Bucking The Sun Equine Services, LLC

11/10/2025

I have week day availabilities November 11- 13 for Missoula and the Bitterroot, I will also be available at the barrel race at 5C arena this Wednesday for anyone interested in having their horse treated or tuned up 🐴 message me for more info or ask how I can help your horse be their best! Massage & Cold Laser Treatments

11/06/2025

A very important read for all horse owners 👏🏻

Exploring Fascia in Equine Myofascial Pain: An Integrative View of Mechanisms and Healing

Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS) is one of the most common — yet often misunderstood — sources of chronic musculoskeletal pain in horses. Traditionally, explanations have focused on muscle tension, trigger points, or neurological sensitization. But new research suggests a deeper story: fascia, the connective tissue that surrounds, supports, and integrates every structure in the body, may be a key player in both the cause and persistence of pain.

Recognizing fascia as a living, sensory, and emotionally responsive tissue shifts how we view equine pain. It’s not simply a matter of tight muscles or mechanical imbalance — it’s about communication, perception, and the body’s ongoing relationship with safety and movement.

Fascia as a Sensory and Signaling Tissue
Fascia is far from inert wrapping. It’s a dynamic, contractile, and highly innervated network that helps transmit force, tension, and sensory information throughout the horse’s body.
It houses a vast array of nociceptors (pain receptors) and mechanoreceptors, as well as interoceptors that feed information about internal states back to the nervous system.

When fascia becomes compromised — through injury, repetitive strain, imbalance, saddle pressure, or systemic inflammation — several changes may occur:

Densification: Thickening or dehydration of the ground substance that reduces glide between fascial layers.

Fibrosis: Excess collagen deposition that stiffens tissue and limits elasticity.

Myofibroblast activation: Contractile cells within fascia become overactive, tightening tissue even without muscle contraction.

Inflammatory signaling: Cytokines and neuropeptides released locally can sensitize nerve endings, amplifying pain perception.

In the horse, these changes have wide-reaching consequences. Because fascia connects every region — from hoof to poll — a small restriction in one area can alter movement and tension patterns throughout the entire body. What appears as behavioral resistance or unevenness may actually reflect deep fascial discomfort or altered proprioception.

The Pathophysiological Cascade: From Local to Global

1. Peripheral Mechanisms
Local fascial changes can stimulate nociceptors and chemical mediators, generating a constant stream of pain signals to the spinal cord.
Muscles respond reflexively with increased tone, forming tight bands or “knots.” Circulation and oxygenation decrease, further sensitizing the tissue — a self-perpetuating loop.

2. Central Sensitization
When this nociceptive input continues, the horse’s central nervous system can become hypersensitive.

Normal sensations begin to feel exaggerated or threatening.

This process, known as central sensitization, helps explain why some horses react to light touch or grooming long after the original tissue injury has healed.

3. Whole-Horse Manifestations
• Altered posture and asymmetrical movement.

• Hypervigilance or irritability under saddle.

• Shallow breathing, digestive changes, or reduced engagement.

• “Mystery” lameness or tension patterns that shift from one area to another.

These are not random — they reflect a body whose connective tissue and nervous system are caught in protective overdrive.

Somatic Memory: When Fascia Remembers -

Click here for the rest of the article - https://koperequine.com/exploring-fascia-in-equine-myofascial-pain-an-integrative-view-of-mechanisms-and-healing/

10/28/2025

Do you like to TRADE?

Do you offer a cool service or product and own a horse that you'd like worked on? Does your spouse enjoy "outside projects" you sign them up for? Maybe you clean houses on the side, detail vehicles, landscape, wash dogs, do leather working or jewlery, massage people, or do hair (just to name a few!)? Message me! One thing I love about being a small business owner is that I can trade business with others! We can trade equal value or add a little $$ on either side depending on the trade. Don't be shy about reaching out 💛

A few things I've traded for in the past -
• custom leather work
• custom silver smithing
• massage (me)
• tack sets
• photography
• riding lessons
• credit towards horse training/tune ups
• other alternative therapies (magnawave, dry needling, acuscope, etc.)

10/27/2025

🐎 Scapulohumeral and Humeroradioulnar Rhythms in the Horse

The Scapulohumeral Rhythm

The scapulohumeral rhythm describes the coordinated motion between the scapula and the humerus during protraction and retraction of the forelimb.
Because the horse’s scapula is not attached to the skeleton by a bony joint but instead suspended within the thoracic sling of muscles and fascia, this rhythm depends entirely on myofascial coordination and neuromuscular timing.

As the limb moves forward:
• The scapula glides and rotates cranially and dorsally along the thoracic wall.
• The humerus flexes at the scapulohumeral (shoulder) joint, swinging forward.
During retraction:
• The scapula rotates caudally,
• The humerus extends, aligning to bear weight and transfer load through the sling.

This continuous interplay allows the shoulder to function as a shock-absorbing, energy-conserving unit, distributing motion and tension smoothly between the scapular and humeral segments.
A well-tuned scapulohumeral rhythm keeps the forehand light, lengthens the stride, and maintains balance through the thoracic region.

