Empower Equine Therapy, LLC Acuscope Therapy

Check this out!! Ten Acuscope treatments between the pictures!! The fracture in the coffin bones is almost completely healed!!

I’m set up by the warm up arena in Chickasha for the BARREL BASH!! Come see me!! Your horses will thank you!!

Huge THANK YOU to everyone that came and saw me at Hutch this weekend!! It was a great race!!

Next stop Chickasha, OK this weekend!!

I will be set up in Hutch THIS WEEKEND!!! Let me know if you’d like to have your horses worked on!!

I will be in Carthage this weekend!! I will be in town Friday if anyone wants horses worked on before the race starts!! Your horses will thank you!!

Love this!! So much great information!!

The mane lies directly over the top center of the neck where several important stabilizing structures meet.

𝐍𝐔𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐋 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓
Strong elastic connective tissue that supports the head and neck

𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓
Runs along the tops of the vertebrae

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐒
Deep stabilizing muscles alongside the spine

Over time, chronic asymmetrical loading and axial rotation (twisting through the spine) can change muscular development and fascial tension patterns. These mechanical adaptations may secondarily influence how hair lays along the midline. In fact, this is something I see very consistently.

Remember -
Just because it’s common, 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥. This is one of those things.

The mane is giving us clues of what is happening underneath the surface.

Research evaluating equine back motion shows that even clinically sound horses demonstrate measurable asymmetries in thoracolumbar motion (movement through the mid- and lower back) in movement (Faber et al., 2001; Pfau et al., 2017).

The pelvis is the foundation of propulsion. We talked super heavily on this last week in the recent series of the hind end. The two prominent points you feel behind the saddle are the tuber coxae aka the point of the hip… If one sits slightly more forward (cranial) compared to the other, this reflects pelvic rotation.

When pelvic alignment changes…the lumbar spine compensates with subtle rotation to maintain forward motion, the thoracolumbar junction absorbs rotational stress, and the cervical spine counter rotates.

Pelvic rotation ->
Lumbar compensation ->
Thoracic shift ->
Cervical counter rotation

Research does not show that mane splits cause pathology…But fascial adaptation to mechanical stress speaks volumes.

The mane may be reflecting long term dysfunction throughout the body.

This little observation is even more important when we start looking at the whole horse.

One hip (tuber coxae) slightly more forward than the other
Hind limb toe out on one side (external rotation of the limb)
Chronic hamstring soreness
Uneven neck muscling
Running by a barrel
A “snakey” feeling under saddle
Recurrent injections with short term improvement

THESE DETAILS MATTER. 🙌🏻

Your horse may not be lame at the moment. However, dysfunction is present.

𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝
Are the tuber coxae level and symmetrical?
Does one hind limb toe out more?
Is gluteal or hamstring muscle bulk even?
Does the neck musculature look balanced on both sides?
Subtle asymmetries matter in high-performance athletes.

Movement evaluation is where compensation really becomes visible.

𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞.
Does one hip rise higher than the other?

Does one hind leg step more underneath the body than the other?

Toe out or toe in during swing phase?

Reduced push off from one hind limb?

Shortened stride length on one side?

What is the tail doing?
Consistently to one side vs the other? Raise? Soft and neutral?

Ribcage drift (body traveling slightly crooked despite a straight line)

Excessive thoracic swing (ribcage shifting laterally more one direction)

Remember the perfect circle?
Here’s another reason it is such a powerful tool. 😉

Does the horse fall in more one direction?

Does the inside hind limb step deeply under the body one way but not the other?

Is the top line smooth or is the back tight and rigid? Both directions? Just one direction?

Does the head consistently look to the opposite of the circle? Or soft to the inside?

𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞.
I always try to remind owners they are the best judge that something is a little off. Trust your gut!! If something feels funky, trust yourself.

Does your horse turn better one direction?

Struggle picking up one lead? Cross firing?

Drift consistently toward or away from a barrel?

Feel stronger in one direction and weaker the other direction?

