Starline Equine Bodywork

This episode is based on a listener question about prepping her dressage horse for the demand of show season without overloading the horse’s tissues. I chat about assessing weaknesses, planning exercises to overcome them and how to gauge where the point of fatigue/ failure is. I also reveal my 2 secret tips for a body “re-set” to help horses maintain correct form in workouts while we are increasin...

One of the toughest parts about performance horses is not attaining greatness, it’s maintaining greatness. There are a few key things that you can do to improve the likelihood that your horse will stay on track and produce more consistent performances Join me for this episode of the Starline Equine Bodywork Podcast where I map out my favourite strategies for consistency in sport horses. PLEASE CON...

Join me for this episode of the Starline Equine Bodywork Podcast where I walk you through my personal technique for palpating a horse’s back. This system is the key to my assessment of what is happening in a horse’s back. We will go step-by-step through my thought process, protocol and what I am trying to identify. PLEASE CONSIDER RATING, REVIEWING AND FOLLOWING THIS SHOW. This will help us reach...

I am a huge advocate for intentional use of exercise to enhance rideability and correct use of the body. I just can’t get behind the use of the bounce to achieve “a better jump” for the majority of horses. Join me for this episode of the Starline Equine Bodywork Podcast where I explain my position on jumping bounces and what I encourage people to replace this exercise with. PLEASE CONSIDER RATING,...

Cold winter temperatures in much of the world mean significant feed changes to keep our horses in top condition. LCT (Lower Critical Temperature) should be calculated in order to know what your horse’s intake needs will be to keep them warm and healthy in the cold. It’s a little bit of math, and a little bit of science. It will keep your horses looking and feeling great when winter ends!  Joining...

A sincere thank you to everyone for listing to the Starline Equine Bodywork Podcast this year.  For the last show of the year we are recapping some of the best and most memorable moments of 2024. Stay tuned for all new episodes in 2025!  PLEASE CONSIDER RATING, REVIEWING AND FOLLOWING THIS SHOW. This will help us reach more people and more horses, to support their journey and relationship together...

Rein lameness is an inexplicable lameness that can be intermittent and wandering. It has nothing to do with pain, and everything thing to do with dysfunctional movement patterns.  This is a situation that is extremely frustrating to solve! In this episode I chat about an amazing article on the cause of rein lameness, and ways to solve the issue! PLEASE CONSIDER RATING, REVIEWING AND FOLLOWING THIS...

The language we use to describe our services either is helping us as an industry, or hindering us. The words we choose either respect other professionals or create ill-will. Phrases used outside of their true meaning make promises to consumers that cannot and should not be made. We explore the language of bodywork in this episode of the Starline Equine Bodywork Podcast. PLEASE CONSIDER RATING, REV...

Momentum. It’s one of those words I just love. Once we start down a path with our horses we build momentum. We build on the body, and gradually create a better and more efficient version.  All of a sudden we will notice a massive amount of positive change from the small habits we commit to each and every single day.  This is your sign to do the homework exercises left to you by your bodywork pract...

Many bodywork business owners struggle to know how they will get reliable and recurring revenue so that they can live a comfortable entrepreneurial life.  Marketing for success is the area of expertise of The Equestrian Entrepreneur, Christa Myers. From budgeting, to marketing strategy and messaging, this episode is a deep dive into how to make your business a huge success! PLEASE CONSIDER RATING,...

Most careers in horses are non-linear. We fall into parts of the industry that capture us, and then get lead forward into different parts of the industry. In our lifetime with horses this will inevitably happen over and over. In this episode of the Starline Equine Bodywork Podcast I chat with one of the most fascinating and authentic horse professionals I know, Robert Fera. Rob has worn many hats...

We all gasp when we see a thin horse and get concerned about animal welfare. But, more commonly seen is a rise in the number of overweight horses. This is also a welfare issue! Managing an “easy keeper” can be a real challenge. Join me for this conversation with Madeline Boast of Balanced Bay Equine Nutrition where we look at health issues and management strategies we can implement to improve the...

