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One of My Recent Neurological Head Shaking Cases

Hi,  I wanted to share with you one of my neurological head shaking case studies and her progress with Acupuncture, Moxa, Muscle release and certain supplements that have helped diminish extent of the head shaking.  This particular case I met in June and the mare had become a violent head shaker after routine veterinary dental work 3 weeks prior to her AMRT session. She was head flicking every few seconds and appeared extremely uncomfortable to the extent of her owner considering possi...

Girth Pain

Having a girthy horse is a common problem for many owners. Many times, your horse came to you that way. Girthiness" can be caused by painful withers, which commonly result from ill fitting saddles, from girth galls (sores) and from abnormal sensitivity of the chest behind the elbow. Your horse may be telling you he doesn't like the girthing process because either it or his saddle is causing him pain. Make sure that your tack fits properly and is placed correctly on his back. Saddle pl...

Thanks for the Article Coast and Country News

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Frustrations of Saddle Fit

As a therapist I do continually deal with saddle fit issues. To tackle this issue I have also just started studying to become an Accredited Saddle fitter as there are many inconsistencies in saddle fit for both horses and riders. Many of my clients as myself are never sure the type of flock used and what saddles are better used for different horse body types. Where one brand of saddle may have worked for someone else may not work on your horse. Thus, I figured the more people of aware of sadd...

Gastric Ulcers in-relation to Muscular pain

As a therapist I regularly see horses with signs of ulcers. Acupuncture points for Horse's with Ulcers and Gut Pain. From an equine therapist point of view often after treatment these points are still sore or the pain goes but comes back. This is due to gastric ulcers, Often the horse is sore on the right hind, may step short or have an odd gait and curves to the left side and pushes out through the right rib cage, the hind gut is on the right side. When there is pain due to gut p...

Muscle Release for your Animal

Regular bodywork isn't just about keeping your horse feeling soft, supple and happy in their training - it also allows us to keep our finger on the pulse, monitor how they are handling new exercises and demands, and frequently, pick up on minor issues well before they become a real problem. Love seeing the changes in animals, behaviorally and work wise with less tensions and happier horse and owner :)...

The Equine back & saddle fit

Understanding some basic equine anatomy goes a long way in understanding why the saddle must fit correctly for your horse to perform pain free. We need to be able to identify saddle-bearing area. This is important because pressure outside this region can do significant harm to our horse’s back and result in behavioral and performance problems. Some signs that your horse may have saddle-fit problems, and secondary back pain: • White hairs under saddle area • Bites or acts out when saddled o...

Fascia

What happens in the horse’s body when being ridden, how the rider’s imbalance, muscular imbalance and scar tissue in the horse can restrict the horse’s movements and create pain. Often misbehavior due to pain is interpreted as naughtiness. There goes the dream for the rider…. It is not much fun if the horse doesn't even want to be caught in the paddock, if it holds the head high and swishes the tail, gallops off, bucks or bites when ridden....

Effect of hoof distortion on Muscoskeletal issues.

I have found while I’m treating horses with bodywork (Myo-fascial Release/ Acupuncture/Laser/ Osteopathic Techniques), we have to always assess the biomechanics of the individual and it always occurs to me that a high percentage of these horses have many various feet issues; from majority being long in the toe, or high heel/low heel syndrome/underrun heels, tight shoes, cracks and etc. I have always known there is a direct correlation with feet and the effects of biomechanics and often un...

Head Shaking in Horses

In the last few months I have had a few cases of head shakers. A lot of us do not really understand what the true meaning of a head shaker is, there are certainly different levels of head shaking and it is multi-factoral. What may have worked for someone else may not work on your horse. Thus, I figured the more people of aware of the syndrome the more we can help our equine partners. Horses can be exquisitely aware of the slightest sensation, such as a small insect on its back or face. Rippling ...

Equine Poll and Neck Problems

Remember the last time you rolled out of bed in the morning feeling like you must have slept with your neck contorted like a noodle? The lingering stiffness lasts all day, making simple things like dressing and driving a pain. Now, imagine you're a horse with neck pain--consider how uncomfortable it would be to move in a frame, on the bit, to flex and bend and be expressive in your gaits, while battling an ache that just doesn't go away. We’ve all seen horses throwing their heads up ...

A young horse's natural & skeletal development

I have recently been dealing with thoroughbreds and standardbreds that have got certain problems due skeletal formation of the equine. Thus, this blog is mostly for having an understanding of horse's skeletal development and primary causes of DOD and Wobbler's syndrome which appears to be directly related to growth spurts and nutrition. There also appears to be some genetic predisposition to DOD's.  As a  previous manager we had to quickly learn the direct link to nutrition with ...

Back Pain in the Equine Athlete

Horses experience back pain. But what causes it, how do you recognize it, and what can you do about it? Horse Back Pain. Understanding where the back pain is straight forward enough. However, discerning the reason for the pain is another matter all together. Certainly, the diagnosis of Horse Back Pain can be skewed if the back pain is really a result of other soreness in the horse’s body. The goal of any pain management system is to reveal the primary source so that it can be successfully trea...

