Form Through Function Equine Development

11/01/2025

🚨Sale Alert🚨

Now through December 24, 2025
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11/01/2025

🚨$90 off🚨now - 12/24/25

Virtual Equine Posture and Movement Consultation.

Learn where your horse can develop more and how to help them feel and perform better.

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11/01/2025

Pre-order today and become part of Gunner’s Promise & his Legacy.

100% off Virtual Equine the proceeds from these shirts will provide for Gunner’s ongoing care and any excess funds will be donated to other equines in dire need.

Pre-order link:
https://ftfequine.com/collections/gunners-promise

Gunner’s Story Post:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17DojTTTKV/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Short Sleeve - $35
Long Sleeve - 45

11/01/2025

I ❤️ seeing happy horses! Billy and Gunner are best friends 🐴🐴 they are always together🥰

10/29/2025

Gunner’s new Blanket. It came just in time. I never had this brand before so I wasn’t sure on sizing. This is an 81” and it is a little big now, I have everything on the tightest setting, but I think he will fill out a bit more and it will fit better over time.

10/24/2025

This is Gunner. I have been quietly rehabbing him. He is just one of the many horses who find themselves in this situation. He was very loved. His owner had him since her childhood and as a young adult could not keep up with his needs as an aging horse.

The final blow was when he was attacked by another horse and run into the fence. The cost of saving him took all of their resources. The choice was made to let him go.

I was informed he would be PTS on July 14, 2025. I took action and offered to help and it was accepted. Myself and others contributed to his care making sure he had the nutritional and medical support he required. In addition to being terribly under weight he had an abscess deep in one of the wounds over his heel.

Today Gunner is doing well and ready to begin physical rehab with me. I will continue to post his progress and will be accepting donations for his ongoing care along with setting up a fund raiser.

Gunner is a 19 year old OTTB who had a second career as a hunter/jumper and eventing horse for youth. Now he will be given a third start and career educating youth about equine stuardship.

I’d also like to give a huge THANK YOU! To the following people and organizations: Lizzie Bennett, V Breville, Alyssa Allegro, Lisa Damon, Swingin’ D Horse Rescue, and Thoroughbred Athletes Inc. for their donations and hands on assistance with Gunner’s recovery and care.

Thank you also Poetry in Motion Horsemanship for providing excellent care at your lovely boarding facility and allowing me the opportunity to help him.

10/23/2025

Such great information

🧠💪🏽 Laterality isn’t just a rider’s “feel” 👉 it’s measurable, it’s biomechanical, and it runs deep.

📊 Research by Krüger et al., 2022 (Laterality in Horse Training: Psychological and Physical Asymmetry in Horses, Animals, 12(8):1017) and Kuhnke et al., 2022 (A Comparison of Different Established and Novel Methods to Assess Laterality in Horses, Front. Vet. Sci., 9:789260) found that:

🔎 Rein tension is rarely equal. One rein almost always shows higher tension - and that isn’t a rider error. It reflects a fundamental left–right asymmetry in the horse’s neuromuscular system. What you feel in your hands is a direct representation of how the horse organises movement through the spine and limbs.

🔎 Hindquarter displacement is common. Even in apparently “straight” horses, the pelvis and hindquarters often drift a few centimetres off the midline. That subtle shift alters how force travels through the body, changes back muscle activation, and can lead to uneven loading in the forelimbs.

🔎 Rider asymmetry compounds the problem. The research also found that when a horse’s laterality matches the rider’s dominant side, rein tension and movement patterns become more balanced. But when they don’t, asymmetries often worsen - amplifying drift, poll bend, and uneven contact.

📏 What does this mean for us as vetrehabbers?
Laterality is not something to “fix”. It’s a pattern rooted in the horse’s brain, musculoskeletal system, and history. Recognising it allows us to:
✅ Design targeted groundwork to balance hindquarter control.
✅ Support more symmetrical development in the trunk and thoracolumbar fascia.
✅ Coach riders on how their seat and rein habits influence what happens beneath them.

🐴 Straightness isn’t about straight lines - it’s about balanced neuromuscular control. And the evidence shows that paying attention to these details can make the difference between subtle compensations and sustainable, symmetrical performance.

📆 Join us at the Vet Rehab Summit on 8 November, where Kevin Haussler will discuss Redefining Laterality in Horses, and Maria Teresa Engell dives into The Rider’s Influence on Equine Biomechanics and the Role of Off-Horse Training for Technical Riding Skills

10/23/2025

Fascia is AMAZING!

10/22/2025

Over the next few weeks we will run a series of posts looking at the impact of Francois Baucher (1796–1873) on the Ecole de Légèreté .

To this day the influence of Baucher can still be felt, with a recent rise (yet again) in conversations about this controversial horseman, and many modern trainers claiming links to Baucher. I am sure this working class rider, so disregarded publicly (but often called up privately) would have a wry smile if he could see how many riders are still talking about his methods, and arguing about their application and truths. The impact of his work and ideas has travelled across the centuries in a way he could never have dreamed of.

