Karen Perry Animal Therapy

13/03/2026

When you stand back and properly see what is in front of you, it is quite alarming to see how far horses have come from how they evolved.

Wild, majestic creatures, athletic, fast and strong. Living in family groups, safe in a herd environment, protecting each other from danger. Walking miles each day as nature intended, seeking clean, unpolluted water, high fibre forage in the form of grass, trees, herbs, moss, seaweed, going further afield for the medicinal benefits they require from nature. Free, glorious and hardy.

Then you look at most modern horse sports and see that beauty and athleticism harnessed, tied down, forced into a shape, using their speed and flight instinct to earn money or rosettes. Once you have recognised frightened eyes, anxiety ridden bodies, tension, you can never unsee it.

I urge everyone to assess posture and performance, be honest about what you are seeing, what you are asking of this noble, generous creature. Learn to recognise pain signals, anxiety and fear. I don’t care what any of the armchair experts spout, you absolute can force a horse to do anything, through fear and force.

Lets go back to watching the horse in his natural environment, moving freely with his herd, lets try and replicate that.

I believe we can enjoy horse sports successfully but with much more emphasis on the horse, how he feels, wether he has been trained with empathy and understanding, to enjoy a partnership. But we do have to be very honest, open minded, and listen when the horse says no.

Money, ego and ambition are the horses downfall.

For me, it always feels a huge honour to share space with these amazing creatures, never mind ride them. I feel that it is our duty to provide them with a life as natural and as close to their needs as is possible, particularly if we want to take from them in terms of sport.

12/03/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁.

There has been a lot of discussion recently about rising hay prices and the impact of extreme weather on forage production.
Weather absolutely matters. Dry springs and drought can dramatically reduce yields.
But one factor is often overlooked.

Soil.

Fields with higher soil organic matter can hold dramatically more water. Even a 1% increase can store roughly 70,000 litres more water per acre (around 175,000 litres per hectare).
That water sits in the soil where plant roots can access it during dry periods.

This is why two fields exposed to the same weather can behave very differently. One burns off quickly, while the other keeps growing.
Plant diversity also plays an important role. Deeper rooting species, herbs and legumes help improve soil structure and access moisture deeper in the soil profile.

Interestingly, we are even seeing deep rooting plants like alfalfa struggle in some systems. This highlights an important point. Root depth alone is not enough if the soil cannot store water.

Healthy soils, organic matter and plant diversity all work together to build resilience.
As weather becomes more volatile, soil health will likely become one of the most important factors in securing reliable forage for horses.
Many of the management approaches that improve horse welfare also happen to be the same ones that build more resilient pasture ecosystems.

Because ultimately this is not just about feeding horses.
𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.

12/03/2026

Baileys self selecting some herbs to help her through coat change season. It is a demanding metabolic process, which causes itching and low energy. Or sometimes spooking and unpredictable behaviour! Make sure you sre feeding good quality protein, either in the form of grass or legumes such as sanfoin or lucerne. Bay is working through
Burdock root- a fantastic metabolic support, aids detoxification and supports the liver.
Seaweed- provides a wide range of minerals and Vitamins such as Vit E and S and trace elements zinc, copper and selenium, essential at this time of year.
Brewers yeast- great source a B vitamins.
Barley grass powder- supports gut health and coat condition and vitality.
Don’t forget your Omega 3, in linseed or h**p seeds.

12/03/2026

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: ARE YOU ACCIDENTALLY TURNING YOUR HORSE INTO AN INDUSTRIAL GARBAGE DISPOSAL UNIT?

It is an Unpopular Opinion… but it’s one worth thinking about.

Many bagged horse feeds, despite the marketing, are not really designed with horse health as the first priority. They are often made using inexpensive fillers and industrial leftovers that allow companies to maximise profit and extend shelf life.

