Melanie Lausen Equine Services

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Strathmore, AB
Melanie Lausen Equine Services

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Melanie Lausen Equine Services. Equine Massage-Riding Lessons
Strathmore, AB Lessons: $45 for an hour. Lessons can be with groups or private. Equine Therapist.

Availability on what days and times change with the seasons, so call and first and see whats open for that time. At this time you must own your own horse as I don't keep lesson horses. I start every rider on basics to learn how to properly ask maneuvers of your horse. You will learn the most important things doing the basics that make advanced things easy. Massage and Structural Alignment: I've been certified as an Eqineology Equine Body Worker for massage and through Helen J Woods Equine Therapies. Prices vary depending on location. I can come to your or you to me south of Strathmore, AB 15 min. I look to give your horse his full range of motion and be as comfortable as possible to do so. A horse that is pain free and isn't restricted by knots or asymmetries in his body can move to the best of his abilities. How do you know if your horse needs to be seen by an equine therapist? As there are several signs a horse will give you that he is uncomfortable. This can show up as performance problems, behavior issues, seems like he still can't be even working one side vs the other with lots of practice or training. Some examples are less flexibility on one side, preferred leads, tripping on front or back, cinchiness just to name a few. Keeping in mind, a lot of these signs can also come from medical or health issues. So your horse should be getting checkups from his vets to get a clean bill of health. Regular farrier visits. Saddle or tack fitting properly. Rider error can also cause similar problems. Always look at the bigger pictures because any number of problems from these last five areas can show up as the same symptoms. I listed these areas in order of what I feel is most important first. Making sure your horse is happy and healthy in all these areas before you even put your foot in stirrup will let you know what you are feeling and working on only requires training and time and not from pain or restrictions due to something other then rider. If you would like to learn more about any of my services, please feel free to ask questions. We also provide Boarding at Lausen Indoor Arena.

11/11/2026

We remember the men and women, horses and dogs who served, those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and the families who carried the weight of their absence.
We remember the courage, the sacrifice, and the freedoms that came at an extraordinary cost.

Lest we forget.
❤️

11/09/2026

The answer? There isn't one universal response.

Some horses come out of a session looking noticeably more relaxed. Others seem brighter, move more freely, or show subtle changes that are easier to notice during their next ride.
Some horses don't show much of an obvious difference at all.

That doesn't automatically mean the session was or wasn't beneficial.

Every horse is an individual, and their response can depend on what they're coming into the session with, their workload, their overall condition and plenty of other factors.

A few things worth paying attention to after bodywork:

🐴 **Changes in movement:** Are they moving comfortably and freely?
🐴 **Their general demeanor:** Do they seem relaxed, unsettled, quiet or more alert?
🐴 **Their next ride:** Is there a difference in willingness, balance, range of movement or how they respond to familiar work?
🐴 **The bigger picture:** Bodywork is one piece of the puzzle. Fitness, workload, saddle fit, hoof care, nutrition and veterinary care all play a role in how a horse feels and functions.

It's also important to give your horse time and follow any activity recommendations after a session.
Not every horse needs to head straight back into their regular workload.

The goal isn't to create a dramatic before-and-after moment. It's to support the individual horse, pay attention to how they're feeling and keep looking at the bigger picture.

No two horses are the same, and their responses to bodywork shouldn't be either.

11/05/2026

You owe it to yourself to keep going 💓
Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard 💪.

11/04/2026

🌹N O V E M B E R S C H E D U L E❄️

🌹Wednesdays are lesson days.

Nov 5th Bow Canyon
Nov 10 Sweet Talk Stables
Nov 17 Riqueza
Nov 24 Irricana and North Strathmore
Nov 26 Wheatland Equestrian
Dec 3rd South Calgary including St-George's and Paramount

DM me to book your ponies in for winter body work, riding/Bodywork sessions, and lessons!

www.melanielausenequineservices.com

11/02/2026

Don't forgot to take pause, and breathe it all in 🌹🐴

10/31/2026

Happy Halloween! 🎃

10/28/2026

The ground you ride on matters.

Deep footing asks different things of the body than firm footing.

Hills change loading.

Uneven terrain requires constant adjustments.

Hard ground changes concussion.

Slippery footing changes how confidently a horse can load and push off.

Even a change in arena footing can make a horse feel completely different to their rider.

This is something I think gets overlooked when we evaluate performance.

If your horse feels different in one arena than another, don't automatically assume it's attitude, training, or a bad day.

Pay attention to the environment. Riding in a variety of different environments is extremely beneficial to your horse, and their proprioception.

**The horse has to adapt to the surface beneath every single footfall.**

That's why workload, footing, fitness, previous injury, and recovery all matter when we're thinking about the physical demands we're placing on an equine athlete.🐴

10/26/2026

A muscular horse isn't automatically a strong horse.

A horse that isn't heavily muscled isn't automatically weak.

Muscle tells me that a body has adapted to something.
A horse can have impressive topline and still lack certain aspects of coordination, endurance, balance, or functional strength.
They can also develop more muscle in certain areas because they're consistently using those areas to accomplish a task.

That's why I don't look at a horse (like this photo of Adios Pantalones) and think:
“Wow. Look at that muscle. They must be using themselves perfectly.”

Building muscle is not the same thing as building balanced movement.
The body is incredibly good at adapting.

Our job is to make sure the adaptation we're creating is actually helping the horse do their job well. 🐴

10/25/2026

Thanks everyone for coming!!!! Here is the results.

I will get some dates up for 2027.

Address

Strathmore, AB

Telephone

+14038263867

Website

https://www.melanielausenequineservices.com/

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