Equine Insight

12/11/2025

Craniosacral therapy is profound, amazing!

If you keep treating the symptom, the story stays stuck.

You can stretch the muscle, release the joint, and still… the tension returns.
That’s because it wasn’t just physical — it was emotional.

Craniosacral therapy works at the root, not the surface.
It listens to the fascia, the rhythm, the emotion beneath the movement.
When you release the why, the body doesn’t need to shout through pain anymore.

Sometimes the answer isn’t “more doing,” it’s “deeper listening.” 🌿

11/11/2025

I was booked onto this but couldn’t go-really looking forward to the zoom catch up!

11/11/2025

Today I feel forced to take a strong stance on very sad news.

The “forces that rule” horse sport have decided to alter a no-blood rule that has existed for some time. My guess is it proved inconvenient one time too many….

There is outrage against that “force that rules”… but I must point out that “that force” represents many, many countries…

…and only 20 of those countries stood up against the amendment.😭

So… where are the representatives of all those other countries? They need to be named and shamed, too.

Horse Sport is already in the spot light, risking its Social License. The implications are huge.

As an individual all I can do is write to the federation that would represent me if I were a federated rider (which I no longer am for this very reason), and find something else to do with my horse!

What are you prepared to do to stand up for horses?

Logo credit: Dressur Studein Fair sum Pferd. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17aD57rvyz/?mibextid=wwXIfr

09/11/2025

Horses should not be kept ‘in storage’ during the hours you are out living your life - working, going to school, eating out, seeing friends, watching tv or in bed sleeping. And it shouldn’t be unrealistic to make their health and happiness a priority. It can take some planning and sorting and possibly some combined efforts to make some humane, healthy changes to the way they eat and live but it will be worth it. And just one of the many benefits for you is that you will no longer have to muck out stalls!

06/11/2025

Iridology blends observation, physiology, and holistic awareness.

By respecting both evidence and intuition, practitioners can see the person — not just the problem.

Because true wellness comes from collaboration, not competition.

05/11/2025

If you’re evolving, your animals will thrive. If you’re not… they feel it first. Doing the best for our animals isn’t a one-time choice — it’s a lifelong, evolving commitment.

It takes:
✨ effort
✨ curiosity
✨ adaptability
✨ a willingness to learn and unlearn

And most importantly… it takes love.
Because supporting an animal to truly thrive is one of the most rewarding journeys we can take.

So many of us welcome animals already facing health challenges — and that’s okay.
We learn with them.
We listen.
We try things, watch what works, adjust when needed.
We gain wisdom that helps every animal that comes after — and it transforms us too.

Alas we can’t rely on “common sense” anymore.
The world has changed — food, environment, medicine, stress levels… everything.
And we’ve ALL been conditioned away from true health.

Just look at the rise in chronic illness in humans and animals.
Look at how many beliefs you’ve already had to question and update.
If nothing has changed for you in the last decade…
that’s a warning sign — for your wellbeing and your animal’s.

So keep learning.
Keep questioning.
Keep listening — because their body never lies, and neither does yours.

Embrace the journey.
Share what you learn.
Do your best.
And celebrate every step forward — no matter how small.

👇 Tell me one thing you’ve learned recently that you wish you knew earlier.
Let’s grow together. 🌱🐾

31/10/2025

Uncomfortably true post!

This morning I came a cross a post asking one of the hardest questions that EVERY horse rider should ask themselves...

Is it our right to ride horses?

When I was a kid my sister used to say "horse riding is cruel", I would defend it till I was blue in the face: "They wouldn't let us if they didn't enjoy it... you can't force an animal that size to do something they don't want to"...
Her argument: "if they enjoyed, it why do you have to whip them?" Didn't even register in my consciousness!

I was so indocterinated into the system of abuse and selfishness that I couldn't see what she was able to from the outside.

I love animals, I would never want to cause them pain or distress, but the pleasure I gained from ridding trumped my natural empathy :(.

As children we were taught to abuse! We were taught to ignore pain signs and 'ride them through' fear. We became bullies, we were praised for it! Prestige and respect were given to those who could stay on board, while the horse acted out their discomfort and fear as loudly as they dared.

Even when we did praise the horse, we did it by slapping them!! (Of course we call it 'patting', but watch any rider thumping their horse, enthusiastically on the neck and you realise it is far from rewarding for the horse!)

The thing is, we are a product of a system that has continued for thousands of years and we can't blame the instructors as they were brought up in the same system, a system based on the need for horses to be ridden into battle and our reliance on them to produce food!

Only 100 years ago we were reliant on horses for our survival, and it is a lot quicker to train a horse with force and fear, than to give them choice.

Now we are finally at a point in time when most horses are kept for leisure. We also have the benefit of the Internet making information readily available and education so much more accessible.

