equine bodywork Archives - The Horses Back

Hiring an Equine Chiropractor: 10 Crucial Questions You Need to Ask

Jane @ THB — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 02:41:53 +0000

When you’re hiring an equine chiropractor, it’s really important to ask some questions first. And I don’t mean just the usual ‘what do you charge’ and ‘do you work on Saturdays’, although you can obviously ask those too. You see, there are chiros and then there are chiros. One group consists of equine chiropractors who […]

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Why Do Horse Owners Keep Hiring Unqualified Equine Chiros?

Jane @ THB — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 02:52:29 +0000

Let’s take a moment to talk about unqualified equine chiropractors. I’m not talking about veterinary chiropractors, or those who’ve trained with well-regarded institutes. These are professionals who approach a horse with a safe pair of hands and a head full of knowledge. I’m talking about the ones we could loosely call the whackers and crackers. […]

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How to Create Better Before And After Photos of Horses (and Spot Misleading Ones)

Jane @ THB — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 05:25:18 +0000

Bodyworkers love before and after photos. Done correctly, they can show great results of our work, making them powerful promotional tools. Equally, if done incorrectly, they may say something rather different to what we want. In fact, there are many ways to leave areas of doubt and raise viewer questions. That’s why I rarely use […]

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More Than a Blemish: How a Knocked Down Hip Can Affect Horses

Jane @ THB — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 00:34:37 +0000

‘Knocked down hip’ is a common name for a fracture of the tuber coxae (point of hip). This is usually the result of a horse having an impact with a gate post, fence or trees, a barrel in a race, another horse’s hoof, or the ground. A piece of bone is often completely displaced, disappearing […]

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10 Equine Bodywork Responses That Tell Us Heaps About Horses

Jane @ THB — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 07:33:36 +0000

In an equine bodywork session, having a feel for the horse’s mental and emotional state is important. It helps us to understand where they’re at, why they’re responding the way they do, and how we’re likely to be moving onwards in future sessions. We can then use this understanding to improve our connection and the […]

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10 Tips for the Risk-Free Use of Equine Massage Guns

Jane @ THB — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 21:29:51 +0000

Wait – you didn’t know there could be risks to your horse when using an equine massage gun? Then you’d best read on. First, there are certainly benefits to massage guns. They’re easy to use and time friendly when you’re time-poor. They retail to suit every budget, and there’s no difference between ‘human’ and ‘horse’ […]

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Here’s a Round Up of My Premature and Dysmature Foal Research

Jane @ THB — Thu, 26 May 2022 05:30:44 +0000

Here are abstracts, downloads and links for my research into the ongoing effects or premature or dysmature birth in horses. These are the publicly available details of my thesis (full download) and published, peer-reviewed journal articles. The articles aren’t open access, but if you really want to read something, please contact me. As always, huge […]

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Yes, We Can Image for Transitional Vertebrae in Horses

Jane @ THB — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 01:18:41 +0000

It’s been a question of mine for a while. Can diagnostic imaging show the presence of transitional vertebrae? We’re seeing many bone samples from dissections, as shown in my previous article on transitional vertebrae. But if we’re to help our horses that live with this issue, we need to identify it before they’re dead. (Yes, […]

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An Unwelcome Side Effect: Transitional Vertebrae in Horses

Jane @ THB — Tue, 01 May 2018 09:28:03 +0000

They can lead to scoliosis, spinal arthritis, flexion and straightness problems, saddle fit issues, secondary lameness, hoof problems and soft tissue trauma. So, what on earth are transitional vertebrae, and why haven’t we heard more about them? To answer the first part of that question, transitional vertebrae are hybrids that appear where one group […]

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Meet Spinalis, the Forgotten Muscle in Saddle Fitting

Jane @ THB — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 00:00:06 +0000

It’s barely mentioned in saddle fit or anatomy books, yet the muscle Spinalis cervicis can hugely impact on the spinal health and movement of the horse, particularly with poor tack fit. Meet muscle Spinalis cervicis et thoracis, a far more important muscle than is generally realized. As a deep muscle, it’s influential in mobilizing and […]

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