02/24/2026
This morning I was doom scrolling on TikTok for a minute and this sentence stopped me in my tracks:
โ๐
๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐ก.โ
Whew. That one hit.
How many of us have said, โ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐ ๐ค๐ง๐๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฐโ?
I know I have. Especially when I think about certain horses and wishing I could have a redo.
I think back to my first really nice gelding. He was solid for a long timeโฆ until he wasnโt.
He started refusing the gate.
Running up the wall.
Bucking.
Kicking.
Developing what everyone labeled as a โbad attitude.โ
So what did we do?
We vetted him.
We did PRP.
We did steroids.
We did everything we knew to do at the time.
But hereโs the truth my knowledge base was limited.
EPM wasnโt widely discussed like it is now.
Kissing spine wasnโt commonly recognized.
I wasnโt educated in biomechanics, stabilizing muscles, fast twitch muscles, atrophy, overbuilding, fascia, or compensation patterns.
Rehab back then looked like:
Time off.
Then straight lines.
Walking.
Trotting. (Yesโฆ the long, uncollected trotting because thatโs what I was taught.)
Then back to circles and regular barrel work.
There was no:
โข โLetโs strengthen the stabilizing muscles.โ
โข โLetโs break down compensation patterns.โ
โข โLetโs address inflammation systemically.โ
โข โLetโs peel the layers back and find the root cause.โ
We were managing symptoms not rebuilding bodies.
And that realization used to eat at me.
But hereโs what I know now:
Those lessons are exactly what pushed me into this field.
Those mistakes built the lens I see horses through today.
Those hard seasons are why I refuse to accept โthatโs just how they areโ as an answer.
Yes there are still old ways of thinking. And thatโs okay. Growth takes time.
But recurring issues are information.
Attitude changes are information.
Resistance is communication.
When we ignore compensation patterns, we donโt preserve longevity, we shorten it.
So today, I forgive the younger version of me.
She did the best she could with what she knew.
And now?
I just keep learning.
Keep asking better questions.
Keep helping horses and owners find the root cause.
Keep reminding people that new advancements are coming out every single day and itโs okay to evolve.
Because the goal isnโt perfection.
Itโs progress.
ImFrenchmansStorm is my big bag gelding that has forever pushed meโค๏ธโ๐ฅ
๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐จ ๐จ๐ง? ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ ๐ด ๐๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ. ๐โ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ ๐ข๐ญ.