Sam Naylor Equine Bodywork

09/01/2026

Here is a free resource for anyone who’s heading into 2026 feeling a bit… crispy around the edges.

2026: The Year of the Fire Horse isn’t a goal-setting workbook. It’s not motivational. It doesn’t tell you to fix yourself, heal harder, or become a better version of anything.

It’s a slow, honest wellbeing workbook for equestrians who care deeply, think a lot, and are often far tougher on themselves than they’d ever be on their horse.

It covers things like:
• burnout
• self-talk
• discipline vs self-punishment
• steadiness over intensity
• caring well without burning out

You don’t have to start at page one. You don’t have to finish it. You can dip in, skip bits, disagree with it, or come back to it months later. It will still work.

You can download it free here: ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14i9AWI-VbY7a7eTKq6M8et-246sFLFRw/view?usp=drivesdk

And if you like this kind of resource, illustration-led reflections, and quiet, non-pathologising support for horse people, you can also subscribe to the page for 99p a month to support our illustrator and also making more bespoke resources , plus if we get enough subscribers you'll be entered into a draw to have an illustration done of your choice!! ❤️🙏🐎

That helps me keep making things like this and gives you access to subscriber-only posts, resources, and downloads:

👉 https://www.facebook.com/Equimotional/subscribe/

No pressure. No hype. Just something steady to walk alongside you into the new year.

If you download it, tell me which page found you first 🤍

04/01/2026

Does this resonate? It does with me 🤠

Having horses when you’re neurodivergent is basically running a a very high budget wellbeing retreat for yourself without realising it. 🐴🧠

You thought you were buying a horse.
What you actually bought was an external hard drive for your nervous system.

• Routine?
People love to say horses thrive on routine.
Mine thrive on ✨vibes✨.
I turn up at wildly inconsistent times like a feral yard goblin and they’re like,
“Ah yes. This version of you again.” ⏰🧌 We LOVE it.

• Executive dysfunction?
You can ignore emails for weeks.
You will not ignore a horse staring at you like you personally ruined their day because you gave them 3 carrots and they know the 4th is in your pocket. 👁️🌾

• Sensory overload?
Phone = too loud.
People = too loud.
Horse chewing hay = perfect.
Brain finally stops buffering. 📵🌾

• Social energy at zero?
Great. Horses do not do small talk. Ideal.
They will stand with you in silence and call it quality time. 🤝

• Hyperfocus?
You only meant to “quickly check” them for the 4th time today.
It’s now dark, you’re covered in mud, and you’ve started a deep emotional audit of saddle pads and long lost bags of miscellaneous items. 🔦🫠

• Emotional regulation?
Horses sense your internal chaos before you’ve even parked the car.
They don’t judge it.
They just quietly refuse to cooperate until you stop spiralling. Iconic behaviour. 👑

• Masking?
Doesn’t work.
Horse sees straight through it like,
“Please stop pretending you’re fine. I can smell the cortisol.” 👃😐

They don’t care if your life is messy.
They don’t care if you’re late.
They don’t care if you haven’t replied to anyone in your WhatsApp for three days.

They care that you show up.
That you’re kind.
That the hay eventually appears. 🌾💛

It’s not structure.
It’s connection.
And somehow that’s exactly what our brains needed all along.

31/12/2025

Happy new year to friends clients and new clients it’s the year of the horse very exciting!!🤠
My New Year’s resolution is spend more time with my horses ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️and family life balance 🤠
So happy new year everyone ###

29/11/2025

29/11/2025

As a horse owner I can really empathise with the worry that lies ahead of us with the lack of hay this year 😂I’ve got 3 ponies all dependant on hay all year round plus 3 big hay hoovers over the winter months !
How I’m trying to manage it is thinking long term 😂 if hay is short now just think how short in supply it’s going to be in February! So if I can get away with just trashing a small amount of grazing but still allowing the horses to move around and using hay nets rather than hay feeders I might be able to save on the waist and save the hay for my guys on the track come spring and those who can actually eat grass open my paddocks up
Good luck everyone to do feel your pain any ideas very welcome 🤠

