Your Horse In Connected Balance

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Your Horse In Connected Balance "One session tells a story. A program reveals the pattern." Debra is a certified E.S.M.T.

I work with horse owners to identify and address body tension, compensation patterns, and movement restrictions that may affect comfort, performance, and recovery.

ROOT CAUSE OR COMPENSATION?I was trained over 20 years ago as a Holistic Health Practitioner (HHP) for humans. My train...
09/27/2026

ROOT CAUSE OR COMPENSATION?
I was trained over 20 years ago as a Holistic Health Practitioner (HHP) for humans. My training is in “finding the root cause”.
In a standard medical model, you have a cold, you give medication to treat the sniffles. While that is good for the symptoms and makes the patient feel better, what was the “root cause” of the cold?

Exposure being the same between two people, why does one “catch a cold” while the other does not? Using the root cause analysis, we typically look first at the terrain. We may find that the one that “caught” the cold, had an environmental terrain that allowed the body to mount the defenses but lose the battle. Their immune system was compromised during exposure. If that person repeatedly “catches colds”, we look at working at the root cause and building up their immune system.

Similarly, when I find an area of soreness in a horse during bodywork, I tend to embark naturally on my training and one of the most important questions I ask is:
“Is this where the problem started? (root cause)… or is this area working harder because of something else? (compromised system elsewhere)”

A horse may be sore through the shoulder because that shoulder is the primary issue (root cause).
But that same soreness could also develop because the horse has been shifting weight away from a sore foot, protecting a hind limb, changing the way the pelvis moves, or repeatedly using one side of the body differently.
In other words, the area that feels the tightest or most sensitive may be compensation, not necessarily the root cause.

That is one reason I pay close attention to patterns rather than focusing on a single sore spot.

I’m looking at things such as:
• Where is the horse consistently tight?
• Is the pattern one-sided or symmetrical?
• Does the same area keep returning?
• How is the horse standing and moving?
• Are other areas of the body telling the same story?

Bodywork can often help identify these patterns, but it doesn’t always tell us why they are occurring. Sometimes the next piece of the puzzle comes from the veterinarian, farrier, saddle fitter, trainer—or simply watching how the horse stands or moves over time.

The goal isn’t just to ask:
“Where is my horse sore?”

Sometimes the better question is:
“Why might my horse be sore there?”
Because when soreness keeps returning, the body may be telling us that there is another area we still need to find.

Have you ever treated or addressed one area on your horse, only to discover later that the source was somewhere completely different?
I’d love to hear what you found.

Know a horse owner who has been chasing recurring soreness? Send this to them.

Debra Parker, ESMT, Certified Veterinary Thermographer
(760) 846-4724
The Connected Balance™
www.yourhorseinconnectedbalance.com
Assess – Balance – Maintain.

09/25/2026

So, what do you think is being worked on? Why is this horse yawning? what is around his neck? Comment and I'll answer in the next post😁

When the Same Tightness Keeps Coming Back… Could the Saddle Be Part of the Puzzle?Bosdywork can help release tight muscl...
09/25/2026

When the Same Tightness Keeps Coming Back… Could the Saddle Be Part of the Puzzle?

Bosdywork can help release tight muscles, improve comfort, and support better movement.

But sometimes, I can work on the same area repeatedly — the back, shoulders, withers, or even the hindquarters — and that tension keeps returning.

That’s when I start asking a bigger question:
What may be contributing to this pattern?

One possibility is saddle fit.
A saddle that creates uneven pressure, restricts the shoulder, bridges across the back, or shifts during movement may cause the horse to compensate elsewhere in the body.
And those compensations don’t always show exactly where the pressure originates.
For example, a horse experiencing discomfort through the back may begin to:
• shorten the stride
• brace through the topline
• restrict shoulder movement
• shift weight differently
• develop recurring muscular tension

This is why I see bodywork and saddle fit as connected pieces of the same puzzle. That is why I focused quite a bit of my thermography certification training in saddle fit imaging.

Bodywork can help us recognize recurring tension patterns. A qualified saddle fitter can evaluate whether the saddle may be contributing to those patterns. Your veterinarian, farrier, trainer, and other members of the horse’s care team may each see another piece.
The goal isn’t to have everyone give the same answer.
The goal is to put the pieces together.

