Karen Perry Animal Therapy

18/02/2026

I have one place available on the Pony Massage for Children workshop on Saturday!! Its great fun, you will learn lots, and your own pony will thank you for it!

Learning about anatomy, how muscles work and what to look for if you think your pony is sore- these things are not taught at pony club or at your riding school. If your pony mad child can develop an eye for posture and muscle comfort now, at a young age, they will always treat horses with empathy and kindness, and less like a machine!

If they can learn how to warm up and cool down properly, and learn the importance of core muscles and top line, they will have horses who last longer and stay sounder.

Riding and competing is great fun, but looking after the animal with knowledge and understanding is invaluable.

One place left, this Saturday, 10-12.30.
Please share!

18/02/2026

Sometimes, animals ask for herb oils to be topically applied. Essential oils can pe*****te the skin barrier, making this a useful way to help with physical issues, such as skin, allergies, muscle problems or underlying organs. This little rescue dog from Cyprus was desperate to engage with Violet Leaf.

16/02/2026

Looking forwards to the Pony Massage for Children workshop on Saturday. So far, the weather looks ok! 🤞🤞🤞 I will be in touch with attendees regarding directions and further details.

16/02/2026

No one is shocked by these findings, but its nice to have it backed by research.

Strap Tighter, Move Shorter: Noseband Pressure and Stride Reduction

Noseband tightness has received increasing attention within equitation science, but there is still limited research examining how it affects horse behaviour or performance. This study aimed to measure peak pressure under the noseband in live horses at three different levels of tightness and to assess how noseband tightness influences limb and back movement. 🐴📊

Eight horses were tested, with noseband tightness set using the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) taper gauge at three standardised settings: two fingers, one finger, and zero fingers. Peak pressure under the noseband was measured using pressure sensors, and motion capture technology was used to analyse limb and back kinematics. 🎥📏

Peak pressure increased as the noseband was tightened, with pressures at the one-finger and zero-finger settings showing increases of 54% and 338%, respectively, compared to the two-finger setting. As noseband tightness increased, stride length decreased, showing a significant negative relationship. On average, stride length decreased by 6.2% at the one-finger setting and by 11.1% at the zero-finger setting when compared to the two-finger setting. 📉

In conclusion, tightening the noseband increased peak pressure and had a negative effect on horses’ movement, particularly stride length.

The study had several limitations, including analysing movement only from the side, which captured forward–backward limb motion but not side-to-side or rotational movement, as well as unavoidable measurement error from skin movement and differences between horses in training level.

You can read this paper here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0737080625003120

14/02/2026

In my quest to learn more about the equine microbiome, I attended a three hour lecture with Dr.Carol Hughes last week, and it was, as ever, utterly compelling.

I have followed Carol for many years, as she is a mine of information when it comes to plant phytochemistry. Her research is ongoing, but has already filled in many of the gaps when it comes to information on integrity of the gut wall, how a loss of biodiversity affects the gut, plants to offer for balancing the gut bacteria and the use of pre and probiotics.

There are many other professionals in this field who’s work I have studied, questioned and aligned with, and the information really helps to make sense of the way our horses should be fed and managed in order to keep them healthy and disease free.

Sometimes it feels like we have over-complicated the issue- it is not rocket science to work out that horses should eat “species appropriate food” ie hay and grass.

But in the modern world, we are bombarded with information from the companies who make a lot of money selling horse food and supplements. And modern grassland is depleted of minerals, and lacks the diversity horses need to stay healthy- we have lost 95% of wild flower meadows since the 1940’s. Add to that the chemicals involved in spraying and fertilising, and water sources being contaminated and stress and poor management and it is easy to see why our horses are suffering widely from gut issues that have an adverse effect on the whole body.

Most of my herbal consultations ( and a lot of my bodywork to be fair) concentrate on analysing the horses behaviour - most customers come to me with problems, both physical and behavioural ( emotional).

