Heavenly Gaits Equine Massage | Horse Health Tips

The Parelli 7 Keys To Success: Equine Bodywork Strategies For Your Horse

2012-05-25T03:03:41Z

At a Level 2/3 Parelli Natural Horsemanship Clinic this past weekend, I was reminded of the importance of understanding and applying Pat's 7 Keys To Success with your horsemanship. I often find so much of the Parelli philosophy and training bleeds over into my profession of equine bodywork. I realized this weekend how much these keys could help my clients, and I wanted to share with you my thoughts on successfully applying them as a strategy for meeting your equine bodywork goals.

#1 Attitude – Horses are very sensitive to the energy we put forth. If you have a positive energy and attitude going into a therapy or exercise session with your horse, your chances of success will greatly improve. You must go into every session with your horse knowing that you will have a positive outcome. Positive visualization is very powerful. Have in your mind's eye what you would like your end result to look like and your horse will pick up on that mental picture, or at least perhaps your signals will be clearer and your horse will have a better understanding of what you are asking.

#2 Knowledge – Knowledge is power! Whatever problem you are trying to overcome with your horse, be it recovering from a recent injury or overcoming a long-term lameness, gather as much information as you can so you can make informed choices for your horse and your situation. Don't just accept the first thing someone tells you with regard to your horse's recovery plan. Get information from multiple sources. Don't feel bad about getting a second, or even third, opinion if necessary. There is often more than one way to skin a cat so to speak and each has its pros and cons.

#3 Tools – Make sure you have whatever tools are necessary to complete your equine bodywork goals. This could mean having the necessary tack, homeopathy supplies, "how to" videos, etc. You don't want to be in the situation where you are making progress with your horse, you come to a critical junction in your therapy, and you don't have what you need to finish the job. Take the information you gathered from Key #2 and make a list of what you are going to need to implement your program.

#4 Technique – Remember that there are many different avenues available these days when it comes to both traditional and alternative therapies for your horse. Sometimes it may be feasible for you to use several different therapies together. You may wish to combine equine massage and chiropractic, or chiropractic combined with a therapeutic exercise program. Know your options and pick what best suits your particular financial and philosophical situation.

#5 Time – Once you've decided on a bodywork program for your horse, one of the most important keys is to make sure you set aside the time to implement it. I have seen the failure to implement this one key bring down an entire therapy program. As with all things, you get out of something what you put into it.

#6 Imagination – This is one of the most difficult of the keys to implement. If you can think of fun and unique ways to incorporate your therapy program into your daily routine, you will increase your chances of success by leaps and bounds. If it feels like a chore to you, it probably feels like a chore to your horse too, and you will be less likely to follow through with what you need to do to succeed. Think outside the box whenever you can. My Prescription For Parelli Series is a good example of finding ways to implement therapeutic exercises into your training sessions with your horse.

#7 Support – One of the keys that makes the Parelli program so successful and popular is the support you receive. You know that there is always somewhere you can go for an answer or help with something you are struggling with, whether that be your Parelli instructor, the Parelli Connect website, or playday friends. Take advantage of the knowledge and expertise of your veterinarian, equine massage therapist and friends that may have encountered similar problems with their horses. You don't have to deal with the problem alone.

Putting these 7 keys to a purpose when deciding on and implementing your horse's therapeutic bodywork program will hopefully help improve your chances of success. If you have found this article useful or would like to share your own experiences, please feel free to share your story. We would love to hear from you.

Lisa Carter is a Certified Equine Massage Therapist (CEMT), with multiple certifications from several different equine bodywork schools, as well as a small animal veterinary technician with a mixed practice veterinary clinic in Stephenville, Texas. She has been practicing in the North and Central Texas area since 2006 and has helped numerous horses return to a state of balance and improved performance.

Contact Lisa to find out how equine massage can help your horse and get Lisa's free report Achieving Balance In The Horse Through Teamwork. Just type in the words "Free Report" in the subject line of the contact form.

The Parelli 7 Keys To Success: Equine Bodywork Strategies For Your Horse

The Grammar Of Natural Horsemanship | Horse Quotes – Quote Of The Week

2012-05-22T12:18:33Z

Heavenly Gaits Equine Massage | Horse Health Tips

Horse Quotes For The Horse Lover

"Your seat is a verb, and your reins are adjectives to add beauty and shape."

