Equine Release

24/12/2025

The last of 2025 horses are done 🙌

I’m not going to say the usual end of the year thank yoos to my clients for choosing me to help your horses

Because you should be thanking me 😉 😂

Joking aside.. I do appreciate you all & thank you for your recommendations via word of mouth without you I wouldn’t be as busy as I am.

And without you I wouldn’t have found my people 🙏

Have a wonderful Christmas to everyone that also interacts with my page.

I look forward to seeing my regulars & new clients in 2026
Aud xx

23/12/2025

Herd dynamics

Iv never really taken much notice how the herd interacts with a new horse before but watching them over the past two days has really opened my eyes. Iv found it really fascinating, and watching from a distance its really interesting how they all interact with one another and the decision making around a new horse arriving in the herd.

On the first day when Hank was turned out, the herd didnt react with aggression. He seemed to move among them confidently. He was sniffing & stood to watch. I didn’t know that Hank was gathering information, just as they gathered it from him. If you look at the video below this post you will see the grey ( leader) allowing him to meet everyone. Then the next day he changed!

I’ve learnt that this is the assessment phase which I believe (experienced horse behaviourists, please correct me) is a period where no one challenges position because nothing has yet been decided?

On the second day, the herd leader stepped away from the group and took himself to the other side of the field. He just stood and watched. I found this rather eerie at first.

I thought he was stepping away from his role as leader but I now believe that instead, he was creating space. From a distance, he was watching Hank and watched how he interacted with the others, noting how he moved, how he responded to proximity, and how predictable he remained as arousal increased.

When the leader had seen enough, he galloped straight at Hank, ears flat back. Apparently this isn’t done in anger, but to draw a clear boundary. It seems that Hank is not allowed to join the herd just yet.

Hank had no choice but to accept this, and immediately he chose distance rather than conflict. By staying away, he showed that he understood and was submission.

The leader did not pursue further, because no escalation was needed.

Hank was respecting the boundaries that were put in place.

As I stood watching, a young c**t pony left the main herd and walked over to stand with him.

I noticed the day before that this very same pony had removed himself from the herd and stood watching for a very long time rooted in the same spot, just watching Hank 🤷‍♀️

I’ve learnt that lower ranking horses often provide quiet companionship to newbies placed on the periphery. It reduces stress and signals to the leader that the newbie is calm, safe, and non disruptive. The leader allowed it because the situation was ok.

When you humanise it, it looks like plain bullying and nastiness from the herd leader and I felt like the protective mother with her child at school who’s being bullied, I was ready to go and sort the bully out 😡
Then I remembered… these are horses, not children 🤦🏻‍♀️

There’s no rejection or bullying. The herd moved from watching to a decision, and the decision was low risk placement rather than exclusion. Hank wasn’t seen as being dangerous or problematic just unproven. Hes not earnt his right to be accepted yet. Over time, pressure will soften and tolerance will increase.

This is how a competent herd leader protects the herd, they watch first, enforcing once, and then hopefully allow calm social bonds to form at the edge until trust is earned.

I’ve never really taken the time to sit and watch how herd dynamics actually work, and it’s genuinely fascinating.

If there are any behaviourists who follow me, I’d love your input on this.

22/12/2025

Metabolic Decompression

Sometimes the most effective intervention isn’t doing more it can be about doing less & giving the system enough space to regulate itself.

Whilst we can be a facilitator for this, sometimes we have to let mother nature do her thing.

This past 12 months have been horrific it’s been full of sadness and loss that has completely floored me.

Life sometimes takes us on a journey where we keep asking ourselves , “What the hell is going on?” until the mind and body can take no more, and we arrive at a destination we didn’t even know we were heading toward.

For Hank & myself this time has been a long time coming.

In my previous post I talked about how some people have the need to constantly ‘fix’ their own horses & how sometimes we have to look inwards. To be open, vulnerable & completely raw.

I received so many beautiful messages from people reaching out who shared their own personal experiences with me. Thank you 🙏

If you have resonated with my previous post & even this one. You can also surrender. You’re going to be ok 🙏

How we interact with our horses does affect them so when a horse is under constant pressure from either a human, dietary, physical, neurological, or inflammatory their body stays in a compensatory state which means

Stress
Pain
Body lameness
Behavior issues
Elevated cortisol
High muscle tone
Increased inflammation etc

Over time, that becomes the horses normal.