Top of the list is always perceived ulcers/hind gut dysfunction, aswell as allergies, respiratory issues and anxiety/stress. It isn’t about fixing the symptoms, it is about trying to get to the root cause of the problem, and often involves cleaning up the diet and adding in more biodiversity.

I am committed to producing an e-book on the subject, but in the meantime, if you need some help, you know where I am.

13/02/2026

My two native ponies are not fans of this non stop wet, grey weather, despite evolving from Ireland and Wales respectively!

So we must have sympathy for the Spanish horse, who must be in a constant state of shock and disbelief!

This stunning boy loves his home comforts, his deeply bedded stable and the heat lamps ( bit like my natives, really! 😂)

We had a good chat about the upcoming summer and how things can only get better! How the mud will turn to dust, the grass and hedgerows will bloom and the days will be long and enjoyable!

Is it still only February? 🙈

11/02/2026

Having seen yet another video of horse abuse pop up on social media this past week, I have to say this one was especially disappointing, disturbing and upsetting as the perpetrator promotes her whole business as relaxation based, she bangs on about nervous system regulation ( trending phrase) and her beautiful horses appear to work in relaxed,open frames.

And then she films herself whipping a horse for eating. Bizarre. Sick. Depraved.

Social media is an extremely competitive platform for business. If you don’t have a huge number of likes and followers, you might as well give up. If you are not posting endless pictures of horses doing amazing things, you are failing. The pressure to compete , just to keep your business out there, is huge. It is exhausting trying to keep up.

If one random person asks for recommendations for a physio/chiro/osteo then a million people respond with their own experiences, and the therapist with the most followers get the most recommendations, obviously. It makes me giggle when the poster has asked specifically for an osteopath, and the recommendations are for physios, McTimoneys, bodyworkers. Does anyone even know the difference?

Social media has ultimately done a great job of outing the abusers, that has to be a good thing.

But I think I prefer the good old days of leaflets in the tack shop, promoting your business with talks and lectures, and good old word of mouth! And trusting your intuition.

Searching for a riding instructor/trainer is all about finding the person who’s values align with yours. And who you get on with. Someone you feel you can trust.

Your horse’s therapist should be exactly the same. Find the person who treats your horse with empathy and respect, who you feel you can trust, the person who gives you a good feeling and who is on your wavelength. The person who has time to talk to you ( i know, time is money, but still….) and is honest with you.

FYI, I mostly post boring pictures of horses doing nothing because they are, genuinely relaxed!

09/02/2026

Absolutely.

Regular bodywork without any change in training is often symptom management, not rehabilitation.

And that doesn’t mean bodywork isn’t valuable — it absolutely is.
But it does mean we need to be honest about what it can and can’t do on its own.

If a horse’s poor muscle development, tension, or recurring discomfort is coming from:
- unbalanced movement
- restricted range of motion
- incorrect joint use
- compensatory muscle patterns
- or training that doesn’t allow the body to function well

then bodywork is, by nature, only ever addressing the surface.

It can release tissue.
It can reduce tension.
It can help the horse feel better in the short term.

But if the underlying movement patterns don’t change, the body will simply return to the same state again — because the cause is still there.

This isn’t a criticism of bodyworkers.

Good bodyworkers are doing their best within their scope. Many do flag concerns about saddles, training, workload, or exercise choices. Many encourage rest, changes, or further investigation. They are often the first people to notice that something deeper is going on.

But bodywork on its own can’t retrain movement.

True, lasting change only happens when bodywork is used alongside training that supports:
- correct balance
- proper alignment
- healthy joint range of motion
- appropriate muscle recruitment
- and correct function for that individual horse

Bodywork should support good training — not replace it.

When training is genuinely helping the horse move better, bodywork tends to become:
- maintenance
- occasional support
- part of a bigger picture

Not a constant cycle of “fixing” the same areas over and over again.

And that’s the key red flag.

If the same issues keep returning, or new compensations keep appearing, it’s worth asking why. Often, especially in the early stages, these aren’t signs of unavoidable unsoundness — they’re signs of dysfunction that hasn’t yet been addressed.

This is where teamwork matters.

