The Balanced Equine, LLC

03/14/2026

Strangles PSA #2

Biosecurity 🐎

Strangles (and other contagious illnesses) can spread fast within barns and between facilities but simple biosecurity steps can keep your herd safe.

Our top tips for prevention:
🚫 Quarantine new horses for 2–3 weeks before introducing them to your herd.
🪣 Separate equipment — don’t share buckets, grooming tools, or tack between horses.
🧼 Hand hygiene — wash hands thoroughly after handling any horse outside your herd.
🧽 Clean and disinfect — stalls, grooming tools, and feed/water areas regularly.
👀 Monitor closely — watch for nasal discharge, fever, or swollen lymph nodes.
💉 Prevent — work with your vet on proper 💉 protocols for your herd.

Simple precautions now can save your horses weeks of illness and your barn (& others) lots of stress!

03/14/2026

The 5 Pillars of Equine Welfare 🐎

At the heart of good horse care are a few simple principles. When these needs are met consistently, horses are far more likely to stay healthy, comfortable, and mentally balanced.

The core pillars I personally come back to again and again are:

1️⃣ Movement – Horses are designed to move throughout the day. Regular turnout and freedom of movement support their entire body.

2️⃣ Forage & Nutrition – A horse’s digestive system works best with consistent access to forage and a diet built around hay or pasture.

3️⃣ Social Connection – Horses are herd animals and benefit from safe interaction with other horses.

4️⃣ Physical Comfort – Hoof care, dental care, saddle fit, and body comfort all play a huge role in a horse’s well-being.

5️⃣ Thoughtful Management – Daily care decisions should support the horse’s natural needs whenever possible.

These five pillars are the foundation of how I approach horse wellness and education.

I’ll be expanding on these concepts soon in a Horse Owner Foundations course designed to help owners better understand their horses and advocate for their care.

Because better horse welfare begins with informed owners. ✨

03/13/2026

Friday Wellness Tip 🐎

Mud season is here… which means it’s the perfect time to check something many owners overlook: your horse’s hooves.

Take a minute to:
• Pick out packed mud
• Check for a thrush smell or black discharge
• Look for loose shoes or cracks
• Make sure the frog is healthy and firm

Wet conditions are the fast track to thrush, but catching it early makes it easy to fix.

A 2-minute hoof check today can save you weeks of treatment later. 👣

03/06/2026

03/05/2026

Oh, sweet Endo. What a legend you are. 🤍

03/05/2026

Mares give you their best day in and day out.

So long as you’re kind to them.

So long as you treat them with respect.

So long as you understand that their body, like that of humans with uteruses, has its own weather patterns.

Sometimes tempestuous, but who is at their best when they’re hurting?

No one.

And yet she still shows up.

She’s communicative. She’s athletic. She’s talented. Intelligent. Beautiful.

The mare is misunderstood.

Communication is blamed on hormones.

She’s labelled as b*tchy.

Cranky. Hormonal. Dramatic.

But really, these labels are more of a statement of the human who uses them.

A mare is a creature who soldiers on throughout her day in spite of the fluctuations of her body.

She’s dedicated, brilliant and brings needed stability to the herd.

She is the matriarch.

And in a patriarchal world, that’s viewed as a threat.

It’s much easier to criticize the mare, to blame one’s own shortcomings on her… to liken her to being her hormonal cycle and nothing more than it is to look at oneself.

The people who vilify and stereotype mares are telling on themselves.

Mares expose their incompetency, their inflexibility, their of skill set.

And these people them for it.

But for those ready to listen, to communicate?

The mare is a loyal and faithful companion.

A fierce athlete.

She is the fire that breathes life into the world around her.

She is the core of what makes horses what they are.

Without her, there is nothing.

03/04/2026

🌟Launching Today: Balanced Equine Wellness Consults 🌟

I am SO excited to announce that I am opening limited spots for Equine Wellness Consults! These are 30 minute private sessions designed to evaluate your horse's:
- Nutrition & forage foundation
- Turnout & environment
- Workload alignment
- Behavioral patterns
- Management systems and more!

You'll receive:
✔️ A detailed intake review
✔️ A 30 minute consult call with Q&A time.
✔️ Personalized wellness recommendations tailored to your horse and ways to implement them NOW.

This is perfect for new horse owners, owners with horses struggling with condition and/or management issues, someone who wants a set of outside eyes to review routines/systems/overall wellness.

If you would like to schedule a consult, comment WELLNESS here or send me a message! ☺️

03/03/2026

Beginner horse owners/riders — I’m curious 👀

What’s been the hardest part for you so far?

A. Feeding & nutrition
B. Knowing when to call the vet
C. Behavior issues
D. Confidence in the saddle
E. Barn management
F. Something else (tell me below)

Drop a letter - or elaborate if you want!

I’m working on building more beginner-friendly resources this year, and your input really matters!

03/01/2026

Happy March! 🍀

We are thinking spring over here. Between a 6pm feed with no lights needed, to some sunny days without blankets.

Going into March hopeful for some even warmer temps!🤞☀️

12/04/2025

Tonight’s our first truly bitter night — single digits with a low of 1°! Horses handle the cold well when their basics are dialed in. Here’s what I’m focusing on for Marigold and Eclipse, and what I recommend for yours:

💨 Wind protection
A run-in or simple windbreak makes a huge difference in how cold they actually feel.

🔥 Steady forage
Hay is their furnace. Make sure they have access to forage through the night to keep the gut (and body) warm.

💧 Warm, drinkable water
Hydration drops fast in this weather. Check heaters and offer warm water when possible to encourage drinking.

🩷 Blankets + body check
Do a quick hand-check under the girth/chest area to confirm they’re the right temp and not damp or chilled.

🍲 Warm water on regular grain meal
If you feed grain, use warm water to soften it and support hydration. (Skip bran mashes — they can do more harm than good.)

👀 Quick wellness scan
Take 30 seconds to look at legs, eyes, noses, posture, and attitude. Extreme cold makes subtle issues more noticeable.

Cold-weather care doesn’t have to be complicated — just consistent and intentional. Stay warm out there! 🐴💛