SLBH Equine Bodywork

12/28/2025

🐎 SLBH Equine Bodywork | Performance Horses Need Maintenance — Not Just Fixes 🐎

If your horse is in regular work — whether that’s barrels, roping, dressage, or eventing — their body is doing a lot more than we sometimes realize.

Massage can help with both:
• Ongoing performance maintenance
• Catching tightness or compensation early before it becomes a bigger issue

I work with professional and amateur performance horses, and I approach bodywork as part of the horse’s overall program — collaborating with trainers and supporting the work already being done, not replacing it.

Equine sports massage can support:
✔️ Muscle recovery and comfort
✔️ Mobility and range of motion
✔️ Consistency in work and training
✔️ A more relaxed, willing horse

I’ve opened a few new client spots on my calendar and am now booking.

📍 Serving Santa Clara, San Benito and North Monterey counties

📩 Message me or comment below and we can talk about whether massage is a good fit for your horse.

12/25/2025

From my barn to yours, I wish you a very Merry Christmas 🎄🎄🎄!

12/24/2025

Yes!!

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐒𝐍’𝐓 𝐍𝐄𝐔𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐋.
Ask me how I know. 🙃

I’ve been on stall rest myself… and let me tell you
the muscle, tone, and stamina loss is REAL.

And horses?
They lose it even faster.

🐎 Let’s talk facts not feelings.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲:
• In as little as 3–4 days, we can start to see muscle loss on ultrasound
• 4 weeks of stall rest =
– reduced muscle endurance
– changes in bone density
• 12 weeks out of consistent work = the horse is considered completely unfit

Turnout helps… but it’s not enough.

🌱 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 won’t lose everything quite as fast BUT walking around grazing 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐞, 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡.
Athletic tissue requires intentional loading and variability.

💡 Breaks are OK.
Neglect is not.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬:
✔️ corrective exercises
✔️ rehab-based strength work
✔️ gradual, progressive loading

🚫 And please…
Don’t be like Billy Bob down the road bragging about how he pulled his horse out of the pasture after months off and “just got on and rode.”
That’s not toughness, that’s a risk factor.

⏳ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞:
• 4–6 months to build competition muscle
• 4–6 months to increase bone density
• 4–6 months to strengthen soft-tissue support
• ~2 weeks to improve air capacity & cardio

⚠️ 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫:
Cardio does NOT equal fitness.

Cardio is just one piece of the puzzle.

❌ No foundation of stabilizing muscles or true fitness =
• soft tissue tears
• muscle strains
• joint pain
• digestive upset & ulcers
• higher EPM risk
• increased likelihood of bleeding in performance horses

🧠 𝐅𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝.
Muscle. Bone. Fascia. Nervous system.
Skip layers and the body pays for it.

I’m living this lesson firsthand right now…
and it’s exactly why I advocate so hard for horses coming off stall rest.

Because stall rest changes the body whether we acknowledge it or not.
Our job is to support it back intelligently. 💪🐴

12/22/2025

Working on January schedule...i have a limited number of Saturdays open in January as I'm trying to plan a trip to the Lincoln area.

If you are interested in getting your horse(s) on the schedule, you can DM or text me to book.

Also www.equiproconnect.com has an option to request an appointment.

12/12/2025

This pretty girl received a massage today. I was warned yesterday that she could be grouchy when touched around her girth area and her hind end. It was recommended that she have a little dorm for this first session. I agreed but only bc i wanted the “edge” taken off of her. I domt ususlly lile working on horses that are sedated in anyway bc i want to make sure i can really read the horse. However, i didnt want to die today, lol.

She did let me know that her pecs were sore and so was her girth area, with shoeing me some teeth. She wasn’t really super aggressive, she was guarding. When I got to her SI and flank areas, she did fire out at me (more of an intimidation tactic) but I backed off slightly, lightened my touch and requests and we broke through.

She had a really good, positive session and it was agreed upon that her next session would be without dorm. She really just needs someone who will listen to her. I promised her today that she would be safe and I would listen. We will take her sessions at her pace.

I don’t rush a session with a guarded or reactive horse. It needs to be slow and positive for both of us. If we don’t get all the way through the first time, we come back to try again.

12/11/2025

These 4 beauties received their massages today! Everyone enjoyed it very much!

One more at The Ranch tomorrow and then 2 at Connections Boarding Stable on Saturday!

12/06/2025

Updated availability for December!

12/06/2025

It’s night #2 of the NFR! Who’s your pick for this round of barrels?

Mine is Kassie!

12/02/2025

11/29/2025

Let’s have some fun!

What is one event you would want to try your current horse?

I want to try cutting or sorting with Dori but we need more miles first.

I will always be a barrel racer though, lol!

Drop your event in the comments!