Hailo Equine

06/11/2026

🪻—“ So now with this bodywork I guess I don’t have to go to the vet?”
💜-Ummm… Incorrect!
🪻—“ My horse has never needed maintenance”
💜-Says who?..
🪻—“ I only do bodywork, I don’t trust vets”
💜-You certainly have just never met the right vet.
🪻—“ I only do chiro, massage doesn’t do anything”
💜-Well this starts to get political and opinion based…
🪻🪻🪻🪻🪻🪻
The moral of the story is that bodywork is only a bandaid if the problem requires veterinary attention prior. The goal for an equine athlete is to have a team of people to ensure that the best care and plan is being executed. Usually a great vet, massage therapist, chiro or alternate care is a very essential team for a horse in regular practice. Back in massage school we had a lecture by Tina Watkins who is world renown for equine massage and sports therapy. She said, “ the only difference between a good vet, and God, is that God doesn’t believe he’s a vet”. We chuckled, but wow is it true. The difference in having great vet on your side compared to not, is night and day. They are the reason that sound horses stay sound, and unsound horses become sound. Those who only do bodywork, or believe that vets are “bad”, truly need to find a secure team that works for them.
🪻
Going into the more opinion based portion of this post, is the chiro vs massage topic. I believe that there is a time and place for both, but in a lot of cases the problem is hypertonic, hypotonic, guarded, and fibrotic tissues. I believe that if unsoundness or results are unattained after a massage, chiro is a respective decision(same with hydrotherapy, osteopathy, magnawave etc.). Like in humans, if you go to the chiropractor, and a muscle is constantly strained due to patterns in your lifestyle, the misalignment will just keep occurring in osteo if the muscle is not addressed. This is where I believe we see patterns in bodywork where it’s the same things every time in dysfunction. I was there too, not knowing why my issues with my horses always repeated themselves. Now I know, and by working on many horses, the issue lies in the muscles. Most of the time the muscles can even realign places being misaligned by tension. Chiro may have immediate effects, massage can have lasting effects. As a performance equine massage therapist I go beyond “massage”. Studying exercise and conditioning patterns, nutrition, and other bodywork methods as well as dicipline specific demands, help me to alter habits as well.
Overall, it takes an army for success, and those open to the war of making change will certainly be the ones that will be noticed, win, and have HEALTHY horses!
Sincerely,
💜🪻Hailo🪻💜

06/04/2026

Introducing our 2nd and final member of the Hailo Ambassador Team!
🪻Ginny Dmetruik🪻
~~~~Let’s see what she has to tell us about her and her horses!~~~~
-
My name is Ginny Dmetruik and I’m a barrel racer from Smoky Lake, Alberta.
I’ve been around horses my whole life. I first started riding for fun with my family and got my first pony when I was two. I went to my first barrel race when I was 5 and I really loved it! I like how my horse and I have to work together as a team. It’s so much fun to go fast!
My horse is Lincoln. He’s a bay, and stands over 16 hands~ super tall! He has a funny habit where he likes to stick his tongue out all the time, especially in pictures. It makes me laugh. Lincoln is the best partner I could ask for.
My goals this summer are to make lots of new friends at races, get even faster and beat my 17.7 seconds time on a standard that I set last summer, and win a big barrel race! Lincoln and I went to The Shakedown in April and are planning to go to the Race for the Rose, ABRA finals and maybe The Big Bang too, along with local races.
Thanks so much for the support! I’m gonna have the best summer competing with Lincoln, and can’t wait to start working with Hailo Equine 🩷
~~~~~~~
Thank you Ginny for choosing Hailo Equine to be apart of your summer💜

Now let’s get to work girls and start this season right💪🏻💜💜!!!

06/03/2026

Introducing our first ambassador!
🪻Jerzey Vachon🪻
~~~~Let’s see what she has to tell us about her and her team!~~~~
-
I'm born and raised in Bonnyville Alberta. When I'm asked "what brought you to rodeo and horses" my first thought is that I really don't know, growing up I never really knew what my true passion was, until I discovered horses. It didn't take much to fall in love with what I do. Being the first in my family to take on this lifestyle definitely has its challenges but nothing I wasn't prepared for! The first time I rode a horse at 13, I knew it was meant to be. On a horses back I feel that I'm at home. Getting into rodeo felt like the right step forward, but it wouldn't have happened without my horse slider. He has taught me more than I could ve imagined and forever will be my heart horse. Slider is known to many people in this community, he has a reputation and can be frustrating at times, but we have created a bond and work together to make sure we both are as comfortable as possible doing what we love. He continues to show me his best performance and I couldn't be more proud! My summer goals are not to be number one but to improve in the places we need, once we have achieved that goal that's equivalent to being number one for me! This summer I will also be working with my young mare to be my next companion horse!
~~~~~~~
Thank you Jerzey for choosing Hailo Equine to be apart of your summer💜💜

06/01/2026

💜💜It’s time💜💜
It is my absolute pleasure to welcome to the team these wonderful deserving individuals!
===========================
You guys made it so difficult to make a decision, I even picked 2…
These two girls I feel will be an incredible addition to my very first sponsored rider opportunity. This is an opportunity for all ages to get out there and compete with a feeling of team support and drive. These two girls are driven, passionate, and truly just have a love for the sport. Much like me, these girls want to win, but love the horse first ALWAYS! They have worked their way up to where they are with great amounts of work and dedication where maybe it wasn’t easy or an option for them.
It is my pleasure to welcome,
~~~~~🪻Jerzey Vachon
~~~~~🪻Ginny Dmetruik
…To the Hailo team💜💜
I am so over the moon, getting the excitement back when I sent those congratulations messages out saturday morning. I love this part!
Stay tuned this week for official introductory announcements specific to these girls. Congratulations you two, and thank you to all the great applicants for your interest in my program.
Sincerely,
🪻💜Hailo💜🪻

05/28/2026

I will be reaching out to the winner saturday morning for information and bio! Only a few more days to get those entry’s in!