Have you ever discovered that a recurring bodywork issue was connected to saddle fit? I’d love to hear about your experience.

Debra Parker, ESMT, Certified Veterinary Thermographer
The Connected Balance™
Assess – Balance – Maintain.
www.yourhorseinconnectedbalance.com
(760) 846-4724

“In my last post, I talked about how different professionals may each hold a different piece of the puzzle. A veterinary...
09/24/2026

“In my last post, I talked about how different professionals may each hold a different piece of the puzzle. A veterinary flexion test is a perfect example of that.”
**A Flexion Test and a Bodywork Assessment May Tell You Different Things — And That’s Okay**

Have you ever had your veterinarian perform flexion tests on your horse and wondered how those findings relate to what I may find during a bodywork session?

They are actually two very different types of assessment.

During a veterinary **flexion test**, a specific joint or region of the limb is held in flexion for a period of time. The horse is then immediately trotted off, and the veterinarian observes whether the flexion temporarily changes or increases an existing lameness.

It is one piece of a much larger veterinary lameness examination — not necessarily a diagnosis by itself.

A bodywork assessment asks a different question.

When I work with a horse, I am observing things such as:

• differences in muscle and soft-tissue tension
• areas of sensitivity or guarding
• restriction in movement or range of motion
• left-to-right differences
• posture and movement patterns
• how different areas of the body may be working together or compensating for one another

I am **not performing a veterinary lameness examination or diagnosing the source of pain.**

And this is where it can get interesting.

Imagine that a horse reacts to a veterinary flexion test involving a hind limb, while during bodywork I find considerable tension through the opposite gluteals, lumbar area, shoulder, or thoracic sling.

Those findings aren't necessarily contradictory.

A horse experiencing discomfort in one area may change how it loads or moves its body. Over time, other muscles and regions can begin doing additional work. What I am feeling may therefore be part of the horse's **compensation pattern**, rather than the original source of the problem.

The reverse can also happen. I may find an area of significant soft-tissue tension in a horse that does not show a notable response to a particular flexion test.

Again, that doesn't mean either assessment is “wrong.”

**We are simply asking the horse different questions.**

The veterinarian is evaluating the horse for possible sources of lameness and determining whether additional diagnostic procedures may be appropriate.

As a bodyworker, I am looking at how the horse is using its body and where I find changes in soft tissue, posture, movement, and response to palpation.

For me, the greatest value comes when those observations can be shared.

A veterinarian's findings, farrier observations, saddle-fit information, movement assessment, and bodywork findings can sometimes provide different pieces of the same puzzle.

And occasionally, one of those pieces helps another professional know where to look next.

**Different findings don't always mean conflicting answers. Sometimes they are different chapters of the same story.**

Have you ever had your horse evaluated by several professionals and wondered how all of their different observations fit together?

If Only They Could TalkEvery horse owner has had that moment. Something just isn’t right.Maybe your horse feels uneven....
09/20/2026

If Only They Could Talk

Every horse owner has had that moment. Something just isn’t right.

Maybe your horse feels uneven. Maybe he suddenly doesn’t want to pick up one lead. Maybe she’s tight through the back, resistant to bending, stumbling, short-strided, or simply not moving like herself.

So you start asking questions.
Your trainer notices one thing.
Your farrier sees something else.
Your veterinarian has another thought.

Then perhaps your bodyworker, chiropractor, acupuncturist, saddle fitter, or other equine professional adds another piece to the puzzle.

Before long, instead of feeling closer to an answer, you may feel more confused than when you started.

If only our horses could talk.
They could simply tell us:

“My left hip hurts.”

“My back is sore because I’ve been protecting my right front.”

“My saddle feels different when I move this way.”

“This started three weeks ago when I slipped in the pasture.”

Unfortunately, horses don’t communicate that way. Instead, they give us clues through posture, movement, behavior, muscle tension, performance changes, hoof wear, sensitivity, and countless other subtle signs.

And that is where things can become complicated.

# # # Different Professionals See Different Things

Every equine professional approaches the horse through the lens of his or her own training and experience.

A trainer may first notice a change in performance, balance, willingness, or behavior under saddle.

A farrier may see changes in hoof balance, wear patterns, landing, or loading.

A veterinarian evaluates the horse from a medical perspective and may investigate injury, disease, pain, or pathology.

