SWF Equine Bodywork

15/07/2025

Bad behavior is their way of communicating.

He wasn’t naughty
He wasn’t an a**hole
He wasn’t “just being difficult”

He was however so skeletally compromised that a comfortable ridden life was never going to happen and time was against him. Not every horse is suitable to be ridden just the same as not every human is compatible with being an athlete. We need to normalise that behaviour is communication. We need to accept that there are many things in a horses body that make riding super hard for them.

This horse went through two breakers before his owner very diligently persisted with positive reinforcement training. He did make excellent progress, that is to be commended! But here’s my issue, positive reinforcement sometimes still masks these issues. It became obvious to his owner that he was becoming more internalised and less happy even in the paddock. Horses will try harder if you ask them nicely and there’s rewards for good behaviour. I’m not saying positive reinforcement is bad, it’s a great tool….im just saying it can mask serious issues. The biggest give away was how seriously assymetric he was. This is something I have felt many times while ridng these types. Asymmetry is normal but riding a horse that has wildly different left and right reins is not normal.

This is so complex on so many levels, so many.

Ever met a horse that was odd from birth? I believe inherited trauma is also a real factor, if you haven’t read the study on mice and how it took many generations to stop passing along, I suggest you do. It’s now well documented in humans too. Link below.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fearful-memories-passed-down/

This guys story is available on patreon.

https://www.patreon.com/collection/1606429in

28/02/2025

Let’s talk about the thoracic sling!

A dip in front of the withers is always a red flag! If your horse has this it’s time to make some changes!!

It is a sign that the horse's thoracic sling is not properly developed and not functioning as it should. A dysfunctional thoracic sling will always cause further issues down the line.

Some typical problems that accompany a dysfunctional thoracic sling are:
1.) Unabalanced hooves
2.) Poll tightness and TMJ issues
3.) A tight lumbar area
4.) Lack of range of motion through the ribcage
5.) Intermittent lameness in the front end
6.) Lack of range of motion through the shoulders
7.) Tightness through the brachial muscles
8.) Contact issues
9.) Unbalanced gaits
10.) Unwilling to move forward

This is by no means an exhaustive list, as dysfunction in the thoracic sling will, in the long run, affect the entire body.

As a therapist I will always check on the health of the sling. I will use myofascial release to help the sling reduce tension so it can do its job of shock absorption. If the sling is jammed down the horse will be relying on only its joints and hooves to absorb impact from the ground. As the horse is front heavy, a horse not using his sling will suffer more concussion which creates further problems. The goal of riding should be to have as healthy a sling as possible and have the horse use his sling as much as possible.

16/02/2025

If we fixate, we may just break



We all know that fixativity is the enemy of the body and it is a fine line between isometric and strain and it takes a good eye to spot when a horse needs to move so strain doesn't occur

If I explain it how it would it feel for a human then have you ever been part of an exercise were you will hold your arms out holding a kettle ball or lowered into a squat and held yourself there, well it doesn't take long before your body is saying let's move and to simply relieve pain you either move up or down a tiny bit to let the muscles do what they do contract and expand as with an isometric movement we only allow the contraction as the thought is to build strength but the problem becomes you only build strength in that one area of the isometric hold so to build strength in the whole horse you would have to do lots of these throughout the whole range of motion on each part

Isometric holds in horses for me is hard for a horse to achieve and even harder for us to spot when they muscles are getting tired or worse causing pain, And are you doing an isometric hold without knowing then think of riding your horse in the school holding that same position how long is it before your horse is messing with the bit, pulling your arms fidgeting with its head and losing concentration I would say it wouldn't take long and all those things that the horse is doing is communicating its finding it difficult and can you please let them get some relief any move where the horse isn't allowed a range of motion or we hold in a fixed position without allowing the natural movement of muscle would be classed as this.

Mostly as humans we will move between isotonic and isometric so we don't overload the threshold of what our body can do and to avoid pain (and why your gym tyrant I mean instructor will allow you to move your arms a little or get up from the squat and its usually before you are about to crumble in a heap on the floor lol

And remember we should never train one group of muscles every day without thinking of the rest of the body as where we focus on building strength, we may start to see a greater weakness somewhere else, as humans we would start at 5-10 seconds to prevent pain and injury as with horses we ask for one or two steps then rest, and remember mostly what we bring across from any human to horse therapy/training is designed completely differently to what the end goal is and if you are still wondering how long a horse can hold out then you just do a plank and see how long you become fatigued a lot of times it’s a lot quicker than we allow our horses before giving them a break

pic from google

30/10/2024

05/09/2024

📢 Exciting News from Schaeffer Bodyworks LLC! 📢

Schaeffer bodywork’s is thrilled to announce that they will be hosting a 4-day Equine Massage Clinic in Aberdeen, NC, this coming January or February! 🐴✨

Details:
Duration: 4 days

Price: $650 per person

Eligibility: Open to current equine massage therapists or students training to be certified

This is a fantastic opportunity to enhance your skills and connect with fellow professionals in the field. Don’t miss out on this chance to learn and grow with us!

