Beyond Barriers Equine Bodywork

08/07/2026

☀️ August ☀️

I have very limited space left for this month, if you’d like a visit in August now is the time to grab a remaining spot while I’m in your area.

I will be making another trip to Fredericton this month - dates TBD - please let me know ASAP if you’d like to be added to this trip.

I will be adding a few more spots to the following dates:

Friday August 7th *full*
Shediac Area

Wednesday, August 12th
Havelock / Petty / Salisbury Area

Thursday, August 13th
Richibucto / Saint Paul

Thursday August 20th - Sunday, August 23rd
Price Edward Island - Montague / Charlottetown / Summerside

Tuesday, August 25th
Maple Hills / Salisbury Area

Open to new or current clients 🫶

08/04/2026

It’s going to be another hot week! 🥵

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠?

When you're working a horse during the heat of summer, cooling them down quickly and effectively is important. One of the most common ways to do that is with a hose. But this is where the debate begins: Should you leave the water on the horse, or should you scrape it off?

I still remember the first time I heard this debate. I was an undergraduate in an equine program, taking care of the college horses during a hot Missouri summer. We were told you could never, and I mean never, leave water on a horse. The reasoning was that the horse's body heat would warm the water, creating an insulating layer that would actually slow cooling instead of helping it.

It's a belief that has been passed around horse barns for decades. But is it actually true?

A study by Takahashi et al. (2020) put this long-held recommendation to the test, comparing sweat scraping with four other cooling methods to determine which cooled horses most effectively. Let's dive into the research and see what they found.

𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐬

This study used five Thoroughbreds that exercised on a treadmill until their pulmonary artery temperature reached 108°F (42°C).

The researchers then evaluated five cooling methods:

• Control: Horses were walked only with no additional cooling

• Fan: Horses were walked with fans moving air at 6.7 mph (3 m/s)

• Intermittent Water: Horses were walked and 1 gallon (4 liters) of cold water (50°F/10°C) was applied over the body every 4 minutes

• Intermittent Water + Scraping: Horses were walked and 1 gallon (4 liters) of cold water (50°F/10°C) was applied over the body every 4 minutes and immediately scraped off

• Continuous Water: Horses stood stationary while tap water (79°F/26°C) was continuously applied

Researchers measured re**al temperature 30 minutes after exercise and recorded how long it took each horse's pulmonary artery temperature to drop below 102°F (39°C).

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬

💧 Continuous water application (without scraping) was by far the most effective method, with horses reaching the target temperature in 2.1 ± 0.6 minutes.

💧 Intermittent cold water application was the next most effective. Interestingly, horses whose water was not scraped off cooled slightly faster (9.8 ± 2.4 minutes) than horses whose water was scraped (11.6 ± 2.0 minutes).

💧 The control and fan-only treatments were the least effective, requiring 25.4 ± 6.0 minutes and 14.5 ± 6.0 minutes, respectively.

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

This study found no cooling advantage to scraping water off a horse. In fact, horses cooled just as well, or even slightly faster, when the water was left on.

The authors concluded that continuous water application is the most effective way to cool an overheated horse because cool water continually absorbs heat from the body and carries it away. While continuous hosing isn't always practical, intermittent application of cold water is still highly effective, and scraping the water off doesn't appear to improve cooling.

𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬

🧊 Continuous application of water is the fastest way to cool a horse.

🧊 Intermittent cold water is also effective when continuous hosing isn't possible.

🧊 This study found no evidence that sweat scraping improves cooling.

These findings challenge one of the most common recommendations passed down through horse barns for decades. At least based on this research, you can put the sweat scraper down and focus on getting plenty of cool water onto your horse instead.

Do you still use a sweat scraper after hosing your horse?

Cheers,
Dr. DeBoer

Takahashi Y, Ohmura H, Mukai K, Shiose T, Takahashi T. A comparison of five cooling methods in hot and humid environments in Thoroughbred horses. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. 2020;91:103130.

08/01/2026

♥️

🖤✨🐴

08/01/2026

Tendon injury - freak accident?

07/29/2026

Full 🫶

** Fredericton **

I will be in the area on Sunday, August 2nd, there is a small amount of space left for this trip - DM to grab a spot.

Open to new clients.

Interested in learning more about the Masterson Method, or how bodywork can help your horse thrive? Check out my website or shoot me a message!

https://beyondbarriersbodywork.ca/

07/27/2026

For a long time, the standard response to injury in horses was simple: stop everything. Stall rest, limited movement, and a gradual return to work once the issue resolved. It was a cautious approach, built on the idea that removing stress would allow the body to heal. But modern equine medicine has begun to question that assumption. There is growing recognition that stall rest needs to be used thoughtfully, and that inactivity can have unintended consequences even when the goal is to protect the horse.

