King Equine Osteopathy

21/11/2025

My famous little horse 🐴💞

09/11/2025

The 15th Elephant Osteopathy workshop with the best team 💞🐘🐘💞

30/10/2025

We’ve just wrapped up Zoo Ost Ltd’s 15th Elephant Osteopathy Workshop, led by Tony Nevin - tonynevin104

It’s been an incredible experience shared with an amazing group of delegates from around the world — New Zealand, the UK, Sweden, Canada, and France.

We also had the pleasure of reconnecting with our Thai colleagues and friends, including John Roberts from the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation, Nissa (their brilliant veterinarian), and the outstanding team at the Anantara Golden Triangle and the amazing elephant keepers from Longleat Safari Park in England

These workshops provide a unique opportunity to connect with osteopaths and manual therapists from across the globe, exchange ideas, refine techniques, think creatively, and learn how to work safely and effectively with different species.

Our next Elephant Osteopathy Workshop is planned for March 2026 — dates are to be confirmed, but we recommend keeping 15–19 March free if you’re interested in joining us for another unforgettable experience.

Email - emilyking8@gmail.com for further information

25/10/2025

Day 3 of the 15th Elephant Osteopathy Workshop
Today’s programme offered a broader cultural and contextual perspective on elephant care and tourism. We began with a scenic long-tail boat journey along the Kok River to a Karen hill tribe village, where we observed elephants working in an ethical tourism setting — one that differs from, but complements, the philosophy and practices of the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF). This provided valuable insight into how cultural traditions and tourism models can shape elephant welfare and management.

In the afternoon, we visited one of Chiang Rai’s most renowned temple complexes, allowing delegates to experience an authentic glimpse of Thai culture, spirituality, and daily life. The day offered a balance between professional learning and cultural immersion, deepening our understanding of the context in which our osteopathic work with elephants takes place.

25/10/2025

Day 2 of the 15th Elephant Osteopathy Workshop
Today we had the privilege of working with a wonderful group of elephants — Jathong (35), Kammoon (54), Dah (23), Beau (47), and Boonsri (53). Each presented their own unique histories, personalities, and movement patterns, giving us the chance to observe, palpate, and treat a diverse range of cases.

Throughout the day, we focused on developing our body scanning skills, learning to trust our initial impressions, and applying osteopathic principles creatively. It was a rewarding and insightful day — full of opportunities to think beyond the textbook and respond to what each elephant’s body was telling us.

23/10/2025

22/10/2025

"There's a difference between a good man and a nice guy.
A good man stands for certain ideals.
And when those beliefs are contested,
A good man is not a nice guy."

- Matthew McConaughey, Poems & Prayers.

This has been living rent free in my head since I read it a few weeks ago.

Advocacy in the horse world is hard.

The tension between being nice - slowly slowly catchy monkey - to get people on board. Not shaming them. Protecting their mental health.

Versus actually "doing the thing" - improving horse welfare.

"People are doing the best they can"

Yes, you are right -

But at what point to we say that meaning well and having the best of intentions is not good enough?

Because thinking about "doing the thing", is not actually "doing the thing"

You are not succeeding in improving horse welfare if the point you are trying to make doesn't land.

But equally, you are not succeeding in improving horse welfare if you don't make your point. If the thoughts we have stay in our heads.

If you don't say it nicely, you push people away. Disempower. Disincentivise.

If you say it nicely, it doesn't convey the urgency.

Neither of these change behaviour.

And at what point do we say that, when the mental and physical wellbeing of a sentient being is entirely our responsibility, we actually need to put their welfare state before the fragility of the human ego?

Because if there is one thing I am unequivocally certain of -

I'm not here to protect your ego.

I'm here to protect your horse.

-

LS Horsemanship and I are doing a live tonight - we'd love to see you there ❤️

18/10/2025

🌟 10 Things I Won’t Teach or Tolerate — Rule #9 🌟
Walk On, Don’t Whirl On

One of the most common — and most damaging — “solutions” I see with trailer loading is this: when the horse won’t go on, the handler spins it round and round in circles outside the ramp.

Here’s the problem:
👉 It’s based on dominance theory, not science.
👉 It raises the horse’s heart rate and stress levels.
👉 It strains joints and muscles.
👉 It doesn’t address the actual issue: the horse doesn’t come forward to pressure.

Yes, the horse might eventually give in and load. But it hasn’t learned the right lesson. Spinning doesn’t teach forward, it just teaches exhaustion.

Correct trailer loading is about stimulus control. Your horse should be able to step forward or back when asked, at any point in the process. That’s what creates rhythm, relaxation, and confidence. It also gives you vital information — where the horse hesitates, where it braces, what needs retraining.

Whirling in circles skips all of that. It’s stressful, unsafe, and ineffective. The solution isn’t to spin harder. The solution is to teach better.

17/10/2025

When it’s time for a break 🍷🦄✈️🐘 prepare for elephant spam for the next 2 weeks!

09/10/2025

✨ Kissing Spine Rehabilitation Success ✨

📸 Top photo: August 2020
📸 Bottom photo: April 2020

This 14-year-old horse made an incredible transformation over four months!

Through a carefully structured rehabilitation programme, he has regained strength, flexibility, and confidence — he returned to regular show-jumping lessons and competitions.

