Optimized Equine Wellness LLC

09/01/2026

Happy -Bur Months to all of my horse peeps! Although it may not feel like it in this area with temps in the mid to upper 90s this week, September has finally arrived! I am looking forward to when the weather does become seasonally correct - Until then, Ill just be over here dreaming of spicy pumpkin lattes, and spicy copper ponies!

08/31/2026

Let's talk about accumulated tension in horses...

Accumulated tension doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t disappear with forceful techniques or more work.

When a horse has been compensating for weeks, months, or years, the body learns to hold itself together in the only ways it can.

What is accumulated tension?

Do you have a part of your body that used to inspire greatness? Was your pitching arm amazing? Did you dance the night away on your two good legs? Did you hold your arm up performing bodywork sessio......oh wait, that was me.
Anyway.... how have those parts of your body held up? Is there a twinge in that shoulder when you reach to to shut the trunk of your car? How about your footloose moves? What happened over time to make these once easy movements less effortless? We see it in horses too.

* Repeated low-grade stress held in muscles & fascia
* Often develops slowly and quietly
* Common in the neck, back, rib cage, psoas, and poll
Its closely tied to the nervous system, not just workload

And maybe one of the more important things for us to recognize...It is not always caused by hard work or bad riding.

Tension accumulates when:

* The horse compensates for imbalance, discomfort, or pain
* Postural muscles stay “on” or activated too long
* Movement options become limited, giving no motion to a system that is made to move nearly constantly.
* Stress responses are never fully resolved ...I need to listen to that one myself!

Over time, the body adapts by bracing and we may begin to see it show up in a wide array of ways.

• Reduced topline development
• "Bunching" of the body.
• Hollowing or stiffness through the back
• Shortened stride or asymmetry in toe angles
• Resistance without obvious lameness
• Difficulty relaxing into work

🚫 These are often labeled “training issues" but strength and balance cannot develop on top of chronic tension.

Supporting the nervous system and posture allows muscles to change safely. So we need to be asking "can this body let go?" before assuming a training or behavioral issue is "just being naughty".

This is where bodywork supports true, lasting improvement; not by forcing muscles to relax, but by giving the body better information to realign with its best self. Something I have lovingly labeled "The unbunchening"

08/29/2026

I bask in the beauty of my life with horses. I bask in the (sometimes disguised) privilege I have to tromp through the mud in the spring and stand in the freezing barn for farrier appointments in the winter. In the daily cleaning p**p out of stalls, cleaning p**p out of buckets, cleaning hay out of my bra, and out of some places I didn’t even know hay could get.

I gripe about this and that sure, but ultimately my soul crawls out like a lizard on a sunbaked rock when a horse is around. That may not be the most beautiful analogy, but truthfully, in today’s world, my horse is the only place I feel truly at peace. As I sit and look at my herd nibbling on squeaky green grass in their pasture, I can feel even from here their magic. The soul residing within these animals is not only hauntingly beautiful but also touches our souls so deeply that it has the potential to create profound healing and change. And I think that is part of what has always drawn me so deeply into this life with horses.

The longer I spend with them, the more I realize how much there is to see when we simply slow down and pay attention. Their movement. Their expressions. The way they carry themselves. The tiny changes that are easy to overlook. The things they communicate without ever saying a word.

There is so much more to our horses than what we see on the surface.

That realization has been quietly shaping my work for years, and it is a big part of where Optimized Equine Wellness is headed.

Hands on work will always be an important part of what I do. But I also want to create more space for the education, observation, and conversations that help horse owners better understand the animals standing in front of them.

Because the more I learn from horses, the more I believe that sometimes the most valuable thing we can do is simply learn to look.

And maybe that is why I still love the word *ethereal* so much.

Regardless of certifications, continuing education, years of horse experience, and the multiple hats I have worn in the horse industry, Im here because of the magic I find in being close to these animals.