Turn the bag over and read the ingredients. You will often see things like:

Beet pulp
Soy hulls
Molasses
Grain fragments
Vegetable protein meals
Legume hulls
Grain and grain by-products
Vegetable oils
Mineral premixes
Mould inhibitors
Apple flavour

To the average horse owner this sounds technical and scientific.

But when you strip away the marketing language, many of these ingredients are simply highly processed waste by-products from other industries that have been repackaged and sold as horse feed.

For example, beet pulp is what remains after sugar has been extracted from sugar beet. Wheat middlings are the fine leftovers from flour milling once the flour has been removed for human food. Soy hulls and legume hulls are the outer shells left behind after processing beans and legumes. Vegetable protein meals are often the pressed residue left after oils have been extracted from seeds.

Many of the crops used to produce these materials are grown in large-scale agricultural systems that rely heavily on genetically modified varieties, fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides. By the time these by-products reach the feed industry they have often been through multiple stages of industrial processing.

They are, in many cases, materials that need to be disposed of somewhere once the primary product has been removed.

So they are dried, processed, blended together, and repackaged with attractive marketing and technical sounding ingredient lists.

Which raises an important question for horse owners.

Just because something can be packaged and sold as horse feed… does that mean it is actually the right food for your horse?

A simple guideline many experienced horse owners follow is this:

If it is not something a horse would naturally encounter and eat in a natural grazing environment, it is worth questioning whether it belongs in the feed bucket.

These ingredients are ground together, mixed with synthetic vitamins and minerals, and the whole mash is then cooked and pressed into pellets where often the real core of what is in them is not clearly stated.

This is a good example - apple flavouring.

Most people imagine that means a little bit of apple.

It doesn’t.

In many cases it refers to a manufactured aroma made from chemicals such as:

Hexyl acetate – used to create a green apple scent and also used as an industrial solvent
• Butyl acetate – commonly used in paints and coatings
• Ethyl acetate – used in inks and adhesives
• Isoamyl acetate – a strong artificial fruit fragrance
• Ethyl 2-methylbutyrate – used to create apple-like aromas
• Propylene glycol – used to carry and blend flavour chemic

If a company is willing to call that “apple flavour,” it raises a reasonable question.

How much trust should we place in the rest of the label?

Another thing worth paying attention to is the amount of added oils in many feeds.

Vegetable oils
Canola oil
Rice bran oil
Soy oil

Horses do not have a gallbladder and their digestive systems evolved to process fibre, not large quantities of extracted oils.

Yet these oils now appear in many feeds because they increase calorie levels and make feeds more palatable.

Over time highly processed feeds, oils and additives can contribute to chronic inflammation and metabolic stress.

The problem is rarely a single event.

It is often more like death by a thousand inflammatory cuts.

Day after day the horse’s digestive system is asked to process ingredients it was never designed to deal with in large quantities.

Over time the strain builds.

Inflammation increases
Metabolic stress increases
Digestive balance begins to struggle

Eventually owners begin to see the symptoms:

Laminitis
Metabolic issues
Digestive problems
Skin reactions
Hoof problems
Behavioural changes

We are also seeing more horses become over-reactive and difficult to settle, and while many factors influence behaviour, diet is often part of the picture.

Because I work in this field helping owners solve problems with their horses, I probably see this more than most.

Many horses arrive on ten, fifteen, sometimes twenty different feeds and supplements in an attempt to solve their health problems.

Then we simplify everything.

Very often most of those products are removed.

And the horse improves.

So what can we do instead?

Start with a species-appropriate diet.

Horses evolved to eat forage made up of:

Grass
Plants
Fibre
Small amounts throughout the day

Not bags of highly processed feeds.

FEED FORAGE FIRST: AND USE A GOOD GRASS MANAGEMENT PLAN

Grass suitable for horses
Low sugar meadow hay
Simple forage
Whole foods such as flaxseed meal

Not highly amplified ryegrass pasture designed for beef and dairy production.

