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Dinkum Equine Services

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25.01.2022 One of my regulars after his treatment today who's lucky enough to have a weekly treatment while he's in race training. Gotta love standies!

20.01.2022 Sometimes it's more than the horse just being 'naughty' if only they could talk!

17.01.2022 Dinkum Equine Services

10.01.2022 Great way to show how fascia can relate to muscle. The fascia that surrounds and penetrates the muscular system is called the 'deep fascia'. This type of fas...cia is very strong but also has elastic properties. Although fascia is slower to change in comparison to muscle, you're still training your fascia when you train your muscles. In fact you're never not 'training' your myofascial system! It has been discussed recently that fascia might have the ability to contract as the fascia contains myofibroblasts. Myofibroblasts contain the proteins that allow smooth muscle to contract. Eric Franklin has just released an online fascia course! Go to https://franklinmethod.com/jumpstart-your-fascia/ Credit:@karli_onyxspa

09.01.2022 Awesome idea for a bit of a neck stretch!

09.01.2022 It's never just a puddle

09.01.2022 Welcome to Dinkum Equine Services! I am at the end of my course in Equine Myofunctional Therapy and will soon be qualified and able to service the Bendigo region. If you have any questions don't hesitate to message me, I am looking forward to meeting you and your horse in the future. Clare

08.01.2022 HOW USEFULL ARE BLOOD TESTS TO ASSESS MINERAL/ELECTROLYTE DEFICIENCY IN HORSES? Mineral/Electrolyte Deficiency and Blood Concentrations I am continually surpris...ed at how often I see people talking about deficiencies in the major or macro minerals (which are also electrolytes): sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium and magnesium. What is even more surprising to me is that many of these deficiencies have been diagnosed on the basis of a blood test. Why does this surprise me? Because if you ask any equine nutritionist or scientist who was worked in this area, they should without exception tell you that blood concentrations of these minerals/electrolytes are not a reliable indicator of whole body status. Or to put it another way, a horse can have a normal blood level of a mineral/electrolyte but be severely deficient or be excessively over-supplemented. I should also clarify that when we talk about a blood test the blood is actually separated into the red and white blood cells and the plasma (the yellow part) and the electrolytes/minerals are actually measured in the plasma rather than in the whole blood. Blood mineral/electrolyte regulation Why aren’t blood tests reliable in this context? The major electrolytes sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium are involved in so many processes, but a few vital ones include regulation of breathing, regulation of heart rate, regulation of blood pressure, nerve transmission, muscle contraction, digestion, etc! As an example, despite the fact that horses eat diets very high in potassium, the potassium level in the blood hardly changes in response to eating meals high in potassium. Why? Because the heart is extremely sensitive to potassium concentrations and increasing concentrations even a relatively small amount at rest leads to arrhythmias (abnormal rhythm) and can even result in death. In fact infusion of potassium chloride can be used to stop the heart when euthanising horses. In general, increasing the dietary intake of an electrolyte will not produce significant changes in blood concentrations and keeping a horse on a deficient diet will not produce changes in the blood either. We do see circumstances where the blood concentrations of the major minerals/electrolytes are increased or decreased such as during intense (e.g. racing) or prolonged exercise (e.g. endurance) and in horses that are ill (e.g. colic). How can we determine mineral/electrolyte status in horses? My current understanding based on my research experience, knowledge of the literature and hearing a recent review given by Dr Brian Nielsen from MSU at the MANC a few weeks back in Baltimore, is that we can assess major electrolyte/mineral (Na, K, Cl, Ca, Mg) status of horses by: 1) conducting whole balance studies where all the feed intake is analysed and urine, faeces, sweat and breath losses are accounted for 2) sampling tissues in living horses and measuring mineral/electrolyte concentrations e.g. muscle or liver biopsy 3) post mortem whole body analysis/digestion studies 4) tracer studies using radio-labelled compounds or isotopes 5) urinary creatinine clearance analysis (paired blood and urine sampling). In my experience this is still the most accurate and practical approach to assessing whole body status in horses. Severely abnormal clearance ratios (low or high) are routinely observed in horses with "normal" plasma values Other problems with measurements in blood In addition to the fact that blood measurements do not reflect whole body mineral/electrolyte status, there are some other issues. Hydration, time of day, time of feeding, diet, exercise and health may all affect blood mineral/electrolyte values. There can also be significant variation in values due to a whole variety of technical factors. Even if the same sample is analysed 10 times in the same laboratory on the same day there will be some variation. There will also be variation between labs so if one sample is analysed in one lab and a second sample in a different lab, a lower value may lead to misdiagnosis of a deficiency. In addition, if the sample is even slightly too roughly treated or left for too long before being processed (separated into the red cells and plasma) the concentrations of electrolytes can change. Finally, laboratory methods used for clinical chemistry where the main concern is diagnosing illness often use less precise/accurate methods of analysis as those used in research studies. This keeps costs down and allows results to be obtained rapidly; both of which are important when making urgent clinical decisions but are not suited to research or assessment of nutritional status. Thus, in building up a picture of whether a horse is ill, whether the value for potassium is 4 or 5 mmol/l may not matter. But if a horse was 5 mmol/l one month and 4 mmol/l the next then this could be wrongly misinterpreted as the development of a deficiency. As far as I am aware, blood sampling to assess major electrolytes (Na, Cl, K, Ca, Mg) is still almost universally considered unreliable by those working in this field (including myself) and this has been demonstrated in a large number of scientific studies. Horses with significant dietary deficiency or excess can maintain normal plasma values. Altered values are seen in certain circumstances e.g. following intense and or prolonged exercise and in clinically sick horses. If you do believe that your horse has a major/macro mineral/electrolyte deficiency then you should obviously consult your vet and in addition, a qualified, practical and experienced equine nutritionist (e.g. http://www.equinenutritionist.co.uk/)

04.01.2022 I'm sure we can all relate but what's the point in living without them, right?

03.01.2022 Look what came in the mail today! Can't believe it's all happening!

01.01.2022 I've been a bit quiet lately with my wedding and moving house and now with everything being a bit in limbo at the moment but I am here and if anyone wants to book their horse in for a massage feel free to send me a PM In other news I have just enrolled in a Diploma of Equine Naturopathy which comes together with my current certificate and will give me the knowledge to help you with your horse and their nutritional needs and the part I'm most excited about is learning about herbal medicine! Can't wait to see what the future holds for Dinkum Equine Services!

01.01.2022 DID YOU KNOW HORSES EYES TAKE TIME TO ADJUST TO SUDDEN CHANGES IN LIGHT? Have you ever gone to your horse's stable in the morning and turned on the light only t...o see them blinking frequently? Or wondered why the horses jumping in and out of woods cross-country can so often make mistakes? Or considered why your horse who normally loads so well is reluctant to enter your brightly lit wagon when you've gone to a nighttime event? This is because it can take up to half an hour for your horse's eyes to adjust to sudden change in light. Worth considering if you expect them to enter a dark area during the daytime, or a well lit area at night maybe a trailer, wagon, arena or even their stable. Horses eyes don't adjust to changes in light as quickly as the human eye so it is not something we often consider. So if your horse is reluctant to enter an area that is lit differently to his current environment, be patient and give him time.

01.01.2022 Look what came in the mail today! I'm officially a qualified Equine Myofunctional Therapist