Wind Drinker Equine Bodywork and Massage, LLC.

02/04/2026

01/24/2026

I’ve noticed a pattern that’s been bothering me, and I think it says something uncomfortable about our industry.

When I post about hoof balance and how it affects the horse, it gets attention.
When I post about pathology, posture, or the professional working on the horse, it gets attention.

But when I post about the rider.
Or the environment.
Or human management.
Or the fact that the horse is living in a species-inappropriate world.

Silence.

And that silence tells a story.

We are very good at engaging with problems that allow responsibility to sit somewhere else. Somewhere external. Somewhere that doesn’t require us to change how we ride, manage, house, train, or think.

But when the finger turns back toward the human system surrounding the horse, engagement drops off a cliff.

My webinar series on ethological reasons why the industry needs to change had the lowest viewing figures of any series I’ve ever run. And yet, arguably, it was the most important work I’ve done. Because the pathological relationships we like to discuss, lameness patterns, postural collapse, behavioural fallout, chronic tension, almost always trace back to the same origin.

The implications of domestication and how far modern horse management has drifted from the biological and behavioural needs of the animal.

This isn’t just an equestrian problem. It’s a human one.

Psychology has a name for this pattern. Cognitive dissonance. When evidence threatens our identity, habits, or sense of competence, the nervous system doesn’t lean in. It protects. As described by Leon Festinger, humans will often avoid, dismiss, or disengage from information that implies personal responsibility or behavioural change, even when the evidence is strong.

There’s also the well-documented bias toward external attribution. We are more comfortable blaming tools, professionals, or isolated body parts than confronting systemic causes that implicate our own choices. Especially when those choices are culturally normalised.

But horses don’t live in fragments. They live in systems.
And we are the dominant variable in that system.

If we only ever talk about what’s wrong with the horse, or the hoof, or the tack, without addressing the rider and the environment that shape them every single day, we are treating symptoms while preserving causes.

The truth is harder.
Because the truth asks something of us.

It asks for responsibility, not blame.
It asks for change, not critique.
And it asks us to sit with the discomfort of realising that many of the problems we study so closely are downstream of human inertia.

Silence doesn’t mean the message is wrong.
Often, it means it’s landed exactly where it hurts.

With that in mind, I invite anyone who’s willing to lean into this to engage with the ethology series and the upcoming webinar on rider biomechanics on Jan 28 not as a sales pitch, but because it truly matters to the horse.

👉 https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/riderbiomechanics
👉 https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/bundles/how-can-the-equine-industry-maintain-its-social-licence-to-operate

01/24/2026

❄️ 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 ❄️

🔥 𝐇𝐚𝐲 = 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭
The best way to warm up your horse in the winter is to provide hay!

Hay is primarily digested in the hindgut through a process known as fermentation, which generates a significant amount of metabolic heat. This means hay acts as a fuel of sorts for the horse’s very own internal furnace, helping warm them from the inside out.

⚡ 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬
Not only that, but when the weather is cold, a horse has increased caloric demands, as they require extra energy to maintain body temperature. This means providing extra hay during a cold snap not only helps generate internal heat, but also helps meet the additional calorie requirements associated with cold weather.

🌾 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬
While I provide unlimited access to forage year-round, I have been to many barns that provide set amounts of hay at mealtime. This can become problematic when temperatures fall below the horse’s lower critical temperature (LCT).

🌡️ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 (𝐋𝐂𝐓)?
The LCT represents the temperature at which a horse begins to expend additional energy to stay warm. The farther below the LCT the temperature falls, the more energy the horse must use to maintain body temperature.

The LCT can vary based on the individual horse, acclimation to the current climate, hair coat, and weather conditions.

Specifically:

❄️ A horse acclimated to a cold climate with a long winter coat has an LCT of 18°F

🌤️ A horse acclimated to a warm climate with a short coat has an LCT of 41°F

🌧️ A wet hair coat is especially important, as it can increase the LCT to 59°F

📈 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐂𝐓 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫?
This value is important because for every degree below the LCT, a horse’s energy requirements increase by approximately 1%.

For example, if you have a horse acclimated to a cold climate and the outside temperature is 0°F, their energy requirements increase by 18%.

🧮𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝
To determine how much additional hay is required, you must first estimate the horse’s baseline energy requirements. I personally use the NRC Requirements of the Horse – Working Doc, where I input body weight and current life stage to estimate maintenance energy needs.

Once this value is determined, I use the digestible energy (calories) reported on my hay test to calculate how many additional pounds of hay are needed to meet the increased energy demand.

🌿 𝐏𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞
As you can see from this example, providing nearly 10 additional pounds of hay per horse may not always be feasible. This is why I keep a high-quality alfalfa hay on hand, which allows me to help meet increased caloric demands in a quantity the horse can realistically consume.

I think it is also important to remember that blanketing or housing horses in insulated or heated barns may alter these recommendations, as the body does not need to work as hard to stay warm. This equation helps provide an estimate but we can expect some variability!

✅ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
On these cold days, make sure the first thing you reach for to help your horse stay warm is some extra hay! Not only does it fuel their internal furnace, but it also provides additional calories they require to maintain their core body temperature. This equation can help estimate how much extra hay may be needed during cold weather!

Stay warm out there ❄️🐴
Dr. DeBoer

12/25/2025

❤️

Replicating the life of a wild horse has proven that, given the chance, most Thoroughbreds are more than hot-house flowers that must be continuously coddled with blankets, shoes, and leg wraps.

Check it out: https://tinyurl.com/3pnca6cn

12/14/2025

📖 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝘁

🐴 I love reading about misconceptions when it comes to feeding horses, but today I’d like to debunk some common myths about good old sodium chloride.