Dr. Julie Vargas, founder of Limestone Equine Performance Medicine, sees this clearly in her work with sport horses. While stall rest still has a place in certain cases, it is no longer treated as a one-size-fits-all solution. “Any time you lock a horse up, you immediately start losing bone density,” she explains. That loss can be significant, particularly in performance horses that are accustomed to regular work. When those horses return to training, they are often doing so from a diminished baseline, which creates risk. The original issue may have improved, but the system supporting it is no longer as strong as it was before.

The idea behind stall rest is logical. If movement contributes to injury, removing movement should allow healing to occur. But the horse’s body doesn’t operate in isolation. Bone responds directly to load, and without it, density begins to decrease. Over time, even relatively short periods of inactivity can have noticeable effects, making it harder for the horse to return to work safely and effectively.

Instead of removing movement entirely, the focus has shifted to controlling it. Rehabilitation today is less about stopping activity and more about focusing on controlled, appropriate movement at the right time. Walking programs, controlled exercise, and gradual increases in workload allow the horse to maintain and rebuild strength while continuing to recover. This approach is more nuanced and requires careful management, because not all movement is beneficial. The type, intensity, and timing all matter. Too much, too soon can aggravate the injury, while too little may leave the horse less prepared to return to work.

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2026/07/25/movement-is-medicine-why-stall-rest-isnt-the-default/

07/21/2026

I took the lessons. I booked the vet assessments. I tried what felt like a million saddles. I kept searching because something didn’t add up.

“You’re too soft”
“You’re just scared”
“It’s his hocks” (it wasn’t)
“It’s his attitude” (it definitely wasn’t)

I get it. He didn’t look lame. In fact, he very much lived up to his race name “Sweet Mover”. From the outside he looked like a beautiful horse who just had a bad attitude and I was “wasting his potential”.

He was inconsistent. He wouldn’t tie, wouldn’t load, spooked at everything. Some days he was a dream to ride, some days I couldn’t catch him.

If you’ve ever met Sam you know he’s the sweetest soul. He wasn’t being difficult—he was trying to tell me something. I just hadn’t learned his language yet.

That became my mission.

I learned about the body, the nervous system, behaviour. I learned what questions I needed to ask in order to get answers.

I followed my gut and drowned out the noise of everyone else’s opinions.

I’ll tell you that’s the hardest part.

The doubt.

The “maybe they’re right, maybe I’m making this up”

I was finally connected with a vet who radiographed as much of him as we could at home.

His hocks were fine, his stifles were fine.

His back on the other hand. Ouch.

Now I believe kissing spine is a symptom, not a diagnosis so it was only a small piece of the puzzle, but it was validation.

I wasn’t crazy. (Well, about this anyways)

This big red horse is the reason I became an equine bodyworker. He taught me to stop asking, “How do I fix the behaviour?” and start asking, “What is the horse trying to tell me?”

Sometimes your gut is the first clue.

Listen to it 🫶

Now he runs to the gate, loads on the trailer and we enjoy hacks around the yard.

If this sounds like your story, you’re not alone. There is hope.

We want to hear your stories 👇♥️

07/20/2026

✨ Mindset Monday ✨

Your horse isn’t giving you a hard time… they’re having a hard time.

Tension, discomfort, and compensation often show up in behavior long before they become obvious physical issues.

When we read the little signs we can change course before we’re too far off track.

Sometimes one missed training session now, to figure out what your horse is communicating can save weeks of recovery later.

Every behavior is communication.

A comfortable horse performs better.

When we learn to listen to the body as well as the mind, we build stronger partnerships and support happier, healthier horses.

07/20/2026

Kinesiology tape can be a valuable tool to support your horse’s comfort, movement, and performance.

So how’s it work?

💚 Improves body awareness (proprioception) – Provides gentle sensory feedback that helps horses become more aware of how they move, encouraging better posture, balance, and coordination.

💚 Supports muscles without restricting movement – Unlike rigid athletic tape, kinesiology tape moves with the horse, offering light support while allowing a full range of motion.

💚 Increase circulation – The lifting effect on the skin can help promote blood and lymphatic flow, supporting tissue health and recovery.

Whether used before exercise to encourage optimal movement or after competition to aid recovery, when applied properly kinesiology tape can be a useful addition to a comprehensive therapy plan.

Every horse is different, and kinesiology tape works best when applied by a trained professional as part of an individualized treatment program.

07/16/2026

Anyone else’s horses come running when they know relief is on the way? 😭🪰