Emily's Equine Services LLC

08/19/2025

This!!! If you aren't open to alternative views, and are willing to do what's best for the horse, what are we actually doing?

Prey for Egos

A follower said to me recently: “Horses are no longer prey for lions, now they’re prey for egos.”
(Thank you, Katryna Gamble!)

It struck me because it’s brutally true. Horses once survived by reading the twitch of grass and the flick of a predator’s tail. Now, their survival often depends on how much room a human is willing to leave for the horse itself in the decisions made on its behalf. Too often, that space is crowded out by ego.

Ego makes a practitioner defend a method at all costs — even when the horse is showing them it isn’t working.
Ego makes someone chase the perfect “look” of a foot, while the animal can barely cross the yard.
Ego makes camps circle their wagons, more intent on proving each other wrong than on helping the horses standing in the middle.

And the horse? It doesn’t care about reputations. It doesn’t care about who “won” an argument on Facebook, or whose seminar was better attended. It cares about whether it can load evenly, whether it can stand square, whether it can graze, play, lie down and get back up without pain.

The irony is that egos are loudest where knowledge is thinnest. Those who have seen enough horses, made enough mistakes, and lived through enough outcomes tend to be quieter. They know the work isn’t about being right in theory, it’s about being useful in practice.

The horse has already been made vulnerable by domestication, by breeding choices, by human environments. To make it prey a second time — to ego — is something we can’t afford to excuse.

Strip back the noise, the camps, the personality politics. What matters is the foot on the ground, the horse in motion, the lived reality in front of us. That’s the only scoreboard worth watching.

Horses were never meant to be prey animals twice over.

Just a note from the footpath.

02/20/2025

Snazzy new set of 👟 for a big handsome boy 😍 This guy is in the rehab stage of underrun heels and long toes and caudal failure. He dances around now in a full set of Duplo shoes and tabs, plus a leather shallow wedge pad. He is very happy in this setup and hoping it'll lead to a future barefoot life🤞🏼

01/25/2025

That incredible hind end glow up that I shared recently? How about let's take a peek at some of the improvements going on in the front end also 🤩

Franklin had the steriotypical OTTB feet with crushed heels, long toes, broken back hoof pastern angle, negative palamar angles, and complete caudal failure.

But all is not lost!! I started working on this handsome boy's feet at the end of the summer, and it took us a little bit to find the right footwear for him, but once we did, holy cow the changes that have happened 🤯

His heels have uncurled and are standing up, his toe is coming back, and his hoof pastern alignment is straightening up. I used a Duplo shoe package with an EVA foam wedge support under the heel for lift and comfort to let him stand down into his feet.

I think most impressive of all is the soft tissue improvement in his caudal region!! His heel bulbs used to be so squished together that I could hardly fit my finger between them, now they are opening up and starting to plump and fill out 😍

Can't wait to see what his feet look like in another 3 months!!

01/24/2025

In case you were wondering how impactful foot balance can be on the body 👏🏼
So proud and blessed to be able to work on this handsome boy and help create the foundation he needs ❤️

Here's a fun little reminder that BTMM 𝒊𝒔 ‘considering the whole horse’. On our last trainer call, it was the reverberating energy through the conversation. And why all things must be considered while addressing pathologies; yet often overlooked through compartmentalizing.

I know, because I didn't know, until I knew. I know, because I see rehabilitation plans that skip over crucial aspects that would address the root cause of injury. I know, because I have personally been led down the path (by my own) of discovering the way in which he needed me to learn and show up for him in all realms.

What he led me through addressing before I was able to check the last box... which was FEET.

He had a wonderful environment with movement and friends. His nutrition was adjusted to forage based with herbal supports. (Thanks HeartSong Equine for facilitating both of those, and more). He had physical support which embodied BTMM, LNRT, healing horsemanship & functional movement.

