KB Equine

30/10/2026

Let’s talk about spinal clearance.

It’s one of those things that seems pretty self-explanatory in theory, of course we want to keep the saddle off the spine!

But unfortunately it is a shockingly common fit issue I come across in the field.

When a gullet channel is too narrow, it causes your horse to drop away from the pressure. You lose carriage over the back, which negatively affects posture and movement quality, ultimately putting more strain on the legs and placing the horse at a higher risk of injury.

It’s always a big chain reaction when one part of the horse–saddle–rider system doesn't work well.

So, how do we provide sufficient clearance?

We naturally want to stay off the vertebrae, the bone itself, but we also need to stay completely clear of the dorsal ligament system, the non-weight-bearing multifidus muscle, and the sensitive spinal nerves. The distal end of the vertebrae contains openings for these spinal nerves, making it crucial that the channel is wide enough from front to back to avoid impinging them.

If you trace a line right along your horse's spine from the 18th thoracic vertebra to the withers with gentle pressure with your fingers, you’ll likely notice a muscle reaction and a subtle flicking of the skin.

This is a reflex action triggered by pressure on those spinal nerves.

When a saddle applies weight here, the horse reflexively drops their back to escape the discomfort, triggering a chain reaction that locks their shoulders and rotates their pelvis.

We also have to keep in mind that the horse’s spine moves in three planes that must be accommodated by your saddle’s gullet channel, which is where dynamic saddle fitting comes in:

- The Sagittal Plane (Up and Down): When your horse collects and lifts their core, their spine physically rises, if the saddle allows it to!

- The Frontal Plane (Side to Side): During a 20-meter circle or lateral work, the vertebrae swing left and right toward the inner edges of the saddle panels, requiring adequate lateral clearance.

- The Transverse Plane (Twisting): As your horse's barrel swings in motion, the vertebrae naturally rotate and tilt. Again, this is a motion the saddle needs to accommodate to allow the horse to move freely.

Here’s the catch, though, wider isn’t always better!

If your gullet channel is too wide for your horse, the panels may collapse onto the spine once your weight is in the saddle, completely defeating the purpose of your gullet channel.

The goal is always to find the exact space your individual horse needs to flex, bend, and rotate comfortably. Spinal width varies tremendously from horse to horse, so evaluating what your horse actually needs, and how your saddle interacts with them in motion, is essential.

If you’re unsure what you’re seeing, or if your horse is showing defensive behaviours under saddle, it may be time for a check-in.

Feel free to reach out via DM or email at [email protected] to get started.

I’d love to hear from you. Happy riding!

15/10/2026

07/10/2026

06/10/2026

One of the hardest parts of being a bodyworker…

…is noticing something in a horse that isn’t actually a problem yet — but could become one.

And honestly, this can be a tricky place to be as a bodyworker.

Do I tell the owner what I’m seeing? And if I do… what do we actually do about it?

Of course, in an ideal world, we’d get veterinary diagnostics. But the reality is that when something is mild, subtle or more biomechanical in nature, there may not be anything obvious for a vet to find.

There are often things an owner can do — exercises to strengthen an area, improve balance, address movement patterns or simply support the horse before it becomes a bigger issue.

But let’s be honest… sometimes those exercises don’t happen. 😂
It’s hard! I know — I’m guilty of not always doing my own horse’s exercises too. 🤣

So this is something I’d really love to hear your thoughts on:

Would you want your bodyworker to tell you if they noticed something that wasn’t a problem yet, but could potentially become one?

Even if there isn’t a clear answer or solution?

Or would you rather not know until there’s an actual problem?

I’m genuinely curious. 👇

29/09/2026

Works every time. 😉

22/09/2026

✨ Unexpected availability this Thursday morning! ✨

I’ve had an appointment open up and will be in the Hall / Wallaroo / Sutton area Thursday morning. I will be travelling through From Goulburn so please reach out if you feel like you might be on the way to!