A bodyworker may notice areas of soft-tissue restriction, tension, asymmetry, sensitivity, or compensation.

A chiropractor may focus on joint mobility and restrictions.

An acupuncturist may recognize yet another pattern based on that discipline.

Sometimes those observations sound completely different.

But different observations don’t always mean conflicting answers.

**Sometimes they are different chapters of the same story.**

# # # The Horse Is Still One Body

This is where it helps to remember that the horse does not experience his body as separate pieces.

The shoulder is not functioning independently from the back.
The back is not disconnected from the pelvis.
The pelvis is not independent of the hind limbs.

And the way the horse uses the feet affects what happens farther up the body.

A horse protecting one area may redistribute weight and movement somewhere else. Over time, that compensation may create tension, altered movement, or soreness in another region.

That means one professional may be identifying the area that is currently sore, while another is noticing the compensation that developed because of it.

Both observations may be meaningful.

For example, one person may say, “I’m seeing restriction through the right shoulder.”
Another may say, “The left hind doesn’t look like it is pushing evenly.”
A third may notice pelvic asymmetry or changes in hoof wear.

To the owner, those may sound like three completely different answers.

But they may also be connected.

# # # Instead of Asking “Who Is Right?”

When several professionals are involved, it is natural to want one definitive answer.

But sometimes the more useful questions are:

What findings are showing up repeatedly?
What changed first?
Is this a new problem or a long-standing pattern?
Is the horse compensating for something elsewhere?
Do the observations change after shoeing, bodywork, veterinary treatment, saddle adjustments, or time off?
What patterns remain consistent?

Those questions can often reveal more than simply deciding which professional has the “right” opinion.

Of course, when pain, lameness, injury, or a medical condition is suspected, veterinary evaluation is essential. Other equine professionals can provide valuable observations, but medical diagnosis belongs with the veterinarian.

The best outcomes often happen when everyone is willing to communicate and look at the horse as a whole. CONNECTED together!

# # # Listen to the Horse’s Story

Sometimes several professionals may each be seeing a legitimate piece of the same puzzle.

And sometimes—just like us—a horse can simply have an “off day.”

The goal is understanding what the horse is trying to tell us.

Because even though our horses cannot speak, they are communicating with us all the time.

**Have you ever found yourself getting several different opinions about what was going on with your horse? How did you sort through them and put the pieces of the puzzle together?**

Debra Parker, ESMT
Your Horse In Connected Balance
Certified Veterinary Thermographer (AAT)
www.yourhorseinconnectedbalance.com
(760) 846-4724

Another Fabulous Sarah Geikie Clinic coming up! farm in Aberdeen/Pinehurst! I hear so many riders/clients rave about ...
09/16/2026

Another Fabulous Sarah Geikie Clinic coming up! farm in Aberdeen/Pinehurst! I hear so many riders/clients rave about what they gain by attending. Hope you can make it! OCTOBER 17 & 18

09/10/2026

Impinging DSPs (aka: “Kissing Spines”)

Citation: Clayton HM, Stubbs NC, Enthesophytosis and Impingement of the Dorsal Spinous Processes in the Equine Thoracolumbar Spine, Journal of Equine Veterinary Science (2016), doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2016.07.015



Why posture and riding methods can make a difference

Many horse owners are concerned and ask me if I think their horse has “kissing spines” when their horses exhibit sensitivity to their spine (either on palpation or when placing tack).

This research tells us: 1)many “kissing spines” exist and may be asymptomatic (can show up on xrays although the horse doesn’t exhibit and may never exhibit a problem), and 2)many times xray images are inconclusive (where the horse DOES have “kissing spines” and it is missed on imaging).



Key points of this research article (aka “readers digest” version):

Impinging DSPs (dorsal spinous process) is the most common osseous spinal pathology of horses. It occurs when the interspinous space is too narrow or the horse’s posture is excessively lordotic (“sway back”). If the horse is worked in a more rounded posture, it may help to avoid clinical progression in horses with asymptomatic impingement. A radiographic study showed greater separation of the DSPs with the lowered head and neck and closer approximation with the head and neck raised.

