Close Ranch

01/01/2026

The start of a new year is a good time to pause and take stock.

Thank you to everyone who listened, shared, and engaged with the podcast throughout 2025, happy New Year.

In the Chinese zodiac, the Horse is traditionally associated with movement and forward momentum. A new year, Year of the Horse or not, is a natural reset and a good opportunity to make sure you and your horse are set up well for the months ahead.

Before adjusting feeds, adding supplements, or changing routines, it’s worth stepping back and checking two fundamentals:

✅Objectively assessing your horse’s body condition score

✅Reviewing the current diet as it’s actually being fed, not how we think it’s being fed

These basics provide context. Without them, even well-intentioned changes can miss the mark or add unnecessary complexity.

If you’re using the start of the year as a checkpoint for your horse’s nutrition, these two episodes walk through the process in a practical, evidence-based way:

🎧 Ep. 38: Body Weight, Condition Scoring and Equine Nutrition
👉 https://scoopandscale.com/ep-38-body-weight-condition-scoring-and-equine-nutrition/

🎧 Ep. 39: How to Conduct a Basic Diet Assessment on Your Horse
👉 https://scoopandscale.com/ep-39-how-to-conduct-a-basic-diet-assessment-on-your-horse/

No symbolism required just solid fundamentals to support a successful year.

Do you reassess your horse’s diet at the start of the year, or only when something doesn’t seem quite right?

01/01/2026

01/01/2026

Mares be like…. One more year to pin our ears at 😎

12/30/2025

#5 🌟

While horses can improve rather quickly on quality nutrition & being exercised, this is why many programs, like Humble Hoof Horsemanship, highly recommend a 90-day minimum period for training -

Consider the time it takes for the horse’s body to adjust to change, understand correction or encouragement of their self carriage, and begin strengthening their bodies to begin developing the muscle memory. Not only can this process not be rushed from a physical/mental capacity, but also from a fitness capacity, to reduce the risk of fatigue related injuries.

If you have goals for Spring, the time for action is now.

15 Interesting Facts About Your Horse’s Muscles

1. Up to 70% of muscle fibers do not span the complete distance between insertion and origin; however, as the endomysium (the thin layer of connective tissue or fascia that surrounds each individual muscle fiber within a muscle) of adjacent fibers are structurally connected, they can still transmit force.

2. During an isometric contraction, muscle fibers temporarily stiffen without undergoing a significant change in length, resulting in the generation of strength without movement. Isometric contractions are essential for maintaining posture and creating stability.
3. Muscles develop a lasting molecular “memory” of past resistance exercises that helps them bounce back from long periods of inactivity.

4. A myofascial kinetic chain (MKC) refers to an interconnected system (chain) of muscles (myo) and fascia (fascial) that work together as a coordinated unit to produce movement (kinetic).

5. Generally, noticeable muscle development can be observed over weeks to months with consistent, appropriate training and nutrition. However, the complete growth of new muscle fibers may take several months or years.

6. A typical muscle is serviced by anywhere between 50 and 200 (or more) branches of specialized nerve cells called motor neurons which plug directly into the skeletal muscle.

7. By contracting and generating tension in the visceral fascia, muscles can minimize excessive organ movement or displacement, and provide stability to the organs during activities like trotting, cantering, spooking and jumping.

Read the rest of this fascinating article here - https://koperequine.com/15-interesting-facts-about-your-horses-muscles/

12/23/2025

12/19/2025

Facts 🤷🏼‍♀️

Have a Great Weekend Y'all!!!!
JINGLE ALL THE WAY!

12/18/2025

Fascia Helps Tune and Modulate Your Horse’s Spinal Cord

In horses, the deep postural muscles of the poll, upper neck, and atlanto-occipital junction constantly calibrate the fascial “bridges” that influence cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow. These muscles adjust the shape and tension of the dura mater—the sheath surrounding the spinal cord—directly affecting neural clarity, balance, coordination, and emotional regulation.

The Equine Myodural Bridge

At the base of the skull, small but critically important muscles such as the Re**us Capitis Posterior Minor, Re**us Capitis Posterior Major, and Obliquus Capitis muscles anchor into the dura via the myodural bridge.

This connection helps:
• regulate cerebrospinal fluid movement
• prevent dural folding or mechanical irritation
• stabilize the poll–upper cervical junction
• maintain clear neural signaling between brain and body

Because a horse’s head is large, heavy, and constantly in motion, this system is even more influential than in humans.

Why CSF Flow Matters for Horses

Your horse’s CSF flow influences:
• mental clarity (calm, focus, ability to learn)
• coordination and proprioception
• balance through the poll and neck
• recovery from physical and emotional stress
• neural waste clearance
• overall nervous system regulation

When the poll fascia and deep suboccipital muscles are tight or inhibited, CSF movement decreases — and your horse may feel “stuck,” reactive, sluggish, or disconnected in the body.

