Horse In Hand - Equine Sports Therapy

23/07/2025

Nothing better than the post massage feels

11/07/2025

Conner from Two As One (a WA bodywork) has put into words how so many of us “newer” therapists/farrier/saddle fitters feel.

The equine industry can be a hard world to navigate and grow in. Putting yourself out there and saying “I am good at my job” “I am skilled and passionate” is really overwhelming and a lot of the time imposter syndrome creeps in.

But with every new skill and horse touched we only get better and better.

Thank you to all my amazing clients for first of all giving me a chance and for trusting me with your horses body’s.

Every well-known business in the equine world started somewhere.
And just like them, there’s a new wave of passionate, skilled and hardworking professionals rising up.

The next generation.

We may not have years of experience yet.
BUT we do have current training, deep commitment and a fresh perspective grounded in the latest techniques and science.

We show up early.
We stay late.
We learn NON STOP - not because we have to but because we LOVE what we do.

So next time you’re looking for an equine massage therapist, farrier, saddle fitter, vet nurse, coach - whatever it may be.

don’t be afraid to give someone newer a go.

We all are the future of this industry.
And we are showing up with heart, integrity, and hands that truly care.

To every fellow industry newbie working hard to be seen: I see you. You’ve got this.

— Two As One
• Equine Sports Massage Therapist
• Remedial Massage Therapist
Servicing: Darling Downs, Byford, Oakford, Serpentine, Jarrahdale & Surrounds.
Regional travel on request.

06/06/2025

It’s hoof abscess season again.
Share your favourite/go to hoof abscess treatments.

01/06/2025

Welcome to the first day of winter 🥶
Although today definitely didn’t feel like winter.
The fluffy coats have set in. We have also had it very wet recently which has definitely impacted a lot of training schedules.
Remember that if it is too wet to ride and good hand work is always beneficial in keeping up body condition and allows the horse to move its body. When the rain hits most horses may be standing around in their paddock or may be stabled not moving as much as usual, conserving energy to stay warm. This has a big impact on their body.
The paddocks are slippery and when the rain finally does ease off and your horse is feeling fresh they will most likely slide around, this can also cause issues in their bodys.

Even if you are not riding as much, or you are giving your horse a spell to see out these wet weeks, continuing your horses regular bodywork session is still very important in maintaining a healthy horse.

This coming week I am fully booked.
Looking at my schedule all Fridays in June are fully booked too.
So if you have let your horses session slip, message me and we’ll get them back into a routine. If you are new and want to book your horse in with me let me know I’m super excited to meet new horses and ponies all shapes and sizes.

12/05/2025

Why should you get your horse a massage?

There are many benefits to massage:
Relaxation, Body regulation, Injury prevention, and over all wellbeing.

Some book there horses in once an issue with their horses body appears.
Some book their horses in for regular sessions for body awareness and injury prevention.
Some book their horses in simply because it makes the owner feel nice to do something nice for their horse.

All of these are perfectly good reasons to book your horse in for their first or next massage.

12/05/2025

When we need to get hoof X-rays, it’s super important that we get good quality!
Here is a great demo of how to set up for a good hoof X-ray.

💥Taking Equine Hoof Radiographs 🩻

At BVVPC, we aim to take great podiatry radiographs every time. To do so, we have a little checklist of things to get the best images we can and ensure they’re repeatable.

Here are BVVPC’s 6 must dos:

1️⃣ Correct Stance & Posture
- Square stance, both front (or back) feet on blocks at the same time, head straight and level at withers.
- If both feet aren’t on the blocks, the horse isn’t standing square/looking away, or your surface isn’t level, it can affect angles and measurements, making for inaccurate interpretation.

2️⃣ Clean Hoof and Legs
- No dirt or debris! A clean, dry hoof is a MUST, and any dirt will show up as artefacts and affect image quality.

3️⃣ Positioning
- Common views include lateral–medial (LM) , dorsopalmar/dorsoplantar (DP), and 60° DP (pedal bone view) or navicular skyline projections. The horse must be weight-bearing for most standard views.
- The generator beam also needs to go through the sole of the hoof, which is often ~2cm above the height of the blocks. The correct block height is imperative for these images, and the height of each will be different depending the X-ray generator used.

4️⃣ Radiopaque Markers
- The use of wire in the hoof blocks which can be used to assess measurements such as sole depth, balance around COR and P3 alignment.
- Other markers such as the use of a dorsal wall wire/omnipaque, or frog apex marker can be useful too assess rotation and other hoof pathologies.

5️⃣ Exposure Settings
- Selecting the right kVp & mAs for the best image. Every machine is different.

6️⃣ Safety First
- PPE (i.e. lead gowns and thyroid collars), and remote exposure tools (i.e. plate holder) = protection for you and the horse without compromising image quality.
- Collimation of the generator beam to only the area needed to reduce unwanted exposure.
- Whilst the newer machines don’t produce scatter like the old machines, X-ray safety should always be taken seriously.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a vet, farrier, or horse owner, if hoof balance matters to you, start with our simple checklist and you’ll get it right every time!

06/05/2025

This is a very good insight into why our horses seem to read our minds! They do the movement before we even ask! Thanks for sharing Anke Hawke Balanced Dressage

The body never lies — and horses know it.

