Suz Crichton-Stuart EDO

17/06/2026

If I have helped you learn Equine Touch or helped your horse to feel and move better- please could you take a moment to help me by leaving me a google review. I appreciate you and your time.

https://g.page/r/CX_ex49othn9EAE/review

15/06/2026

Really important research published about the implications of ECVM. If you have a TB, warmblood or Sports horse it is well worth reading this excellent summary and the paper is linked too.

🚨 THE "ECVM" DEBATE: THE GAME-CHANGING NEW EVIDENCE EVERY HORSE OWNER NEEDS TO SEE 🚨

If you own a Warmblood, Thoroughbred, or sport horse, you’ve probably heard of ECVM (Equine Complex Vertebral Malformation).

For years, a massive debate has raged between horse owners and traditional veterinarians. Owners frequently share heartbreaking stories of horses suffering from unexplained neck stiffness, stumbling, or sudden behavior changes under saddle. Meanwhile, the mainstream veterinary establishment has often remained skeptical, arguing that because up to 40% of some horse populations have these C6/C7 variations without ever showing symptoms, it should be viewed as a "normal anatomical variant," not a disease.

But a groundbreaking new 2026 study has just completely changed the game. Leading researchers Dr. Sharon May-Davis (the anatomist who first discovered the condition), Dr. Audrey DeClue, and Kate Workman have published a peer-reviewed paper in the journal Animals that finally bridges the gap between science, veterinary imaging, and what owners are experiencing on the ground.

Here is exactly what this new research means for YOU and your horse:

1. It Proves the "Domino Effect" Inside the Neck 🧩
Skeptics have long argued that a slight bone variation doesn't automatically mean a horse is in pain. However, this study looked at the most severe form (Grade 4 Aplasia), where a crucial bony anchor point on the 6th neck vertebra (C6) is completely missing and transposed onto the 7th (C7).

By examining these cases, researchers proved that this skeletal defect creates a severe domino effect on the surrounding soft tissue:

The Muscles: The longus colli muscle—the absolute core stabilizer of your horse's neck—is left severely altered, damaged, or completely asymmetrical because its structural anchor point is missing.

The Blood Flow: In 13 out of 20 cases, the malformation actually deformed the bone channel (foramen transversarium), directly disrupting and destabilizing the vertebral artery, which supplies vital blood flow to the horse's brain.

2. No More Veterinary Guesswork 📸
In the past, vets struggled to diagnose this accurately on a live horse because standard field X-rays of the lower neck are notoriously hard to align. This study changes that. The researchers successfully established a precise, concrete protocol using specific bony landmarks. Vets can now reliably diagnose this severe structural deficit in live horses using standard field radiographs.

3. It Validates Horse Owners 🐴❤️
If you have been told your horse is just "being difficult," "resisting contact," or "unwilling to work," this paper provides a massive sigh of relief. It scientifically validates that these severe structural variations are directly tied to localized neck pain, neurological coordination issues, and severe biomechanical instability. It isn't a training issue; it is a physical defect.

What should you do next?

Look at the Whole Horse: Because symptoms like stumbling or stiffness overlap with other issues (like kissing spines, ulcers, or hock arthritis), traditional vets worry owners will stop looking for answers once they see a neck X-ray. Use this new data as a tool, not a catch-all.

Talk to Your Vet: If you have a horse with unresolved, chronic neck pain or unpredictable behavior, ask your veterinarian about this specific 2026 study. Vets now have an exact radiographic blueprint to look closer and get you definitive answers.

Our horses can't speak, so they rely on us to look past the surface. This new research gives us the power to finally see the full picture, make informed breeding decisions, protect horse welfare, and provide our equine partners with the exact care they deserve.

If you are interested in reading the paper here is the link below:
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/16/3/482

11/06/2026

This beautiful video put together by Wowphotography.equine really captures the essence of a session with me. What’s your take away of how I work from watching it?

03/06/2026

Central Sulci infection.

Following on from my fun Live with Milly Paton Horsecraft on the topic of "It's not normal..." here is my favourite as it is such an easy way to help your horse lead a more comfortable, movement happy life.

