The Missing Piece

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Marshfield, MA
The Missing Piece

The Missing Piece provides in depth and overall equine fitness rehabilitation, as well as body work for performance enhancement.

11/13/2025

I used to get asked very frequently “so what is the difference between k tape and duct tape?” I still very often get asked “what does this tape do anyway?”

Living creatures, much like ourselves, are held together below the skin by a connective tissue called fascia. Fascia is where we often experience blockages of blood, which present as tension, soreness or even a knot. The tape works to ever so slightly lift the skin away from the fascia, allowing the blood flow to be restored!

Depending on how you apply the tape, in addition to controlling the pain response, it can also:
❤️‍🩹support joints (as seen here offering hock support & relief for an arthritic girl)
❤️‍🩹allow muscle activation after an injury & a muscle has been sleeping
❤️‍🩹muscle relaxation as talked about earlier in the post
❤️‍🩹circulation improvement.. think healing a bruise
❤️‍🩹encouraging lymphatic drainage.. think stocked up legs
❤️‍🩹spot decompression reducing a large muscle knot

If you think your horse could benefit from some tape too, I bet they absolutely can, so lets talk today!

11/11/2025

I want to help you help your friends and their horses! Did you know we have a referral program in place?! Refer a friend and get $10 off your horse’s next visit!

Just the other weekend I had someone get $20 off their horse’s session!

What are you waiting for?! Your horse and your friend’s horse deserve this..

11/08/2025

Do you start your session with your horse by tacking them up and then pulling their leg forward? Do you stretch your horse’s shoulders by pulling their leg straight forward?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions: please HALT!

First- you should never PULL your horse’s leg forward! Yikes! You are doing exactly that- pulling on their shoulder, not stretching a thing!

The myth of bringing the horse’s leg forward in-front of them once tacked came from a good place, but we have since grown our education. In doing so, all you are doing is allowing more skin to build up around the compressed area, leading to more tension or even a hot spot.

When stretching your horse’s shoulder, it is so important you:
1. Lift the foot as if you were going to clean it
2. Support the knee and the fetlock
3. Guide the leg forward, keeping a 90 degree angle in the upper leg vs lower leg the entire time
4. Gently add some tension, guiding the horse’s leg ever so slightly forward while still in the 90 degree shape

In performing the stretch in such a manner, you are not only providing proper support to your horse’s joints and leg, but also allowing the horse to actually stretch through their shoulders, chest and rib cage.

11/06/2025

As a horse owner myself, I know the feeling of wanting to do what is best for your horse, but also feeling like it’s one more invoice after invoice coming in, with no end in sight.

I want to help you help your horse. As a result, I have decided to pause my new client fee for any new client interested in my services for their horse. This will run through the holidays, as my gift back to you. That means that new client or returning client, first appointment or tenth, will all pay the same price, $85.

Now, let’s get your horse on the calendar! I looj forward to chatting with you!💗

11/03/2025

Every time I hear “No Stirrup November” I always want to hide under a rock. Part of me, of course, is because I don’t want my trainers taking my stirrups away, but as my education has grown, it pains me to know how much pain your horse is being caused by taking rider’s stirrups away!

Don’t get me wrong, my students do ride without stirrups for things like:
✅feeling where their leg should lay
✅learning how to activate different parts of their leg
✅check their core strength & balance in the saddle

However, if you consistently are riding without stirrups and aren’t fit, you are consistently putting extra strain on your horse’s body as they have to compensate for your lack of fitness. Additionally, you end up learning to just grip with your leg for dear life as a compensation to lack of balance, which encourages you to use your leg in the incorrect way! Yikes!!

Improperly fit riders riding without stirrups can lead to:
❌neck & back tension for your horse
❌horses becoming hard in their mouth
❌the horse becoming unbalanced/coordinated

So, next time you are told to drop your stirrups, I want you to ask “why?” and I don’t want you to mean this disrespectfully, but I want you to fully understand why you are doing what you’re doing, how it will affect your horse and what benefit it truly has to your riding!

10/31/2025

I will never not post these photos of Tommy for Halloween because he was the best flying hula boy there ever was and this is a memory I will always remember 🍍🌺

10/30/2025

If you can ask your horse to push their body to its limits and perform how you want it to, then you can also put in the effort to schedule your horse a massage so their body can feel how they want it to…

Remember, massage isn’t just a luxury! Massage helps with:
🩺Circulation improvements
🩺Lymphatic drainage
🩺Muscle tension/soreness
🩺Injury prevention
🩺Stress relief and adrenal balance
Plus so much more…

Next time your horse is telling you they can’t perform how you’re asking, I want you to stop and ask yourself when the last time you did something to help support their body or we can skip that whole conversation with your horse and prevent it before it happens! I bet, it’s time to book a massage…

10/27/2025

Almost every time I go see a horse, I recommend the use of foam/Surefoot pads for a number of reasons. Most horses are often lacking in balance and self proprioception, leading to secondary issues such as hoof issues, compensated gait patterns, tension and tightness. On the other hand, I really love using the foam pads to help with body awareness, relaxation and suppling the soft tissue as well.

I always introduce the pads very slowly, paying extreme attention to how the horse is responding. By changing the platform the horse is standing on, it often starts to activate the balance portion of their brain, forcing them to sway and try to find the center of balance. At the same time, this is creating muscle activation that the horse may not be doing themselves because they are so used to traveling in a compensated, unbalanced way. For some horses this can be extremely difficult and tiring!

Although I like using the balance pads to make the horse self aware of their center of balance, the pads come in all different shapes, sizes, and densities to help with the following:

👣extension of contracted soft tissue
👣activating muscles that were “sleeping” that the horse now has to use to hold themselves on different footing
👣looking at the imprints to see how a horse weights each hoof when they are standing
👣allowing horses that may be sore, especially in their feet, to find comfort on a soft standing zone
👣increasing circulation within the lower limbs & hooves

Although one of my favorite tools, I cannot stress the importance of checking with your horse’s medical team BEFORE introducing these pads. They can be so helpful in so many ways, but can be equally as harmful on your horse’s body if not introduced correctly or if used with certain conditions such as luxating joints or soft tissue injuries.

If you’re ready to give these pads a try and you have been given the all clear by your vet, let’s talk!💗

10/24/2025

What your horse is really trying to tell you is: they need bodywork! They aren’t being bad, unsound, grouchy or reluctant, simply, they just don’t feel comfortable in their body and could use some help! Don’t worry, I got you!

What is your horse’s red flag that always tells you their body needs a little extra help?!⬇️🚩

10/22/2025

Don’t get me wrong, I think any time is a good time for bodywork, but if I had to pick, I would say fall is a pretty ideal time to get your horse on a new bodywork regimen!

What time of year or season do you think your horse benefits from bodywork the most? Share in the comments!⬇️

10/20/2025

Some how this year has flown right by and we are already talking November & December!

Appointments remaining in November are limited so you’ll want to join in while you can! December books are also open!

Monthly I visit the following areas, but am always happy to add somewhere new to the list!:
🚗Cape Cod
🚗Dighton/Rehoboth/Freetown & surrounding
🚗South Shore (Hanover, Scituate, Pembroke etc)
🚗Middleboro & surrounding

Now is the best time to join in before your horse gets sore & cold with the weather, so let’s chat!💗

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Marshfield, MA

Website

https://themissingpieceest.com/#home

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