Natural Blendz Equine Therapy Inc.

I'm excited to announce my new educational journey. I have been accepted into the London College of Animal Osteopathy and will be getting my diploma in animal osteopathy in the canine stream. It's a 1600 hour program with a 300 hour thesis. I can't wait to branch out and learn more about the canine world to better assist your furry friends!

Heads up horse friends! Years ago we had a gelding put his hoof through one of the red mineral tubs and slice an artery. So we made sure not to use them to put food in again. We've warned people not to use these to put feed in. We started using a new mineral about a year ago, and were told that these ones are a different plastic. That their horses also destroyed the red tubs and that the blue tubs have been in the fields for over two years with no issue. So my mom waited unti...l the last cold snap a week ago, thinking that in the extreme cold if a horse did manage to wreck it, the frigid temperatures would have it snap. Not the case. Luckily our neighbour saw this boy while out on a walk and called mom. The plastic is so tough that it wouldn't come off of his leg. We are so thankful to the Evansburg Fire Department for coming and cutting him out of the bin. I guess this is a multi faceted heads up. If you use ANY brand of mineral bin in a plastic tub, please remove it as soon as its empty, and do not use it as a feed bin. And make sure your horses have solid leg training at all ages! This boy managed to escape with just a minor bow because he didn't have a meltdown when he put his foot through. Take the time. Teach them to relax and wait if they're stuck. Warmbloods and hotter breeds get a lot of flack for being "airheads". If you treat them like they're going to be airheads, then they will be. But if you put in the time, they don't have to be. This boy is naturally pretty spooky, but his training overpowered his flight instinct. He was a champion with four firefighters working around him to cut him out. Luckily, our story ended well yesterday. But please, please, please be careful!! See more

During a therapy session yesterday, I removed these two massive beans from a gelding. I feel like that alone gave him just as much relief as the session. This is just a reminder to check for beans regularly if it's safe for you to do so!

