to be done about it.

What most of the things I am seeing have in common - be htey human or animal is that there is alot of central nervous system overload. It is a toxicity of the system, an inability to function.

And I know becasue that is where I was in 2018.

I spent most of my childhood suffering because there was 'no answer' to my alopecia.

They had some ideas about what *might* help. Things like several injections into my scalp in every square centimetre. An exceptionally painful, exceptionally traumatic procedure that I had to endure several times before I was 10.

It didnt help. Not a bit. It might have even made it worse, I cant remember, because that is what trauma does to you.

My body was not acting as it should and so they worked on the area of body the was not working.

There was no consideration of emotions.

When the alopecia started I was 8, I had longed to go to school with my big brother and wasn't about to realise this dream, I moved school - and something happened that meant my big brother moved to a boarding school - either at the same time or shortly after.

Something was wrong in his life and so I can only assume that same thing would also have been wrong in my life and then I lost my big brother for 3/4s of the year, every year.

I know, because it is my body, that that was the issue. There were other issues though - the year before my eyesight had plummeted to -5.5 in both eyes. There was something I was desperately not wanting to see that was not happening in my life. But I got glasses instead, becasue that is how we 'correct' issues with vision.

I was a child who was needing some help in life, my body was giving clear signs that there was something wrong in my life, something I was struggling to deal with.

And here I am, at 44, still mopping up the pieces. trauma does not have to be fixed, it has ton be acknowledged and the experience integrated into the nervous system. No band aid will ever fix it.

But band aids are all that are on offer to the general population - medication, operations and no end to the suffering.

My journey taught me that life was painful. It taught me that I was a victim. It taught me that I had no agency in my health. It led me to suicidal thoughts, depression and addiction.

And if I had not found the beginning of a solution when I did, would I even be here now?

I think this is why I am so driven to share with people that their stuckness is most often a result of the system they are in, not a personal failing of theirs, becasue I felt like it was me.

The pain is often an illusion created by the brain as a result of this stuckness. It wants us to listen to the body and unstick ourself, not take a pill to deny the body's message to us.

We are programmed from a very young age to believe that "only doctors/vets know" , "if it sounds too good to be true it probably is" and "alternative medicine is for wackos".

These beliefs stop us from accessing the care that we really need when we need it. I laughed at all those wackos clinging hey could do x, y, z - until I found out that actually some of it is true.

And now I know so many people who work in this field and see their results as well my own and it is impossible to deny.
If you are struggling with a diagnosis, an issue the doctor/vet cannot solve I want you to know this:

Not all doctors/vets are created equal. Functional medicine doctors look at the whole body and not in parts. Second opinions are your friend.

The pain is real. Don't let anyone feel you are making it up or doubt it. There are people who can help you, do not give up - so many people - but they are not in a doctor's surgery and you will not get a referral too them from the doctor. I am happy to connect with anyone who is looking.

Don't give up. Just start looking somewhere else. Have a chat with chatgpt and ask about HOLISTIC and NATURAL solutions.

Emotional release, herbs, homeopathy and any other ideas it may have. Tell it your story, mention Louise Hay and Christianne Beerlandt work in your question and see what it comes back with.

Send me a message and have a chat, I am here to help when I am asked.

Just the fact you have seen this post is a sign for you that your solution is out there, just in a different direction that you have been looking.

11/12/2025

I am making changes on here and want to keep you guys updated!

Life winds and flows and with it I goes...

If you like my content follow my personal page Mandy McConechy where I am going to be posting more as I wind this page down over time.

The group Horse tips with a neurological twist! is still ticking away and is a nice wee non-judgemental space you are welcome to join.

10/12/2025

Nociceptors are nerve endings that produce subjective pain such as crude touch or blunt force trauma.

Mechanoreceptors are nerve endings that produce mechanical pain such as hot, cold and vibration.

Some stimuli can be either a nociceptor or a mechanoreceptor such as hot and cold and tickle.

Above these nerve endings are pain pathways which are stimulated by (in order of importance) memories of pain, suffering, the noise related to pain or looking at the point of trauma.

All of these things only matter when they are dysfunctional.
For example, a cold receptor that is dysfunctional will tell the brain it is 10c when it is 20c and the brain will then make the body feel like it is 10c and the person needs to put on more clothes in the heat.

A hot receptor will tell the body it is 30c when it is 20c and the body will sweat and seek ways to cool itself by removing clothes.

Both of these receptors normalise immediately when the brain goes back to sensing the correct temperature and then the sensation within the body returns to a realistic reading of the environment.

This is called proprioception. And nerve endings and the brain create proprioception.

The only thing that can change how our body moves is the brain.