In this episode of the Starline Equine Bodywork Podcast I spill my favourite exercise to leave for clients and why it works so well. I will give you a hint: Sometimes to take a leap forward, first you have to take a step back. Join me for this episode where I explain the physical benefits of this simple exercise that horse owners can do daily! PLEASE CONSIDER RATING, REVIEWING AND FOLLOWING THIS S...

What we practice is what we get. Walking horses prepares them for…. (insert drumroll here)…Walking. The true fitness of a horse dictates what happens in a bodywork session and what homework will be left for the horse between sessions. There are many aspects to fitness: general fitness, sport specific skill acquisition, and tissue training. This last type of fitness is what is most commonly overloo...

A fresh look at locking stifles includes looking not just at the joints, but at the horse’s posture, hoof angle, muscle synergy and back function. Join me for this episode of the Starline Equine Bodywork Podcast where I discuss these contributing factors to upward fixation of the patella in horses. PLEASE CONSIDER RATING, REVIEWING AND FOLLOWING THIS SHOW. This will help us reach more people and m...

Equine Massage Therapy is an invaluable tool in the care of horses at all levels of training and at all ages. As a horse owner, how do you know who to hire? And what do all those letters behind the name of practitioners actually mean? And if you are an aspiring bodywork practitioner, how do you choose an educational path? Joining me on this week’s episode of the Starline Equine Bodywork Podcast is...

Recently I had the honour of being a guest on Robert Fera’s new podcast Hoofbeats And Hustle. I am so excited that he has given us permission to play that episode here. Rob and I chat about the science behind equine bodywork, the evolution of my business, the role of social media in modern marketing and why we need to look at research more. Plus, we chat about the business of being in the bodywork...

Proprioception has become a buzzword in the equine bodywork industry. But popular language aside, it’s an important part of the horse’s make up! Healthy joints create the key components of proprioception: agility, balance and co-ordination. Injury affects proprioception and requires a specific type of rehabilitation training. Join me for this episode where I take a deep dive into how proprioceptio...

Modern equestrian sport recognizes both horse and rider as athletes. But modern life is busy and training outside barn time has historically been tough for many equestrian athletes….. until now! Katie Wood, The Equestrian Physio, joins me for this episode of the Starline Equine Bodywork Podcast. She has developed a revolutionary training app for equestrian athletes of all levels and across multipl...

Safety equipment is equally important on the ground, and when you are in the tack. Join me for this episode where I chat with Laura Qusen of Tipperary Equestrian. We dive into helmet and vest fit checks, safety standards and studies on safety. This is an important episode for anyone who works with, or rides horses. PLEASE CONSIDER RATING, REVIEWING AND FOLLOWING THIS SHOW. This will help us reach...

As equine professionals we have all met horses that are fearful and anxious for their time with us. For bodywork practitioners this tension makes it far more difficult to assess the posture, tone and condition of the horse. It can even escalate to being dangerous! Thanks to dedicated professionals such as Dr Marisa Markey (Fear Free Certified Practitioner), behaviour modification and conditioning...

How realistic are your expectations for outcomes in a single bodywork session? What are realistic expectations to reach physiological and anatomical goals? How do you balance client expectations and practitioner expectations for sessions, and for reaching training goals? Join me and special guest Dr Kendle Dykstra of Unity Chiropractic as we chat about our ideas on bodywork, reaching goals and bri...

Getting stronger. Watching static posture. We talk about this as bodywork practitioners, but it’s often COMPLETELY misinterpreted. Practitioners cannot forget the nuances of neutral stance being a sensation from the CNS, and not an inflicted stance from a practitioner’s perspective. Moreover, learning to read posture to understand movement bias is a huge part of being a successful practitioner. Jo...

When marketing a bodywork business it is common for practitioners to show images and say what a great job they did. It is also common for them to say how much better off that horse is with them now “leading the team”. But this self-aggrandizing approach to marketing is really unfair to the team of practitioners that came before. Perhaps the original team was responsible for a huge chunk of the tra...

“Girthiness” is one of the most commonly expressed concerns from horse owners in my 1:1 practice. As soft tissue practitioners faced with a girth-sensitive horse, we address all of the muscles that are related to the saddle area, shoulder and girth. However new literature has proposed that this “girthiness” may actually be coming from the withers. Join me for this episode where I discuss girth pai...