Starline Equine Bodywork

Cardiovascular fitness in horses is relatively easy to create. Know what is hard? Stability of the joints. The creation of stability comes from strength in the small muscles that stabilize joints. This is important for correct mobility and the ability to strengthen the larger locomotive muscles. Join me for this episode where we discuss training for stability! PLEASE CONSIDER RATING, REVIEWING AND...

Full disclosure: I think this method of horsemanship is GENIUS. Communicating with horses in way they understand is key to our safety as practitioners, and to the safety of our client’s horses while in our direct care. Tom Shields is a Master Certified Chris Irwin Method Practitioner who is a wealth of horse behaviour knowledge. Join me for this episode where Tom and I chat about how to read the b...

Your equine bodywork business shouldn’t be treated like a paid hobby. Getting control of your finances, your relationship with money, pricing for profit, and creating a business mindset are all important parts of making a healthy and scalable business. Join me for this episode where the original CEQO Christa Myers talks business strategy and business skills mastery for bodyworkers. Christa’s endin...

By the time you see performance issues in your horse, like poor changes and transitions, you are reactively looking at saddle fit! Taking a proactive approach to your saddle is a great way to ensure their comfort. Bodywork and saddle fit are an important mix! Many expressions of discomfort from horses need to be looked at to see if they are caused by saddle fit, or other factors. In this episode I...

Do you have a working understanding of how the entire musculoskeletal system works, and how the parts work together? To be a great bodywork practitioner you need to learn this! In this episode I discuss the importance of looking at the entire horse and not just what we see show up as symptoms of dysfunction. This may be the reason your rehabilitation exercises are failing to produce long term resu...

Trouble with leads? Saddle slipping to one side? It might be your horse’s ribcage! As surprising as that sounds, a horse’s rib cage and supporting musculature has huge ramifications in its performance and comfort. Join me for this episode where I chat about the rib cage, and my favourite bodywork technique to mobilize it! PLEASE CONSIDER RATING, REVIEWING AND FOLLOWING THIS SHOW. This will help us...

Have you ever seen a horse stretch its neck waaaay up during a bodywork session? Well, then you’ve witnessed a pandiculation! Pandiculation is very different from passive stretching. Join me for this episode of the podcast where I examine the scientific differences between these two types of stretches. I examine what is happening in the body in each situation, and why it is extremely important to...

Your horse’s comfort in the bridle affects more than its mouth. The level of trust your horse has of your hand, ultimately makes or breaks its entire self carriage. And, a well fitted bit affects the movement and shape of the horse from head to tail. Join me for this episode where I chat with bit fitting expert Diana Giles. We look at considerations for fitting a bit conformationally, all the myth...

High/Low Syndrome is the oh-so-common condition where there is asymmetrical heel height in a horse’s hooves. This has huge ramifications on the biomechanics and function of the hooves, and to the horse’s body as a whole. Join me for this episode where we do a dive into this common condition, its causes, ways to address it, and effects in the whole body that should be addressed with bodywork. PLEAS...

After foaling out a mare’s body is very different than it was pre-pregnancy. They adopt new postures and issues that require a different approach to back-to-work than injury rehabilitation. Join me for this episode where I discuss back-to-work plans for broodmares with Canadian breeding expert Louise Masek. We discuss the unique considerations mares face postpartum, new postures, interval work, ta...

Believe it or not, the way you warm up and cool down your horse can make a huge difference in not only their performance, but in their long term soundness. Join me for this episode where I go through my favourite warm up and cool down routines to keep horses in top form. Learn when to add a more connected frame, lateral work and different paces in your workout. Discover how to stretch out after wo...

Before you drag jump poles out to make exercises in your arena, have a listen to this week’s episode of the podcast. From low-impact rehabilitation exercises, to high-intensity gymnastic style workouts, there is a pole exercise for almost every occasion. Pole work used well, and with the correct lay out, can improve balance, proprioception, core muscle recruitment, improve rhythm, and correct move...

