Equine Massage WA

We have had a rare last minute appointment available for tomorrow in the Wandi, Byford, Serpentine area. Please message if you would like Gina to see your horse or dog tomorrow.

Lenny in his first 1.15m at WASJA Winter Championships.

Thank you TinCan Imagery for capturing this memory 📸

Empowered by Equine Massage WA
Proudly representing Off the Track WA

🐴 Only horse people have normalised standing around watching their horse wee and poo… and honestly, sometimes it’s one of the most useful assessments you’ll ever do.

One of the few times we get to see a horse completely uninfluenced by us is during urination. No rider. No rein contact. No saddle. No pressure. Just the horse choosing how it wants to stand.

That makes it a surprisingly valuable opportunity to observe:

✔️ Weight distribution
✔️ Balance and symmetry
✔️ Preferred limb positioning
✔️ Head and neck posture
✔️ Pelvic comfort and stability
✔️ General relaxation

But before everyone panics because their horse always wees with the right hind forward…

🚨 One stance does NOT equal a diagnosis.

Current evidence does not support the idea that a particular urination stance automatically means a specific injury, pathology or lameness.

A horse may consistently:
• Place the right hind forward
• Place the left hind forward
• Stand slightly wider behind
• Lower the head significantly
• Shift weight onto one forelimb

…and be completely comfortable and sound.

What matters far more is:

📌 Consistency
📌 Changes over time
📌 New asymmetries
📌 Reluctance to urinate
📌 Signs of discomfort, tension or instability

The goal isn’t to diagnose your horse from one wee.

The goal is to learn what YOUR horse normally does.

Because when you know their normal, you are much more likely to notice when something changes.

Things worth observing include:

🔍 Which hind limb tends to come forward (if either)
🔍 Whether they consistently stand wide or narrow behind
🔍 Whether they comfortably extend through the pelvis and hindquarters
🔍 Whether they appear stiff or reluctant to adopt their usual stance
🔍 Whether the head and neck remain relaxed
🔍 Whether the stance changes from day to day

Many horses develop habitual patterns and preferred positions that are entirely normal for them. The important question is not:

❌ “Is this stance right or wrong?”

It’s:

✅ “Is this normal for my horse?”

As with all postural observations, look for patterns rather than one-off moments.

If you notice a sudden change in your horse’s normal urination posture, difficulty urinating, signs of pain, repeated asymmetry that is worsening, or any concerns about their comfort, that’s when you should investigate 🔬

Because sometimes the most honest assessment of a horse is the one they’re giving you when they think nobody is watching. 👀🐴💦

Still spots available this Friday afternoon in Gidgegannup

https://square.link/u/xWbugJSl

https://square.link/u/xWbugJSl - Tickets 🎟️

✨ Friday Pole Work Sessions – Limited Spots Available! ✨

Looking for a fun, structured way to improve your horse’s strength, balance and way of going?

We still have a few spots available this Friday at our beautiful arena in Mount Helena. Enjoy a relaxed training environment, excellent footing, easy parking, and our fully lit arena for evening sessions.

🐴 3:00 pm – Groundwork to Saddle (3 spots available)
🐴 5:00 pm – Walk & Trot Pole Work (2 spots available)
🐴 6:00 pm – Trot & Canter Pole Work (3 spots available)

Each session is designed to improve posture, core strength, coordination, balance, straightness and overall athletic development. Exercises are tailored to suit individual horses while working within a supportive small-group environment.

Whether you’re bringing a young horse, a horse returning to work, a rehabilitation case, or you’re looking to further develop strength and performance, there’s a session to suit.

📍 99 Reen Road, Gidgegannup
💡 Under lights
🚗 Easy parking
📅 Book via the link and make sure you select the correct session.

Spots are limited and often fill quickly, so grab your place before they’re gone!

“Rupert saying what we’re all thinking before coffee.”☕️

Pole grid set up ready for tomorrow’s sessions 👌

One of our biggest focuses at the moment is straightness and precision — not just for performance, but for long-term biomechanical health and muscular development.

When horses travel crooked, drift through shoulders or hips, or lose balance in transitions, they overload certain muscle groups while underusing others. Over time, this can contribute to asymmetry, compensation patterns, reduced power production and inefficient movement mechanics.

This grid is designed for both the walk/trot horses and the walk/trot/canter horses, with exercises focusing on:

• Straightness and alignment
• Quality transitions
• Hind-end engagement and power
• Thoracic sling stability
• Rhythm and coordination
• Proprioception and body awareness

Pole work is one of the best ways to encourage horses to slow down, think about where their body is in space, and develop strength correctly — especially when accuracy and technique are prioritised over speed.

Sometimes the simple exercises done well are the ones that create the biggest long-term changes 💪🐴

✨ Fun Friday Fact: We Always Knew Horses Were Expensive… But Now Some Horses Are Literally Being Treated With Gold. ✨

🐴💰 Just when you thought joint injections, saddle fitting, and endless vet bills were the pinnacle of equestrian extravagance…

Researchers and veterinarians in countries including Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France, and South Africa are now using GOLDIC® (Gold-Induced Cytokine Therapy) as an emerging treatment for osteoarthritis and joint-related lameness.

Yes. Real gold.

Not gold-plated tack.
Not a metaphor.
Actual gold particles are used to stimulate anti-inflammatory and regenerative proteins that are then injected into the horse’s affected joint.

🔬 How It Works

A sample of the horse’s blood is incubated in specialized tubes containing hydrophilic gold particles. This stimulates the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors. The resulting conditioned serum is injected back into the joint to help reduce inflammation and support cartilage health.

📊 What the Research Shows

* In an early equine study of 37 horses, researchers reported significant reductions in lameness, joint swelling, and effusion after treatment with GOLDIC®.
* A prospective comparative study found GOLDIC® produced better short- and long-term outcomes than traditional corticosteroid plus hyaluronic acid injections in some horses with arthrogenic lameness.
* Human studies in knee and hip osteoarthritis have also shown improvements lasting up to two years, supporting the biological rationale for this approach.

🌍 Where Is It Being Used?

Currently, the most established veterinary use is in:
🇩🇪 Germany
🇨🇭 Switzerland
🇦🇹 Austria
🇮🇹 Italy
🇫🇷 France
🇿🇦 South Africa

It is not yet widely available in Australia.

💸 The Real Take-Home Message

If anyone asks how much horse owners love their horses, the answer is simple:

“Enough that veterinary medicine has reached the point where we are literally treating them with gold.”

And somehow… we still call this a hobby. 😂🐴✨

⸻

📚 References

* Loving NS. “Injectable Gold: A Potential New Treatment for Equine Osteoarthritis?” EquiManagement, 24 February 2025.
* Schneider U, Veith G. “First Results on the Outcome of Gold-Induced, Autologous-Conditioned Serum (GOLDIC®) in the Treatment of Different Lameness-Associated Equine Diseases.” Journal of Veterinary Science & Technology.
* Fürst A, Veith G, Eisenreich J. “A Prospective Comparison of the GOLDIC® Technique and Corticosteroid Plus Hyaluronic Acid Injections for Arthrogenic Lameness in Horses.” Pferdeheilkunde. 2020;36:196–204.