Kneading Neddys Equine Bodywork | Massage therapist

Kneading Neddys Equine Bodywork

Phone: +61 423 310 247

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22.01.2022 It's not much fun when your horse starts to get grumpy under saddle, bite you when you girth up, or even bronc when you are riding. Chances are these behaviours are your horse trying to tell you that something is not quite right, and there is discomfort or pain. Get in touch if you'd like to have a chat about whether your horses behavioural issues could be pain related. Based in Coffs Harbour, servicing the North Coast and New England regions.

22.01.2022 A recent study found that crooked tail carriage in horses: Occurred in 32.5% of lame horses compared to 5.3% of non-lame horses Was asscociated with sacroilliac joint region pain and tension in the thoracolumbar epaxial muscles... And the most fascinating finding: There was no association between the side the tail was held on and the side of the predominatley lame limb Link to the study below

21.01.2022 So excited to receive this in the mail today! I'll be playing around with this torch on my own horses (and myself) before deciding wether to use it in my business. Have you used red light therapy on yourself or your animals before?

20.01.2022 Such a beautiful day to be outside with the ponies, playing around with positioning their limbs to lengthen the muscles. Thanks Jewel Equestrian for the new tights

18.01.2022 Such a fantastic weekend away delving deeper into equine anatomy so that I can better help our stoic 4 legged friends

18.01.2022 How much weight can a horse carry? In my experience, a horse can carry an infinite amount. They can carry the weight of broken hearts, broken homes, and broken... bodies. Countless tears sometimes comb their tangled manes. Moments when parents and friends cannot be there to help and hold a person, horses embrace and empower. They carry physical, mental, and emotional handicaps. They carry hopes and dreams; and they will carry the stress from your day when you can't carry it anymore. They carry graduations, they carry new careers, they carry moves away from everything familiar, they carry marriages, they carry divorces, they carry funerals, they carry babys before they are born, and sometimes they carry the mothers who cannot carry their own baby. They carry mistakes, they carry joy, they carry the good and they carry the bad. They carry drugs and addictions, but they also carry the celebrations. They will carry you to success when all you have felt is failure. They will carry you, never knowing the weight of your burdens and triumphs. If you let them, they will carry you through life, and life is hard, life is heavy. But a horse will make you feel weightless under it all. Author unknown

16.01.2022 Pour les dresseurs, un petit zoom sur la mobilité articulaire lors du passage-piaffé Thanks Horses Inside Out and Laura Bechtolsheimer Dressage for this video ! Merci Johanna Hellborg de me l’avoir montrée.

16.01.2022 What is Equine Bodywork? Equine bodywork is a form of therapy for your horses musculoskeletal system that is gentle yet effective. Some of the techniques used include: Sports massage Soft tissue and spinal mobilisation Focal point work... Stretching Equine bodywork can: Increase range of motion -increasing performance and stamina Restore motion to restricted joints Provide relaxation Release endorphins which help relieve pain Increase circulation Positively affect posture See more

16.01.2022 Massage Relaxation Using your bodyworker as a head rest

15.01.2022 I thought this was, just a little funny! My regular clients wouldn’t know what it’s like to have a sore horse from work/riding!

12.01.2022 #rehab #equiband

12.01.2022 Finally it’s the weekend and you’re eager to head out for a care free ride on your horse, the relaxation you need to melt all the stresses of the week away, but as you throw your leg over your horse you feel him tense up. His movement isn’t as fluid as usual, and you just can’t shake that feeling that something's not quite right. Bodywork sessions address the owners concerns while using a whole horse approach to easing muscle tension so that you can get back to enjoying those care free rides together. Message me to book in.

