HN Equine Therapies

13/11/2025

🐴 Your horse’s winter coat is amazing!

So many clients have asked me, “Do you think I should clip?” and as always, it depends!

- what’s the workload?
- what type of clip?
- breed of horse and coat density?
- are you rugging?
- do they easily drop weight?
- are they naturally warmer horses?
- what time of day are you working your horse? Is there time to cool down properly before the night temperature drops?

🐴 A horse grows a coat like this in winter for very good reasons. For example, to keep them warm, to keep them dry, to prevent mud fever etc.

🌟 Here you can see the hairs:

1) rising up from where the follicle attaches into small muscles to keep the horse insulated (called piloerection)

2) using their natural oils to repel water and keep the skin dry underneath (when our hands look grubby after treating your horse, it’s because we have stimulated this oil production within the skin)

🌟 My horse stays hairy BUT that’s because it currently works for us! We are also attempting another winter rug-free BUT that’s because it currently works for us! I will always be responsive to his needs.

12/11/2025

🐈‍⬛ Morning Poirot! Um, you seem to have just a little bit of something on your face 🥴

09/11/2025

🫶 A fantastic 3 day clinic with Philippe Karl's School of Légèreté UK

• Sylvia Stossel was simply outstanding (As always! So humble, inviting and willing to share her experience with everybody. Honestly brilliant to watch her work her magic with each horse and rider)

• Kate Sandel from Soft and Sound provided us with an excellent taught lesson and a pedagogy on The Mise En Main, which explained the process beautifully (lots of💡moments around the room!)

• Josh Daly organised the whole event, provided us with an excellent taught lesson AND brought 2 horses, which demonstrated how the principles are applied to one horse in their very early stages of Legerete learning, and then the wonderful Norman who is already well established - watching Josh switch between these two entirely different rides was not only educational but also demonstrated his outstanding ability.

🐴 All riders were amazing. It is no small feat to put yourself into the spotlight in front of watchful eyes. Thank you so much for allowing us to be part of your individual journey and to be enlightened in this phenomenal school of learning.
🤲 Not only am I entirely convinced by this school of riding, but watching how it involves osteopathic techniques in ridden form is also now influencing my own hands on practice. It has revolutionised my understanding of the ridden horse and how their bodies function.

❤️ Please, if you are watching from a distance (as I did for some time) come along to a clinic. This is not an elitist school - you will find people from all walks of life, horses of all different breeds and ages, those with significant underlying pathology and at a range of stages of development. Everybody is friendly, inquisitive and highly supportive.

👀 Once you see it, the veil has been lifted. You cannot unsee it ever again, which is a blessing, and a curse in some respects. But certainly a blessing for all of the horses in your life 💕

06/11/2025

☔️ Here we are stood in the piddling rain this morning, eagerly waiting for our lesson.

No more excuses, no more negative chat! If you want to get better, you have to get doing.

And “Yes, but…” is banned forever.

There will be consistency this winter! Riding will continue, Legerete lessons will take place regularly. We will hit spring running 🏃‍♀️

04/11/2025

🤔 Why work on the back before a saddle fitting?

💬 To return the back to its “truest” form so that the fitter has a blank canvas, free from tension and compensatory change.

🤔 Why book an appointment after a dental?

💬The gag puts an awful lot of stress and pull on the delegate structures in your horse’s head (for example the TMJ, poll, masseter muscles and facial nerves) There is also stress on the neck muscles, withers and potentially the pectorals moving in to the sling muscle structure (especially if a horse has become agitated during treatment)
#

04/11/2025

🎟️ There’s still time to get your tickets!

November 7th. - 9th
Advanced Légèreté Instructor Training

If you're already fed up with the U.K winter, then why not join us in the comfort an indoor arena, with inspiration and insights for all?

It's only a few days until the last Advanced Instructor Training of 2026; with Master Légèreté teacher, Sylvia Stossel.

Each day includes 8 lessons, with a wide variety of different horses at unique stages of their education. Plus, pedagogues (an instructor teaching an unknown student and horse combination with the aim of sharing the 'most important idea') and on the Saturday there will also be theory.