Another common misconception is that feeding real, whole foods must be complicated.

People imagine standing in the feed room grinding seeds or preparing special mixtures for each horse.

That might have been the case many years ago.

It isn’t anymore.

Today you can buy flaxseed meal ready to feed from most agricultural merchants. It has a good shelf life, stores easily, and takes no longer to add to a feed than pouring a scoop of pellets.

No grinding.
No soaking.
No complicated preparation.

Just scoop, stir and feed.

Many owners simply add a small amount of flaxseed meal to a handful of low sugar chaff such as meadow or timothy and feed it that way.

Simple. Quick. Effective.

Flaxseed meal is also one of the most useful whole foods you can add to a horse’s diet because it provides a dense package of natural nutrition.

It is naturally high in digestible fibre, which supports the hindgut and microbiome.

It provides a good quality plant protein that supports muscle maintenance and tissue repair.

It is one of the richest natural sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which help support healthy inflammatory balance, skin, coat and metabolic health.

It also provides beneficial nutrients such as vitamin E and important trace minerals.

Because flaxseed meal is nutritionally dense, you do not need to feed large amounts.

Small amounts can provide significant nutritional benefits.

That means you get a lot of nutritional value for very little feed volume.

And here is something many owners don’t realise.

It often costs less to feed a horse real, healthy food than it does to buy heavily processed feeds.

You are already spending the money.

The difference is simply where that money goes.

Often the biggest improvement in a horse’s health and behaviour does not come from adding more products.

Sometimes it comes from removing the things that never belonged in the diet in the first place.

Because horses were never designed to be industrial garbage disposal units.

09/03/2026

Hoorah!!! It is really starting to ramp up out there, green stuff exploding under the hedgerows ! Hawthorn buds appearing, the beautiful tones of hogweed leaves and cow parsley. Nettles and cleavers providing all you need for a blood cleansing spring tonic.

Research is showing that horses do best on a species appropriate diet of diverse forage. Most turn out paddocks are probably fairly horse sick, with little diversity. Trying to fill in the gaps with bagged feeds, often full of fillers and gm modified products, are not a successful alternative, if you value your horses microbiome and ongoing health.

What to do? Definitely look after your paddocks better, do a soil test, see what is lacking, overseed with nutrient boosting herbs and plants. Hoof and Habitat can help you with this.

In the meantime, take your horses on a hedgerow walk and let him choose what he needs to boost his health. He knows what he needs to fill those nutritional gaps.

Scared he will eat something toxic? Get educated! Come to my Spring Forage walk in May and I will teach you what is good, what to avoid and you will be amazed at how much superb medicinal herbs are out there, for free!!! All designed to keep your horses healthy! Fresh is best!!

08/03/2026

One of the most joyous parts of my job is seeing horses go through positive changes.

This little throughbred is a brilliant example. His owner purchased him directly out of racing in April 2024. He had raced over hurdles 43 times from November 2017 to March 2024. He had fell several times, his last fall just before he retired was particularly unpleasant and he walked off the course lame.

The pictures pretty much document his change, from a horse with no top line, no neck muscle, overdeveloped hamstrings and glutes, poor posture as he attempts to cope with his sore body and multiple compensations. He stood in a braced posture, with his legs at all angles, his feet were the usual flat, thin soles, under-run heels.

He was in a lot of discomfort, and I was seeing him fortnightly at one point, with the veterinary chiropractor treating him regularly also.

Just when we thought he was improving, an incident would occur ( horses are good at incidents) and he would set himself back again.

He is lucky to have an understanding owner who has experience of TB’s, and her daughter who was committed to getting him strong enough to ride.

Two years later, after much blood, sweat, tears and TLC, he was deemed strong enough to attend his first dressage competitions and won, qualifying him for the ROR winter championships!
What a journey!

He still receives six weekly treatments from myself, to keep his muscles happy in their new job, and to keep on top of his old back injury. He now stands with a leg at each corner, decent self carriage muscle and better balanced feet.