11.01.2022 Food for thought. Does your horse feel more like a or a ? https://www.facebook.com//a.327217317798/862241797629169/

08.01.2022 Is your equine therapist a qualified practitioner? As a professional member of both the Equine Therapies Association of Australia Inc and the International Equine Body Workers Association I am: Qualified to work as an equine therapist Australia wide, and have an internationally recognised Equine Bodyworker qualification Insured... Committed to continued professional development How to find a qualified therapist in your area: Equine therapists https://equinetherapies.net.au/therapist-directory/ Equine Bodyworkers https://www.iebwa.com/australia Equine chiropractors https://www.abmprof.com.au/abm-locator/ https://ivca.de/global-search/australia/

06.01.2022 Before and after working on the abdominal obliques and diaphragm

06.01.2022 An interesting article we'd like to share -The Equine Pain Face Recognising when your horse is in pain can be a challenging thing to do. Horses are prey animals... and will often mask signs of pain. They may also display signs of pain in ways that are unfamiliar to us, making them harder to recognise. In animals such as dogs and cats, pain is more readily identified and scoring systems for assessing the level of pain in these species have existed for a long time. More recently, a scoring system called ‘The Equine Grimace Scale’ was developed to help quantify pain in horses. This led to the identification of the ‘Equine Pain Face’. The ‘Equine Pain Face’ focuses on five key areas of the head: Ears- The ears are lowered and wide on the head, they may sit asymmetrically rather than being forward facing and alert. Eyes- The muscle above the eyes will contract. In some horses this will make the white tissue at the inner corner of the eye more visible. The glance also changes to become withdrawn and tense. Nostrils- The nostrils widen. This is particularly noticeable during inspiration. Muzzle- The lips press together and the chin flattens. Facial muscles- There is tension of the muscles visible in the jaw muscles on the side of the horse’s face. It is important that all horse owners know how to recognise these symptoms of pain in their horse’s face. If you’re scientifically minded and would like to read the original study you can find it on the AFHS website Care & Health Section https://www.afhs.org.au/the-pain-face

06.01.2022 Saddle position is arguably *just* as important as actual saddle fit (to horse and rider!), but I still feel it is extremely overlooked or downplayed. It's beco...me a cultural norm to throw the saddle up onto the scapula (Hey I was guilty of it too!). And it's everywhere! But what implications does this actually have? First I should introduce the trapezius muscle. It's a muscle that our saddle shares a very intimate relationship with. The trapezius muscle is composed of two parts, the trapezius cervicus and trapezius thoracis. Our saddle affects both. The division of the muscle being found down the spine of the scapula. The trapezius cervicus aids in drawing the shoulder upwards and forwards, while the trapezius thoracis aids in pulling the shoulder upwards and backwards. This muscle, without question, is an integral part of free shoulder movement. So, when it is compromised by a poor saddle, it will atrophy. In addition, we have an accessory nerve (CN11) which rests right along your horses wither. Pinching of this accessory nerve signals the brain to essentially block or stop the movement of the shoulder while also contracting the longissimus dorsi, dropping the spine completely and pulling the pelvis forward. The exact opposite of what we want! This can lead to balking, intermittent lameness, refusal to fences, kissing spine, pelvic tilt and rearing. Many horses with ill-fitting or ill-placed saddles will often compensate by recruiting other muscles to do a job they may not actually be intended to do. A good example of this is the Omobrachialis muscle, a member of the Cutaneous muscle group, the thinnest, most superficial layer of muscle in the body. Some horses will experience a degree of hypertrophy in this muscle which creates a deep horizontal groove across the scapula. (Other causes may be hoof/teeth imbalance or compensation for injury elsewhere). And if we dip our toes *very briefly* into a whole body perspective, the reach goes even further. These horses will often also experience a degree of girthiness as the shoulder restriction directly affects muscles such as the latissimus dorsi and the descending and ascending pectorals. Because the shoulder cannot properly lift (and CN11 is compromised), the thoracic sling CANNOT engage. Meaning, a horse whose saddle is too forward will ALWAYS be on the forehand and hollow. This produces leg movement and not back movement, leaving the horse predisposed to injury due to overloading and cumulative micro trauma. But the negative implications don't stop with the horse. The rider is affected as well. Because the saddle is placed too forward, the riders center of balance will be compromised to a degree. Riders with saddles too far forward will often have difficulty posting or moving with the energy of the horse in all gaits. Part in fact due to the improper balance of the rider but also the compromised biomechanics of the horse. A saddle that is ill-placed can NEVER fit a horse and is arguably JUST as detrimental as an ill fitting saddle. In short a saddle placed over the scapula will: 1. Reduce range of motion through the shoulder 2. The trapezius (cervicus and thoracic) subsequently atrophies 3. Other muscles are recruited to compensate for loss of function. 4. The shoulder muscle *group as a whole* is thrown into a pattern of dysfunction and loss of function 5. The horse is forced onto the forehand and hollow. 6. Affect rider balance and efficacy Photo source: https://www.rodnikkel.com//wither-conformation-seeing-dam/

