Place Your Bets Equine - Equine Osteopathy

I don’t normally schedule like this but due to large number of messages and requests I am going to throw this date out.

I will be in Ponoka tomorrow afternoon and willing to see 2-3 horses. Please comment or message me.

EPM is becoming more common in Canada. Migration of pest species, movement of horses across borders and an integrated Equine Industry.

Special Feature | Update: EPM in Horses Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) can cause devastating neurologic illness in horses. Here’s what veterinarians know about how to diagnose, treat, and prevent EPM, and where the research is headed.

🌾 A LOT of rain this growing season — here’s what it means for your hay 🐴
Heavy rain while a crop is growing doesn’t just slow down baling — it changes the hay itself:
✅ Faster growth = faster maturity, which means more stem, less leaf, and more fibre by the time it’s cut
✅ All that extra water can dilute protein and minerals right in the plant
✅ Prolonged wet conditions raise the risk of mould and, in some cases, elevated nitrates
The result? Hay that looks and smells fine can still test lower in protein and energy than usual this year.

The only way to actually know what you’re feeding is a forage test. Let’s plan your Equine Diet and Nutrient Balancing program built around your hay’s real numbers, not assumptions, so your horse’s ration actually matches what’s in the bale.

Schedule update
August 12 Stettler and area

August 15 or 16 ElkPoint / Vermilion area

Aug 24- Lloyd area. Booked. Second day in works.

Please note ideally I would like to see you 7-12 days prior to bigger events like ABRA. I also entered the ABRA so will be unavailable.

I am booked for remainder of July…. what’s let of it. I am away Aug 3-8 see my Solstice Curations page for that exciting news!

Open books for August. Let’s get you booked in pre-ABRA Finals.

Locations
Stettler
Elk Point Vermilion Lloyd
Sherwood Park
Edmonton West
A BC trip is in works! Tell your friend! 😉

Please book to ensure my availability. Message or comment!

🌱 This Year's Rain = Less Fiber in Your Horse's Grass (Yes, Really) 🐴

We've had a wet season here in Alberta, and while the pastures look lush and green, there's something important happening beneath the surface that most horse owners don't realize: Wet grass often has LESS fiber, not more!

Research on forage growth shows that excess moisture actually stunts plant development, leading to lower fiber and lignin content compared to grass grown in normal conditions. Wet-grown grass tends to stay in a young, leafy stage rather than maturing into the stemmy, fibrous growth horses need for healthy gut function.

On top of that, there's a dilution effect. Very wet grass is mostly water — so your horse can eat a full belly of pasture and still be getting less actual dry matter and nutrient density per bite than they would in a normal year.

Why this matters for your horse:
🔹 Fiber is essential for hindgut health and keeping the digestive system moving properly
🔹 Low-fiber, high-moisture pasture can leave gaps in your horse's diet, even if they're grazing "all day"
🔹 Rainfall also shifts mineral balance in forage (nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium) — meaning your horse's overall ration may need adjusting this year, not just their turnout time

The takeaway: A lush-looking pasture this year doesn't automatically mean a well-balanced one. This is exactly the kind of seasonal shift that's easy to miss without a closer look at what your horse is actually getting nutritionally.

Let's talk nutrition. 🐎 If you're not sure whether this year's wet pastures are leaving gaps in your horse's fiber or mineral intake, I'd love to help you figure out what's actually in their diet and how to keep it balanced — season to season, pasture to pasture.

📩 Send me a message to get started.

July Schedule Update

July 21- Vermilion/Kitscoty and can include Wainwright

July 29-30 Edson and area - booked l

Please note I will be away Aug 4-8

Not all Osteopathy is the same. At the Vluggen we studied the European method a comprehensive visceral method.

𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐎𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞
𝑼𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝑼.𝑺. 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑬𝒖𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝑶𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒄 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝑬𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆

For horse owners and professionals, understanding this distinction is essential. When it comes to equine osteopathy, not all practitioners are trained equally. That difference can directly impact outcomes.

The word osteopathy is widely used across both human and equine professions --- but it is far from universally defined, and it is certainly not universally taught. Behind this shared terminology lies a profound difference in education, philosophy, and clinical depth.

True osteopathy is far more than a collection of techniques. It demands an in-depth understanding of anatomy and physiology, and of the intricate relationships between all systems of the body --- even down to the cellular level.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞
Osteopathy in the United States evolved alongside conventional medicine. As it integrated into the modern healthcare system, much of its original depth, intent and distinctiveness was reduced..

In the equine field, U.S.-based programs adopted a therapy-based model. These programs often focus on:
• Learning specific hands-on techniques
• Addressing areas of tension or restriction
• Improving movement and comfort in localized regions

While valuable, this type of training is shorter in duration and narrower in scope. The emphasis is often on what to treat, rather than fully understanding why the dysfunction exists.

𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲: 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞-𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡
A European-trained osteopath completes a minimum of 4.5 to 5 years of education.

This training includes but not limited to:
• Comprehensive anatomy and of all body systems
• Advanced physiology and biomechanics
• Neurology and fluid dynamics
• Embryology and tissue development
• Highly refined palpation skills
• Full body assessment determining compensatory and decompensatory patterns across all body systems

Rather than focusing on isolated issues, understanding the body as a dynamic, interconnected system --- and to identify the primary cause of dysfunction. The question we ask is: 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆? This question changes everything. Because the site of pain or stiffness is often not the origin of the problem. A restriction in the back, for example, may be the result of:
• Visceral tension
• Neurological imbalance
• Compensation from a distant structural issue
• Long-standing adaptive patterns within the body

Without identifying and addressing the cause, treatment remains incomplete.

Put simply:
• Therapy treats the effect/ symptom
• Osteopathy seeks and treats the cause

At Infinity Equine, we practice European Equine Visceral Osteopathy --- an incredibly comprehensive approach to understanding the horse as a whole. We carry that perspective beyond the body into dentistry, podiatry, and even how we ride and train, so everything works together in support of the horse.

Many horse owners focus on what their horse might be lacking, but too much of a good thing can be just as harmful as too little.

⭐ Selenium has one of the narrowest safety margins of any equine mineral. If your hay or region is already selenium-rich, adding more can quickly lead to toxicity.

⭐ Vitamins A and D are fat-soluble, meaning they’re stored in the body rather than excreted. Chronic over-supplementation can gradually build to toxic levels. Excessive vitamin E may also interfere with vitamin A absorption.

⭐ Calcium and phosphorus must be balanced. The ratio between them is just as important as the individual amounts, as an imbalance can contribute to skeletal problems.

⭐ The most common cause of over-supplementation is stacking multiple supplements without reviewing the complete vitamin and mineral profile of each product.

⭐ A hay analysis is the best place to start. It’s the only way to know what nutrients your horse is already receiving before adding supplements.

Before building a supplementation program, know your hay, your water, and your region’s baseline mineral levels. A balanced diet is built on information—not guesswork.

Have you ever had your hay or water analyzed? Let me know in the comments! 👇