Acuscope by Ashley

09/01/2026

08/30/2026

Lungs 🫁 The most asked for topic on my page. While most want to know what meds I’ve used on my mares, no one has dove deep in the signs of early breathing issues. While a BAL can pin point asthma, inflammatory airway disease, and whether or not your horse is a confirmed bleeder. While an allergy panel can tell you what they could be allergic to. While scoping them can show you what their upper airways look like… There is MUCH more to it.

Diaphragm muscle 💪🏼 This muscle hugs your lungs. A happy diaphragm allows the lungs to expand and take those big deep breaths. A contracted diaphragm causes short fast breaths. This muscle starts at their girth and ends up by their lower lumbar. You have a cinchy horse but have exhausted ulcer meds? You most likely have a mad diaphragm muscle. This muscle ties into your psoas muscle. Your psoas is a huge key component to hind end range of motion. Restriction of your diaphragm muscle can cause short strides in the front end, which then causes restrictions in your psoas, leading to short strides in the hind end. Your horses ability to breathe controls much more than you think.

🚩Short stride
🚩Cinchy
🚩Sore back
🚩Stiffness
🚩Can’t catch their breath

My mare for example has asthma. I know when she’s struggling to breathe just by how short her stride is in the front end. She won’t want to walk freely on a loose rein. She will have a short choppy trot, and would rather lope. When this is ignored, over the next few days she will get cinchy and has a hard time recovering after a work out. Anyone with asthma will tell you that their chest hurts and how sore they can be from not being able to breathe.

So while pharmaceuticals are a big help with an athlete’s lungs, so are knowing early signs that your horse is uncomfortable. That is an individual feel! Not one horse is the same. I’m always willing to help where I can but when you don’t know your horse, or aren’t willing to do the vet work, my hands are tied.

So next question, how do you help a restricted diaphragm? Well, my Acuscope/Myopulse can help with releasing tension and fascia that might be causing this. If you can find an osteopath, they are amazing when it comes to helping a restricted diaphragm. Knowing your horses lungs with vet work! Huge key 🔑 factor to keeping the diaphragm happy.




📣 Thank you Tami Elkayam Equine Bodywork for the coolest visual on how things connect! So talented!

08/20/2026

No foot no horse. No lung 🫁 no athlete

08/15/2026

Bleeding is worse than giving lasix.

08/12/2026

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 do a BAL before stacking meds! Stacking meds should be your last resort.

08/11/2026

EPM, Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis, is one of the most recognized neurologic diseases in horses… and one of the most daunting diagnoses for horse owners across the country.

Horse owners, trainers, and breeders have become increasingly proactive when it comes to recognizing and managing EPM. Exposure to Sarcocystis neurona, the organism responsible for most cases, is incredibly common. Depending on geographic location, studies suggest a large percentage of U.S. horses have antibodies indicating exposure, yet only a very small percentage of exposed horses ever develop clinical EPM.

That distinction matters:

Exposure does not equal disease.

EPM is a potentially progressive and debilitating neurologic disease, but it is treatable, and early recognition and treatment can significantly improve the chance of a favorable outcome.

The opossum is the definitive host of S. neurona, which is why the geographic distribution of EPM largely follows areas where opossums are found. Opossums shed infective sporocysts in their f***s, contaminating feed, hay, pasture, or water. Horses become infected when they ingest those sporocysts.

In the small percentage of exposed horses that develop EPM, the organism ultimately reaches the central nervous system, where inflammation and damage can produce neurologic abnormalities.

EPM is not contagious from horse to horse.

Signs can vary tremendously depending on where the nervous system is affected. They may include:

• Asymmetric muscle loss or weakness
• Incoordination or ataxia
• Stumbling or dragging toes
• Changes in gait or performance
• Difficulty backing or navigating inclines
• Weakness that may be more noticeable on one side
• Changes in balance
• Less commonly, abnormalities involving the face, swallowing, or other cranial nerves

One of the frustrating things about EPM is that there isn’t one simple test that can definitively diagnose every case in a living horse.

Blood testing can demonstrate antibodies to S. neurona or Neospora hughesi, but because exposure is so common, a positive blood test alone does not mean a horse has EPM.

Diagnosis is generally based on a thorough neurologic examination, ruling out other causes of neurologic disease, and antibody testing of serum and/or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Comparing antibody levels between serum and CSF can provide stronger evidence that antibodies are being produced within the central nervous system.

Once EPM is suspected or diagnosed, veterinarians have several treatment options. FDA-approved antiprotozoal medications include ponazuril, diclazuril, and sulfadiazine/pyrimethamine. The medication and duration of treatment should be determined by the veterinarian based on the individual horse and clinical findings.

Additional supportive therapies may also be recommended depending on the case. Vitamin E is commonly incorporated into neurologic cases because of its important antioxidant role in nervous and muscular tissue, particularly when a horse’s dietary intake or blood concentration is inadequate.

You may also hear about additional or alternative protocols being used in the field, but not every medication marketed or discussed for EPM has the same level of evidence or FDA approval. That is why treatment, and especially “preventive treatment” of an otherwise normal horse, is something worth discussing with your veterinarian rather than automatically putting every horse on the same protocol.

So what CAN we do proactively?

Start with the basics.

Support the immune system through appropriate nutrition, adequate Vitamin E, quality forage, parasite control, good biosecurity and management, and minimizing unnecessary stress where possible. Protect feed and water sources from wildlife contamination, keep feed securely stored, and discourage opossums from accessing barns, feeders, hay, and water.

But one of our biggest recommendations costs absolutely nothing:

Know your horse’s normal.

Know how they normally walk.
Know how they back.
Know how they turn.
Know how they place their feet.
Know what their muscle symmetry looks like.
Know what their ‘normal’ responses to neurological tests.

Learning a few simple neurologic observations you can perform at home can help you recognize subtle changes sooner, not just with EPM, but with neurologic disease or injury in general.

Because with neurologic cases, the little things matter.

And noticing that something isn’t quite right may be the first step toward getting your veterinarian involved early and ensuring your horse does not have the lasting effects of EPM. We will be linking one of the best videos to show how you can check your horses if you want to know their normal. If you suspect anything neurological with your horses, get an appointment with your vet to further work through diagnosis and next steps.