Nutrition is a building block for developing healthy muscles and topline. It’s literally the first step in how we create a super athlete.   Join me as we chat with MasterFeeds Equine Nutrition Expert Jenna Beach about the science fuelling our performance horses. Learn how to develop muscle/topline, how to look at feed ingredients, when to call a specialist, and how to gauge when to alter feed. So...

What does starting horses and re-staring horses have to do with bodywork? LOTS! Join me for today’s episode where I chat with Claire Hunter of Braecrest Farm. Claire has, in my opinion, the most incredible approach to breaking horses with special attention to the signs they show through their autonomic nervous system response. This is how bodywork practitioners read horses during sessions as well....

The thoracic sling is the group of muscles that translate the power of the hind end from a forward propulsion to the “picking up” of the withers in locomotion. This allows the horse to move forward against the force of gravity. With horses carrying 60% of their bodyweight on their front end, developing and understanding the thoracic sling is a really important part of developing a strong and healt...

Horses=Injuries. Period. Whether in sport or a paddock accident, it can happen to your horse. What then? Join me for this episode where we break down the categories of injuries that horses face. Trauma, conformational complications, sport specific injuries and functional/body misuse injuries are all discussed. And, of course, we look at what is appropriate for each phase of injury rehabilitation,...

Join me for this episode where I share my thoughts on shortening distances between jumps and training bounces in order to produce a better quality jump and step in the horse. As a bodywork practitioner it will come as no surprise that I feel often the prerequisites for these exercises are overlooked. And, this puts the horse at great risk. In this episode of the podcast I discuss what to do to pre...

Join me for this episode where we go in-depth on stifles. It’s a huge information-packed episode, so fasten your seatbelt! I will run through risk factors for stifle issues (aside from trauma, and birth issues). And, I will go through some symptoms of stifle issues, or behaviours you will notice in training that could indicate that you need to take a look at your horse’s stifles. A huge focus of t...

Deciding on a training strategy is one of the biggest challenges for sport horse trainers and riders. Do horses actually do best with time off? What does “downtime” for the fit horse in competition season look like? How can we keep our horses fresh and fit all at the same time? When do you train at 100% effort and how does this affect peaking your horse’s performance for big classes? Management of...

The development of a horse’s neck says a lot more about him than people realize. Muscle development patterns can indicate tension, and a need for bodywork intervention. Join me for this episode to explore the common patterns we see as bodyworkers, and what that means for the horse. I even reveal my favourite bodywork moves for releasing tension in the jaw, which in turn helps the horse use its nec...

Buzz word? Maybe. Common area of issue? Absolutely. Join me for the episode where I discuss SI joint issues. I look at the anatomy of the SI joints and their importance to the horse. Let’s look at subtle indicators that point to needing a vet to look at your horse’s SI. I reveal my favourite exercises and managerial strategies to use when coming back from a diagnosis of SI joint issues. PLEASE CON...

I just love science, don’t you? Join me for this conversation with special guest Dr Kendle Dykstra, Equine Chiropractor. We take a deep dive into the science behind chiropractic work. Have you ever wondered how adjustments actually work on a horse’s body? This information-packed episode is the information you need to know! PLEASE CONSIDER RATING, REVIEWING AND FOLLOWING THIS SHOW. This will help u...

I have heard more than one professional bodywork practitioner say they don’t feel the “carrot stretch” (Dynamic Mobilization Exercise) that puts the horse’s chin to their chest is necessary. In fact, they implied it is rehearsing Rolkur (or deep hyper flexion under tack). I have a very different opinion. Join me for this episode where we define the difference between passive and dynamic movement,...

Today’s episode is a bit of a hot topic. And, I expect many of you will have questions. That’s great! We need to talk about this more. Let’s look at the science of our warm up routines with our horses. This information certainly made me rethink stretching-based warm ups for my own horses and I’m certain it will give you lots to think about too! Here goes! Fact: Recent science has shown that pre-wo...

Before & After photos are posted on so many bodywork accounts. But are they really useful? Join me for this episode where I discuss the ethical/privacy issues photos raise, the illusions created by photography, the misrepresentation of a bodyworker’s skills, and the ever confusing photo caption “Can you see the difference?”. Now, there is a time and place for photo journalism of sessions, but...