3F Ranch and Boarding

07/03/2025

07/02/2025

07/02/2025

07/02/2025

It's !

07/02/2025

The gastrocnemius the name that you need to put your teeth back in to say 😃

I wanted to not draw a picture including the lower part of the horses limb because often to put yourself in the horses mind we need to visualise where a part of the anatomical structure is to visualise how it would feel to have something wrong in that area

Now if I said how many of you have suffered with heel or calf pain you will recognise that we are talking about the gastrocnemius and the tendon that runs down hugging your heel (achilles) because to have an understanding we first have to have recognition.

Again I am not just doing insertion, origin etc because there are many posts about structure but I always want you to think connection and whole horse.🫡

This muscle can often lose out to the bigger hind end muscles because as always bigger is better yet the tendons of the Biceps femoris, Semitendinosus, Soleus and the Gastrocnemius all have a connection that lead down to cover the Calcaneus (the bone you can feel at the back of your horses hock) known as the Calcaneous tendon or Achilles.

Remember see dysfunction in one muscle it always means a group are involved and how many horses have bulging hamstrings and a non existent gluteal, the gastrocnemius is a muscle of propulsion and how many horses shuffle, drag their toes, or just cant get that stride length in the hind end and if there is no propulsion there is no energy being fed to move and while most think bucking or rearing or rushing is the most common reason for pain on of the top reasons is lack of propulsion and the most common and probably one of the top three problematic areas in the horse is the hocks.

We all have had calf pain and linked in heel pain a lack of a proper range of motion through the hips, stifle or hocks will often compromise the function of muscles, tendons and joints, ligaments formed to support bone connection and strenthen joints can become lax creating instability, fascial connections into the lumbar will create pain or restriction that is often viewed as a primary and treated as such when often what we see is the result not the cause

We often only look at muscle tears to document issues in an area yet muscle strain is always a result of dysfunction wether it is overworked or underworked its not doing the job it was designed to do, and if we think of the job of a tendon yet the hock may not be utilising its full function then what is the ripple affect further up and down as the gastrocnemius has a connection with the Superficial flexor muscle and tendon.

If you tried the hock hold video I put out you can understand why your horse liked it so much for shortening an area can offer relief, turn on the forehand is another great exercise to get the whole area working.

So next time you think of hocks think of all the connections and the power they hold, do we still want to be working them before they are fully developed???

Hope the picture helps you recognise and maybe sympathise with the horse that maybe just isn't right behind ☺️

Ps I did do a post yesterday but was messing with the picture and deleted the post and didnt have the energy to rewrite it 😃😃😃

07/02/2025

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🌟 Team Spotlight: Laura Long 🌟

Say hello to Laura Long, our incredible Treasurer here at 3F Ranch & Boarding. 💼💚

Laura is a proud mother, a lover of exotic animals, and a woman with a heart as big as the Oklahoma sky. Over the years, she’s faced more than her share of hardships—but she’s met each one with unwavering strength, determination, and grace.

Just a short few years ago, horses entered Laura’s life —and everything changed. What started as curiosity quickly grew into a powerful connection. The horses became more than animals to her… they became partners in healing, peace, and renewal.

Laura brings sharp focus and fire to our mission. It’s her personality, compassion, and constant willingness to help others that leaves the biggest mark—especially on the young women at 3F. Her presence encourages them to grow stronger, stand taller, and believe in their worth.

Strong, outgoing, and filled with purpose, Laura leads with both heart and action. And we are beyond blessed to have her on this journey with us. 🤍🐴



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07/02/2025

𝗥𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 are a great exercise with many benefits including:
✅ Rounding the back, flexion and extension of the lumbosacral junciton and hindlimb reach
✅ Strengthening the back and hindquarters
✅ Strengthening the muscles involved in supporting and raising the forehand
✅ Recruiting & toning the abdominal muscles, hip flexors & the spinal flexor muscle chain
✅ Improving agility and coordination
✅ Reducing back stiffness

Raising the poles alters the footfalls of the canter, causing the diagonal pair to dissociate, resutling in your horse rocking between the fore and hind legs.

𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘: 𝑪𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒔, 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏, 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒅 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒆'𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒔. 𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒃 𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒋𝒖𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒅.

For more great exercises like this watch our on-demand recorded webinar Polework and Gymnastic Jumping. Product is tagged in the image.

07/02/2025

🌾💪 Strong Girls. Strong Horses. 💪🌾

There’s something unexplainable that happens when young women spend time with horses. They learn patience. They grow confidence. They find healing. And most of all—they discover their strength.

Tonight, the girls of 3F showed up with heart, grit, and grace. Watching them grow—on the inside and outside—reminds us exactly why we do what we do. Whether it’s brushing a senior horse, leading one through the pasture, or simply being still beside them, these girls are becoming stronger in ways the world doesn’t always see—but desperately needs.

We’re proud of the hard work, honesty, and healing we witnessed tonight. Keep going, girls. The barn builds more than just good riders—it builds powerful women. 🐴❤️