For Hank, this now means
Ad lib forage (he’s always had this)
removal of all feeds and supplements
In a herd environment ( every horse should be in this anyway)
No hands on bodywork
Reduced handling
Removal of performance expectations

Just letting him be, with minimal human interaction. Of course, he will be checked regularly, but this is his time, as much as it is mine, to decompress.

I’m not going to feel guilty.
I’m not going to feel like I’m losing control
I’m not going to try & ‘fix’ him
I’m not going to stress & worry about him.

I’m going to take all the pressure off him & myself 🙏

21/12/2025

Co dependency and projection.

This is something I’ve observed repeatedly over many years of working with horses and owners.

There are times when I see a horse being constantly monitored and micromanaged. Every tail swish, head position, moment of stiffness or hesitation is noticed, analysed, and interpreted as something that needs fixing.

And while those signs can sometimes indicate discomfort, there is a point where healthy observation can shift into hyper vigilance. Over analyzing, over thinking. It can quietly become consuming.

In certain situations, I’ll gently ask the owner how they are feeling.

A simple “Are you okay?” or “How are you doing?” can open the door to a conversation that really needs to be had.

Are you in pain?
Are you exhausted?
Are you carrying stress, grief, anger, anxiety, or depression?

More often than not, the answer is yes.

What I often see in these situations is a person who has learned to place their focus entirely on the horse, while their own needs remain unspoken or unaddressed. The care of the horse becomes a way to cope, to manage, or to stay busy when in reality, the healing that’s needed may belong to the person.

This is often driven by unresolved physical issues , emotional stress, or long standing childhood/ancestral trauma patterns.

The pattern can look like the horse is repeatedly being “worked on” by multiple therapists with the owner searching for answers that they never quite get. They feel deeply responsible for preventing any discomfort the horse might experience.

The feed room is often filled with supplements, lotions, herbs, homeopathic remedies for every possible scenario. There is always another protocol to try, another solution to research, another thing to do for the horse.

Many of us recognise this, because weve lived it, or are living it.

The difficulty happens when the horse becomes the place where the owners unaddressed needs are expressed.

I’ve noticed that horses will sometimes present with patterns that closely reflect what their owners are carrying like chronic excess tension, inflammatory pain, digestive stress, nervous system overload or shutdown.

Horses are so sensitive to the state of the human nervous system. Far more than many people realise.

Constantly focusing on the horse can, at times, be a way of avoiding our own pain, unresolved experiences, long standing emotional wounds, or physical symptoms we’ve learned to normalise.

I know this because this was me. So I can relate, I can understand what’s going on.

Stepping back and taking an honest look at ourselves can feel uncomfortable. It asks for vulnerability. It asks us to surrender. But it also asks the question that is really needed

What do I need to heal?

Healing ourselves isn’t easy and it can feel frightening but it can create more change in a horse than any supplement, technique, or intervention ever could.

Sometimes the bravest thing we can do for our horse is to stop & step back and look inward 🙏

20/12/2025

Of course I shared 😂💕

19/12/2025

Finally having a sit down with a brew & biscuits after a very busy week 🙌

One of my regular clients 💕

Did I share a biscuit 🤔

13/12/2025

Bladder Meridian

I will often use red light along the Bladder Meridian line.

Sometimes hands can be just to much ☺️

Iv sped the video up otherwise it would be far to boring 🥱

But if you’ve a red light use it along this line ☺️

13/12/2025

I stumbled across this fabulous page.
Please give her a follow.

This right here resonates with me.
I’m sure it will with many of you.

Hope you enjoy reading it

Have a great day everyone 🙏

The moment you share anything about your life, your work, or your opinions, you sign an invisible contract. Someone, somewhere, will decide they know better.

Judgement is part of the landscape when you work online. You can be thoughtful, curious, willing to learn, and genuinely open-hearted, and there will still be people who arrive determined not to understand you. Not because you’re wrong. Not because you’ve done anything terrible. Simply because they weren’t here to listen in the first place.

It took a long time for this to land.
Me and Flick spend our days trying to collaborate, to stay open, to grow both personally and professionally. We work from the assumption that we will never know everything and people will always have something to teach us. Most of the time that brings rich conversations and good connection. Occasionally, it brings walls.

This is where the Mel Robbins Let Them Theory makes sense.

If someone wants to misunderstand you, let them.
If someone wants to judge you, let them.
If someone is determined to take offence where none was intended, let them.