Professionals are realising the error of their ways, we are starting to recognise that there are other ways of being with our horses, ways of training that do not rely on force and abuse and management practices that can improve welfare. We are at a time of change and many of us have finally started to listen to the horse and recognise that challenging behaviours are simply communication and a sign that all is not well.

Finally we are at a point where we can afford for our horses to genuinely enjoy our interactions with them, and we can ask those difficult questions, because we do not have the 'right' to force them to obey, we have the responsibility to make it as fun for them as it is for us.

Photo of Idris exploring the stream on our mountain. I try to make our interactions as positive and rewarding for him as they are for me.

15/10/2025

Naturally Animals — coming home

Long ago, my friend Leanne and I started Naturally Animals with one simple vow:
to help animals, and their guardians, thrive in a world that too often forgets what they need to be well.

Today, that world feels louder and more confusing. When food, air, and water are compromised, when “standard care” can mask symptoms instead of seeking roots, when veterinary practices are swept into systems that many can’t afford… common sense needs community. We need skills, stories, and sovereignty, together.

In 2020 I passed Naturally Animals to an amazing family. Nicola and Alex carried the torch with such heart, serving this community with integrity until closing the shop. I’m deeply grateful for the love and work they poured into it. 🙏 I am sure they will be sharing their new ventures here too.

So, we’re back. Not as a shop, but as a sanctuary for truth, nature, and practical wisdom.
A place to learn, share, and help each other raise animals who are not just “okay,” but vibrant, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And in that process, they will help us heal too.

I’ll be here regularly: answering questions, offering tools, and, yes, sometimes sharing the difficult truths we need to protect our animals and our future. This page has always been full of people who care deeply and think for themselves. Let’s make it that hearth again.

Say hello below: tell us about you and your animals: names, ages, quirks, and the one thing you most want help with right now.
Let’s change the trajectory for animals—starting here, starting now.

Welcome back.
Catherine 🐾🌿

08/10/2025

Testing for Insulin dysregulation has popped up a few times lately….for humans as well as horses, so I thought I would share this.

Insulin dysregulation in sport horses might be underrecognized because these horses don’t always look like your obvious metabolic cases.

05/10/2025

This is a fab article Kate Sandel, I too am a sucker for ponies. My last New Forest pony ( Rufus-the ginger ninja) died in 2021 aged 30, he was a massive character and is much missed in my little herd! 🧡

Praise for Ponies.

When we assume the title of adult (I am still waiting) many of us also assume that we should make the leap from ponies to horses. Maybe our legs got a lot longer, maybe we wanted to jump bigger fences, or gallop at higher speeds. We may also - and believe me I am just as much of a sucker for this as anyone - enjoy the vision of ourselves on a large, powerful steed.

However, there can also come a time when high speed, giant leaping, and va-va-vhoom are less important than having a fun time with our equine partner. And that's where it may be time to consider the benefits of a pony again. Your ego might like those huge powerful horses, but maybe your heart might have a better time with someone you can get on from the ground?

I teach a lot of people, and often those who are having the absolute best time are the riders who have ponies. Because ponies bring with them many benefits;

They are often a whole lot hardier; so will settle in to new environments, rough out unexpected bouts of bad weather, and live on the tiny patch of bare ground at a clinic which would cause a Tb immediate starvation.

They are usually exceptionally bright, with a remarkable ability to learn and this can make them a lot of fun to work with.

Their sense of self preservation - if you understand it and respect it - can really work in your combined favors on long distance adventures, doing challenging things or learning new skills.

Although they are closer to the ground, they often have much greater weight bearing capacity than that huge WB with a weak back and terrible stifles.

They are often very nippy ,and can be just as athletic as an Iberian, without some of the additional hotness which you may no longer require in your life.

For people who enjoy hacking, the ability to easily be able to get on and off when you're out and about cannot be overestimated.

A pony 'might' not be as much of a serious athlete as a huge sports horse, but when you find reason after reason not to get on today, then maybe it is time to consider whether you want to just look at that huge handsome horse, or actually ride? And if you want to actually ride, possibly a pony might be a more fun choice.

AND, while their movement might not be as flashy or springy; ponies can be serious athletes. They can also be trained to a really high level In a classical field , or take you around a xc course, or do that endurance ride you always wanted to do. They should be taken seriously, even though their legs may be shorter.

I have long had a hankering for a New Forest, and when next there is a space in my life, that will be something I will be looking out for.

If you are an adult riding a pony tell us about them!

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Photo shows me riding my friends pony Bullet, who is about 13.3hh. She can do all lateral movements in walk and trot, has a mean baby piaffe, offers passage for fun, and once when provoked did an incredibly well balanced Levade. She will also live out all winter on Dartmoor with no rug, her feet are always phenomenal, and she has seen the vet once in her whole life as far as I know.