Over the years the heels can in some horses become contracted and the frog ends up being folded in on itself as the available space decreases. the center of the frog should be a wide shallow dip, noy a crevasse as seen in these photos. Particularly not normal, healthy or comfortable is when that infolding travels up above the heel bulbs into the hair line.

I have worked with horses where you could insert the whole length of a hoof pick into that cleft. This becomes a prime site for anaerobic infections such as thrush to thrive, even when the frog looks dry and firm on the surface.

Treatment involves both your hoof care provider working to decontract the hoof, and packing the wound with something like horse products Hoof stuff. This medicated cotton wool product not only fights the infection but also pushes gently from inside to stimulate the much needed frog widening.

Heel pain from these infections will motivate your horse to walk toe first and that has biomechanical changes the whole way through the fascial chains which end at the coronet band. If your horse only has these infections on one or two feet it is worth thinking about why these feet and not the others assuming you have the same hoof care pro for al your horses feet.

Tension above the limb in the pelvis and shoulders/thoracic sling can subtly restrict the blood flow, lymph return and nervous conduction into the limb. This creates what we call in osteopathy, a terrain. An area less able to fight off infection or injury because its' biological requirements are slightly not being met. This is not full loss of blood flow but maybe a 3-5% reduction which over time leads to an accumulated weakness. This terrain might explain why the infection was able to take hold in one foot but not others.

31/05/2026

Next course hosted by me at holistic solution Track Livery, Nr Hay on Wye 8/9/10th September

Equine Touch- what is it and why might you want to learn it

Equine touch is a simple, easy to learn form of hands on body work.
In just 2 days you can learn the foundational skills to go home and help your horse
-feel more relaxed
-release tight muscles
-move more comfortably
-increase blood flow and lymphatic drainage

Equine Touch gives you a different way to spend time with your horse, deepening your relationship and helping you to understand the physical conditions causing some behaviours.

You learn in small groups using quiet horses. My promise to every student is that you will go home confident and competent to use these skills and help your own horse. The printed manual and yard proof cheat sheet help too! This is not one of those weekend skills you never use again. This is a skill your horse will thank you for and ask for over and over!

As one student said at the end of her weekend "Every horse owner should learn how to help their horse feel this good, just like we learn to groom and tack up"
And that really is the crux of the Equine Touch mission- Helping horses by educating people.

There are places to learn up and down the country- I am based in Powys on the Welsh border and have courses running regularly.

Next course hosted by me at holistic solution Track Livery, Nr Hay on Wye 8/9/10th September

26/04/2026

I have taught more than 50 more horse owners since I first posted this and they have all gone on to help their own horses time after time.
It is such a gift to your horse’s long term well being to learn Equine Touch or something similar.

This year I am teaching at
Maggie's Voice Equestrian Center 4-5th May & 15-16th June

Field and Forest Track Livery 12-14th June

A Holistic Solution Track Livery 24-26th September

Equine Touch- what is it and why might you want to learn it

Equine touch is a simple, easy to learn form of hands on body work.
In just 2 days you can learn the foundational skills to go home and help your horse
-feel more relaxed
-release tight muscles
-move more comfortably
-increase blood flow and lymphatic drainage

Equine Touch gives you a different way to spend time with your horse, deepening your relationship and helping you to understand the physical conditions causing some behaviours.

You learn in small groups using quiet horses. My promise to every student is that you will go home confident and competent to use these skills and help your own horse. The printed manual and yard proof cheat sheet help too! This is not one of those weekend skills you never use again. This is a skill your horse will thank you for and ask for over and over!

As one student said at the end of her weekend "Every horse owner should learn how to help their horse feel this good, just like we learn to groom and tack up"
And that really is the crux of the Equine Touch mission- Helping horses by educating people.

There are places to learn up and down the country- I am based in Powys on the Welsh border and have courses running every month.

03/03/2026

Equine Touch Courses 2026!!
It's time folks, the light is noticeably back, the sun feels warmer when we see it and the fluffy coats are shedding - time to learn a new skill and help your horse have a fabulous summer feeling comfortable and soft doing what you love together.

Courses are held nation wide with the network of The Equine Touch International teachers, click the link in the comments to see the events page.