This application is meant for riders that are seeking a sponsor opportunity with Hailo Equine. Riders must have a respective number of followers, and public profiles. Sponsored riders will be required to acknowledge Hailo Equine in social media posts, and other forms of engagement. Riders will have....

05/22/2026

🪻Pacifying Behaviour, and the “Buddy System”🪻
So let’s talk about it!
In this video I have a mare that is performing a good example of what pacifying behaviour may look like. Here she is nibbling or nipping at her buddy when I started to work into an area of Fibrotic Tissue. Here I am breaking up the scar tissue and fascia, which is clearly a weird and somewhat pressured feeling for her. When you reach an area of tension at times a response like so may occur. This includes pawing, cribbing or chewing on something, licking the fence, nibbling at the owner/therapist, teeth grinding, and unusual consistent movement of the head or a body part. It is an action that helps bring suppleness to the horse to cope and calm them. While it’s sometimes funny and enjoyable for us, it is important to keep vision on the horses head or limb in motion to ensure full safety of owner/therapist to monitor it. Working into this type of tissue typically is followed by a large physical release like yawning or head shaking.
The buddy system!
Here is a good example as well, of something that I will do at times to help bring the relaxation level where I want it. The sessions I perform is NO place for a “training moment” or a “tune up”. If the horse I’m working on doesn’t want to be tied alone, who am I to make my job harder and their emotions heightened for no reason? I’m not here to prove a point I’m here to heal. Tie up the darn buddy and let’s make the job more comfortable for us both! 🤷‍♀️
We’ve been busy, and we’re loving every second💜
Pm or text me to book
Sincerely,
🪻💜Hailo💜🪻

05/22/2026

🪻💜Hailo Rates💜🪻
Treatment session🦄- 75.00
—— Treatments involve initial assessment protocols, paperwork, and whatever modality I decide to use. Treatments are a straight forward 75.00 with no extra fees if I use different tools or methods. At times I will do basic saddle fit, myofascial release, cupping, proprioceptive exercises etc and the prices remains!

Travel🚙- Dependant on distance-10.00+
——Travel will vary on distance, and can be waved if quantity exceeds 4 horses, under 150km away. Typically, if travel is necessary the amount will be communicated before hand upon booking (10$ within the MD of Bonnyville). I do not charge travel if under 10km.

Conditioning/ Targetted Plans📝- 45.00
—— These are specially made up for your horses specific needs and changes they need to maintain a good balanced body condition. They come with fully explained instructions and recommendations all the way into basic nutritional content. They typically will take a few days to be created, as it’s all from scratch made for your equine needs. Let me do the work so you can just follow it🤷🏻‍♀️.

Sessions can take anywhere from 45minutes to 1h 20mins start to finish. Initial assessments typically take longer(1h20m).

05/14/2026

We are just about at the half way point from the day our sponsored rider is chosen! Share and follow this page for more information on how to join!

This application is meant for riders that are seeking a sponsor opportunity with Hailo Equine. Riders must have a respective number of followers, and public profiles. Sponsored riders will be required to acknowledge Hailo Equine in social media posts, and other forms of engagement. Riders will have....

05/08/2026

Well today I spent some time giving miss E a therapy day! 🪻🪻🪻
——
So let’s talk about rest/rehab days and why they are so extremely important.
The term “rest” isn’t a day “off”. For us what it looks like is a day of regular conditioning, with no intensive workloads. This can be long trotting, a trail ride, or a quick 20 minute W/T/L in each direction. I like to give my “day off” A day or two after competition, suggesting a days turnout, then back to the grind💪🏻. A rest day is a day of lower workload that gives them a sense of normal or routine. It keeps the cardiovascular health up to par and maintained while supporting confidence levels and endurance without demanding the higher level of difficulty. Horses adore routine and expected results. The more we can keep them in a routine, the easier it is to sense irregular behavior, unusual movement patterns, and lameness. Today I rode her an hour before the start of my treatment, working on conditioning and a light trail ride.
——
I then did a work over on this horse, prepping any muscles that will be used this weekend and any tension that has been risen by conditioning this week.
As you know every treatment session looks a little different, however on my own horses I like to experiment and find new ways to relieve the pressure I feel.
——
A few minutes after walking this horse out and allowing her to feel, I cold hosed her lower limbs to encourage circulation and remove any inflammation that may be arising in her joints, followed with a liniment soak. Cold hosing is #1 the easiest way to prevent inflammation and reduce the chance of lameness before it occurs. In the life of a 17 year old QH who has had a life full of rodeo, these preventative measures are the reason she stays feeling her best!
——
To everyone competing all over the province this weekend, good luck, ride hard, and put your horses first💜
Sincerely,
Hailo💜🪻

05/05/2026

💜-Weekend Wrapped-💜
I had an amazing weekend at the CCRA finals in Rimbey, watching friends and working on some incredible athletes.
The conversations about horsemanship, the importance of teamwork when it comes to maintenance, and the overall knowledge exchange was so uplifting.
To top off the weekend, my clients had an outstanding finals. New personal bests, titles, and even the ability to say that some had a 100% clean weekend in the timed events. That’s what this is all about! Personal accomplishments for those and their horses is what i’m rooting for. And anyone who was around me this weekend can vouche for the pride that I held knowing I was part of the success.
Congrats to all the competitors this weekend, and a special congrats to the ones I was able to work for.
This week I am back in bonnyville, and will be going to the Xtreme Bulls and Broncs event this weekend in Cold Lake, if anyone needs horses worked on there!
Sincerely,
Hailo💜🪻