But - without having feet to stand on, we will always be chasing pathology. And sometimes that means learning how to have hard conversations; navigating through finding 𝑛𝑜𝑡 what *we* think is right based on our beliefs of specific methodologies, but listening to the horse and finding what works best for them; and finding the right practitioners to collaborate with is equally as important and sometimes difficult territory to traverse!

I also think the way in which we speak to those on our platforms is incredibly important. To operate from a place of peace and safety is a love based frequency. To extend shame on folks for their place of education on any of these topics is a low place to inhabit. Truly, when we know better, we do better. That's where our standard should be as professionals in this industry.

We aren't meant to pretend to have all the answers - we never will anyway. The notion of over complicating things to the point of making the information feel in-accessible to the masses is a gross form of attempting to gate keep information while feeding an unhealthy ego; and frankly, it's so rampant in the equine world, and that alone does the disservice to the horses.

My point being - for those who are overwhelmed with the feeling like you don't have enough knowledge/education/skill to advocate and make changes for your horse with your current skill set; understand this, you do know your horse best, and it's okay to have just a basic understanding of concepts, principles and methods regarding our horses health care, so you can then find the team that's best suited for supporting you. Having tools to help recognize dysfunction, only provides a clearer path to function.

To receive help and guidance from many incredible practitioners, through all realms of healthcare, in a safe place where you will not be shamed for where you’re at in your journey, head to holistichorsecollective.com and join. 💖

Give your horse their wings, join BTMM 💖balancethroughmovementmethod.com

01/09/2025

Welcome 2025!! Looking forward to continuing to learn, grow, and help lots of pony feet 🥰 and maybe I'll get a little better about updating my business page 😜
Pictured here one of my favorite mustangs, Callie, with her fresh new feet!

11/28/2024

Please, for the love of the horse, if they get to the point where they are constantly uncomfortable, and you cannot manage the discomfort, let them go. They need to be free of pain and it's the least we can do for them

If there was one thing I would want to impart this winter season, as I get requests for ancient, decrepit surrenders who really don't deserve to be moved to a rescue, but do deserve end of life peacefully at home where they feel safe:

If you are starting to ask yourself if it's time, it likely is.

It's way better a day too early than a day too late.

While uncomfortable, it is unfair to put our emotional needs onto our animals, allowing suffering when we extend their life for just our benefit, not theirs.

Most folks, even knowledgeable and caring ones, wait far too long.

No, your old rescue likely won't find the perfect little kid. Many old equines don't get a kind ending. Please take responsibility and do it for them instead of burdening someone else.

This I have found out while I've been training, working with, and rescuing equines. While ancient donkeys often find good homes (they are adoptable since most people see them as pets) old full sized horses and mules generally don't.

I'm about to start laying this out to folks in initial calls. No, your 30 year old toothless horse "who gets around just fine and has plenty of life left" shouldn't need to move to a rescue. Let them go at home in kindness and peace.

It's not meant to be easy on us. It's hard. Death is a part of life. It's our responsibility. It's a kindness we can gift our animals. Do so.

- Rachel

11/14/2024

With the short daylight hours, man I'm having to make the most of it! Riding my own horses at daybreak, then trimming and shoeing client horse feet all day, and lastly coming home and teaching a lesson under these gorgeous late fall sunsets 😍

09/25/2024

Daylight may be getting shorter but my work days are not!! Grateful for clients and horses that don't mind when the headlamp comes out 😅

07/25/2024

EasyCare shoes can be dyed! This was a fun application today 😍

07/12/2024

It's a scorcher out 🥵
I've had a few clients yesterday and today that had to get done (pathologies, acute issues, schedule, etc) so this is my solution to beat the heat. My clients have been awesome at squirting me down with the spray bottle while I work in front of the fan, some laughs included 🤣 the 18% humidity has made the cooling factor very efficient 👍🏻
Stay cool and safe y'all! ⛱️

07/09/2024

If you look close, there is a snazzy set of EasyCare Inc. Protective Hoofwear Speed shoes on his tootsies!! Go Louise and Johnny!