✅ Achieved Through

🥕 A carrot-stretching routine to strengthen the multifidus muscle group — the most important spinal stabiliser!
🐎 Long and low ridden stretching
↔️ Lateral work
🪵 Pole exercises
🔹 Small grids
🔁 Walk pirouettes & transitions
🎓 Regular lessons & correct training

🥕 Carrot-Stretching Programme

For rehabilitation: 5× per week for 3 months
For prevention/maintenance: 1–3× per week
Each stretch is held for 5 seconds, then rewarded with the carrot.
Repeat each 5 times per session.

🔶 Stretching Positions:

1️⃣ Chin-to-chest – chin as close as possible to the chest bone
2️⃣ Chin-between-knees – nose level with the knees
3️⃣ Chin-between-fore fetlocks – chin down and back between the fetlocks
4️⃣ Thoracic/Sternal lift – gently press along the sternum to lift and flex the back
5️⃣ Chin-to-girth – lateral stretch to the girth (both sides)
6️⃣ Chin-to-hip – lateral stretch toward the point of the hip (both sides)
7️⃣ Chin-to-hock – lateral stretch reaching back and down toward the hock (both sides)

💪 This programme is the equine equivalent of around 45 abdominal crunches a day —
a simple but powerful way to strengthen postural and spinal support muscles.

🌿 For Maintenance
Once recovered, performing this routine once a week keeps the core and spine strong, reducing the risk of future back issues and supporting healthy, balanced performance.

30/09/2025

🌟 10 Things I Won’t Teach or Tolerate — Rule #2 🌟
Spin Class Is Cancelled

One thing you’ll never see me teach is turning your horse in a circle to stop it.

Think about it: for centuries, horses carried us into battle, across continents, through hunts and competitions — and not once did anyone need to spin them in circles to stop. The whole idea of “disengaging the hind leg” by yanking a horse around is a modern invention, and honestly? It’s one of the worst habits I see riders pick up.

Here’s why:
👉 You can’t do it on a hillside, in a hunt field, or in a competition arena.
👉 It’s unsafe — horses often start linking spinning with fear, and some will even begin spinning on their own.
👉 You’re actually more likely to fall off in a circle than you are in a straight line.

Yes, I teach an emergency stop. But it does not involve spinning your horse around. If your horse can’t stop in a straight line, it’s not properly broken in. Period.

Keep the line. Keep the training clear. And please — stop the spin. 💯

01/08/2025

Today I've put on my brave pants because equine welfare is important to me.... as is being kind, compassionate, supportive and understanding to my fellow riders. This topic is emotionally charged, but it's a conversation that is necessary and sticking our heads in the sand won't help ourselves or our horses.

🧠 Fat Shaming vs. Equine Welfare: Let's Clear This Up 🐴

In the equestrian world, conversations around rider size can quickly become uncomfortable. But here's the thing: talking about load limits isn’t about fat shaming — it's about equine welfare. There’s a big difference between targeting a person’s body shape and discussing what a horse can physically carry without risking pain, injury, or long-term damage.

📣 Your amount of body fat or how much you weigh does not need to be discussed. In fact, a tall muscular person can weigh more than a shorter person who has higher adipose tissue (bodyfat).
This is not a conversation about anyone’s worth, appearance, or character. It’s about physics and biomechanics (which is measurable and does not change), and the welfare of our horses.

📊 The Research Is Clear
Multiple studies support the 20% rule: horses should carry no more than 20% of their bodyweight, including tack and rider. Beyond this point, horses begin to display observable signs of stress and unsoundness — regardless of how balanced the rider is or how well the saddle fits.

🔬 Key Findings

✅ Clayton (2020) found that even with a balanced rider and appropriate tack, horses showed increased gait asymmetry, higher heart rates, and signs of discomfort when load exceeded 20% of their bodyweight.

✅ Greve & Dyson (2013) observed that exceeding this threshold often led to lameness, saddle slipping, and altered movement patterns, even in well-conditioned horses.

✅ Powell et al. (2008) demonstrated that horses carrying 25–30% of their bodyweight had significant increases in muscle soreness, heart rate, and fatigue compared to those carrying 15–20%.

⚖️ Yes, There Are Other Factors Too
It’s not just about the numbers. Factors like the age of the horse, their back health, fitness level, the type and duration of activity, and rider skill and balance all matter. A fit, skilled, and light rider may impact a horse less than an unbalanced one — but weight is still weight, and the research shows even the best riders cannot eliminate the risk once past the 20% threshold.

🤝 No Room for Bullying
There is absolutely no place for abuse, bullying, or humiliation of riders. Conversations around appropriate rider-horse matching must be sensitive, kind, and thoughtful. It’s essential to create space for honest, supportive discussions without shame.

🐴 But We Must Do More to Protect Our Horses
Our horses can’t speak up when they are struggling. It is our duty to advocate for them, to keep their welfare front and centre, and to ensure they are not placed in situations where physical harm is inevitable.

If you’re unsure whether you're within your horse’s safe load limit, consider:

✅ Weighing yourself and your tack

✅ Knowing your horse’s actual weight (not just guessing)

✅ Speaking with a vet, bodyworker, or qualified saddle fitter

✅ Exploring different breeds or horse types that better match your riding needs

🥰Let’s keep these conversations kind, factual, and horse-centred.
Protecting our horses is not up for debate.