Doc’s Equine Sports Massage LLC

03/10/2026

There are so many free or low cost materials out there for horse owners and professionals! I can attest that these Core Conditioning for Horses exercises make a HUGE difference. Thank you doing this webinar. This is so important.

Back pain in horses is far more common than many riders realise.

Often it doesn’t appear as obvious pain but rather as subtle changes in movement, posture, or behaviour long before a serious problem develops.

In our latest webinar with Dr Hannah Hay, we explore why back pain occurs, how it affects your horse’s movement, and the signs riders should learn to recognise early.

Understanding what’s happening inside your horse’s body is the first step toward helping them move more comfortably, develop strength through their core, and perform with greater balance and ease.

This conversation dives into the biomechanics behind spinal health and explains why correct movement and conditioning are so important for long-term soundness.

The full webinar is now available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Nv8paROSgSg?si=4OAwhoo0qf97i7HA

02/26/2026

There was a time when I genuinely believed you just had to work with what you were given.

If a horse was croup high, that was just their conformation.

If the connection wasn’t quite right, that was just how they were built.

If they struggled to bend, struggled to lift, struggled to load… well, that was just the horse in front of you.

And for a long time, I trained like that.

I adjusted around it.
I compensated for it.
I accepted it.

Until I realised something that completely changed the way I see horses.

Not everything we label as “permanent structure” is actually permanent.
Not everything we assume is fixed… is fixed.

Posture can change.
Balance can change.
Range of motion can change.
Loading patterns can change.

Even things we think are just “their way of going” can change.

That realisation was game-changing.

Because once I understood that many of the patterns I was seeing were influenceable — not fixed — I stopped just managing horses.

I started helping them.

Instead of saying, “That’s just how they are,”
I started asking,
“Why is the body organising itself like that?”

Where is it stabilising?
Where is it overworking?
Where is it avoiding load?

And once you understand that, you can reverse engineer it.

You can give the horse space where there wasn’t space.
You can help them find balance where they’ve only ever known compensation.
You can allow muscle to develop where previously it simply couldn’t.

And that is when horses start to feel different in their bodies.

Feet become easier to pick up.
Turning becomes softer.
Connection becomes clearer.

Not because we forced anything.

But because we changed what was happening inside.

These days I do a lot of posture and movement assessments. I’m actually correlating the data from them at the moment, and what’s emerging is fascinating.

Patterns repeat.
Compensations repeat.
Training issues and physical restrictions overlap far more than people realise.

And the most satisfying part?

Watching a horse who has struggled for years suddenly find space in their own body.

Watching them realise movement doesn’t have to feel like effort and tension.

Watching them become more comfortable.
More capable.
More willing.

That shift — from “this is just how they are”
to “this can be influenced” —
changed everything for me.

It trained my eye.
It deepened my understanding.
And it reshaped how I train, how I teach, and how I advocate for horses.

Because so often the horse isn’t limited by who they are.

They’re limited by what their body has been allowed to organise into.

And that can be changed.

02/23/2026

02/23/2026

Week 2 at we went over strengthening exercises (hills, poles, and one exercise on the lunge line) discussing the benefits of each when used correctly. They learned how to identify strengths/weaknesses and started to train their eyes to identify different movement patterns such as where their horses are compensating and struggling with balance. We realized some of the horses were confused with our cues while lunging so as always we were willing to pivot & work with the horse in front of us addressing their individual needs. A variety of different learning opportunities came up… How our horses respond to our body language/cues on the lunge line or next to them on the ground… And where they might be struggling in their body making it trickier for them to do what we might be asking them.

I can’t wait to see what the future holds for these students at Nomad Farms. They are so intuitive & have the sweetest herd of horses around.

Thank you for the beautiful pictures. 🩵

02/23/2026

The past couple weeks I had the pleasure of filling in at & we had the absolute best time. Week 1 students learned about some equine anatomy, massage techniques, and useful stretches. They learned the importance of listening to their horses, (which already does a wonderful job at) when they might be uncomfortable vs relaxed.