🧂 Myth #1: Salt only needs to be fed when the weather is hot.

🐴 Truth #1: Salt needs to be fed 365 days a year because it is vital for many bodily processes and is excreted in sweat, saliva, mucous and urine. Even in the midst of winter, horses need salt.

🧂 Myth #2: Horses instinctively know to drink water regularly, especially when they are hot and sweaty.

🐴 Truth #2: A horse’s thirst reflex is triggered by sodium, which is a component of salt. Horses’ sodium requirements need to be met in order for them to seek water.

🧂 Myth #3: A horse can meet their sodium and chloride requirements with a salt block alone.

🐴 Truth #3: Unlike cattle, horses do not have an abrasive tongue and are not designed to lick harsh surfaces to extract nutrients. While it is technically possible for a horse to consume their daily salt requirement from a salt block, it is much less work and more physiologically-appropriate for them to consume loose salt that is either provided in a meal or left out free-choice.

🧂 Myth #4: Horses know what nutrients they need and can self-medicate with supplements such as vitamins and minerals.

🐴 Truth #4: Salt is the only nutrient horses have been studied and proven to actively seek out when it is required. They will not seek out other nutrients “because they know they need it.” Look at how much salt and molasses (palatable additives) are added to free-choice supplements.

🧂 Myth #5: Himalayan rock salt is better for horses than plain salt.

🐴 Truth #5: Himalayan rock salt contains naturally occurring components other than sodium and chloride. Some may view this as a positive; however, it is usually a more expensive means of supplementing salt, and often contains traces of iron which almost never needs to be supplemented given horses are generally oversupplied iron by their forage intake alone.

🐎 Your horse’s diet should be providing a minimum of 10g of salt per 100kg of body weight each day; typically more after exercise, intense weather, or illness. Ensuring your horse always has access to clean, cool, and fresh drinking water will ensure they remain well-hydrated and if by chance they intake more salt than necessary, the water they drink allows them to excrete excess very effectively. The best kind of salt to feed is plain sodium chloride such as table salt, unless the diet is deficient in iodine which makes iodised salt more appropriate.

12/14/2025

Two day dissection, hands on and informative. Questions are encouraged, perfect for every horse person. UpcomingUSA April 2026

12/14/2025

❤️

12/09/2025

12/02/2025

Chronic Back Pain Interrupts Myofascial Force Transmission

The myofascial system is a continuous, body-wide network of fascia and muscle that distributes tension, load, and movement forces from one region to another. When it’s healthy, forces generated in the hips, limbs, or trunk travel efficiently through this network, allowing coordinated movement, balanced posture, and elastic energy return.

But chronic back pain changes all of that.
Pain doesn’t stay local — it disrupts the way the entire myofascial web transmits and organizes force.

How Chronic Back Pain Disrupts the Myofascial System

1. Protective Muscle Guarding

Long-term pain triggers automatic bracing: muscles tighten to protect the painful region.

This creates:

• local rigidity

• reduced fascial glide

• blocked or diverted force flow through the kinetic chain

Even small zones of guarding can act like “stiff knots” in an otherwise flexible web.

2. Fascial Densification & Adhesions

Chronic irritation, inflammation, or immobility can cause fascia to thicken, dehydrate, or bind to surrounding structures.

Dense or sticky fascia resists tension and disrupts the smooth transmission of mechanical forces along fascial lines.

Instead of distributing load, the system begins to catch and hold it.

3. Neuromuscular Inhibition

Pain changes motor control patterns, especially in deep stabilizers like:

• multifidus

• transverse abdominis

• pelvic stabilizers

When these muscles become inhibited or delayed, the body can’t efficiently organize or pass forces through the trunk. Larger, superficial muscles overwork to compensate — adding more imbalance to the system.

4. Loss of Elastic Energy Transfer

Healthy fascia behaves like a spring: it stores and releases elastic energy with every step, turn, and lift.

Chronic tension or densification reduces this recoil capacity, leading to:

• heavier, more effortful movement

• faster fatigue

• poor energy return

The body has to muscle its way through movements instead of relying on stored elastic energy.

5. Asymmetrical Load Distribution

Pain changes movement patterns.
We shift, lean, shorten strides, or unconsciously avoid certain ranges.

Over time, these compensations distort:

• fascial tension lines

• joint loading

• force vectors

This often causes secondary areas of pain or dysfunction far from the original site.

Clinical Implications

Chronic back pain can lead to:

• reduced performance and coordination

• increased injury risk elsewhere due to compensation

• slower recovery and decreased tissue adaptability

• impaired balance and postural control

The issue is not only the pain — it’s the altered force economy of the entire body.

Therapeutic Approaches That Help Restore Force Transmission

• Myofascial Release & Soft Tissue Work

Restores glide, hydration, and elasticity across restricted fascial layers.

• Movement Re-Education

Corrects compensatory patterns and restores efficient sequencing through the kinetic chain.

• Progressive Load Training

Gradually re-establishes healthy force distribution and rebuilds stabilizer engagement.

• Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Downregulates chronic tension and helps reduce protective guarding.

The Bigger Picture

Chronic pain is never isolated.
Wherever it start, it changes how the entire myofascial system behaves.

Pain alters tension, timing, and load distribution throughout the web — and that ripple effect continues until the system is rebalanced.

https://koperequine.com/understanding-fascial-adhesions-causes-effects-and-reducing-the-risk-of-developing/

Image Licensed Under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/deed.en
Authored: Renate Blank - Klaus Schöneich Zentrum für Anatomisch richtiges Reiten® & Schiefen-Therapie®