Did you know that our body often shows our intentions about five seconds before we consciously make a decision? Especially when what we feel and what we think we should do aren’t quite in sync.

This is where horses are absolute masters — they pick up on the smallest shifts in our energy, posture, and focus. They don’t need us to speak; they’re already reading us like an open book. Which is probably why we can’t fake confidence, or hide fear or discomfort behind our “big girl pants.” They know. Instantly.

But here’s the beautiful part — when we develop our own skills in observation and body awareness, we start to see things more clearly in our horses too.
Are they with us or tuned out to the environment?
Are they in a learning frame of mind, or do we need to work on getting their attention first?

With better skills comes better confidence. And with that, things start to feel easier, lighter, more connected. Because good training is a two-way conversation — and both sides are always speaking through the body.

Intention, timing, and the application of the aids — being aware of where you are — it all matters.

04/05/2025

Booking in ahead of time to ensure your desired date/time is available or rebooking after your horses session will ensure your horse is feeling their best consistently and leading into big events, and that you don’t miss the date that suits you best.

I do my best to ensure everyone gets the booking days and times they want/need. And for the most part I can always make it work.

What I ask in return is for all clients to remember that full payment is due at the appointed, I accept cash and can take card payments on the spot.

I will be applying a late fee of 10% of the full amount for payments not made within 5 days of the booking.

I do have a cancellation/No Show policy, if canceled within 24hrs of your booking the full fee (including for multiple horses) will still apply.

I am extremely lucky to have been able to turn my passion for horse wellbeing into a thriving business that allows me to support my family, and I thank all my clients for their continued support.

03/05/2025

What are we actually trying to achieve?

I was reading a post today from the amazing Tami Elkayam on her page Tami Elkayam Equine Bodywork. Tami is such a wealth of knowledge, she is super kind in sharing her thoughts, knowledge and findings. Her post was questioning “why are we still stuck in outdated ideas of pain and posture?” I’ve been lucky enough to spend three days with Tami on her first visit to Australia, and I must say I’ve followed her for years before this and my thoughts and how I treat horses has definitely changed over time especially after meeting Tami and leaning to take my blinkers off. Look at what is presented to me, not just look at how the horse is presenting to me but also, why does that function for that horse? What patterns are they showing me through their body and why have they adapted to move this way. Because remember, no matter how amazing your horses bloodlines are for your desired style of riding. Your horse is still a four legged creature, just doing their best to stay up right while fighting gravity and trying to stay alive.
I’ve noticed we have become very focused on making our horses perfectly symmetrical, asking our horses to move their body’s in a way that is harder for them, basically for our benefit because we think this is better for them to be able to preform the moves we desire. That somehow adding so many different therapy tools and modalities, cryotherapy, pulse magnetic therapy, Red light therapy, acupuncture, massage guns, osteopathy, chiropractic, trigger point therapy, craniosacral therapy, myofascial release (the list could go on), will make our horse perfectly symmetrical and this means they have better function and will preform better. Yes I believe that when used in the correct way, for the “correct” outcome all of these could benefit a horse, whether that be long term or short term. However, we should NOT be aiming for prefect symmetry. A horse, well probably all beings, are not meant to be perfectly symmetrical. There should be some asymmetry for the body to function! We need to start looking way deeper then muscles and connective tissue and remember our horses have organs that are all different shapes and sizes and sit in different areas of their body’s. How the horse moves also affects these organs, when a horse moves so does their diaphragm, the diaphragm pushes organs back and forth within the body cavity. Now I could go on and on and the more I learn, and see and most importantly feel the more it all connects for me.
For myself, i am happy to see that regular bodywork for our horses is becoming as accepted as regular hoof care. But I do have concerns that the more tools we introduce we lose the feel the therapist should have.
For me i like to keep it simple, i keep in mind the horses job, the owners goals, and how we can meet in the middle and I hope as I grow and my knowledgeable grows i inspire others to think outside the box too. I hope we all remember what is most important above all the ribbons and glory is the horse.

Photo credit to myself, pictured is my sister and her horse Sonny.

03/05/2025

Show me your horse ☺️

03/05/2025

This is an interesting little study done on 5 horses (technically 4 horses one pony)

The study focused on the horses stress levels in different situations. The study showed a dramatic decrease in stress when the horses received a massage session.

Massage not only benefits a horse physically but also mentally. And has lasting positive effects.
Massage brings connection through feel, I am able to feel the tissue respond to the treatment and I can adjust accordingly.

This pilot study investigated the effects of massage therapy on stress indicators in recreational horses, focusing on salivary cortisol levels, heart rate and conflict behaviors. Five recreational horses were analyzed under two experimental conditions: without and with massage treatments before ridi...

27/04/2025

When was the last time your horse had a massage?

Maintaining regular massage sessions for your horse can aid them in all stages of their life. From the high level competition horse to the retired horse living their best life. Regular sessions, every 2 - 6 weeks depending on the horses needs, means I can feel and help aid any areas of tension and I can also catch any changes in their body that may need to be looked at more.

This week and over the weekend the Sydney CDI will be on and many horses are in preparation for this big event. I will be at SIEC Thursday - Saturday.
I do have availability Tuesday and Wednesday.