But it is in a box (the head) and relies on stimulus from all our senses and information relayed to it from the nerve endings all over and within the body.

Once one of these stimuli is errant, it knocks on and creates more and more.

Another trauma.

Now there is an interrelated compensation pattern.

Another trauma.

Now there are a few tight muscles. We can see atrophy (muscle wastage) appearing on the body where it was not before. Areas of muscle are always hard and areas of muscle that no matter what, we cannot get to build up.

This is the visual representation of what is going on in the body as pressure is added through the tendons, ligaments and joints from muscles that are not functioning properly because the brain is not letting them.

I remember seeing this on my best horse and wondering what/why it was. I asked the vet but there was no answer. I asked a lot of people and nobody knew.

Well I know now and I want you to know as well. Because these are the signs we should be watching for to tell us that there is something not right within our horse’s body.

We should view them with a lens of “how interesting,” and look back critically to see when it started and what might have
happened to the horse in the period before that.

If there was no trauma, these are signs that our training is not creating a body that is pleasant for the horse to compete with and also a body that is far more likely to break down and have intermittent niggles than be a sound, healthy body that can perform well.

04/12/2025

What is the thing you wish you knew more about in the horsey world?

29/11/2025

How do the brains neurotransmitters play a fundamental role and why are there abnormal levels of hormones?

Nerve endings.

They are everywhere, the muscles, tendons, organs - everywhere except the cartilage. Their job is to tell the brain what is happening around them by sending messages which the brain puts together with all the other nerve endings to create response.

The goal of this response is first and foremost to keep the body safe. And that is great, when there is an actual trauma or potential source of harm, but when the nerve ending is reacting to a trauma that is functionally 'healed' this is where the problems arise.

There are 2 categories of nerve endings - nocicopters and mechanoreceptors.

Nociceptors respond to potentially harmful stimuli within viscera, bones, muscles, skin and specialised sensory organs. They function as complex predictors of harm through formation of pain stimulus.

A great example of this is a horse who you cannot carry a whip with because of their reaction. This is a reaction based on past nociceptive trauma and the reaction can start inside the body by creating a complex chain of reactions from releasing of hormones and muscles firing that we see as the horse not liking being tacked up, being bolshy, naughty, needing to be integrated in a certain way and many more things we 'dismiss' as soon as the horse understands it is being ridden, we only 'see' it when the horse reacts to the whip.

But the whole time they are saying inside themselves - is there a whip coming, is there not? I don't know because it happened to me before, it will probably happen again. This takes a long time to desensitise if it is there, if it is even possible, depending on the intensity and frequency of the trauma, but is incredibly easy to abate using emotional work.

Nocioceptors detect pain stimuli such as:
Hot,
Cold
A pinprick (sharp)
Blunt force trauma
Light sensations across the skin
Fine sensations on the skin
Tickle
Itch

Nocioceptors created responses locally and globally as time goes on across the body, an example of this is withdrawal (like you would see your body move in response to a tickle, burn or cold), approach (like you respond to an itch, leaning into the scratch) .

I have seen a horses tight neck melt into softness just by integrating the past trauma held by a pinprick nocioceptor (the nail going into the foot during shoeing )and it’s partner, a blunt force nociceptor (from the hammering).

The withdrawal being created to pull the tissues in the neck away from the pinprick by contracting the topline was allowed to relax instantaneously when the foot told the brain there was no longer a trauma it needed to protect.

That horse had started napping after it’s 2nd ever shoeing and after treatment stopped napping and returned to it’s normal behaviour.

Mechanoreceptors are sensory receptors that respond to mechanical pressure or distortion.

Mechanorecepters detect stimuli such as :
Vibration
Varying degrees of pressure on the skin/tissue (saddle, girth, bridle, leg)
Vibration is huge in horses, especially hot shod horses who have their feet rasped after inhaling smoke during the shoeing (this sends the brain into a state of mush and it perceives pretty much anything as trauma in this state).
If you do one thing when you get your horse shod, point his nose into he wind and it will be a far less traumatic for his nervous system - because the nervous system does find shoeing traumatic.
In addition, the information that is sent to the brain is filtered through it’s core beliefs, past experience and trauma.

Now at this stage the brain has 4 options (well at all stages and all moments)
1 Relax muscles
2 Contract muscles
3 Increase hormone production
4 Decrease hormone production
Lets take a ridden buck for example.
With this thinking it can only happen for one of a very few reasons -
1 To stop stimulating mechanoreceptors, the brain is trying to eject the rider.
2 To stop stimulating either nerve ending in the feet they are being put in the air, possibly linking back to number 1
3 In response to a nerve firing, which even with a shoulder nerve could then link to the first on this list.
4 Emotional response to past trauma stimulating the organ connected with an area, causing pain/nerve firing and linking back to the first on the list.