- Pat Parelli

The Grammar Of Natural Horsemanship | Horse Quotes – Quote Of The Week

Natural Treatment For Thrush In Horses – No Smelly Mess, No Toxic Chemicals Or Metals

2012-05-20T14:29:32Z

Heavenly Gaits Equine Massage | Horse Health Tips

When most of us think of thrush treatments for horses, we immediately think of messy, smelly green goop that seems to end up more on us and the ground than on our horse's feet. Those nasty smelling traditional products that often contain toxic chemicals and metals are not the only way to tackle thrush infections. I have found several ways to combat thrush naturally that are just as effective, if not more so, as well as being much less expensive and more pleasant than those traditional methods and I would like to share them with you.

What Is Thrush?

Contrary to popular belief, thrush in horses is not a fungal infection, but actually caused by a bacteria called fusobacterium necrophorum. It is an anaerobic bacteria that flourishes in moist, oxygen deprived environments such as underneath layers of mud and debris that get trapped in the crevices of your horse's hoof. This bacteria is common to the animal gastrointestinal tract and therefore is naturally found in most soils. Characteristics of a thrush infection are usually a very smelly, blackish colored, oily material produced by the bacteria and deposited along the collateral grooves, central sulcus of the frog, junction of the frog and sole, and in more severe cases can also be found in the white line.

Thrush infections commonly occur in conjunction with fungal and yeast infections. It may be necessary to modify your plan of attack to make sure you cover all three common types of hoof infections in order to be effective in your treatment.

Natural Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) and Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) Remedies

Since a hoof infection can involve fungus, yeast and bacteria, Tea Tree Oil based treatments are my first choice. Tea Tree Oil, or Melaleuca alternifolia, has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-septic properties. It is also extremely penetrative in nature and is therefore very good to use in deep-seeded thrush infections where the oil can penetrate deeply into the infected tissues. There are several Tea Tree Oil based products that I use depending on what I'm trying to accomplish (preventative or treatment) and the severity of the infection.

Apple Cider Vinegar is also a great natural alternative for treatment of thrush and can be used by itself or in conjunction with Tea Tree Oil to treat and prevent thrush. It has natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties due to its high acidity.

Before applying any of these treatments, make sure your horse's hoof is cleaned thoroughly.

For mild thrush cases and as a preventative:

Use 1 part Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca T36-C5) to 10 parts water in a spray bottle and spray over the entire bottom of the hoof thoroughly every day.
As a jump start for the first day or two in conjunction with the above, I sometimes apply a few drops of Tea Tree Oil directly to the infected tissues.
Alternatively, you could also use 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar by itself, or mixed with 10 drops of Tea Tree Oil, in a 32 ounce spray bottle with water and spray over the entire bottom of the hoof thoroughly daily.

For more severe cases in conjunction with fungal infection:

Use 1 ounce of Melaleuca Sol-U-Mel in a 32 ounce spray bottle with water. The Sol-U-Mel is a Tea Tree Oil based product that is very anti-septic, anti-fungal and penetrates deeply. It is also much milder than using something like bleach or lysol, so it is wonderful for flushing or soaking abscesses as well.
For very severe cases of thrush I use a combination of 4 ounces of Melaleuca Sol-U-Mel, 1-1/2 tsp Melaleuca Tough & Tender, and 10 drops of Tea Tree Oil in a 16 ounce spray bottle with water. Spray the bottom of the hoof thoroughly two to three times daily until the infection clears up.
Alternatively, you could soak the hoof in 1 part Apple Cider Vinegar to 8 parts water.

As a penetrative soaking to help with deep tissue infection:

Use 2 to 3 ounces of Melaleuca Sol-U-Mel and 10 drops of Tea Tree Oil in a 5 gallon bucket with water filled just enough to cover the entire hoof to the hairline. Soak the foot daily for about 5 to 10 minutes. This mixture penetrates very deeply into the hoof and frog and is also a great soak for abscessed hooves and to draw out abscesses.
Alternatively you can also use Apple Cider Vinegar in place of the Sol-U-Mel, but you should use the 1-8 ratio described above for best results.

Prevention is the best medicine when it comes to most things, including battling thrush. The best way to prevent thrush is to clean your horse's hooves out daily, apply the natural preventive topical mixtures described above, and keep your horse's living area as free of manure as possible. However, in the event your horse does develop thrush, you need not depend on toxic solutions to the problem. Try these very effective and inexpensive natural alternatives next time and share your results with us. If you have alternatives not mentioned above that you would like to share, please feel free to leave a comment below. We would love to hear from you.