**** Moving To The Organ's Tune **** -The importance of the organs (viscera) in the mobility of the horse. There are many factors that can affect the mobility a...nd therefore performance of a horse. They can be split roughly into "external" and "internal" factors. In many cases the diagnosis and treatment has been very much centred around "external" factors particularly relating to the musculoskeletal system. As a result most people tend to focus their attention on joints, tendons, ligaments, muscles and factors that can affect them such as exercise, rider, bits/bridles, saddles, foot balance or dentistry to name a few. Vets and most therapists will also look to concentrate their treatments on the musculoskeletal system. This is not wrong at all but we need to consider the "WHY" a little bit more. WHY is that joint affected? WHY is that muscle affected? etc etc In some cases the horse will have specifically strained or damaged a tendon, joint or muscle in a one-off injury. In a lot of cases, however, it has been due to a repetitive strain culminating in an injury. In the latter case of a repetitive strain, WHY did this occur? Could it be incorrect motion from elsewhere increasing abnormal strain on a joint(s) that has lead to this? Which leads you on to ask "WHY is the instigating region affected in the first place?". Tackling the current issue/lameness is important as that will be causing discomfort to the horse but getting to the ROOT is the most important. By not addressing or seeking out the root cause the problems will persist. That is why following certain treatments and therapies you will only have a limited period of improvement before the problem reoccurs. To balance that statement it must also be said that catching an issue early can be remedied by correcting the musculoskeletal issues but the chronic horses I tend to see need the treatment process to go deeper. So, since purely addressing the musculoskeletal system doesn't remedy everything I think therefore, it is important to consider some of the internal factors as well, namely the organs/viscera. WHY ORGANS/VISCERA???? As I've mentioned in a number of other posts the body is made of a number of systems. These include the musculoskeletal system, as well as nervous system and organ systems. Whilst we have made these divisions to categorise the body they are all linked. Each segment of vertebrae contains a section of spinal chord. This piece of spinal chord supplies the locomotive muscles, gland/vessel muscles, skin, joints and organs in the nearby area. The interlinking of the body systems allows multiple viscous cycles to be set up and perpetuate problems. These cycles must be detected and broken. One system we will look at today is that of the visceral/organ. Particularly the nerve supply of it. As I mentioned above. Each segment of spinal chord sends and receives information to lots of things i.e. the muscles and organs in an area. If therefore there is irritation to this spinal segment then it is feasible to consider that everything that segment supplies could be affected/irritated . So... muscles could become large and tense or atrophy/waste away skin/hair could change (increase or decrease sweat, lose or gain hair, skin tone) organs may not function correctly. Interestingly, a lot of the muscles and organs etc are supplied by a couple of sections of spinal chord, not just one. This can then lead to the spread of a problem along a "chain". BUT WHY ARE ORGANS SPECIAL?? This is the really interesting bit.... As we've said each section of spinal chord supplies multiple things in an area. It also receives information too. However, what has been discovered through dissections is that there are THREE TIMES the number of fibres coming from an organ to the spine than there are going from the spine to the organs. In real terms that could mean that the organ is THREE TIMES as likely to be exerting an effect on the spinal chord as the spinal chord on the organ. The organs cannot therefore be ignored. They could have a far bigger impact on the body than most give them credit for. Let's run through a scenario.... A mare comes into season, bucks a rider and colicks in the evening. It is conceivable that the ovaries are irritated. They are supplied by L1-3 (first three lumbars) as well as the poll and sacrum. The irritated ovaries send information back to the spinal chord in these areas (poll, lumbar and sacrum). As a result, the muscles, organs, skin etc innervated by these areas become affected. (In this mare she may be sensitive to touch her flank, have tender muscle over lumbars, be sensitive near her poll). The irritated lumbo-sacral region also innervates the hind gut which results in abnormal gut motion and so she colicked. In human's we'd see that ovarian/uterine problems result in a sore back and can cause bowel discomfort. Paying closer attention to the organs is really important to maximise the effectiveness of the treatment. In the case of the mare, whilst softening the lumbar muscles and the poll would ameliorate the problem, without tackling the ovaries you will not produce a lasting therapy. That is why it is important for multiple therapists to work together. DIAGNOSIS: A thorough examination will help reveal areas of immobility. It is then trying to determine what is purely a biomechanical issue and what involves the organs as well. In a lot of cases I see the organs are most certainly involved but the key is to try to determine the initiating problem to find and treat the root. This is both difficult but satisfying. SUMMARY: * The organs could be three times as important due to the division of their nerve fibres. * Organs can affect the spine. * An affected spine will irritate all parts innervated by that section. * Vicious cycles can then be set up * Organs must be part of the diagnosis and treatment process to be more effective.

In order of appearance: The deep flexor is pulled out of the collar formed for it by the superficial flexor. The superficial flexor is held in place at the fetl...ock by the palmer annular ligament (that extra flap of white tissue). You can see the subtarsal check ligament on this hind limb deep flexor, so much smaller and less significant than in the forelimb. Then you see the carefully dissected distal sesamoidean ligaments (before they're dissected they're just a mass of tissue). First the straight or long distal sesamoidean ligament which has been cut at the bottom. Second the two branches of the oblique distal sesamoidean ligament which has been cut at the top. Third the diagonal strands of the cruciate ligament nestled deep below.

Started the day off with some group therapy this morning!

Hey horse friends! I have an incredible equine dentist coming to my place in Evansburg on October 5th. His name is Jackson Holm with JH Equine. I am always impr...essed with his talent and patience with the animals. Please contact me or Cathie Bruner if you would like to book, so we can keep a tally on numbers. But feel free to also contact Jackson if you have any questions. See more

Questions for thought: Do you want your horse to have a long, useful and happy life? If the check engine light comes on in your vehicle, do you find out what th...e issue is and have it fixed if it will damage the vehicle to continue? Would you like to read the signs your horse gives you before a small problem balloons into a huge problem? If your horse had a check engine light, would it be on? See more

Here is the live action video of the painted horse developed by Equinology.