Horses with clinically significant impinging DSPs usually exhibit non-specific signs, such as altered hindlimb gait, resistance to work, toe dragging, poor jumping performance, and rigid posture of the thoracolumbar spine. Although they do not usually have an adverse reaction to palpation of the DSP affected horses may be painful when ridden and may show persistent bucking, rearing, refusing to jump and other forms of resistance which may be sufficiently serious to result in their loss of use as riding horses.

In conclusion, the results of this study confirm that osseous lesions of the DSPs occur frequently in horses with more severe lesions being found in the cranial thoracic, mid to caudal thoracic and mid-lumbar regions. The presence of severe osseous DSP lesions in the cranial thoracic and lumbar regions presents a challenge for diagnostic imaging, so lesions in these areas may be under-diagnosed. Anatomy and mechanics suggest that the signs are likely to be exacerbated by ridden exercise.

How can bodywork help?

Clearly, current conformation and age of the horse, proper riding and tack are important considerations. Reducing posture lordosis is key to relieving the touching of the DSPs but with an older horse where osseous changes likely have already occurred, doing belly lifts and pelvic rounding during a monthly session isn’t enough and only presents a temporary relief. Improving your horse’s core strength and stability is key and takes repetition over time. Conscious riding style, tack and consistent postural fitness are musts!

Look for me issuing homework for my clients to improve their horses’ core and spinal strength and stability!

HOW OFTEN DOES MY HORSE NEED BODYWORK?It’s another question I’m asked often.And like so many things with horses, the ans...
09/09/2026

HOW OFTEN DOES MY HORSE NEED BODYWORK?
It’s another question I’m asked often.

And like so many things with horses, the answer is: It depends on the horse.

Some horses benefit from more frequent sessions during periods of heavy training or competition. Others may do very well with a regular maintenance schedule.

But there’s an important difference between occasional bodywork and consistent bodywork that I think is worth talking about.

When I see your horse regularly, I’m not starting over at every appointment.
I get to know your horse’s normal.
I know the areas that have historically carried more tension. I can compare how the horse feels today with the previous session. I can see whether a recurring pattern is improving, staying consistent, or beginning to change.

And sometimes the most useful finding is something the owner hasn’t noticed yet.
That’s one of the reasons I like monthly maintenance appointments for many of my regular horses.

The goal isn’t to wait until your horse is obviously uncomfortable or their performance has changed. The goal is to assess regularly, support balance, and maintain what’s working well.

That doesn’t mean every horse needs bodywork every four weeks forever. Workload changes. Horses have time off. Budgets matter. Life happens.
We can always adjust the schedule.
But when possible, I prefer a proactive approach rather than waiting for the horse to tell us something has changed.

Every session begins with an assessment because I don’t assume your horse is the same horse I worked on last month.
Regular bodywork isn’t about doing more bodywork. It’s about having the opportunity to notice change over time. That’s the value of maintenance.

The Connected Balance™
Assess – Balance – Maintain
Debra Parker, ESMT
Certified Veterinary Thermographer
760-846-4724
www.yourhorseinconnectedbalance.com

“CAN I RIDE MY HORSE RIGHT AFTER BODYWORK?”Probably one of the most common questions an equine bodyworker gets.And the a...
08/29/2026

“CAN I RIDE MY HORSE RIGHT AFTER BODYWORK?”

Probably one of the most common questions an equine bodyworker gets.

And the answer is…

It depends.

Bodywork can create changes in muscle tension, mobility, posture and how a horse uses their body. After a session, I want to give the horse an opportunity to process those changes — but that doesn't necessarily mean every horse needs to stand around for the rest of the day.

In many cases, gentle movement can be beneficial.

A relaxed hand-walk, turnout, or easy movement may give the horse an opportunity to explore how their body feels and moves following the session.

But what about riding?

That depends on several things:

• What I found during the session
• How much work was performed
• The areas we worked on
• How the horse responded
• What you're planning to do under saddle

There is a big difference between a quiet walk under saddle and asking for collection, jumping, speed work or a strenuous endurance training session.

If I've done more intensive work or your horse has had a particularly significant response to the session, I may recommend giving them more time before returning to regular work.

So don't be afraid to ask me, “Can I ride today?”

I would much rather answer based on your horse and that day's session than give every horse the same rule.

Because just like the bodywork itself, the answer should be individualized to the horse in front of me.

The Connected Balance™
Assess – Balance – Maintain

📞 (760) 846-4724
✉️ [email protected]

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