This is what my blog The Ethereal Horse is about.

If you're interested in the quieter, deeper side of horses and the things we can notice when we slow down, look closer, and really pay attention, I hope you'll follow along.

And if you know someone who might enjoy that kind of conversation, share this with them. I have a feeling this little corner of the horse world is going to become something special.

https://www.optimizedequinewellness.com/blog

08/25/2026

08/25/2026

08/23/2026

You may have noticed that the page’s bio looks a little different lately ... 👀 That's because Optimized Equine Wellness is growing.

Hands on sessions will always remain at the heart of what I do, but after well over 1,000 bodywork specific sessions, seven years of building this business, and years before that spent learning and teaching natural horsemanship, training and rehabbing horses, and simply paying attention to these amazing animals, I’ve realized there is so much more I want to share with the world.

That means a few updates for the page and some expanded services coming in the future.

More education. More conversation. More opportunities for horse owners to learn about movement, observation, connection, body awareness, and how to better understand what they’re seeing in their own horses.

This is something I’ve been thinking about for several years, but honestly, I’ve been a little afraid to take that next step.

It's one thing to work quietly behind the scenes with horses. It's another to step forward and say, here's what I know, here's what I see, and here's what I want to share.

But I'm finally ready.

Clinics? Mini workshops? Educational programs and opportunities? Maybe even a few things I haven't thought of yet...

Nothing is changing overnight, but big things are beginning to take shape, and I'm excited to see where this next, expanded chapter of Optimized Equine Wellness leads.

Stay tuned and please share this with any friends who may be interested in these future opportunities so they can follow along and stay up to date! 🐴✨

Optimized Equine Wellness provides hands on equine bodywork sessions, while expanding into education focused on horse movement, biomechanics, observation, body awareness, and helping owners better understand what they see in their horses.

08/14/2026

My lovely clients ,

Optimized Equine Wellness will be closed August 16–24 while I take a little time to rest and recharge.

I look forward to seeing you and your horses following this short break. :)

08/11/2026

Unpopular opinion: I think most “shoulder relief” girths create more discomfort than relief.

There. I said it. 😂 Nobody come at me with a pitchfork yet.

I’m not saying every shoulder relief girth is bad tack, or that every horse wearing one is uncomfortable.

I’m saying that as someone who spends a whole lot of time paying attention to how horses actually use their bodies, and has my hands on a lot of horses as we make changes to improve their bodies through bodywork, tack adjustments etc. I think we sometimes get a little too attached to the idea that a certain girth automatically is better.

Unfortunately, I find it a bit related to the French phrase il faut souffrir pour être belle "One must suffer to be beautiful".
Regardless of the popularity, we must keep in mine that we should not accept discomfort in the name of fashion, and we must look at the actual results as they pertain to the whole body.

Because the horse’s body doesn’t exist in isolated pieces. It doesnt exist in its wellness based on how much money you spent, or if its the hottest thing on the market.

The sternum, pectorals, thoracic sling, ribs, scapula, shoulder, girth area, and abdominal structures are all part of a connected system. Change where and how pressure is distributed in one area, and you change what other tissues have to do.

And sometimes, when I put my hands on a horse who is routinely wearing one of these girths, I find the story in the muscles. And I find myself thinking:

* Why are we assuming this horse is more comfortable just because the girth isn't sitting where we traditionally expect it to?

* Why are we not using a simple design? With less rigidity?

* Why are we holding on to this "technology" here when its not working for this particular animal?

Because the horse doesn't care what the marketing says, he only cares whether he can breathe, move, stabilize, bend, reach, and use his body without unnecessary efforts, pressures, and restrictions.

I think we should be looking at the individual horse rather than assuming a particular piece of tack is inherently more comfortable because of the way it was designed.

Sometimes the answer really is, better tack, better body support on a maintenance schedule.

If you brought a pitchfork, and youre not using it on me yet, just feel free to clean the barn.