Trainers, bodyworkers, saddlers, vets — none of these roles work in isolation if we truly want the best outcome for the horse. When everyone is pulling in the same direction, the horse benefits.

Because bodywork can only create real, lasting change when the way the horse is moving is also changing.

Otherwise, we’re just helping the horse cope — not helping the horse improve.

09/02/2026

*******Pony Massage for Children*******

There are a couple of spaces left on this workshop on Saturday 21st February.

It is fun, interactive and educational! The children love it, they learn some basic anatomy, where the sore bits might be, they learn some feel, some massage techniques to help their own ponies.

We talk about pony body language, so we can understand what the pony is trying to communicate with us. They learn how to stay safe when performing stretches. And we discuss effective warm up and cool down exercises.

If the weather is decent, we might look at some pole work exercises we can do in hand. If not, we will look at some herbs that can help our ponies stay comfortable.

Oh, and there is hot chocolate and biscuits. My tack room is heated and my ponies are lovely!

Whats not to like?

£40 per child. Please apply at karenwperry@yahoo.co.uk

07/02/2026

Herbs are amazing! Essential oils are basically concentrated herbs, and require a bit more caution and training to be safe, but the results are always astounding!

As a brief overview, in this hideous winter, these herbs/oils can help!

If your horse suffers from cold ( older and ill horses often do) then offer h**p, marjoram, ginger, thyme.

If your horse is stood in more over the winter, offer basil, cedarwood, clary sage, ginger, lemongrass.

If you are worried about digestive motility, offer fennel, orange, peppermint, seaweed.

If your yard has a virus, offer basil, eucalyptus, helichrysum, lemon, rosemary.

If the respiratory system is suffering, offer garlic, peppermint, angelica, eucalyptus, thyme, rosemary.

For thrush, try garlic, lavender, tea tree, thyme.

I could go on and on…….. the first aid options are huge and I have used many of them very successfully.

If you would like a herbal consultation for your horse or dog, or some herbal advice/training yourself, please do get in touch.

06/02/2026

OMG!!!! Will it ever actually stop raining! I think we are now paying, heavily, for the drought this summer. Trouble is, all this rain now is not helping hay production for the coming summer, events are being cancelled already, and I have not met an upbeat equestrian for a very long time.

Everyone is morbidly depressed and morphing into mud covered, damp smelling angry yard goblins. 😈

It does make me wonder why we all do it sometimes. It is a ridiculous hobby, spending vast amounts of hard earned money in order to spend hours in knee deep mud, wind scorched fields, pushing overloaded wheelbarrows up massive muckheaps, swapping heavy, sodden rugs for a new, expensive clean rug, only to swap it again tomorrow when it is wet, muddy and probably ripped.

Don’t get me started on spending £10 a bale on shavings, just to chuck it on the muck heap the next day.

There is no sense to any of it!

Until the bloody great feral hairy beast whinnies at you when you show up, when they blow in your hair and gently knock you against the wall with their affectionate shove. When they follow you across the arena with love ( hunger?) in their eyes !

Sorry guys, this obsession is in the blood and there is no escaping!

Feel free to share your favourite moment of the winter in the comments! We need to stick together and remain optimistic to get through the rest of this winter of discontent!

05/02/2026

Please keep sharing my page folks! Sometimes it gets stuck and struggles for views, so my workshops and content don’t get the viewers they should!
I have the Pony Massage for Children coming up later this month, and my first Equine related Forage Walk will be towards the end of April, date to be released soon.

What a hideous winter day, strong Easterly wind, rain that is a half degree away from snow, my horses did one hour in the field before wanting to come in and the blue t**s are gripping tightly to the bird feeder. Its nasty, hay is running low, motivation is at rock bottom, Vitamin D needs restocking by the truckload!

If I have helped you, given advice, or you just like what i do, please consider buying me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/kptherapy

Here are some sunny pictures to make us think of better times! Only 6 weeks and we will be flooded with cow parsley, the fresh green shoots of Hawthorne and therapeutic nettles everywhere!!!! 🤞