What Happens When Equine Fascia Gets Restricted

Densified, dehydrated, or restricted fascia around the poll, nuchal ligament, or upper cervical region can:
• distort tension on the dura
• affect CSF rhythm
• create head-tossing or bracing patterns
• reduce flexion/softness at the poll
• trigger sympathetic overdrive (“ready to bolt” energy)
• disrupt balance and self-carriage
• compromise hind-end engagement
• alter the entire spinal kinetic chain

The poll is the control center of the horse’s movement and nervous system—and fascia dictates how freely it operates.

Why Fascial Work Matters for Horses

Not all techniques reach the structures that actually regulate the dura.
Targeted fascial work—such as myofascial release, craniosacral-inspired techniques, poll decompression, and nuchal fascia hydration work—can:
• normalize tension through the suboccipital region
• rehydrate the fascial layers
• improve dural glide
• restore CSF rhythm
• enhance proprioception and balance
• quiet the nervous system
• improve softness, flexion, and self-carriage

This is why so many horses change instantly when someone releases the poll correctly—they can finally “hear” their nervous system again.

https://koperequine.com/fascia-the-skeleton-of-the-nerves/

12/17/2025

12/17/2025

A recent study from the University of Tennessee has provided clear evidence of something trainers and recovery practitioners have long observed:
ground poles significantly increase muscle activation in key postural and core muscles.

What the Study Found

1. Walking over ground poles increases activity in:
• Longissimus dorsi (the major spinal extensor and topline muscle)
• Abdominal muscles (critical for core stability and back support)

This means that even at the walk, poles ask the horse to lift the limbs higher, stabilize the trunk, and coordinate posture more actively.

2. Trotting over ground poles increases activity in:
• Abdominal muscles

Trotting requires more dynamic stabilization, and the increased limb elevation over poles demands stronger engagement of the horse’s core to control the back and pelvis.

What This Means for Training and Rehab

These findings confirm what many practitioners have recommended for years:

Cavaletti and ground poles are one of the most effective, low-impact ways to:
• Strengthen the topline
• Activate and tone the abdominal muscles
• Improve back stability
• Enhance proprioception and coordination
• Encourage better posture and self-carriage

Because poles promote both spinal extensor activation (longissimus) and ventral line activation (abdominals), they help balance the horse’s musculoskeletal system — a key element in developing a healthy, strong, functional topline.

Why This Matters for Every Horse

Regular use of poles can help:
• Young horses develop correct movement patterns
• Performance horses maintain strength and prevent injury
• Horses in rehabilitation rebuild core control
• Older horses stay mobile and symmetrical

Best of all, the benefits occur even at the walk, making this exercise accessible for horses of all ages and fitness levels.

📸 MJ going over the jump! I do tons of ground poles…but wasn’t thinking before the snow flew so just have pvc pipes now. I do like the big 6-8” round wood poles for more substance on the ground. I’ve been doing some jumping with the horses over this set up…next we’ll jump barrels!

12/12/2025

Fascial Slip: Why Tissue Play Matters

Fascial slip, also referred to as tissue play or tissue sliding, describes the natural ability of individual structures — muscle bellies, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and even bone surfaces — to move freely and independently of one another.

Healthy tissues glide with minimal friction.
This small but essential micro-movement supports normal biomechanics, fluid exchange, neurological regulation, and pain-free motion.

When that glide is lost, the issue is rarely a “tight muscle” in the traditional sense.
More often, it is the interface between tissues — the layers that should slide — that becomes restricted.

These inter-layer restrictions, not the muscle fibers themselves, are one of the most common causes of myofascial pain.

Why Loss of Tissue Play Causes Pain

When tissues cannot glide freely:
• Localized strain increases, as muscles must work harder against adhered or compressed neighboring structures.
• Mechanoreceptors and nociceptors become hyper-responsive, creating sensations of tightness, burning, pulling, or sharp pain.
• Movement compensations develop, spreading tension along fascial lines far from the original restriction.
• Blood and lymphatic flow decrease, slowing recovery and reducing resilience.
• Muscles fatigue more quickly, because they are pushing through unnecessary resistance.

In short:

The body often hurts not because the muscle is injured, but because the layers around it are no longer communicating or sliding well.

How Tissue Play Becomes Restricted

Common contributors include:
• Repetitive movement patterns or training overload
• Poor posture or habitual bracing strategies
• Scar tissue, micro-tearing, or previous injury
• Chronic inflammation
• Dehydrated or stiff fascia
• Stress-driven sympathetic activation that increases tissue tone
• Trauma or compression (e.g., saddle pressure, tack, rider imbalance in horses)

The Role of Manual Therapy

Manual therapies — massage, myofascial release, fascial glide work, tissue mobilization — do not mechanically “break up adhesions” in the literal sense.

Instead, they:
• Restore hydration and fluidity to fascial layers
• Improve sliding surfaces between tissues
• Normalize neurological tone and reduce protective guarding
• Re-establish elastic recoil and healthy tissue dynamics
• Increase circulation and lymphatic flow

This is why even gentle, well-targeted work can create dramatic changes in comfort and movement:

You are restoring the body’s ability to let tissues move independently again — the foundation of pain-free motion.

https://koperequine.com/10-most-important-things-fascia-does-for-your-horse/