Not in a careless way. Not in a dismissive way. In a self-protective way.

The point is simple. You cannot control how another person interprets your existence. You can only control how deeply you allow it to take root in you.

Let them think what they think.
Let yourself keep learning, keep reflecting, keep growing.
Let the right people stay close and the wrong ones drift.

The truth is steady. You will never please everyone.
And you shouldn’t aim to.
Aim to stay grounded, thoughtful, and open.
The rest is noise.

11/12/2025

Combining a ridden assessment alongside my bodywork builds a more accurate picture of what’s going on.

Especially when a rider is still feeling something isn’t quite right.

It also gives me the opportunity to discuss the consequences of the riders actions that impacts the horses body.

All the usual boxes were ticked

Hoof balance ✔️
Teeth ✔️
Saddle ✔️
Bodywork ✔️
Vet ✔️
Sheath clean ✔️

So the next logical step was to look at the rider & pony interaction under saddle.

Its a very common pattern seen in lots of children and many adults
doing their best with the aids they’ve been taught.

Traditional V classical way of riding?

I’ll always go for the classical approach.

I’m bringing the rider back to a neutral position with clearer aids that are no longer conflicting.

No heels down 👎
No pulling back on the reins to stop the pony 👎
No kicking to go forward 👎
No shoulders back 👎
No using the reins to steer 👎
No forwards & backwards movement on the saddle 👎
No gripping with the knees 👎

Walk walk & more walk 👍

Everything was broken down in little easy to understand pieces. So Soph could make the connection with my words & how she was feeling in her body.

This kind of change is challenging for any rider never mind a 12 year old .

Now we know the root cause.
Soph has everything she needs to build a new, clearer, more effective way of riding her pony. And im hoping their ridden work develops into the same level of partnership they already have on the ground.

We are doing some visualization work here ☺️

09/12/2025

Then .. 200 followers 🙌
& now .. 4835 followers 🙌

If I can create change for one person & their horse out of the 4835 followers. Thatl do me ☺️

When I first created my business page on Facebook, I was terrified to post anything. I questioned whether anything I had to say mattered at all.
Because I know I waffle & go off on a tangent 😬 with the odd rant.

I even sent my posts to a couple of experienced therapists I trusted, just to proofread them before I dared to share.

I did that out of fear of being ridiculed & rejected from anyone who cared to go on my page.

Imposter syndrome weighed heavily on me, making me doubt every word, every idea, every thought & every post.

I still suffer with the syndrome & I hope I always will.

My page has become more than a business platform. I try to create a space for awareness, education, welfare for our horses and empowerment for the owners.

Many a time I turn up on a yard and I’m met with an emotional owner. Whatever the reason is for them to be emotional. I am there for you aswell as your horse.

We are all on a journey & if we can offer genuine non judgmental support for one another that’s in a safe space then that is all we need.

Every post I share is intended to spark curiosity, to encourage people to question everything, and to think for themselves. I hope that anyone who interacts with my page feels inspired to trust their instincts, question assumptions, and make informed choices for themselves and the horses in their care.

I do not pretend to be something I’m not. I never use veterinary terminology. Why would I talk in such a way when even I don’t understand it 🥴 blimey I struggle to string a sentence together in layman’s terms 😂

The wonderful amazing clients that seek me out via word of mouth.
As I never advertise & I don’t want to.

Each & every one of you are a gift to me. Because I wouldn’t want to do what I do for the horses if you didn’t ’get me’ & by your acceptance ( some of you may say tolerance 😂) of my craziness I am able to help your horses in the way they should be helped.

So thank you to everyone for engaging with me.

🙏

07/12/2025

The hock

Is complex because it’s not just one joint. Instead, it’s made of several smaller joints stacked together, all working as a team. So if one of the team members gets injured the rest of the team suffer.

If your horse has hock issues try a simple hand placement over the area because this creates warmth, and warmth increases circulation, which helps to reduces joint stiffness and can ease the discomfort in arthritic or overloaded hocks.

Now add some acupressure at BL60, intention, visualization & some energy you’ve got a nice little healing sesh going on.

Not only does this help the hocks but because everything is connected your also helping many other body parts like the stifle and the entire hindquarters through the major myofascial lines. Indirectly helping the front end.

Try cupping your horses hocks (keep safe) & watch how they accept the natural pain relief you’re offering.

As always this is not a replacement for your vet.

