Starline Equine Bodywork

Recently I read an article warning people to avoid practitioners who claim that taping can strengthen a muscle of a horse. The article had undertones of attempting to discredit other practitioners. That’s just unfair, especially because it used a very narrow definition of what is actually meant by “assisting a muscle” to strengthen it. In today’s episode I talk about why I feel this article is unf...

Who themselves hasn’t worked out to the point of being a little bit stiff and sore? Horses aren’t different. But, there is a fine line between working muscles to an appropriate place to allow tissue adaptation and fitness to increase, and a place where you have pushed too far. Join me for this episode of the podcast where I discuss delayed onset muscles soreness, muscle micro-damage, and tissue ad...

This week we turn our attention to the wellbeing of the riders at shows. With prolonged periods away from “home base” that winter circuit brings, it’s nice to have an emergency medicine physician (and fellow rider) right on site! Join me for this episode where I chat with Dr Barb Blasko of ShowMD. We look at the parallels between horses and human athletes including hydration, pain management, foll...

Nutrition Teeth Saddle Fit Veterinary Care Farrier Care Bodywork Correct Training These are all building blocks of a strong and well-rounded program. Join me for this episode where we chat with trainer Lise Elder. After years of running a highly successful boarding and training farm, Lise gives us tips on all the building blocks of her successful program. She also gives us tips as to how to approa...

Whether it be caused by equipment, trauma or dentistry the TMJ joint (or temporomandibular joint) can be a major source of discomfort and even lameness for your horse. Join me for this episode where I look at anatomy, causes and symptoms of TMJ dysfunction. PLEASE CONSIDER RATING, REVIEWING AND FOLLOWING THIS SHOW. This will help us reach more people and more horses, to support their journey and r...

Stall rest is tough on horses. While often necessary to heal injuries, there are lots of things we can do to combat the negative effects of not moving too much. Of course you need veterinary clearance to make sure these are right for your horse! Proprioceptive work, dynamic mobilization and stabilization exercises, isometric contraction work, and thoracic sling strengthening are just some of the w...

“Movement comes from somewhere. Force comes from somewhere.” -Katie Wood Without correct mobility our body cannot absorb forces from the horse, and these forces then get slammed back into the horse. Ouch! It’s our responsibility to be the best we can be when we step onto the back of our horses. This is where actively and proactively seeking the advice of this week’s guest comes into play. Katie Wo...

We all know pole exercises have benefits. They help your horse engage its core, and create greater awareness of their body in relation to their environment. However performing an exercise that has big gains means selecting the correct exercise for your horse. Join me for this episode where I describe 2 of my favourite pole exercises to do with your horse and what part of the horse they will target...

Building a scalable, sustainable and viable business is a struggle with the traditional equestrian business model. Having a digital component to your business is a way to change the “trading-time-for-dollars” method of doing business, and make both an impact and a business that is more rewarding. Join me for this episode where I chat transforming businesses with equestrian and digital business men...

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,...