What i love about this case, is he is completely natural fed, herbs have been an important part of his recovery, and he has been worked without a single “gadget”, lots of hacking, groundwork and correct, sympathetic schooling.

He is the most loving character, everyone adores him and hopefully we will all get to support him at the winter champs! A happy story and a very special horse!

05/03/2026

**********Spring Forage Walk**********
Saturday 2nd May 2026. Harby, LE14
10am-12noon. £30 per person

Interested in improving your horse’s health? Struggling with gut issues, skin problems, respiratory malfunctions? Want to feed your horse a more natural, species appropriate diet?

Join me for a fun and educational equine centred forage walk in Leicestershire.

Out there in natures pharmacy are medicinal herbs, available to your horse for free!!

I will show you which herbs are beneficial and which are toxic. Plant identification is easy to learn and opens up a whole new world of opportunities. Your horse was designed to eat this stuff!! Horses evolved to travel many miles searching for their medicinal herbs, to self medicate. With a little bit of education, you can take the hedge to your horse!

E mail to reserve your space karenwperry@yahoo.co.uk

05/03/2026

03/03/2026

Well worth reading.

What is happening in a horse’s brain when they experience separation anxiety? Knowing the science can help us formulate a plan to help them through this coming issue.

When a horse experiences the stress of separation, the brain shifts from a state of social connection to one of high-alert survival. This process is deeply rooted in the equine amygdala, which acts as the brain's alarm system. For a horse that has undergone past trauma, this part of the brain becomes hyper-reactive. Instead of processing a friend walking away as a temporary event, the amygdala floods the body with stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.

This neurobiological reaction is often linked to the panic and grief system located in the subcortical regions of the brain. When horses are separated from their herd or a specific bonded partner, they don't just feel lonely; they experience a form of emotional pain that is physically taxing. The frantic pacing, whinnying, and sweating often seen in these cases are outward manifestations of a brain that is literally screaming for social safety. Because horses are prey animals, being alone is historically synonymous with being vulnerable to predators, making the drive to reunite an biological imperative.

Trauma further complicates this by impacting the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and context. In a healthy horse, the hippocampus helps the animal remember that they were alone for ten minutes yesterday and remained safe. However, chronic stress and high levels of cortisol can impair hippocampal function. This means a traumatized horse may lose the ability to put the current separation into a safe context, causing them to react to every departure with the same intensity as the original traumatic event.

Another significant factor is the concept of allostatic load, which refers to the cumulative wear and tear on the body and brain due to chronic stress. A horse with unresolved separation trauma lives in a state of constant vigilance. Their nervous system is often stuck in a sympathetic state, also known as fight-or-flight. Over time, this makes it harder for the horse to return to a calm, parasympathetic state. This internal physiological exhaustion can lead to more extreme behavioral outbursts because the horse has very little emotional or physical resilience left to handle minor changes.

This is why the "scream it out" method with the intention of helping horses to learn coping skills about separation anxiety almost always backfires. And this proves to be another reason why we always want to look at the science behind why our horses do the things they do.

The horse may also experience a sense of hyper-attachment as a survival strategy. Once they find a companion that makes them feel safe, they may cling to that individual with an intensity that seems irrational to us. This is because that companion has become the horse's external regulator for their nervous system. Without that presence, the horse's internal systems dysregulate, leading to the high-energy, reactive behaviors that characterize severe separation anxiety.

Addressing this issue requires a focus on rewiring these neural pathways rather than simply managing the behavior. READ THAT AGAIN. By using methods that prioritize the horse's emotional comfort and choice, it is possible to teach the brain that separation does not equal danger. This involves very slowly building the horse's confidence in short increments, allowing the prefrontal cortex to remain engaged so the horse can actually learn and process new, safe experiences. Over time, this structured approach helps your horse move out of a survival mindset and into a state of relaxed engagement.