The Humeroradioulnar Rhythm

The humeroradioulnar rhythm is the coordinated movement between the humerus, radius, and ulna as the limb flexes and extends in stride.
• During protraction, as the scapula and humerus swing forward, the elbow flexes, helping lift the forelimb and clear the ground.
• As the limb retracts into stance, the elbow extends, allowing the radius and ulna to align with the humerus and efficiently transmit ground forces upward through the limb.

This rhythm ensures that movement initiated at the scapula and shoulder is carried seamlessly down the limb, maintaining stride integrity, shock absorption, and timing between upper and lower segments.

Integration Through the Thoracic Sling

Both rhythms rely on the stability and elasticity of the thoracic sling—the muscular and fascial network that suspends the trunk between the forelimbs.
When the sling is strong and responsive:
• The scapula glides freely against the ribcage.
• The humerus moves smoothly within its joint.
• The elbow maintains synchronized timing with the rest of the limb.

Loss of tone or asymmetry within the sling disrupts this chain, leading to:
• Reduced shoulder freedom
• Shortened stride
• Compensatory tension in the neck, pectoral region, or back

Restoring Healthy Rhythm

Reestablishing these rhythmic relationships depends on coordination, proprioceptive clarity, and fascial suppleness, not force or range alone.
• Manual therapies such as massage or myofascial release reduce adhesions and allow the scapula to slide freely over the thorax.
• Targeted movement work—hill work, raised poles, and controlled in-hand exercises—retrain timing between scapular rotation, humeral swing, and elbow extension.
• Balance and confidence within the nervous system are essential; a relaxed, supported horse naturally re-patterns efficient rhythm.

When these systems work together, the result is effortless movement:
the forehand becomes supple, the stride lengthens, and energy flows freely from ground to spine.

10/24/2025

I have local Bitterroot availability next Monday the 27th and Friday the 31st.

I will also be available to do 1 other horse at the barrel race Sunday, Barrels & Bones for anyone interested in a post run treatment! ****I am now completely booked for Barrels ans Bones!!!! ****

Massage & cold laser (red light therapy). Keep those horses running strong and supple as the cold sets in 🐴💜

10/22/2025

❄️ 🐎 How Horses Muscles React to Cold Weather 🐎 ❄️

When the temperature drops, your horse’s body works hard to stay warm, and their muscles feel it too! Fit horses have more muscle mass and better circulation, so they generate and retain heat more efficiently. They warm up faster and are less prone to stiffness.

Unfit or less conditioned horses have less muscle and poorer blood flow, meaning they feel the cold sooner, take longer to warm up, and are more likely to feel tight or sore in chilly weather.

🐎 Top Tips
Allow extra time to warm up and cool down in cold weather to prevent tension and injury. Keep your horse moving, rug appropriately, and consider massage or stretching to maintain suppleness.

📚 We’re running a full CPD this November exploring how cold weather affects muscular function, thermoregulation, and performance, perfect for therapists, trainers, and owners who want to deepen their understanding. Yes….still only £5.35 each month with 2 hour Certification (Accredited) 🎓
Just visit our online Monthly CPD

https://woldsequinemassage.co.uk/monthly-cpd

10/22/2025

⚖️🐎 “Sound” doesn’t always mean symmetric.

A 2024 study by Zetterberg et al., Prevalence of Movement Asymmetries in High-Performing Riding Horses Perceived as Free from Lameness, shook up what we thought we knew about performance horse biomechanics - revealing that over 70% of elite dressage and showjumping horses without any clinical signs of lameness showed measurable vertical movement asymmetries.

📊 Here’s what they found:
Using objective motion analysis, the researchers discovered that most of these “sound” horses displayed head and pelvic movement asymmetries that were similar in magnitude to those seen in lame horses.

These asymmetries were consistent across different gaits and persisted even when horses were warmed up and performing at their usual level.

In many cases, riders and trainers did not perceive any abnormality - the horses were competing and training at a high level without ever being flagged as “unsound.”

💡 What this means for us as vetrehabbers:
👉 Movement asymmetry is not always lameness - but it is information. It tells us about underlying muscular imbalance, compensation strategies, pain history, or functional adaptations that may increase injury risk over time.
👉 Subtle asymmetries can affect saddle fit, rider balance, joint loading, and long-term soundness - even if the horse never “looks” lame.
👉 Objective assessment tools, slow-motion video, and systematic groundwork can reveal these patterns before they evolve into pathology.

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

In this image, we can see a pelvic drop together with muscle atrophy of the left hind gluteals which may point us towards instability or core weakness. Or it may not - because a still image in an asymmetric gait does not give us enough information.

10/20/2025

A little thank you card came in the mail and it sure brightened my day! I am so grateful for this local barrel racing community and to be apart of it. Thank you to all that put on an amazing race, the other sponsors, and those that took the time to sign this card! 💜

10/05/2025

🐴We are one week away!!!🐴

Join myself and Erika Neffner with Bucking The Sun Equine Services, LLC for a ❗️3-in-1 package deal❗️October 11th and 12th. We are offering this package exclusively at the Sprinkle Pink and Revolution Run barrel races hosted at 5C Arena and Event Center in Corvallis, MT. After you’re done running for the weekend, swing by for a post-run treatment including massage, cold laser, and dry needling in one session for $150 per horse.

Contact myself or Erika with any questions or to get on the schedule!

10/02/2025

Working on my own before the local jackpot 💜