Philippe Karl, the founder of the Ecole de Légèreté and author of ‘The Twisted Truths of Modern Dressage’ has long cited Baucher as one of his central influences. However, there are also key differences and additions witnessed in this school, as Mr Karl also drew upon his time jumping and eventing, as well as our ever developing understanding of equine physiology and psychology, in order to ‘graft a modern approach to the classical tree’. The Ecole de Légèreté does not claim to be a pure Baucherist system, but instead takes what is most useful and relevant. There are challenges with the application of ‘just Baucher’ (PK himself might say ‘Too much is too much’) which I will also attempt to discuss.

Primarily, we draw upon what Baucher shared in his lesser known ‘Second Manner’, where he revised many of the principles and applications of his ‘First manner’. This often makes scholars uncomfortable, as these can be seen as contradictions - but surely any good student is always learning and developing? Following the infamous chandelier accident Baucher was forced to make some changes, but most likely what we see in the ‘Second Manner’ was a result of his never ending quest to do better by the horse; and this gentler, more horse friendly approach would have revealed itself anyway.

There are some aspects of the ‘First manner’ which can occasionally be witnessed in the teaching of the EdL. For instance, the 'Effect D’essemble' is still extremely useful for some horses when taught with tact and understanding.

Over the next few weeks I will address some of the key tenants of Baucher’s work and how they are applied in the Ecole de Légèreté including;

-The Flexions and the importance of the 'cession de mâchoire'
-Raising the neck
-Separation of the aids
-Balance before movement and position before action
-Mobilization exercises as the critical gymnastic

And where there may be some differences or adaptations - such as the significant inclusion of neck extension and forwards movement within this balance; and the development of Ramener at different stages for different horses.

As ever, this is a reminder that I am not Philippe Karl himself, and am merely a student of the school trying to share information in an accessible way. I hope you enjoy this upcoming series.

10/22/2025

Do you have an equine with any of the following?

- Head Shakers Syndrome
- Shivers
- String Halt
- Kissing Spines
- Becoming Over at the Knee
- Intermittent Lameness
- Undiagnosed Lamness
- Post Critical Injury Recovery
- Surgical Recovery

If so I’d like the opportunity to help. As a certified Lazaris Nerve Release Practitioner and Equine Myo-Manipulative Functional Therapist I am ready and willing to give my best efforts to help.


https://ftfequine.com/products/equine-development-services-monthly

10/15/2025

This is so interesting!

Gentle Touch, Big Impact: How Face & Neck Massage Could Support Your Horse’s Brain Health and Overall Wellness

A groundbreaking discovery in neuroscience found that gentle massage of the face and neck in mice and monkeys tripled the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) — the vital fluid that clears away waste and harmful proteins linked to conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

🔬 Researchers discovered a network of lymphatic vessels just under the skin of the face and neck — much closer to the surface than previously believed. By lightly stroking this area for only one minute, older animals showed fluid movement similar to much younger ones.

✨ Why does this matter for horses?
• Horses, like humans, rely on CSF flow to “clean” the brain.
• If similar pathways exist in equines (which is very likely), gentle massage of the head and neck could support neurological health, mental clarity, and recovery.
• Many equine bodyworkers already observe that horses become deeply relaxed, soften their eyes, and “let go” when these regions are gently worked. Now we may have a scientific explanation why.

🌊 CSF Flow & Brain Health
• CSF acts like the brain’s detox fluid, clearing waste and harmful proteins.
• If gentle touch can triple CSF flow, then therapies that influence the head, neck, and fascia (like massage, myofascial release, and craniosacral therapy) may do far more than relax muscles — they may directly support neurological resilience and longevity.

🐴 Nervous System Balance in Horses
• Horses are prey animals, always tuned to their environment. A buildup of waste proteins or restricted CSF flow could influence stress responses, learning ability, and even physical soundness.
• Gentle work around the poll, TMJ, and upper neck may encourage parasympathetic dominance (rest and digest mode), allowing the horse to truly relax and recover.

💆 The Role of Craniosacral Therapy (CST)
• CST already focuses on enhancing CSF flow through subtle, hands-on techniques.
• This discovery provides biological validation: even light touch on the skin and fascia may stimulate lymphatic vessels connected to CSF drainage.
• That means CST may not just balance cranial rhythms — it could help detoxify the brain and support long-term neurological health.

🧩 Whole-Body Wellness Implications
• Cognitive function: Sharper focus, learning, and memory.
• Aging: Restoring youthful fluid movement in older horses.
• Injury recovery: Supporting brain and nerve healing after trauma or stress.
• Sleep quality: Enhancing the brain’s natural nighttime cleansing process.

✨ Bottom line:
This groundbreaking research gives scientific weight to what equine bodyworkers have long observed — gentle, intentional touch to the head and neck doesn’t just relax the horse; it may help keep the brain itself healthier and more resilient.

https://koperequine.com/fascia-the-primo-vascular-system-and-massages-effects-on-them-the-bodys-hidden-highway/