When thoughtfully done, we as humans also become a source of comfort due to the classical conditioning we have established through positive reinforcement training alongside them.

03/03/2026

It is nearly the end of season for the hard working hunters.

I heard on the news yesterday that this has been the wettest winter on record ( Im not sure, two winters ago was as horrific!)

Hunters, whether they are trail hunters or bloodhound based, work in the worst of weather, atrocious ground conditions, they get hot and sweaty and then stand covert side and get cold, and then are at full steam again. They jump some outstanding obstacles up hill and down dale, and keeping them sound and comfortable is quite some achievement!

I worked with hunt horses when I was 18 for a few years and learnt such a lot about fitness, managing mud fever, thorns, fat legs, cracked heels. Keeping them going to the end of the season took great skill and a lot of care.

The lovely horse pictured was ready for his treatment, but is in great form. He was muscularly sore, as hardworking horses always are, but happy and appreciative. His gut health is great ( ad lib hay always) and he is supported by a great team.

I see a handful of hunters over the season, and regular treatment definitely helps their longevity.

01/03/2026

Dear customers. I have been a bit poorly this week, and as a result I have got a bit behind with replying to messages and sending videos etc. Do not be afraid to remind me if you are waiting for something!!
The sun is shining, March is upon us, it is going to be a better week!!!! 🙏

28/02/2026

I have been regularly seeing a lovely competition horse who is already responding positively to a different approach to help his gut issues.

The owner wishes to remain anonymous but is happy for me to tell his story incase it helps others. Lets call him Jimmy.

Jimmy has been eventing at advanced level, and has moved up the levels fairly quickly as he appeared to make it look easy. He is bold and confident, by nature and in his job.

Jimmy started to show signs of struggling at the end of last season. At his third event at this level, he looked stiff in the dressage on the hard ground, he had an unusual pole in the show jumping, and had a stop going down steps in the cross country, which was very unlike him.

We had noticed that his temperament was gradually changing from happy and confident, to showing some signs of anxiety. I have been treating his body for sometime, and he was showing signs of tightness, in his lower cervicals, his back was blocking and he had become girthy. These signs had slowly developed over the last few months.

After his last event, he saw the vet who diagnosed arthritic changes in his coffin joints and C5 and C6. He was also scoped and had Grade 2 pyloric ulcers.

At this point, Jimmys wonderful owner decided she loved him more than she loved the sport and retired him. The vet had suggested that with conservative treatment he could still event, but she was not happy with enabling his body to deteriorate for her own gain. He can still dressage and show jump on a surface, without the constant stress of fitness work required for eventing.

He received medical treatment for his ulcers, but at this point, the owner is not injecting his joints, but choosing to monitor how he feels and how he moves with a more natural approach.

Jimmy had two months off , being a horse, in a field, with his buddies. When he returned to work in January, he was still girthy and a little stuffy.

Jimmys owner is open minded about treatment, so we scheduled a herbal consultation. Jimmy selected meadowsweet and willow, excellent for their anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties. Meadowsweet is a specific for ulcers. He also chose anxiety herbs german chamomile and h**p. We assume that due to his physical restrictions, he was unable to do his job comfortably, and this was affecting his temperament. Any stress present will also include the likelihood of ulcers.

We made some changes to his feeding regime, offering him more gut friendly food and more forage diversity for his hind gut health. His owner also changed his turnout, so he can be in a field with his friends, with access to hedgerows and a small area of woodland, where he can help himself to tree bark and branches. There is plenty of hazel in the wood which is said to help heal the gut.

Just this week Jimmy scoped clear, he is no longer girthy and stuffy, his happy demeanour has returned and he is looking forwards to getting out and having some fun jumping on a surface when he is fit enough.

He is still offered herbs every week and we monitor what he chooses and what he no longer needs, as his body comfort changes. He is a very lucky boy.