Free Flow Equine Therapies - Susan Rousak

🐴 **“Why does a bit fit take so long?”**

Because it’s not just a matter of putting a bit in your horse’s mouth and saying, “Yep, that fits!” 😂

Every horse is different, so every bit fit is individual.

I look at your horse’s anatomy, their mouth and facial structures, how they currently respond to the bit, and what they’re telling us through their behaviour and way of going.

From there, we try a range of bits based on *your horse* — not what worked for someone else’s horse.

We assess, adjust, try something different and narrow down what suits them best.

And that takes **time**.

So yes, a bit fit costs a little more than a quick appointment — because it isn’t a quick appointment.

It’s about taking the time to properly assess your horse and find an option that works *for them*, rather than taking a guess.

**Your horse isn’t generic. Their bit shouldn’t be either.** ❤️

On Saturday I spent a day learning more about equine herbs with Mickie Magan Equine Herbalist. It was a fun day, learning more about what herbs are best to support different health areas, along with lots of stories and laughs.

Thank you Mickie, and Janisa for hosting - both human and furry hosts!!

I highly recommend attending one of these workshops, or if you have any herbal needs, Mickie is always ready to help.

Ok people - I have to share - I got a heated vest from Titanium Saddlery and it is one of the best things I've brought!! It's super slim to fit under a jacket and keeps me warm all day long, from feeding the ponies through working in all sorts of conditions. Highly, highly recommend!!

I think heated socks will be next thing to buy.....

I spent the weekend auditing the Equine Functional Posture clinic, run by Integrated Veterinary Therapeutics. It was a fun weekend reviewing my biomechanics knowledge, learning more and watching some amazing changes to the horses. It was fascinating watching the different reactions of the horses to things like a variety of textures on the ground. I also learnt some new exercises and fun things to try with my horse.

I really enjoy this type of work and love watching the changes to the horses. It can be difficult for the humans as much of it is quite slow work, but it's worth it in the long run!

Sorry for the lack of pictures, but enjoy the zebras who always make me smile 😄

I'm so excited and happy to announce I've been chosen as the Holistic Animal Studies Graduate of Excellence 🥳🥳

This award is part of the Equine Therapies Association of Australia awards and is to recognise individuals who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to their studies, a genuine commitment to holistic animal care, and a passion for continually expanding their knowledge for the benefit of the animals they work with.

Thank you to Dr Angelique Barbara, Angel's Animals - Holistic Care and Seminars
and theEquine Therapies Association of Australia Inc for this amazing honour.

When was the last time you thought about your bit and how your horse feels about it?

The bit is a key part of your equipment, but we often don't think about it, it's just not been something that has come up. But now we know more, have more options, and can consider if the bit we are using is the most comfortable for our horse, and is it doing the job we expect it to do.

If you are considering a bit fit, please get in touch now! Bookings are being taken into August and September.

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Disparaging Comment Translation Chart

We grew up on the Disney romantic movies, filling our heads with smooshy relationships between a woman and a horse. And yet, in arenas and barns everywhere, you can hear people fighting with horses and calling them names like toddlers in a spat over a favorite toy. Sometimes it’s hard to believe we love horses the way we do with the way we behave around them and talk about them.

The truth is, many of the things we say about our horses are actually telling on ourselves.

Now, before anyone writes me an angry email: genetics matter. Conformation matters. Pain matters. Management matters. Some horses genuinely have bigger challenges than others.

But… many of our favorite complaints are simply a creative way of avoiding the mirror.

It can be confusing to know what’s actually going on. Here are some helpful ways to find the real meaning behind those disparaging comments heard so often about our beloved equids.

“She’s so mareish and witchy.”

Translation: Her owner is tense, inconsistent, possibly moody and a little surprised that the horse has noticed.

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“He’s so lazy.”

Translation: He’s spent years carrying a rider who squeezes every stride, hangs on the reins, and has accidentally taught him (accurately) that all human movement and speech is just background noise.

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“He’s so uncoordinated and dopey.”

Translation: His owner has expected him to be balanced, educated, and athletic without giving him the elements of strength, proprioception, or time to get there.

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“She’s just so dramatic.”

Translation: She’s a 1,000-pound prey animal responding honestly to her environment. The drama may actually be coming from the primate sitting on top.

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“He just doesn’t respect me.”

Translation: The owner subscribes to a new program every Tuesday, the expectations are as confused as the owner, and the owner keeps calling confusion a character flaw.

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“He’s stubborn.”

Translation: The owner checks out for 75% of the session until something goes wrong, tries with maximum pressure and gives up in 2 seconds before any change happens. The owner is emotionally reactive and easily frustrated, and the horse learns to quit trying and outlast the owner.

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“He’s pushy.”

Translation: Somewhere along the way the owner confused being kind with having absolutely no personal space.

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“She’s naughty.”

Translation: Her person hasn’t looked closely enough for the reason, so the horse gets the label instead.

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Our horses spend an awful lot of time trying to understand us.

It seems only fair that we spend a little more time trying to understand them.

If this made you smile, laugh, or squirm a little, good. That means it worked. The next time we catch ourselves reaching for a label, maybe we should pause and ask a better question: what is the horse actually trying to tell us?

Because more often than not, the horse isn’t the problem.

The horse is the mirror.

I'm so honoured to be a finalist in the ETAA awards, thank you to whoever nominated me. It's unexpected but extremely lovely to be recognised in this way.

Good to luck to all the finalists, I know a lot of these names and they are all amazing therapists 😊

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On Friday we will be announcing the recipients of the first of our ETAA Annual Awards. This has been an extremely exciting time for the Equine Therapies Association of Australia and its members. We love nothing more than to see amazing equine therapists be recognised for their outstanding work, but even better is to see a community of professionals get around each other and celebrate each other's success. While we can only award one person from each category, every single one of the award finalists deserve to be congratulated!

Posture is a big part of what I help horses with. This podcast is an excellent resource for owners 🙂

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Episode 94: Assessing Postural Muscles: Controlled or Compensating? Assessing Postural Muscles: Controlled or Compensating? Today we’re talking about how to recognise whether your horse is developing true postural control through the spine. Deep spinal muscles can be difficult to assess directly, but we can begin to understand how well they are functioning by...