Skelton Equine

31/01/2026

24/01/2026

Most “mystery lameness” isn’t actually coming from the leg.

It’s coming from how the body is compensating.

When a horse loses movement in the shoulder, ribcage, or pelvis, they don’t just move less…
they move differently.

And that difference gets paid for somewhere else in the body.

Example:
Restricted right shoulder → shorter stride → more weight is put unto the left front and right hind → increased strain on suspensory and hock (among others).

By the time you notice:
• tripping
• unevenness
• resistance in transitions
• sudden “attitude”

That pattern has already been living in the body for a while.

This is why bodywork isn’t about pampering.
It’s about mechanics and prevention.

Good bodywork looks at:
✔️ muscle symmetry
✔️ ribcage motion
✔️ pelvic position
✔️ scapula movement
✔️ movement patterns, not just sore spots

When we restore motion where it’s missing, the joints stop absorbing what the muscles should be handling.

That’s injury prevention.

So if your horse “passes the flexions” but still feels off under saddle…
It’s probably not a diagnosis issue.

It’s a movement pattern issue.

And that’s exactly what bodywork addresses.

20/01/2026

This really is one of my favorite pages to follow, such great information

20/01/2026

This is really is one of my favorite pages to follow, such great information
https://www.facebook.com/share/1BwJgRECwc/

10/01/2026

10/01/2026

♥️

10/01/2026

09/01/2026

09/01/2026

Dont surprise the horse they remember who you are and what you do, if we are not confident in the modality we choose they may not feel confident in your ability to help☺️.

We often talk about palpation, techniques, anatomy, and exercises yet we forget when meeting a horse that may be in pain we first have to build trust, they may have had previous encounters where their voice was not heard, their body harshly palpated, their pain areas hyper focused on and poked, prodded and pulled and how do we persuade the horse we dont have the same hands that may have caused more discomfort in the effort to get better.

We know they have a great memory so it makes sense they will remember the good just as much as they remember the bad and its why I try not to jump from modality to modality and only study the modalities that enhance my work rather than change the very foundation of the way I work, that way the horse will not have to try and work out what type of therapist I am going to be on each visit.

The changes I make are slow and organic its like riding a horse you wouldn't keep swapping things while teaching one thing you first get the horse comfortable and confident and then begin to finesse the ask, each time I begin a new session with the horse I am merely picking up the reins from where we left off in the last session, the changes are made slowly always at a pace the horse is comfortable with for we want to work on the body but avoid the brain checking out.

If every time I met the horse I was offering a different modality how could the horse get to know what i do??, after all as much as we are trying to figure them out they will be doing the same with us

It can be daunting in the beginning to have the confidence to trust what you are doing is the best thing for that horse, but quiet the human opinions and focus on the feedback from the horse if they trust your hands then try to not change what you are doing to much to soon for they want the therapist you are now not what others think you should be xx

09/01/2026

09/01/2026

I don't really do videos or photos mainly because I always forget 🤭
I recently worked on a horse that had this reaction.