Healthy Strides - Performance Bodywork for Horse & Rider

10/07/2026

Joint injections, shockwave, red-light therapy and tendon rehab all have their place in equine care—but most of those treatments begin after a structure is already struggling.

Proactive horse maintenance means also paying attention to muscular tension, compensation, posture and movement patterns that may be changing how the body is loaded over time & making sure compensatory movement patterns aren’t prematurely aging or distressing joints.

Equine bodywork doesn’t replace veterinary treatment whatsoever.
It gives us another opportunity to notice patterns, gather information and start asking “why?” before the problem becomes impossible to ignore.

Treat the structure that needs help, but don’t let the investigation end there.

10/03/2026

“He just doesn’t feel like himself.”

You just know something has changed, you just don’t know what. The worst part is people keep telling you “he’s probably fine”.

He’s eating, appears sound, and is doing his job. Compared to ten other horses, nothing might look unusual.

Maybe he doesn’t meet you at the gate. He’s quieter, more reactive, or standing somewhere he normally wouldn’t. Something under saddle feels different, but you can’t put your finger on why.

I’ve seen newer owners especially get dismissed by professionals because they don’t have the terminology or the experience.

Please don’t let that convince you your observations don’t count or let someone make you feel silly for paying attention.

You shouldn’t have to wait until everybody can see it before somebody listens.

You spend more time with your horse than any of us visiting as his vet, farrier, trainer, or bodyworker.

I’ve worked with hundreds of horses and owners over the years, and I tell people this all the time:

You see your horse every day. I don’t.

We may have expertise you don’t have. But you have a baseline we don’t have.

Those two things are supposed to work together.

You don’t have to diagnose him or arrive with proof.

You may not know whether you’re noticing pain, tension, compensation, behavior, or something unrelated.

It is not your job to know everything. It’s your job to notice.

Tell us what’s changed, and keep advocating until your concern is taken seriously.

That doesn’t make you dramatic. It makes you an owner who knows their horse.

Even if it starts with “I can’t explain it” your observations are part of the bodywork conversation from the beginning. If you’re unsure whether to reach out, message me what you’ve noticed. We can talk about whether bodywork makes sense as a next step.

And if you know an owner who’s been second-guessing themselves, send them this. 🩵

Comment 🙋🏼‍♀️ if you’ve felt like this before.

10/01/2026

If you’ve ever been told your horse has a sore back, you’re allowed to ask, “Where and what did you feel?”

Here’s a side-by-side look at back palpation and what we’re assessing during equine bodywork. Finding muscle tension is a starting point. Understanding what keeps contributing to it is how we work toward progress.

What’s something you wish someone would explain better about your horse’s bodywork sessions?

09/28/2026

A horse reacting during back palpation doesn’t automatically tell us why they reacted—or prove that we accurately identified back soreness.

Thoughtful equine palpation means following the individual back muscles, using consistent pressure and paying attention to tone, texture, symmetry and whether the response can be repeated.

The goal of equine bodywork isn’t to create the most dramatic reaction. It’s to gather useful information about the horse in front of you.

Part 2 will show both palpation techniques side by side.

09/23/2026

I went to Big Ridge Performance Horses today, popped my table up, set my bag on the ground and got to work.

Probably 30 minutes later, I saw my bag move, and it scared me because I had no idea what was in there…

I looked over, and Ariel one of their little kittens, was just in there taking a cat nap like that was exactly where she belonged. I didn’t even see her climb in.

Obviously I had to stop and take a picture because look at her. 😭

09/23/2026

Have you ever known exactly what you’re supposed to do in the saddle but your body just won’t do it?

Me too.

I work on horses and riders professionally, and when my own body needs work, I feel it immediately in the saddle. My knowledge knows what to do. My body cannot always access it.

It can look like:

• Feet that constantly creep forward
• Gripping with your knees
• Toes that always turn out
• Collapsing through the same side
• The same rein feeling heavy on every horse
• One stirrup always feeling shorter
• Struggling to sit the trot or follow the canter

Tack and technique matter, but when the same problem follows you onto every horse, it may not be just a bad habit.

If you see yourself somewhere on this list, you are not alone. I work with professional and competitive riders who struggle with these same things.

The difference isn’t that experienced riders never have physical restrictions. It’s that they recognize when something isn’t improving through correction alone and they get help.

You don’t have to keep fighting your body in the saddle. If you want help, send me a message. 🩵

09/22/2026

I went to get Wish for her bodywork session and could NOT find her…
For a second, thought she’d accidentally been turned out. 😂

Nope, turns out this girl was still very much in her stall just tucked away and absolutely locked in a DEEP sleep.

I could not bring myself to wake her, so I decided to catch up on my notes while she caught up on her beauty sleep. 💤 📝

Some days just run on horse time. 🤷‍♀️

09/17/2026

Here’s my hot take for the day 🔥

09/16/2026

Last night I went to see Moe for his first MagnaWave session for anhidrosis. During I got this sweet picture of Moe and Chessie.

When I arrived, they were both finishing dinner, and Chessie looked out of her stall at me like, “Oh good, you’re here for me.”

Ma’am. I was just here last week for you😂

I’ve been looking for an opportunity to study a horse with anhidrosis through a series of MagnaWave sessions for a while. I’ve read some incredibly encouraging case reports and firsthand experiences involving horses with anhidrosis and heaves, and I’ve been eager to document a case for myself.

I made Laurie no promises. We’re simply going to track Moe’s response and see what changes if anything but I’m really interested to see what we learn from him.

Chessie, however, was not about to miss out.

When I first started working with her several months ago, her ears were back often, and she seemed uncomfortable and guarded. Some of what I saw made me wonder about gastric discomfort, so Laurie and I talked about adding slippery elm to her diet, and we continued her regular bodywork sessions.

There’s rarely one thing responsible for a horse changing. Laurie has been willing to listen to Chessie, make adjustments and remain consistent and this mare has done a complete 180.

I fully realized it when Laurie asked Christian to ride her in a Western saddle. Before he got on, I gave him the whole briefing:

“Be easy with her. She is so sensitive.”

It wasn’t long before Christian looked at me like, “This mare?”

Her head was low, her body was relaxed, and she extended through the trot so fluidly. She looked comfortable, happy and completely willing to be there.

I remember thinking, This is an entirely different horse from the one I first met.

Now Chessie comes looking for affection. She gives kisses and starts settling in, licking and yawning before I’ve even fully gotten my hands on her. She knows exactly what happens during her sessions and she loves them.

So, naturally, when Laurie let her out last night, Chessie checked on Laurie, came to see me and then stationed herself beside Moe, her best buddy, for the rest of his appointment.

Maybe she was offering moral support. Maybe she had appointed herself my assistant. Or maybe she just wanted to ensure that if anything good was happening, she was close enough to be included.

Watching a horse go from “Please don’t bother me” to “Excuse me, is this appointment not for me?” is the kind of progress that makes me ridiculously happy. 🩵

04/18/2026