Cosyggs Equestrian Services

Can’t you just treat specific tension areas? Short answer .. No!!! Don’t just work where you feel the tension. An example when the triceps feels tight, consider the bigger picture, shoulder movement, pectorals, neck, thoracic sling and forelimb loading. What you feel in the triceps may be part of a compensation pattern rather than the primary issue 🐎 If you use our diagram below you can see how many neighbouring areas could be involved.
www.woldsequinemassage.co.uk

🔬NEW RESEARCH - BEVA CONGRESS 2026🔬

Thoracolumbar range of motion during walking in-hand, long reining and treadmill exercise in horses

V. Walker, A. Stobbe, C. Brookes, G. Tabor. H. Donovan, R. MacKechnie-Guire, R. Murray, and C. Maddock1

🔬Background: Walking exercise is commonly prescribed in equine rehabilitation programmes, but evidence describing how different walking modalities influence thoracolumbar kinematics to guide rehabilitation choices is limited.

🔬Objectives: To determine the effects of walking in-hand on a hard and soft surface, long reining, and treadmill walking on thoracolumbar (TL) flexion–extension (FE), lateral bending (LB), and axial rotation (AR) range of motion (ROM).

🔬Study design: In vivo experiments.

🔬Methods: Nine horses free from epaxial muscle pain or lameness were fitted with inertial measurement units at the head, thoracic (T)5, T13, T18, lumbar (L)3, sacrum (SAC), tubera coxae, and base of tail (TAIL). Horses walked in-hand in a roller with a tree on a hard (IH) and soft surface (IS), on a treadmill (TM), and on long reins (LR). Walking speed was controlled within 0.2 m/s between conditions (mean ± SD: 1.63 ± 0.10 m/s). Differential FE, LB, and AR ROM were calculated for adjacent sensor pairs (T5–T13/T13–T18/T18–L3/L3–SAC/SAC–TAIL). Linear mixed-effects models were used to compare conditions, with speed included as a covariate (p < 0.05).

🔬Results: Exercise condition did not influence FE or LB ROM (p > 0.05). Condition influenced AR ROM, with greater ROM during IH compared with TM at T5–T13 (IH: 8.5° ± 1.7°, TM: 5.5° ± 1.7°, p = 0.02), and during IH and IS compared with TM at T13–T18 (IH: 7.2° ± 0.8°, IS: 7.6° ± 0.8°, TM: 6.2° ± 0.8°, p = 0.02). Walking speed was a significant covariate for AR ROM at T5–T13, T13–T18, L3–SAC, and for FE ROM at SAC–TAIL (p < 0.04), indicating increased ROM at higher walking speeds.

🔬Conclusions: Walking exercise modality has limited influence on TL FE and LB ROM. In-hand walking was associated with greater thoracic AR ROM compared with treadmill walking. Walking speed had a consistent influence on thoracolumbar ROM, indicating that speed control may be more clinically relevant than exercise modality alone when prescribing walking exercise in rehabilitation settings.

A great massage starts with anatomy!

To massage your horse well, you need to really understand what’s happening beneath your hands.

That’s why, in our Online Massage Course for Horse Owners, we dedicate a whole section to understanding equine anatomy, helping you see exactly what you’re working on (and how much pressure is safe to use).

Our unique traffic light system (like the one shown in the picture) makes it easy to know which areas can handle firmer pressure and which need a lighter touch.

When you understand your horse’s anatomy, you’ll know:
🦴 How close bones are to the surface (and how that affects pressure)
💪 Which muscles and tendons you’re working on
❔ What techniques are best for each area
🐎 Whether a lump or bump is normal or something to check
👊 The direction of muscle fibres for smoother strokes
❕ How hard an area has been working — and what needs attention most

Fancy learning the techniques to massage your own horse?

Comment Massage below and we’ll send you the details to get started!

⚠️ Is your horse compensating through the shoulder? The triceps muscle does far more than just help move the forelimb. It’s a really important muscle for supporting weight and helping the horse push forwards.

So when the shoulder or triceps become tight or restricted, you tend to notice shorter strides, reduced freedom through the shoulder, or simply that your horse doesn’t feel quite as comfortable reaching forwards. It’s crazy how even small restrictions can have a surprisingly huge effect on movement, which is why it’s so important to assess the whole horse rather than just where the symptoms appear.

www.woldsequinemassage.co.uk

Pulling a horse's mane was once considered the traditional way to tidy it, but is now widely recognised as causing unnecessary pain and discomfort?

In a new tutorial video, Tidy Your Horse's Mane the Humane Way, Gillian Higgins shares a kinder, welfare-led approach to achieving a neat, smart mane without pulling.

You'll be guided through the process step-by-step, learning simple techniques that are more comfortable for your horse while still achieving a professional-looking finish.

👇 Comment "Mane" below and we'll send you the link to watch the tutorial in full.

Due to one of my lovely clients moving. I have space for once a month massage on a Saturday late morning. Please pm to book.

DOUBLE WEBINAR WEEK

**THURSDAY EVENING AND SUNDAY MORNING **

Equine Rehabilitation: Science, Challenges and Practical Guidelines

with Solange Michèle Schrijer

Thursday 12 February 2026 @ 19:00 HRS GMT

TO BOOK https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/equine-rehabilitation-science-challenges-and-practical-guidelines-tickets-1977772763576?aff=oddtdtcreator&_gl=1*1fsdz30*_up*MQ..*_ga*MzEzNTUyMTQzLjE3NjYzOTIwMjE.*_ga_TQVES5V6SH*czE3NjYzOTIwMjEkbzEkZzAkdDE3NjYzOTIwMjEkajYwJGwwJGgw

*************

Rehabilitation of Equine Back Pain: A Physiotherapeutic Approach Focussing on Neuromotor Control

with Dr Lesley Goff

Sunday 15th February 2026 @ 10:00 HRS GMT

TO BOOK https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/equine-back-pain-physiotherapeutic-approach-using-neuromotor-control-tickets-1981800421409?aff=oddtdtcreator&_gl=1%2A1wh6hfh%2A_up%2AMQ..%2A_ga%2AMjExNTQzNDk5MC4xNzY5NTQ1OTQ0%2A_ga_TQVES5V6SH%2AczE3Njk1NDU5NDQkbzEkZzAkdDE3Njk1NDU5NDQkajYwJGwwJGgw

Wishing everyone a very happy horsey
New year 🎉