02/11/2025

31/10/2025

Safe spaces 😊

29/10/2025

I’m writing this as up at 4.30am worrying about my little herd this morning .
FIREWORKS 💥 💥💥💥💥💥💥!
I was informed last week that my direct neighbour was again setting off fireworks last year was horrible and I’m not looking forward to the next onslaught of the rest of the village 😫and surrounding rural areas
My horses live out but for the last week I have been bringing in on to a hard standing my most effected and un effected horses trying to make it a normal routine so they have less to deal with for the next week ahead I have also been putting on a really load radio guidance says sometimes this can help .I’m also investing in calmers etc
Last year was a bit different I was totally unprepared and just had to open everything up and luckily after a complete sympathetic breakdown my guys went into freeze mode.
I have informed my neighbour that the horses are really not ok with fireworks but they are still going ahead 😡🥵
Why isn’t there a law that isn’t so grey ?
Yes the neighbour has informed me and yes I have definitely made them aware of my worries.
It just isn’t right !!!!
The law needs to protect everyone people ,horses ,dogs,livestock wildlife …….why can’t we just have quiet fireworks why why why all the bangs

26/10/2025

There is some super scary stuff being said over the internet at the moment laminitis can occur for different reasons and foot balance yes is so important but all factors should be considered!
I myself with my own horses have experienced mechanical laminitis due to injury but also have super sensitive grass effected ponies and my only hope with them is managing their diet 🐎

There is a very dangerous and misleading statement being made on the internet.

Quote
“Laminitis is not caused by diet”

I urge you to use caution if you choose to believe this.

I am a student of the hoof for the past 10 years and I am mentored by Prof Chris Pollitt, the pioneer who discovered the insulin relationship to laminitis. I beg you to be very careful with what you hear out there being touted by lay people.

Horses will die unnecessary painful excruciating deaths if you follow this misinformation.

By ignoring the well understood relationship between high insulin and laminitis you may be inclined to turn out your ponies onto the rich grass. Apparently it’s said that a balanced trim is the key- which I do not totally agree with.

Once the genie is out of the bottle and the laminae are failing due to high insulin stretching and snapping the laminar attachments of bone to inner hoof wall then good luck getting it back.

Is it worth the risk?

Have you seen laminitis appear in the spring when the grass starts to grow. Or after a long hot summer, when the rains start, and boom, laminitis rears its head. Why is that?

Why do many horses suffer laminitis after getting into the grain shed and gourged themselves? Is it the grain or the trim?

Trimming is important, but you cannot trim your way into preventing or treating laminitis without looking far deeper into the cause. Diet and insulin go hand in hand.

Do you think that these lay people that come up with such crazy and dangerous statements that are said as if they are fact have actually been in the lab and done any research?

These are frightening times my friends.

Anyone can say anything and mislead us.

Maybe it is intentional, it just feeds the algorithm and everyone comments and argues and shouts and the ones dropping bombshell dangerous statements just rub their hands in glee at the carnage.

It’s sick.
It’s dangerous
I follow the science.

This is my position statement.

19/10/2025

Picking up legs for the farrier

Jelly (my warmblood) used to have a lot of trouble picking up his hindlimbs for the farrier or any exercises and it created a lot of anxiety for him.

It was a product of lumbar sacral pelvic discomfort including lumbosacral disease, Sacroliliac changes including liganent damage, iliopsoas dysfunction and an underlying muscle disorder (myofibrillar myopathy).

He was not just being naughty or difficult.

When a horse is struggling, refusing or reacting to having their limbs picked up - we need to ask WHY?

Join me in my FREE MASTERCLASS to gain an insight into the potential WHY!

Register now - https://www.integratedvettherapeutics.com/pbmc-oct25

Thursday 23rd October

19/10/2025

Another gem to add to the give it a go list the sacrum float

17/10/2025

Leg down and back so simple but effective in releasing tension