Let me know if your horse enjoys it ☺️

06/12/2025

😂😂😂😂
I love this 😂😂

I just had to share

I hope you enjoy the read as much as I did 😂

THE ENDLESS BATTLE BETWEEN HOLISTIC, CLASSICAL, NATURAL, FUNCTIONAL, CORRECTIVE METHODS…

…AND “I JUST TRIM THINGS.”**
(A geopolitical conflict fought exclusively on Facebook at 2am.)

Welcome to the hoof-care landscape, a place where adults with professional qualifications behave like rival cult leaders fighting for control of a small island nation made entirely of frogs and coping mechanisms.

Every method has followers.
Every follower has opinions.
Every opinion is defended with the ferocity of a starving terrier guarding a stolen sausage.

Let’s meet the factions.

THE HOLISTIC HERETICS

Float into the yard like a barefoot druid performing an exorcism on a pastern.
They trim by moon cycle, planetary alignment, and vague “energetic feedback.”
Will confidently announce your horse’s hoof is experiencing ancestral trauma.
Horse yawns.
Owner weeps.
You stare into the distance, reconsidering your life choices.

Their followers post things like:
“Science hasn’t caught up to us yet.”
Yes. Because science is busy.

THE CLASSICAL FUNDAMENTALISTS

Everything they know was chiselled into stone tablets by a dead cavalry officer in 1872.
Believe the hoof should be “exactly 52° because that’s what the book says.”
Have never met a horse who read the book.
Own compasses, rulers, and calipers that could measure tectonic plates.
Say things like:
“The toe should align with the cosmic axis.”
Nobody asks what that means because nobody wants the 40-minute explanation.

THE NATURAL EXTREMISTS

Your horse must live exactly as horses lived in the wild…
…except in the UK
…on clay soil
…in February
…in rain that can dissolve metal.

They will insist shoes are the root of all evil, forgetting that their own horse is currently 3/10 lame because the track turned into custard overnight.

Their mantra:
“He just needs movement.”
He can’t move.
He’s stuck in the mud.
He’s been in the exact same place for two hours.

THE FUNCTIONAL ENGINEERS

Do not see horses.
Only algorithms.

Carry iPads, graphs, overlays, and software that could run a satellite.
Trim according to lines drawn by a man in Ohio who hasn't touched a horse since 2014.
Say things like:
“If you just zoom in, you’ll see what the hoof should have done.”
Meanwhile, the horse steps in a bucket.

THE CORRECTIVE WEAPONISED BRIGADE

Arrive in a truck the size of a warship.
They have forges, anvils, welding equipment, a full Iron Man workshop.
If a problem can’t be solved with steel, wedges, or fire, they are uninterested.
Will attach more metal to a horse than the average Victorian bridge.

Their motto:
“Better living through hardware.”

AND THEN THERE'S YOU

Covered in hay, mud, regrets, and yesterday’s coffee.
You’re not here to join a faction.
You’re not here to recite scripture.
You’re not here to perform interpretive spiritual hoof theatre.

You just… trim things.
You show up, look at the feet, use your brain, use your tools, fix what needs fixing, and leave before someone corners you with a printout.

When asked for your “method,” you say the most triggering words imaginable:

“I use whatever works.”

This phrase alone could start a civil war.

THE COMMENT SECTION WARFARE

The battlefield.
The arena.
The place where hope goes to die.

Someone posts a frog.
Within six minutes:

A Natural Extremist says it’s thrush.

A Corrective Specialist says it needs a bar shoe.

A Holistic Practitioner suggests grounding exercises and Himalayan salt.

A Classical Purist quotes a cavalry manual from 1904.

A Functional Engineer draws 19 red arrows.

Two people start fighting about diet.

Three more argue about trimming cycles.

Someone blocks someone.

Someone reports the post.

An admin says “Ladies please.”

A rogue chiropractor enters the chat.

You turn off notifications and lie face down on the floor.

THE OUTRO — THE REAL TRUTH (WHICH THEY’LL ALL IGNORE)

All the factions — every last one — are absolutely convinced they’re doing what’s best for the horse.

They’re all right sometimes.
They’re all wrong sometimes.
And none of them, not one, has ever improved a hoof through Facebook combat.

Meanwhile you’re in the stable, being the quiet, unfashionable heretic who just… works.

You are methodless.
Factionless.
Religionless.
Faithless.
But your horses are sound.

And that, ironically, is the only doctrine that ever mattered.