05.01.2022 Normal =/= Correct The lumbosacral junction. As with the break in the cervical vertebrae, the injury of the lumbosacral junction is extremely common and many ow...ners/riders don't think twice about it. The equine athlete has 18 thoracic vertebrae which lead into the 6 lumbar vertebrae, which lead into the sacrum. Unlike the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, the sacrum consists of 5 fused vertebrae and is immobile except where it connects to the last lumbar vertebrae and the coccygeal vertebrae (tail). The junction is between L6 and S1. Injury to this area can be caused by poor trimming resulting in a broken-backwards hoof angle (long toe, low heel) causing the pelvis to tilt backwards. In addition, improper riding (hollow, disengaged, false/forced frame) and ill fitting tack (too long, too narrow gullet channel, improper tree width/angle) can have the same effect on the back in causing the pelvis to be forced out of its neutral position to accommodate the drop in the back. The dip before the muscle is typically caused by atrophy of the gluteus medius muscle and over development of the semitendinosus and biceps femoris muscles through working/training in poor/incorrect posture. This can also contribute to the lack of development from the lumbosacral junction to the dock, giving it a flat and sloped appearance. The hind end should be round, with no sudden dips, slopes or divots along the musculature. Once again... As riders, trainers, farriers, fitters, hobbyists, judges, body workers, vets, etc - we cannot stand by and allow the systematic break down of the horse to continue. We cannot accept that these issues are just the norm and can't be prevented or fixed. We owe it to our horses to be aware and take an active role in identifying and calling out practices that lead to these deformities, to stop supporting professionals whose horses end up like this, to stop giving business to companies whose equipment causes injury and pain. Enough is enough! Take a stand for the sake of all horses.

05.01.2022 "Look Mum, I'm helping spread the gravel" I know which horse will be asking me for a massage in the morning

05.01.2022 Through massage and the stimulation of an acupressure point in the pectoralis decendens, bodywork can: Provide relaxation Release tension in the pectoral muscles Assit in freeing up movement of the scapula If you enjoy hearing horses sigh as much as I do, turn up the sound

04.01.2022 Did you know that the horses skeletal system isn't fully developed until they are at least 6y/o? While they may look mature on the outside well before this, their growth plates are still fusing. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't do anything with your young horse until they're fully mature, but it's useful to be aware of what stage of development they're at so that you don't ask too much of them too soon. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2503591496342214&set=a.185187864849267&type=3&theater

02.01.2022 How bit pressure affects the movement of the hindlimb!!! The horses tongue attaches to the Hyoid bone (see photos) The hyoid is Intimately connected to the airw...ays and therefore affects the horses breathing, and is connected to hind limb via fascial. See below Sternohyoideus connects the hyoid to the sternum Omohyoideus connects the hyoid to the inside of the shoulder -Direct connection from the tongue to the sternum and shoulder along the bottom of the horse’s neck. Tension in the tongue tension in sternum horse can’t lift through back to allow for collection- affects hindquarters Small muscles also connect the hyoid bones to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and the poll. The TMJ is an important center for nerves that control the horse’s balance and proprioception. And the pollits ability to bend and flexis of central concern to the dressage rider. Because of the small muscles connecting them, there is a very close relationship (which few riders know about) between the horse’s tongue, hyoid bones, TMJ, poll, head, and neck. When the horse’s tongue is free and soft, all of this translates into a horse who is better able to move well, with coordination, improved balance, and a significantly lengthened stride.(L.Tellington- Jones 2013) L.Tellington-Jones (2013) Dressage with Mind, Body & Soul: A 21st-century Approach to the Science and Spirituality of Riding and Horse-and-rider Well-being.Trafalga Square. ISBN9781570764264