Directional consistency often mirrors underlying axial rotation patterns. Once again, trust. your. gut. 🙌🏻

Early recognition of compensation allows for intervention before structural overload progresses to the cycle I’ve mentioned over and over again recently…

Friction -> Heat -> Inflammation -> Pain -> Compensation -> More uneven load
Repeat.

The body whispers before it screams….
The mane splits.
The tuber coxae shifts slightly.
Toe points out.

These are early warning signs.
Read that again…
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬.

Listen closely, because the small details always matter. 💜

#𝙐𝙣𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨

🌷🌺💐Spring has Sprung!!💐🌺🌷
Get your horses feeling their best!!!

March Schedule:
13-15 Carthage, MO
20-22 Hutchinson, KS
27-29 Chickasha, OK

Discussion time!!!!!
🐎 The Equine Vertebrae

AKA: The Architectural Spine of the Horse

Picture your horse’s spine as a suspension bridge made of bone, fascia, nerve highways, and muscular guy-wires. It is not just a stack of bones. It is a dynamic tension system that transfers power from hind end to bit.

Let’s walk it from nose to tail.

⸻

🔹 Cervical Vertebrae C1–C7 (The Neck)

7 vertebrae
• C1 = Atlas
• C2 = Axis
• C3–C7 follow down to the base of the neck

This region governs:
• Head carriage
• Poll flexion
• Airway and swallowing
• Nerve flow to the forelimbs

The atlas and axis are your precision instruments. Tiny restrictions here can ripple into:
• Bracing in the jaw
• One-sided bend resistance
• Shortened stride in front
• Thoracic sling tension

If the hyoid is restricted, the entire front chain can tighten. Breath, jaw, shoulder… all connected like a pulley system.

⸻

🔹 Thoracic Vertebrae T1–T18 (The Withers & Rib Cage)

18 vertebrae
Each one anchors a rib.

This is the “saddle zone.”
It supports:
• Rider weight
• Ribcage lift
• Diaphragm movement
• Topline development

When thoracics get stiff:
• The ribcage drops
• The back hollows
• The hind end disconnects
• The diaphragm braces

This is where kissing spine lives, but more commonly?
It’s subtle rigidity from lack of proper lift and engagement.

Thoracic mobility is the difference between “moving” and truly “carrying.”

⸻

🔹 Lumbar Vertebrae L1–L6 (The Power Transfer Station)

6 vertebrae
No ribs here. Just big stabilizers.

This area:
• Transfers hind-end power forward
• Houses the psoas
• Influences collection
• Controls core stability

When lumbar locks:
• Canter transitions get sticky
• Backing feels resistant
• Glutes overwork
• The diaphragm becomes a stabilizer instead of a breather

Sound familiar? That cough-at-the-start-of-work pattern lives here too.

⸻

🔹 Sacrum (The Fusion Zone)

5 fused vertebrae forming the sacrum.
This locks into the pelvis at the SI joint.

This is your propulsion engine.

If sacral alignment is off:
• One lead becomes harder
• One hind steps shorter
• Gluteal tension increases
• Lumbar compensation begins

The spine is not segments. It is a chain reaction system.

⸻

🔹 Caudal Vertebrae (Tail)

15–21 small vertebrae.

The tail is a tension barometer.

Clamped tail?
Often SI, sacral, or gluteal restriction.

Loose swinging tail?
Usually better pelvic freedom.

⸻

🧠 Here’s the Big Picture

The vertebral column is not about cracking bones.

It is about:
• Load distribution
• Breath mechanics
• Fascial tension
• Neurological communication
• Force transfer

Every vertebra is a conversation between movement and stability.

When one segment over-stabilizes, another over-moves.
That is compensation.

And compensation is predictable.

⸻

If we Hy 5 this 👋✨

The question is not:
“Is the vertebra out?”

The better question is:
“Why is this segment guarding?”

Because the body rarely chooses restriction without a reason.

Want to go deeper into one section? Cervical instability? Thoracic sling connection? SI mechanics?

I’m set up in McCook, NE today!! Come see me if you’d like horses worked on!! They will thank you!!