You can learn the Foundation level in 2 different formats
2 x 2 day courses a month or so apart £400
1 x 3 days £360

The split Foundation class was introduced by ETF as a means of making the learning of Equine Touch even more attractive and accessible, especially to the horse owner, since it was originally to the horse owner that Equine Touch was meant to appeal. The 2 day course has become a popular choice as a taster; for the client who wants to learn the basics at an affordable price enabling them to keep their horse topped up between practitioner visits, and for folk who find 3 days hard to fit in with other work commitments. It really boils down to personal choice as to whether a student opts for the split course or the standard 3 day one.

Should a student complete Foundation (Level 1) and choose to go no further they will have everything they need to make a difference to their own horse. It is having the basic skills from this level that is essential for all our practitioners. Never money wasted!

My dates are:

10-11th April Foundation part 1 Clyro Herefordshire

4-5th May ET Foundation part 1 Pontypridd Maggie's Voice Equestrian Center

12-14th June ET Foundation 3 day Abergavenny Field and Forest Track Livery

15-16th June ET Foundation part 2 Pontypridd

10-11 July ET Foundation part 1 Clyro Herefordshire

11/12 September ET Foundation part 2 Clyro Herefordshire

24-26th September ET Foundation 3 day Clyro Herefordshire

24/02/2026

Heading to Aberyswyth on the 26th March, as ever message to book your slot.

13/02/2026

Spring is around the corner which means it is almost time to start teaching Equine Touch again.

I love teaching this simple but effective technique so much. Any horse person can develop hands that bring comfort in just 2 days.
It gives horses more chances to feel softness in their bodies
It gives horses human relationships more chances to deepen with trust in a comforting touch
It gives owners more agency to help their horses little and often and reduce chronic tension build up.
ET is described as your gift to the horse and in teaching it I can regift it to a whole bunch more people!

Our sessions always start with ‘branding’ - scanning the horse’s body with a gentle touch. During branding, we monitor tissue temperature, hydration, tone, and the horse’s behavioural responses, as these reflect real-time nervous system and tissue states.

It is more than just a ritual! In ET, we believe that our touch is a ‘two-way highway’; through our touch, we are receiving information from the body, and at the same time, our touch is an important ‘input’ to the horse’s body.

These calm strokes can deliver a very important message to the horse’s central nervous system, through the systems of mechanoreceptors that are resident in the skin. It is easy to solely focus on muscles and fascia, but it is important not to forget that the skin is such an important sensory organ!

The skin is richly innervated with mechanoreceptors - sensory nerve endings that detect touch, pressure, stretch and vibration. These include tactile corpuscles, Ruffini endings, and Merkel endings - which all respond to different qualities of mechanical stimulus at the skin’s surface.

We all know that horses, specifically, are very sensitive to tactile stimulation due to the cutaneous nerves under the skin. These nerves transmit a wide range of sensory information from the skin, which means that even light, slow touch provides meaningful input to their nervous system.

For us, it is very important to stimulate specific low-threshold unmyelinated mechanoreceptors (often called C-tactile or C-LTMR afferents) that respond preferentially to gentle, (very) slow stroking of the skin. These are linked to autonomic regulation and affective touch processing in the nervous system.

So when we use a slow, gentle, whole-body stroke, we engage sensory pathways that convey non-nociceptive (not painful) touch and allow the nervous system to integrate input before we progress to deeper manual work.

From the start, we believed that no one technique (including the Equine Touch) can force changes in the body. We always believed that we were providing information to the body to facilitate its own healing. Now we can say it more ‘scientifically’ - Equine Touch provides meaningful sensory input, allowing the nervous system to reorganise tone, movement, and tissue behaviour safely.

Ivana

06/02/2026

Have I taught you Equine Touch?

If yes are you a member of my private FB group?

I will be doing a monthly ET Along with Me FB Live session to support all you amazing humans in building a regular practice and keeping those ET skills top notch.

If you've not yet learned to do Equine Touch and would like to learn it this year - get in touch! I'm finalising my teaching dates this weekend. I'll be teaching from Abergavenny, Pontypridd and at home in Hay on Wye. Other locations available for private groups.