Stay tuned for exact dates and more information. We can’t wait to see you there! 🌟

Please contact Schaeffer Bodyworks, LLC to sign up!



Feel free to share this post with anyone who might be interested! 😊
April Schaeffer Bodyworks

22/08/2024

06/08/2024

24/07/2024

They are always communicating if you’ll listen.

Kissing spine keeps popping up at the moment along with equine asthma ( respiratory issues is for another post) The surgery offered for kissing spine often involves shavings off the spinous processes or a ligament cut to create more space so they're not rubbing against one another

On paper that sounds like it would do the job but at what expense of the horse?

Now, I'm not vet bashing here because our vets are blooming marvelous. I'm merely opening up a a pathway of thinking outside of the box.

Why not have a look at the surrounding structures of the spinous processes. What's pulling on the spine?
What's made the horse move in such a compromised way that it has developed such a serious life threatening pathology?

Lets look at the horses posture. Its diet, its environment, how are its feet, teeth, what's the saddle like, how is it being ridden/ trained etc etc ..

Lets look at WHY this has happened. Lets create some expansion within the horses body. To slowly release the restrictions & pulls , change the excess tension within the body to help change the angles of the joints so everything can realign. Lets get the horse into a proper rehab and bodywork program.

So, this is why i feel very frustrated with the horse industry. We HAVE to start looking at the WHOLE HORSE i cant shout this out loud enough. This post is not just about kissing spine it’s about all pathologies and being aware of the tell tale signs your horse is giving you before they break down and you have to call the vet. Before you know it, joints are being overly medicated and invasive traumatic surgeries are being performed.

Some folk are normalizing certain behaviors that horses are showing when they are feeling some kind of discomfort or pain. The subtle reoccurring head flicks, the head tilts, the refusal of the bit, cant flex in a certain direction, the little buck when you apply the leg, hiding into a corner when the saddle is brought out, ears back when girthing up .... So, these may be some of the very first signs that your horse is communicating with you. They're not being arsey, not being a ‘typical’ ginger mare, or an opinionated tw*t etc etc .... They are communicating with you. If these signs are constantly occurring and being missed then the horse may shout louder .. this may lead to fly bucking, bolting, rearing when the leg is applied or your horse wont go forward, refusing to jump, bucking after a jump, rotation while jumping, biting & cow kicking when being girthed up, attacking anyone that walks past the stable, attacking other horses. etc ... Some horses shut down completely, lose there sparkle and go into helplessness mode. The above is dismissed by the owner. Or in many cases they are being told there horse is just being an arse.

Meanwhile your horses body is over compensating for the pain and discomfort its feeling. The structures ( muscles, tendons, fascia, ligaments, joints) it should be using have now gone into a state of abnormality due to the restrictions being put in place to protect that area of discomfort/pain. The body still has to function to survive. So, other structures are having to work extra hard to jump in to do the job there not really supposed to be doing. Putting extra strain on the body. Mentally & physically. Because the body is now severely over compensating, the biomechanics of the horse is now in dysfunction. You will start to see stiffness, cow hocks, pigeon toes, dragging of the feet, bridle lameness, one shoulder appears to be higher/ bigger than the other, tripping up, saddle issues, transition issues, toe first landing etc ... That's dismissed ... Now the pathologies begin.

Tendon & suspensory issues, kissing spine, ulcers, navicular, respiratory issues etc And the owner is left scratching their head wondering why its happened.

These, in most cases are not the primary causes, unless an accident has happened. These are the secondary causes to the subtle reoccurring head flicks, the ears back, the tripping, the bolting etc ...

Some professionals will tell you to ride them through it, pull on the rein they wont bend to and suggest the dreaded carrot stretches, use more inside leg and push them round into the contact. Use a gadget to force the head down on a high headed horse, put a canter pole in a corner to help with the canter transitions for a horse that wont canter on the correct leg. It’s not that they wont they CANT. Being told to do pole exercises, long rein, lunge while the horse is in a position of restriction. It’s not right .

If you are seeing any reoccurring unusual issues from your horse, it might be a good idea to ask a body worker ( who looks at the horse as a whole) to come out to give your horse a good going over. And any concerning issues can then be relayed to the vet for further investigation. Whatever the outcome of that investigation, know that you have a choice to which direction you choose to treat your horse.

Listen to your gut instinct. Do your own research and never take the word of anyone. Whatever you are told, go away and research yourself. Look for alternatives. This is your horse and you have the right to decide which direction you want to go in to help them. Don't ever rush into a decision that you may later regret. Look at options.

Some folk are so quick to overly medicate a joint or opt for invasive surgery so they can quickly get back into the saddle. Yet if box rest was suggested, they are quite happy to do that for months on end, yet wont walk in hand/rehab for the same amount of time.

I know it’s a slow process to create awareness and positive change is definatly happening in the industry. It’s just not fast enough!

Just know that you do have a choice when it comes to the well being of YOUR horse.

My treatments are in no way a replacement for your vet & I cannot diagnose.