Natural Treatment For Thrush In Horses – No Smelly Mess, No Toxic Chemicals Or Metals

To Ride… | Horse Quotes – Quote Of The Week

2012-05-14T23:46:41Z

Heavenly Gaits Equine Massage | Horse Health Tips

Horse Quotes For The Horse Lover

"To ride or not to ride – this is a stupid question."

- Brandy Michelle

To Ride… | Horse Quotes – Quote Of The Week

3 Easy Steps To Improving Performance In Your Horse

2012-05-11T12:25:32Z

Heavenly Gaits Equine Massage | Horse Health Tips

How many times have you started a therapy or training exercise with your horse with a specific goal in mind of doing the exercises so many days per week for a certain period of time? Now, how many times have you actually followed through with that goal? You are not the only one! I'm just as guilty as the next person of starting something with my horse with high hopes of making great advances in my relationship with my horse, or helping my horse with a long-neglected bodywork issue and improving performance, and then never actually making the time to do the follow-through. Here are some tips to help you and your horse be successful in any endeavor you decide to take on.

3 Easy Steps To Improving Performance In Your Horse

Identify The Problem – Determine what problem or issue is most holding you and your horse back at this moment in time. This could be anything from a behavioral issue to a bodywork issue. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference. Often when a horse is consistently refusing one of your aides, it's not because it doesn't want to do what you ask, but simply because it cannot. Enlist the help of an equine massage therapist, bodywork professional or a trusted trainer to help you determine if the problem is mental or physical in nature.
Determine A Course Of Action – Once you've identified what the source of your horse's issue(s) is, the next step is to determine how best to address it. Coming up with an appropriate therapy or exercise program for your horse that will fit both your schedule and your horse's level of fitness is crucial. If the steps you plan to take cannot be realistically implemented, you cannot hope to ever make progress and only achieve frustration in the end for both you and your horse. If you are only available 2 or 3 days a week for 30 minutes at a time, then make sure that the plan of action you've come up with will work into that schedule. If you horse has been sitting in the pasture for the last 6 months doing nothing but grazing and resting peacefully in the shade, make sure you start exercises slowly at first and gradually build on what your horse can physically offer you without getting hurt.
Be Consistent And Follow Through With Your Plan! – In order for any equine bodywork therapy or exercise program to be effective for your horse, you must be consistent with your implementation of it. In order for your horse to overcome months or even years of moving inefficiently it must first overcome muscle memory. This takes repetition. Lots of it! The more ingrained the pattern, the more frequently and longer the new pattern must be performed in order for the body to recognize it and become natural. Just because you don't see the end results you want within the first few times, doesn't mean it's not working! Over time, if you are consistent, you will see improvement in your horse's performance. Don't give up!

As an equine massage therapist, I've encountered on many occasions situations where I only work on a horse once a month (sometimes even less). The horse would see improvement for a time following the bodywork session, but would eventually fall back into its old patterns of movement simply because of the ingrained muscle memory. In order for the body to overcome long-term muscle memory, the new pattern must be performed repeatedly over a period of time. The more long-term and severe the old pattern, the longer and more frequently the new pattern must be repeated and become the new norm for the horse. If for some reason more frequent bodywork sessions are not an option, the client must perform follow-up exercises in order to accomplish the same result.

To better help my clients find success with their therapy, several years ago I started to incorporate into my follow-up exercises games and exercises I had learned in the Parelli Natural Horsemanship program. I would gear their exercises to best suite their schedule, lifestyle and fitness level of the horse (and human). For horses on stall rest or that cannot be exercised I use passive stretches and games that require little or no effort on the part of the horse. I found that if I could give people ways to incorporate these things into their regular activities with their horses, they were more likely to follow through with them until my next visit. Nobody wants to drill boring exercises and stretches every day, but if you can make it fun and find a way to easily incorporate into their already busy schedules, their chances of success increase dramatically. See my series A Prescription For Parelli to learn more.

Setting realistic goals for you and your horse, as well as enlisting the help of qualified professionals when necessary, and consistently following through with whatever plan you decide to implement is key to the success of improving performance in your horse. Remember these simple steps and now go have fun with your horse!

3 Easy Steps To Improving Performance In Your Horse