Harmony in Motion

05/08/2025

If you compete at the Birtle Barrel Series on a horse that I trim, I will purchase one of your entry fees (3 trims minimum to qualify).

08/04/2024

Not just for ponies! EMS affects all breeds and ages of horses.

Learn the 3 most common mistakes to avoid with EMS and the 4 step guide to recovery

07/31/2024

With the damp spring we had, our pastures have remained green and lush. 🌱 One thing I’ve noticed more this summer while trimming are horses who are very stiff and resistant to give their feet. I suspect that many of these horses are getting too many carbohydrates in their pastures and as a result, have high amounts of inflammation in their body and are combatting equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). It’s wise to be mindful of this, regardless of breed or age, as too much sugar can lead to episodes of laminitis.

If you suspect your horse has EMS:
👉🏻 limit pasture grazing from dawn to a few hours afterwards
👉🏻 exercise, exercise, exercise
👉🏻 consider grazing muzzles
👉🏻 feed low carb hay (if you can soak it, even better)
👉🏻 make hay under cloudy conditions (a shower on it is okay as it reduces the carb count)

Attached is a super resource to help you answer any questions such as “Is my horse metabolic?”, “How do I manage a metabolic horse?”, “When can my EMS horse graze in a pasture?” (Go to Picture Book)

Happy trails!

Katy Watts website and blog based on published science to educate about equine laminitis, grass founder, Equine Metabolic Syndrome EMS, Insulin Resistance IR, PPID (aka Cushing’s), sugar in grass, practical management of horse pasture and hay to minimize grass sugar, WSC and ESC in the diet of hor

06/24/2024

To my wonderful 🐴 clients,
Thanks for getting our trims in before I take holidays. It’s been a crazy few months so if you happened to have asked for your next trim appointment and I forgot🤦🏼‍♀️, please feel free to reach out and we can get that established.
Wishing everyone a wonderful summer filled with warm rays and memorable days! ☀️

01/06/2024

I’m currently trying to fit two horses who have enough twist/rock on their backs (one with high withers) that everything we’re trying on bridges (I can slide a hand under the seat and under the bars). Sadly, the saddle websites and the fitter I’ve communicated with can’t elaborate on the rock of their bars. Worth adding that I do know of a maker who focuses on rock but that type of tree is hard to locate. 🤞🏻

Below is an excellent online article explaining rock and twist.

https://easyfitsaddles.com/saddle-fitting-beyond-the-gullet-width/ #:~:text=The%20rock%20is%20the%20curve,the%20shape%20of%20the%20rock.

The gullet width is commonly mentioned on the internet as the only aspect of saddle fit necessary for the perfect fit. Get the gullet right, and the whole saddle fits. But for a good fit, the whole tree must follow the contours of the horse's back, and the gullet is only one aspect of saddle fit. Th...

01/05/2024

This!! 👇🏻

01/02/2024

Thank you to my wonderful clients and those who presented me with amazing opportunities in 2023! Wishing everyone a joyous and prosperous 2024!

05/31/2023

Wow! What an awesome and busy month May has been! Got riding lessons started, trimmed 33 horses, was a clinician for the first time and absolutely loved it, helped host a buckaroo and barrel event and co-organized a unique holistic wellness event for horse and rider!

Thanks to my amazing clients for accommodating my crazy schedule! You rock!🙌🏻

June is jammed packed with exciting events too, but this time I get to learn and enjoy being the participant! I’m particularly excited to participate in the Balance Through Movement Method symposium with the hopes of creating sounder and happier horses!

Cheers to summer and enjoying every minute of it! ☀️🦄

05/30/2023

Congrats to the following ladies who ran the fastest barefoot horse at Buckaroos and Barrels - Horsin’ around in the Miniota valley open race:
1D - Jacey Boyes
2D - Megan Hayward
3D - Jerri Lynn Thompson
4D - Michelle Fredbjornson

05/04/2023

Great reference! 👇🏻

Not a joke...

Have you ever wondered why you can have a 15 acre field and part of it is chewed down to nubs and the other part has grass a hand high, But your horse is constantly grazing in the chewed down part?

Grass 6 inches and taller has less sugars than grass under 6 inches.

For every inch drop below 6 inches, the fructan (sugar) content rises.

Grass under 6 inches is stressed like it's a Monday morning with a project deadline. It uses sugar to repair itself.

Stop mowing your fields short.

Stop grazing your chubbys on chewed down grass. (this is why grazing muzzles are so touted...they keep the horse from being able to get much short grass)

(We aren't saying let your fields be 3 feet tall, by the way. The optimal thing to do is keep them 6-8 inches tall and graze them in small areas there)

05/01/2023

What an exciting month it will be for Harmony in Motion! Looking forward to the following:

- riding lessons starting today for youth and adults
- hosting Heart of the Horse holistic event for horse and rider, taking place May 13th (spots still available 😉)
- being the clinician at a 4-H clinic
- assisting and donating to the top barefoot horse in each D at Horsin’ Around in the Miniota Valley open barrel race
- trimming for my amazing clients - just spent the weekend expanding my hoof knowledge with Christine Tomlin of the Hoof Geeks

04/21/2023

The natural horse - part 1
Understanding pain and how it correlates to behaviour.

Is your unruly horse in pain? Here are 24 Behaviours of the Ridden Horse in Pain, an in-depth study detailing what you need to look for. An excellent website and video - a must watch for all horse owners!

“The question we asked was: can we determine, by looking at facial expressions and other behaviors, whether the horse has musculoskeletal pain?”– Dr. Sue Dyson available for free A Field Guide to the 24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in PainThis illustrated catalog of the Ridden Horse Pain Etho...