Underdog Performance Therapy
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My name is Heather Herring, owner of UD-P Therapy. I first got involved in horses back in 2019 when I met a little cart horse morgan and began barrel racing.
UD-P Therapy
certified BWFA apprentice 1 farrier
certified muscular rehab therapist
working on myofascial and craniosacral certification
offering trimming and shoeing, massage, and red light across a number of breeds and equines I became dedicating to educating and training for the next few years purchasing rescues and even doing some resales. That is, until meeting my main horse. He wasn't just a typical retraining and building calories, he had a severe muscle issue making him unrideable which stemmed from a dental problem. That is how I got introduced to massage therapy, and decided to learn how to do it myself to best help him. My business started from listening to my horse, and now I dedicate my career to listening to every horse. I have continued my education the best I can, dedicating myself to other certifications including my BWFA farrier certification. It is my number 1 priority to improve your horses health, so please PM to schedule.
10/23/2026
Ya'll are keeping me busy and I just have to say THANK YOU š„³
I wasn't keeping track of how many head I was doing per day but this week I noticed how busy I was and decided to count, ive been averaging a minimum of 6 horses per day and maxing out at 10 multiple days this week alone. That's trims only, so excluding bodywork which I've been decently busy on to add to business š«¶
I'm ready for a day off to just enjoy my own horses š« saturday cant come soon enough then back at it with 10 head sunday
Thank you allššš
10/23/2026
10/23/2026
š« BUT FIRSTā¦ HAVE WE ASKED WHY YOUR HORSE IS BLEEDING?
This is where my whole horse approach comes into play.
Just because your horse has been diagnosed as a bleeder doesnāt mean we should stop asking questions.
EIPH is a diagnosis, but that doesnāt mean weāve identified every factor contributing to your horseās respiratory health and performance.
Yes, EIPH can occur because of the tremendous pressures placed on the blood vessels within the lungs during strenuous exercise.
But I also want to know:
š Is there underlying airway inflammation or another respiratory condition?
š Are environmental irritants, dust, or poor ventilation contributing to respiratory problems?
š Is there an upper airway abnormality affecting breathing during exercise?
š Is the horse appropriately conditioned for the workload weāre asking them to perform?
š Are we overlooking another issue contributing to poor performance or delayed recovery?
Not every bleeder will have another condition, and not every contributing factor directly causes EIPH. Thatās why a thorough veterinary evaluation matters.
Because managing the bleeding is important, but understanding the WHOLE horse is just as important.
At Caliente Therapy, Iām not interested in simply putting a Band Aid on a performance problem.
I want to understand what the horseās body is telling us, work alongside the veterinarian, and build a conditioning program that supports the horse as an individual.
Sometimes that means adjusting the workload. Sometimes it means addressing an additional respiratory issue. Sometimes it means taking a closer look at the entire management program.
Donāt stop asking WHY just because you finally have a diagnosis.
Heres one of my personal horses who requires corrective shoes in the hind and consistent bodywork due to NPA in hinds. This meaning low heels.
A few basic things with this (though I eventually want to do a longer discussion on this, possibly this winter)
Is it is more common than you think, I have seen so many NPA horses this year alone, and unfortunately it isnt always a simple barefoot solution.
Typically this is seen as low heels paired with a long toe, delaying breakover. This can put stress on both tendons, ligaments, and even create navicular changes. Horses with consistent SI pain or restriction, or needing SI injections ir serious problems like kissing spine also tend to be NPA in the back. You may also see some remodeling in the hock or stifle inflammation.
If your horse seems to have undiagnosed lameness, or lameness that repeatedly gets diagnosed as "SI sore" or "needs SI injection", or maybe not even direct lameness but acting unruly undersaddle, or struggling to make tight turns at a faster pace, like Johnny kept being diagnosed as, check your hind feet angles. He may not have a proper heel to support his body. Also keep in mind bunny hopping at the canter is a common problem seen with SI soreness or if they feel like they're bucking it could be a bunny hop from SI tension.
One possible solution that has made a big difference for Johnny is consistent massages on a 4 week rotation, cavellettis, and corrective shoeing. A common technique is a steel shoe on both hinds with a 2Ā° wedge pad (or however much buildup your horse needs at the heel). Mustard has a really good packing I highly reccomend but it can get pricey so im currently experimenting with other packing - I highly reccomend one as an extra cushion for the sole.
There are all sorts of articles and pages that explain more about NPA so I reccomend checking them out, I wanna do more research before I delve too much into this on a public platform!
10/21/2026
10/21/2026
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Van Buren Charter Township, MI
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| Monday | 9am - 10pm |
| Tuesday | 9am - 10pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 10pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 10pm |
| Friday | 9am - 10pm |
| Saturday | 9am - 10pm |
| Sunday | 9am - 10pm |
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