Southern Sage Osteopathy

11/24/2025

With winter making its appearance, it’s important to prepare your horse for their appointment so they can receive all the benefits.

We want your horse’s body to be nice and warm for their appointment so please make sure to either arrive to your appointment early to give your horses a chance to warm up in the indoor building or have a blanket on your horse to help hold in their body heat.

The warmer they are, the more mobile and less resistant their body will be for their appointment!

11/18/2025

𝗗𝗘𝗖𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗗𝗨𝗟𝗘 & 𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘 ❗️

The December schedule is filling up fast and this will be your last chance to get an appointment with Jessica before she takes her maternity leave from January till the end of April.

While Jessica enjoys this special time with her growing family, we can refer you to other local Osteopaths for the time being.

Please call or text to book an appointment with Jessica or for a referral to another Osteopath.
📲 (403) 878-9334

10/28/2025

🍂 𝗡𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗗𝗨𝗟𝗘 🍂

*Update - We only have appointments available in Medicine Hat for November.

Please call or text to book an appointment for your equine and canine partners. 📲 (403) 878-9334

09/04/2025

This is an excellent interview deep diving into what Equine Osteopathy really is with my teacher and mentor, Mr. Janek Vluggen DO, MRO-EU, EDO®.

I encourage all horse owners, osteopathy students, and certified osteopaths to take a listen! There is always something new to learn!

In this episode of Echoes & Embers, we sit down with internationally recognized osteopath Janek Vluggen to explore the deep science, philosophy, and practice...

08/27/2025

🌻 𝗦𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗗𝗨𝗟𝗘 🌻

Please call or text to book an appointment for your equine and canine partners. 📲 (403) 878-9334

08/20/2025

𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴. 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴.

07/22/2025

𝙋𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙞𝙘 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟰 - 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲-𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵
After the pelvic room has been mobilized, it’s crucial for your Equine Osteopath EDO® to follow up with a full-body treatment. This includes restoring mobility to parietal structures (bones and joints) and craniosacral structures to help re-establish full-body mobility and balance.

Rest and Rehabilitation
Once mobility is restored, your horse will need a rest period, followed by a rehab and physiotherapy program.
This stage is essential to:
• Re-educate the horse’s biomechanics
• Rebuild postural and stabilizing muscles
• Reinforce that symmetrical movement is no longer painful or restricted

You can generally expect your horse to need 3 to 4 weeks off from performance, depending on the severity of the case.

07/07/2025

☀️ 𝗝𝗨𝗟𝗬 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗗𝗨𝗟𝗘 ☀️

Please call or text to book an appointment.
📲 (403) 878-9334

06/27/2025

𝑹𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒉𝒊𝒑

Rosehip comes from the fruit that blossoms from the wild rose Rosa Canina. It is one of the purest forms of Vitamin C and contains antioxidants as well as other vitamins and minerals.

This herb contains anti-inflammatory properties that aid in joint health and immune system support.
Used on a daily basis, Rosehip is a great option to help keep your horses feeling their best!

Message us for more info or to order!

06/18/2025

𝙋𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙞𝙘 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 continued…

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟮: 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗣𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗰 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
When an Equine Osteopath is assessing your horse for mobility, they often detect signs of increased activity in the sympathetic nervous system—the “fight or flight” branch of the autonomic nervous system. This heightened activity is usually triggered when nerve receptors are activated due to pain or immobility somewhere in the body.

There are also parasympathetic centers—particularly within the skeletal system—that interpret pain and immobility. These responses can originate from any number of tissues, including organs, muscles, blood vessels, and fascia. In this example, we’re focusing specifically on pain or immobility originating from a pelvic room organ.

As discussed previously, the pelvic room contains numerous structures. When dysfunction is detected by both sympathetic and parasympathetic centres, it often points to a visceral origin—meaning the problem may lie in an internal structure like an organ, muscle, blood vessel, or fascial connection.

If your Equine Osteopath EDO® detects this kind of dysfunction, they may find associated immobilities in the skeletal system, particularly at:
• C0-C1 (the occiput and atlas), which is the area where the vagus nerve—a major component of the parasympathetic system—receives sensory signals from every organ in the body.
• Specific segments along the thoracic and lumbar spine, especially a group of segments (a “slice” of spinal marrow with two incoming and two outgoing nerves) that are particularly immobile.
• The sacrum, which is the parasympathetic centre for pelvic room organs.

Through careful assessment, your Equine Osteopath EDO® can determine whether the primary issue originates from a pelvic room organ or if it’s a secondary effect of a musculoskeletal problem.

This is a powerful example of how Equine Osteopathy takes a whole-horse approach—looking at the interconnectedness of systems to locate the root of dysfunction and restore homeostatic balance throughout the horse’s body.

06/06/2025

Welcome to our 𝙋𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙞𝙘 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨!
Over the next little while we are going to dive deeper into the commonly talked about Pelvic Room treatment.

If you have wondered…
• What is the pelvic room?
• What is the purpose of the treatment?
• How do I know if my horse needs one?
• What can I expect during and after a treatment?
Follow along and we will answer your questions!

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟭: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗰 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺?
If you’ve worked with an Equine Osteopath EDO®, you’ve likely heard them mention potential issues within the pelvic room of a horse, but what exactly is the pelvic room and why is it so important?

The pelvic room refers to the space within the pelvic cavity that houses several critical organs. These include the spleen, kidneys, adrenal glands, ureters, ileocecal valve, and bladder.
In mares, this area also contains reproductive structures such as the ovaries, uterus, and uterine horns. In geldings, it includes the inguinal canals, the upper portion of the spermatic cord, the cremaster muscle, and the prostate gland. For stallions, the testicles are also part of this space.

This region is rich in soft tissue and fascial structures—the connective tissues that support and link organs. These fascial connections (like the nephrosplenic ligament) allow the organs to maintain both structure and mobility, enabling them to shift and slide relative to one another and the surrounding musculoskeletal system. This mobility is essential. Every organ in the body should have the capacity for micro-movement to function optimally.

In the pelvic room, restricted movement can not only compromise the function of internal organs but also affect the mobility and balance of the skeletal structures, particularly the pelvis, lumbar spine and the upper cervical area initially. That’s why equine osteopaths pay close attention to this area—it’s central to both internal health and biomechanical harmony.

05/30/2025

🌼 𝗝𝗨𝗡𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗗𝗨𝗟𝗘 🌼

Please call or text to book an appointment.
📲 (403) 878-9334