Please arrive in good time each day to get your seat, The times are:

-Friday. 8am - 7.30pm
-Saturday 8.30am - 6.30pm
- Sunday 8.30am - 5,15pm

There are hot drinks and cakes to buy, please bring your own mug. You might also want a hot water bottle and blankets, for maximum comfort!

You can still buy tickets, link in the comments below.

Thank you to Naturally Light Equitation for hostiNaturally Light Equitation

02/11/2025

✨ Work with your horse to lift each hoof lightly, sn**ch free and in balance on the other 3 legs.

Whilst cupping the hoof, you should be able to gently move each leg forwards and backwards a few inches, softly flex the knee and fetlock joints AND place the hoof back on the ground without resistance.

▫️What are the benefits? ▫️

- improves your horse’s balance
- enables professionals to complete their work safely (as well as yourself during daily care)
- a tension free limb enables your therapist to maximise results when working on the limb muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments
- can be achieved during the winter, in limited space and will improve your relationship with your horse

🚩 If your horse physically cannot do this and you do not know why, it is time to ask for help.

31/10/2025

🌟 How much difference can targeted treatments, exercises and species appropriate living make to a horse?

🤩 This client is nothing if not committed! Earlier this week she severed her finger in the kitchen (needing surgery to save it 🫣) and today she’s sending me pictures of her horse standing with both hinds on the balance pads🤣

A little mad? Perhaps! Totally dedicated to her horses? Absolutely ❤️

🌟 When I took this client on she was feeling very concerned about her gelding. He was extremely uncomfortable, and she had been told that his pain was too high to continue riding him.

🌟 When I visited for treatment on Monday this week (I have been every 6 weeks for over 18 months now) she was talking about taking him for a good gallop and letting her daughter pop a few fences!

🐴 How has this been achieved?
• careful research by the owner on diet, supplements and support with qualified nutritionists
• a regimental 6 weekly treatment and review with myself
• a dedicated owner, who was committed to follow advice, make changes, complete exercises - but also recognised that there are no quick fixes! Slow, steady progress - not rushed!
• consistent reviews of weight (often with barefoot trimmer) and changes to forage and grass access (but always with freedom of movement)

🐴 The improvements over time have been outstanding. He now enjoys weekly lessons again, much greater ease within his body and improved joint ROM. And all of this whilst also juggling a PSSM diagnosis.

🏆 It can be achieved!
❌ There are no quick fixes - outstanding results take time, patience and consistency!
🫵 I can help you too!
Disclaimer: But you are not expected or ever instructed by me to bag up your hands and work against your surgeon’s orders!!! 🤣

31/10/2025

When I die I want to return as a pampered yard cat, with all the freedoms of a wild cat and all the luxuries of a domesticated one. These cats really are loved and adored ❤️

30/10/2025

🌟 Why do I recommend regular and routine appointments?

There are a number of reasons, but they can largely be summarised in the following way. Horses who receive regular treatments are advantaged, over horses that I visit once, in the following ways:

1) Their soft tissue and joint ROM is healthier. The general areas of common tension eg. spinal junctions take less time to address because they have responded to previous sessions and changes I have suggested/we have discussed.
I know the horse’s body, what is and isn’t normal, what is new and what is old - the owner is also more aware of their horse’s body and we are able to have informed conversations about how to care for long-term conditions.

2) The horses understand the exercises and routines I use; they trust the process, allow me to move their bodies and the relaxed state in which we work enhances the effectiveness of each exercise. We can build upon and develop movements they find harder over time. Rather than a standalone session, we can build upon previous work, increasing a horse’s comfort levels and well-being.

3) Many owners support my work between appointments by following simple instructions, enabling me to achieve greater results during the appointments. The team effort means that bodywork becomes part of daily routine and discussion, which transforms a horse’s body and horse/owner relationships.

4) The horses know me, trust me and “let me in.” To access their body, you must overcome their fears of pain, discomfort and vulnerability. This takes time, but the more you have access to the horse’s mind, the deeper you can work to restore and reset the body. Trust is everything!