Muscle Release Therapy a team effort ?

Is Muscle Release Therapy a team effort ? before becoming a animal therapist whenever I heard Holistic therapy I would run a mile thinking that holistic was your usual airy fairy type therapy and not for me. As I started studying and understanding the actual meaning of holistic health I realised that being a animal muscle release therapist is actually a team effort to help an animal achieve optimal health in conjunction with your vet, farrier, dentist, trainer and etc. VETERINARIAN Muscle relea...

Muscle injury impact on horse's performance

Muscular aches, pains and stiffness impact on a horse's performance and his attitude. Caught early, they can be managed effectively. If undetected, muscle pain robs your horse of comfortable, free movement. Just think of how you feel if you've overdone it and have muscle pain or injury. It's not fun. Signs of Muscle Pain Muscle pain is a form of lameness, a problem that influences how the horse moves. A localized serious injury is fairly easy to detect if you look for it. The damaged muscle feel...

Cruciate Ligament tear in Dogs

Many dogs of all breeds and ages are affected by cruciate ligament injury where many have to turn to surgery. The cruciate ligaments are two structures that run between the weight bearing surfaces of the stifle (knee) and help support thejoint of a dog. One ligament runs from the front of the tibia (shin bone) to the back of the femur (thigh bone); this is the cranial (anterior) cruciate ligament, or CCL (ACL). The caudal (posterior) cruciate ligament crosses the CCL, and runs from the back...

Equine Head & Neck Issues

Many horses that have AMRT sessions I have found tend to have head and neck issues either due to trauma, old soft tissue injury, incorrect training, dental issues and etc. Head and Neck Problems: General Symptoms • Difficulty picking up, maintaining, or changing leads • Difficulty with poll flexion • Uncomfortable with haltering and/or bridling • Head-shy • Ear-shy • Tips nose to the outside when doing circle work • Bracing on or evading the bit, especially one side only • Spooky...

Glucasamine in pet foods

Is Glucasamine supplementation in your pets food enough ? If your pet has arthritis, or hip displaysia, and his condition needs some TLC. What do most pet owners look for in this case? Glucosamine. As an effective anti-inflammatory, glucosamine is one of the most widely used components in senior pet foods and joint supplements. Many pet food manufacturers recognize that as dogs get older and their bodies begin to wear down, pet owners will eventually look for products to help their aging pets. O...

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) not Lactic Acid

Few people have been asking me well if it’s not lactic acid then what causes muscle soreness after workouts. The specific type of muscle soreness has been called “delayed onset muscle soreness” (DOMS), was thought to be caused by lactic acid build up in the muscles during strenuous workouts where the body’s oxygen supply is depleted. Recent research has shown this is not the case at all and has even shown that lactic acid is actually used by muscles for fuel when oxygen supplies are depl...

Misconception of Lactic Acid

Lactic Acid Is Not Muscles' Foe, It's Fuel: It has always been thought that they have to learn to work out at just below their "lactic threshold," that point of diminishing returns when lactic acid starts to accumulate. But that, it turns out, is all wrong. Lactic acid is actually a fuel, not a caustic waste product. Muscles make it deliberately, producing it from glucose, and they burn it to obtain energy. The reason trained athletic horses & dogs can perform so hard and so long is because ...

Equine & Canine Athletic injuries

Equine and canine athletic injuries occur as a result of (1) lack of fitness, (2) poor conformation (3) poor equipment (4) poor technique (5) accident For the equine athlete there is an addition of the rider, the rider's weight, the riders ability and fitness. Animals first try to avoid and then evade pain, and in doing so will form bad habits which are difficult to break. incorrect bitting, badly fitting saddles, and over tight boots or bandages are all contributory factors in eventual injury...

General Progression Of Muscle In Equine / Canine

Trauma or Strain -----> Tightening -----> Spasm or Muscle Tear -----> resulting in Malfunction. When muscles tighten and cannot achieve full release, they remain tight and shortened, or contracted. This puts strain on the surrounding areas. Tight back muscles pass their inability to release to the muscles of the shoulder and hindquarters. In time this can lead to tightness in the tendons and ligaments of the lower limbs. This can lead to serious performance issues and injury. At shows/e...

Arthiritis in Small Animals

Arthritis Arthritis is an extremely painful joint disease that is associated with articular cartilage degeneration. The most common reason for this occurrence of wear and tear is age, biomechanical stress or overweight. Incorrect nutrition as a kitten or puppy or genetic reasons can also contribute to arthritis. Arthritis is described as a slow progressive degeneration of fantastic the joint. At first it is only the joint cartilage that is affected. After a while all joint building and func...

Importance of correct position of saddling

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Signs of ill-fitting Saddles on a horse

We all recognize that a very badly fitting saddle can be a torture device for the poor horse. What appear to be relatively minor saddle issues gradually affect muscles and their ability to function properly. An insult to one muscle works progressively to spread that insult to another and yet another muscle in a chain reaction. That chain reaction will affect way of going, performance and foot conformation. It will cause performance deficits and progress subsequently to sub-clinical lameness. E...