If your horse is due for a treatment, I can fit in:

🐴 Equine Bodywork
⚡ PEMF Therapy
✂️ Full Body Clipping

Perfect opportunity to get your horse sorted while I’m already in the area!

📍 Hall / Wallaroo / Sutton & surrounding areas
📩 Message KB Equine to secure the spot

First in, best dressed! 🐴

21/09/2026

⚠️ This post may ruffle a few feathers, but it needs to be said.

I was talking with one of my students this morning about something that I think frustrates a lot of equine bodyworkers.

We can work with a horse multiple times. The owner sees the changes, praises the results, and tells us how much better the horse is moving or behaving.

Then suddenly, the horse presents with something new.

And instead of calling the bodyworker who already knows that horse’s body, movement patterns, restrictions, compensation patterns, and history, sometimes the bodyworker is completely left out of the conversation.

Why?

Let me make something VERY clear: I am not saying don't call your veterinarian.

⭐️ Veterinarians are absolutely necessary. They diagnose, treat disease and injury, prescribe medications, perform procedures, and handle things that are completely outside a bodyworker's scope of practice.⭐️

⭐️There are also veterinarians who have pursued extensive additional education in sports medicine, rehabilitation, and lameness, and I have tremendous respect for professionals who continue expanding their knowledge.⭐️

But different professionals bring different pieces to the puzzle.

You call your farrier for the feet.

You call your veterinarian for medical diagnosis and treatment.

You call your chiropractor for chiropractic care.

So why wouldn't you also call your qualified bodyworker when something changes in the horse's movement or body?

‼️A knowledgeable bodyworker isn't there to replace your veterinarian or diagnose a medical condition.‼️

‼️We ARE there to recognize changes in movement, muscle tension, asymmetry, compensation patterns, and how the horse's body feels compared with previous visits‼️

Sometimes what we see tells us, "I can work with this."

Sometimes it tells us, "This horse needs a veterinarian."

Sometimes it tells us, "We need the vet, farrier, trainer, and bodyworker communicating with each other."

THAT is how it should work.

The conversation this morning came from a situation involving one of my student's clients. The horse received an SI injection. Later, I was sent a video, and there were still movement concerns that appeared to involve the stifle area. Yet the owner didn't want the bodyworker involved because they had been told the horse was fine.

And that's what bothers me.

Not because I believe a bodyworker's opinion should override a veterinarian's diagnosis—it shouldn't.

It's because "the horse has been medically evaluated" and "the horse is moving normally" aren't necessarily the same conversation.

Bodywork is not just fluffy relaxation and making a horse feel good for an afternoon.

When properly trained and working within our scope, bodyworkers can be an important part of the horse's team.

We watch movement.

We feel changes.

We recognize compensation.

We follow patterns over time.

And because we may see the same horse repeatedly, sometimes we notice when something simply isn't moving or feeling the way it normally does.

I've spent years teaching my students to ask WHY.

🐎 Why is the horse compensating?

🐎 Why did this muscle change?

🐎 Why did the movement change?

🐎 What changed somewhere else in the body?

And most importantly—when is this something we can appropriately address, and when does this horse need to be referred to another professional?

So my question isn't, "Why call the vet?"
My question is:

Why do we call the vet for every little concern? When you can call the farrier for feet, chiropractic for adjustments and Massage Therapist/bodyworker for body compensation?

Why aren't we using the entire team?
Your veterinarian, farrier, bodyworker, chiropractor, trainer, saddle fitter, and other qualified professionals shouldn't have to compete with one another.

We should be communicating and putting the HORSE first.

FYI, most of my clients even they tell me that they rather do or communicate with me firat, because I safe them money from the vet coming out all the time ( when it pretains to biomechanics) . If I don't think I can help , guess what I tell them to contact the vet.

Hopefully, this makes sense. It's hard to put into words .

And yes... we'll talk about SI injections another day. 😉🐴