Karen Perry Animal Therapy

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.

25/02/2026

When I first became interested in herbs and a more natural approach to horse management, about 15 years ago, I began to question our approach to grazing in this country.

We seem to turn out our horses on neat little square paddocks, of green, short grass, with little or no diversity, not much room to roam and no access to hedgerows, trees, or even different sorts of grasses.

It all started when I moved into our current property, which had four acres of very green, lush grass, which appeared to be supporting the development of young dairy cows! I knew very little about grass at this point, and how I didn’t kill off my shetland ponies is an absolute mystery! The grass was largely rye, very thick, and totally unsuitable for native ponies who are designed to live on fresh air and a bit of rough!

Obviously, despite frantic fencing, my ponies were very fat, but it wasn’t until I had some brushes with the dreaded laminitis, that I started to question the grazing and sought advise.

Nineteen years on, I have managed to add some diversity to the grazing, but due to financial limitations and lack of equipment, there is a long way to go. I found it very difficult to find grass seed suitable for native ponies, or indeed agronomists who understood the needs of real horse people.

If only I had access to Hoof and Habitat in those days!

Just recently Sian Constantine has come into my life and she is the grass goddess!!
Armed with a background in biochemistry, life sciences, product management and hands on horse care, Sian speaks the right language to help us struggling horse owners, and has a wealth of knowledge in pasture diversity, soil health and forage choice.

My favourite topic is forage diversity, and more and more research is proving that horses need a wide variety of herbs, plants, trees, leaves in order to maintain good health and avoid modern diseases such as ulcers, hind gut issues, metabolic problems and behavioural disorders.

I wholeheartedly encourage you to check out Hoof and Habitat, all the information is on the website, from brilliant, easy to grow seed mixes to courses in soil health and pasture management, all presented to horse owners from a horse owner, so easy for us to understand, not intimidating and simple to get started.

The website is www.hoofandhabitat.co.uk and Sian is lovely and helpful.

Practical pasture management for horses. Explore horse-safe seed mixes and evidence-led education to support equine welfare, soil health and biodiversity in real-world grazing systems.

24/02/2026

Well what a lovely day we had, here in the middle of the country! Sunshine, raised temperatures ( I think we just touched 14!!) rugs off, mud drying up visibly! How ridiculously exciting! We must not lose our heads, will probably snow next week, but let us enjoy the moment!!!

A walk around the hedgerows to see new signs of life, daffodils, crocus, sticky w**d spreading far and wide. Wont be long now before the herbs and friendly w**ds burst into life!

And on that note, I am going to book the Spring forage walk for Saturday 2nd May. More details to follow, get the date in your diary!

21/02/2026

Thank you SO much for attending the Pony Massage for Children workshop. What a great bunch of children- attentive, interested, empathetic, bright. An absolute pleasure to teach.
Happy massaging!
(Old photo! )

20/02/2026

Due to a recent change in circumstances, we’re needing to relocate by the end of April.
We are looking for land in the Leicestershire and surrounding areas.

What we’re looking for:
• 2 - 10+ acres (flexible on size)
• Preferably long term rental (also open to a short term, temporary home)
• Permission to install our own fencing (track system)
• Land suitable for year-round turnout (grazing quality not important as they are fed hay year round)
• Buildings helpful but not essential (we can add shelters)
• Access to set up fencing by mid April

What we bring:
• A quiet, low-key setup focused on helping people and horses, not profit
• A small, settled herd
• Just a few quiet therapy sessions a week & occasional very small groups
• Respectful land care — we have our own maintenance person and handle upkeep ourselves
• Rent always paid promptly and fully insured

If anyone has land or knows someone who might, please message me - I’d be very grateful.

20/02/2026

I was really pleased with this change of pelvis angle in just one session. Releasing restrictions, finding compensations, encouraging balance and connection. Good posture is everything.