Thank you & for capturing some special moments as we were all sharing our love for horses! 🐴

What an amazing group of people & horses. 🫶

01/07/2026

🧠 Let’s talk about your horse’s back and why it’s the key to everything from soundness to performance.

At 8pm GMT tonight, join Visconte Cocozza (Core Conditioning for Horses) and Dr. Hannah Petrie Hay (The Horseback Vet) for a no-fluff, science-meets-practicality discussion about how the back works, what causes pain, and how to bring back mobility and function — even in complex cases.

🐎 Whether you’re a rider, vet, trainer, or just deeply curious — this conversation will change how you see your horse’s posture and movement forever.

📅 12 January 2026
🕖 8PM GMT
🎥 Free Zoom webinar — bring your questions!

11/03/2025

Yes.

10/20/2025

09/08/2025

Why are you so passionate about massage?

There are many reasons. But this right here keeps me going (even in the chaos & frustration). The quiet moments. When one relaxes, the whole barn relaxes. THIS is rewarding…

The horses that remember you, they talk to you when you walk in the barn because they heard your voice. The mare that pins her ears and bites the air at everyone that walks by, but when you walk up her ears perk up. When you slip the halter over their head and they let out a deep sigh followed by a lick and chew. When I’m working on a horse in the aisle & all the horses in surrounding stalls are facing you with their eyes closed. Sometimes they’ll even release right before the horse being massaged releases.

It’s contagious.

& apparently it doesn’t matter the species. Horse, human, or cat. ☺️

08/21/2025

If you know me, you know I preach posture!

The Body Doesn’t Lie

I’m a little (a lot) increasingly worried and frustrated about the postures I am seeing horses worked in. I saw a post yesterday of a horse being worked in side reins comparing day one of using them to day two; day one — bracing; day two — horse sucking behind the side reins, opening mouth, compressing the wither (and everything else) to avoid pressure.

The day before that, one professional rider riding a 4 year old hyperflexed with draw reins in one clip and a tight martingale in another.

The day before that, a client told me that another therapist had told them to just shut their horses mouth with a flash to stop contact evasions… when in fact this horse is experiencing significant discomfort.

Today, a video saying if your horse leans on the contact to just give them a sharp upward motion of the rein to get them to sit back… because there surely isn’t a physical or rider issue why they do that!?

IF you DON’T think what you are doing is wrong, LOOK and FEEL your horse.

If you’re ignoring their signals in every other way, their body won’t lie. If you’re doing everything right, they’ll look right.

If you’re constantly battling with the same issues, if your physio keeps noticing a tight poll/lacking muscle/stiffness, if you can see your horses ligament clicking and flicking over the top of their neck every time you change bend, please please widen the gaze and realise — this is not right, this is not normal for their body, what is going wrong?

There is no shame in breaking away from a trainer you’ve used for years; or changing from a saddle you once loved to a new one; or giving your horse a little while off whilst you sort your body out and make sure you’re not hindering them. This is the part of the “sport” (I hate that word in this context) that has been so massively overlooked of late.

Even if you’re a professional rider only riding a horse for 30 mins a week, we are our horses GUARDIANS on this planet. Every interaction means we should care for every part of them whole heartedly. If something isn’t right, they will try and tell us however they can — big or small.

Speech and panic over… resume your day 🙃

07/30/2025

Awhile ago I made a post about liniment so here’s a follow up!

These are some liniments I like/use myself. This is not an advertisement, paid review, collaboration, or whatever it’s called. I simply believe in these products/ingredients.

Let me be clear, I do not believe in using liniment as a band-aid to cover up chronic issues. I like to use these liniments for post work out recovery, during massages, and for specific issues (not all issues).

Although these products are all topical, I don’t believe they are topical analgesics (meaning blocking pain receptors to the brain & creating a cooling or warming sensation on the skin). There is no menthol, camphor, etc in these. They are transdermal, meaning they are absorbed through the skin to relieve tensional patterns.

If you’ve ever used any of these comment below & tell me what you think! 👇👇👇

Four Oaks Farm Products

07/17/2025

Home base needed some love 🫶