Looking at the mechanics of a buck, the feet are projecting the body from the ground.

I believe that very rarely are horses bucking for fun.

If we could break down the moments before the buck there is always a sign of pain - the chin tucks, the white of the eyes show, an area that has high atrophy is asked to work, an ear flick, tail swish, change in quality of the gait, just coming off a turn where something different is stimulated from going straight, the rider has changed balance - there are so many variables to be ruling out before we come to the conclusion hat the horse was ‘having fun’.

I have sat and watched countless hours of bucks and am yet to see a horse bucking without displaying a pain behaviour prior to the buck.

The way the horse bucks as well holds all sorts of information…
What do the back legs do before during and after the buck? Are they the same height and if not, is out the same leg always higher?

Does the difference start at the pelvis, stifle, hock or is running he whole way along the back?

Do they land one leg always before the other and do they bear the weight well or does that set them off into another buck? Do they buck with a saddle and no rider?

What do they front legs do - how are they landing, is there always one in front of the other?

These patterns that we can spot when we start to look in amore objective manner can then lead to the nerve ending involved and also it’s location.

Then by resetting the nerve ending, it changes the information it is sending tot eh brain, which then changes how the brain holds the body by relaxing the compensation patterns it was holding.

So what can you do to help your own horse in the here and now?
Involved with every trauma is emotions, they are one of the big symptoms that drive the pain due to all information being filtered through past experiences and core beliefs.

Beliefs and emotions can be very easily cleared and change to serve the horse instead of work against it which is why I have created my Course.

In this course you will learn how to work with your horses moods, beliefs and many other things as well as how to use these techniques on yourself.

This course gives you the knowledge and power to do something besides worry while you wait for the vet.

Instead you can start down regulating emotions that are showing up in the horse in that moment, you can locate pain points and use the mood optimisation technique to remove any emotional pain stored there as well as tap in to the horses central nervous system and see what else may be involved, arming yourself with a wealth of information for the.vet.

You can treat the emotional root cause of your horses recurring ulcers and identify what treatment your horse's unique system needs to help it heal the ulcers now the emotions are no longer recreating them.

The applications of The SHIIFT Method are endless when I felt the physical relief integrating trauma could give me, I knew there was no turning back.

27/11/2025

Black Friday Special – Extra Support for You!

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From now until [tomorrw, 28/11/2025 , every package from Bronze upwards comes with 2 extra 121 sessions with me completely free — that’s £450 extra value to give you even more support.

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Payment plans available – spread the cost over 3 or 6 months to suit you.

Don’t miss out — grab your package and claim your 2 bonus sessions before the offer ends.

Visit www.mandymcconechy.com for more details.

26/11/2025

Have you ever avoided doing something you absolutely love with your horses because your brain kept sabotaging you?

Let me tell you about these £17 butt cheek pads and how they're part of me creating what will work for me and my horses instead of fighting against what doesn't.

I've been on this frustrating journey lately - one where I'm passionately searching for ways to make life better with my horses, but instead finding myself stuck in a loop of ADD forgetfulness that's ruining the very activities that bring me joy.

I notice that I absolutely adore watching horses engage in scent work, their noses twitching with concentration, their minds lighting up as they solve the puzzles I create for them and the change in their body after each session.

There's something profoundly satisfying about seeing them tap into those ancient instincts, working with purpose and intelligence.

But here's where my human brain starts working against me. I've been going through towels like they're disposable - forgetting to pick them up, ruining the carefully placed scent markers that my horses have been learning to recognise.

I feel this excitement about going to o scutwork that is quickly dashed by disappointment and failure when I realise I've messed up again and don't have towels.

The towels are ruined, the scent work doesn't get done, and another opportunity for meaningful connection with my horses gets postponed.

I observe that this pattern has led to something I never expected - I've been subconsciously avoiding scent work altogether.

The activity that once brought me so much excitement and complements The SHIIFT Method so well now fills me with a sense of overwhelm.

The old voice - "You are useless, can't do anything right, don't deserve anything nice" threatens to arise and if it gets a foot in the door it affects every area of my life and business, and suddenly I'm finding excuses to avoid everything (especially that pattern I have been working on hard on defying for so long).

I wonder if any of you have experienced this?

That moment when your love for something gets overshadowed by a practical challenge that seems insurmountable?

I imagine you might know that feeling of wanting so badly to connect with your horse, but finding yourself blocked by something that feels so fixable, yet somehow isn't.

So there I was, innocently searching online for solutions to make our scent work sessions happen, a smooth silicon pad that will not ruin if it is left out after a session - more organised, less prone to human error.

I'll be honest - I laughed out loud. Of all the things in the world I expected to find while searching for horse training solutions, silicon butt pads were not top of my list.

But as I sat there chuckling at the absurdity, something shifted in my thinking. I felt this unexpected lightness, this moment of pure ridiculousness that broke through my frustration.

I notice that these silly, unexpected butt cheek pads have somehow become my motivation. Every time I see them, I'm reminded that sometimes the best solutions aren't the most logical ones.

Sometimes what we really need is a good laugh, a moment of absurdity that reminds us not to take ourselves so seriously. I feel this renewed excitement about getting back to scent work, not because I solved my towel problem perfectly, but because I found something that makes me smile.

I'm curious about how many of you have had similar experiences? It certainly reminded me of that time I searched "bitch name ge****ls" and was presented with only be******ty websites and no anatomy!!

Times when you were searching for a serious solution to a horse-related problem, only to find something completely unexpected that actually helped - or just made you laugh, lighten up and create space for the solution to appear.

I wonder if the humor itself is part of the healing process - that moment when we stop trying to be perfect horse trainers and just become humans having a funny experience with our animals.

I value these moments of imperfection and laughter. I believe they strengthen our bonds with our horses in ways that perfect technique never could.

When we allow ourselves to be flawed, forgetful, sometimes ridiculous humans, we create space for more authentic connections with our animals.

They don't care about our perfect scent work setups - they care about our presence, our energy, our willingness to show up and try again.

I feel hopeful knowing that my pseudo butt cheek pads will be there every day, reminding me that progress doesn't have to look pretty to be real.

They're my silly cheerleaders, my absurd motivators, my unexpected teachers in embracing imperfection.

I imagine my horse won't care that my scent pads were almost involved pads meant for someone's rear end - he'll just be happy we're playing our scent games again.

I would love to hear your stories of unexpected solutions and funny moments that helped you reconnect with your horse work. What ridiculous purchases or absurd situations have actually helped you move past training blocks?

I'm genuinely interested in collecting these tales of imperfect progress, because I suspect we all need more reminders that it's okay to be humans making our way through this beautiful, sometimes messy journey with horses.

I notice that writing about this already makes me want to gather my scent materials (the ones I haven't ruined yet) and set up a game for my horse, not wait for the pads to arrive.

The butt cheek pads are sitting in my amazon cart, a silent testament to the fact that sometimes the universe answers our prayers in the most delightfully weird ways possible and a question - could these make ba****ck riding more pleasant for my horses because I have some super pointy butt bones!! Haha.

I'm grateful for this reminder that healing our relationship with activities we've avoided doesn't always require serious solutions. Sometimes it requires a good laugh at ourselves, a moment of absurdity, and the willingness to embrace whatever weirdness helps us show up for our horses again.

So here's to the unexpected motivators in our lives - the butt cheek pads, the mistaken purchases, the ridiculous moments that break through our frustration and remind us that joy doesn't have to look perfect to be real.

I wonder what unexpected discoveries are waiting for each of us as we continue this journey of learning, growing, and occasionally laughing at ourselves alongside our wonderful horses.

26/11/2025

I notice there's a practice in horse breeding that concerns me deeply, and I'd like to share my thoughts with openness and respect for everyone involved.

When I see foals being forcibly weaned, I feel a heavy heart because I imagine the confusion and fear these young horses must experience.

I observe that sometimes there's pride in achieving early weaning, with an easy method, and I understand that breeders may feel they're demonstrating successful management.

At the same time, I wonder about the foal's experience - being separated from their primary source of comfort and nutrition, before they're naturally ready, by spikes.

I feel concerned because I imagine the physical discomfort and emotional distress this might cause.

From what I've observed, foals who undergo abrupt weaning may develop lasting challenges that affect their relationships with humans and other horses throughout their lives.

I'm curious about our motivations for rushing this natural process. I wonder what would happen if we allowed foals to wean at their own pace, when mother nature intends them to do so.

I imagine this gentler approach might help create horses who are more confident, emotionally balanced, and trusting.

I feel hopeful when I consider alternatives that honor the natural bond between mare and foal, but I never considered it becasue 'it is no the done thing' '.

Perhaps we could explore methods that minimize stress while still meeting our practical needs as caretakers.

I value the wisdom of natural processes and believe they often serve both animals and humans better than rushed artificial timelines.

I would appreciate hearing others' perspectives on this. What experiences have you had with different weaning approaches?

What matters most to you when raising healthy, happy horses?

I'm genuinely interested in understanding different viewpoints while honoring the wellbeing of these magnificent animals.

Together, perhaps we can find ways to support both horses and humans in creating relationships built on trust, patience, and mutual respect.

The Shiift Method by Mandy McConechy

26/12/2025

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