There are essentially three primary gateways responsible for a healthy horse:
Cervical Plexus, Brachial Plexus, Lumbosacral Plexus
Starting at the head, the Cervical Plexus, then moving to where the neck ties into the shoulders with the Brachial Plexus, and finally where the lumbar and sacral spines meet at the Lumbosacral Plexus.

These three areas not only encompass the spinal cord, but they also are the three key areas of articulation along the axial skeleton. AND, they also are major intersections for the majority of nerves in the body.

Nerve plexuses are complex networks of interwoven nerves in the peripheral nervous system. Nerve plexuses are weblike networks of nerves that are formed from the proximal segments of spinal nerves and function to organize nerve signals. 
 
 Gateway #1- The cervical plexus is a network of ventral branches from the upper cervical spinal nerves that provide sensory and motor innervation to the upper neck, throat, and peri-laryngeal structures. Indications of dysfunction include reactivity in the poll/ear area, chronic TMJ pain, difficulty maintaining collection, reactivity when asked to bend laterally. There are 5 nerves in this gateway:

• Ansa Cervicalus Nerve
• Great Auricular Nerve
• Lesser Occipital Nerve
• Phrenic Nerve
• Transverse cervical nerve

 
Gateway #2- The brachial plexus contains the nerves that supply the motor/sensory nerves to the muscles and associated structures (joints, ligaments, etc.), and skin of the forelimb and hooves. Indications of dysfunction include forelimb weakness, stumbling, reactivity when being girthed, in ability to bring leg forward , short striding, reactivity to touch. There are 15 nerves in this gateway:

• Median Nerve
• Ulnar Nerve
• Dorsal scapular Nerve
• Long thoracic Nerve
• Thoracodorsal Nerve
• Axillary Nerve
• Lateral thoracic Nerve
• Lateral cutaneous Nerve
• Lower subscapular Nerve
• Suprascapular Nerve
• Musculocutaneous Nerve
• Cranial pectoral Nerve
• Radial Nerve
• Medial pectoral Nerve
• Lateral pectoral Nerve

 
Gateway #3- The lumbosacral plexus is the network of nerves that supply communication to the glutes, hamstrings, gaskins, and distal hind limbs. Indicators of dysfunction include toe dragging/scuffing, weak push, difficulty backing straight.
There are 6 nerves in this gateway:

• Femoral Nerve
• Iliohypogastric Nerve
• Ilioinguinal Nerve
• Lateral femoral Nerve
• Obturator Nerve
• Genitofemoral Nerve

 ​It is all about the big picture. With the LISTEN Approach, I provide a Christ-centered approach to holistic equine care so that horses with mystery lameness, chronic pain, and behavioral issues experience healing from the inside out.

 Blessings,
Amy
Peak Performance & Wellness Solutions
A Christ-centered approach to holistic equine care.

In today's world, there seems to be two very extreme ends of the spectrum. Horses are not exempt from this… especially in the wellness arena.
 
So where do I fall on this spectrum of extreme equine beliefs???
I like to consider myself as “Bridging the Gap”. I am a horse owner and competitor myself. I understand and acknowledge that horses in work are athletes. But, I am also an Equine Professional Specializing in Wellness. I understand that there are a lot of horses being asked to do things their bodies cannot do, and so many horses will keep trying until they just cannot any longer.
 
With all bodies, there will always be a degree of discomfort. There will always be a direction or certain movement that is more challenging for certain individuals than others. There will always be asymmetries that exist in the body. Some that are present from birth and some that are acquired from compensation patterns. Does this mean that no horse should be ridden who exhibits any or all of these? Not in my opinion. It means that the horse needs help. It needs support and facilitation of the inherent healing God provides all living beings.
 
This support should include proper nutrition, training, saddle fit, hoof care, dental care, veterinary care, and whole horse bodywork. Does this mean I am an advocate for painful horses being worked? No. There is a difference in pain and discomfort. Pain is an indicator of dysfunction in the body. It is used to protect the body and prevent further injury. Discomfort is an indicator of tension (muscle/fascia), a structural weakness, OR maybe just a challenging day. Horses are sensitive to changes just like we are. Sometimes we wake up and just don’t feel 100%. Sometimes they don’t either. Even something like a weather shift can create stress in the horse’s digestive system and create some discomfort that presents as a subpar ride or performance.
 
So, while I am here “Bridging the Gap”, I will continue to be pro letting the horse have a voice and always defaulting to investigating possible pain first if a horse is performing subpar. At the same time, I will also continue to advocate for growing stronger athletes with healthy and correct bodies that are able to perform as partners for many years to come.
 
It is all about the big picture. With the LISTEN Approach, I provide a Christ-centered approach to holistic equine care so that horses with mystery lameness, chronic pain, and behavioral issues experience healing from the inside out.

 Blessings,
Amy
Peak Performance & Wellness Solutions
A Christ-centered approach to holistic equine care.
 

Electromagnetic Energy Field
Have you ever felt someone walk into a room? You didn't see them but something just felt different. 
Or, maybe you've felt when someone was having a bad day. They hadn't spoken a word yet but you could sense that something was off.
What is it that you’re feeling? It is their Electromagnetic Energy Field. 
​
Your electromagnetic field, or energy field, is the energy that flows through and around your body … this can also be thought of as an aura.
Our heart is the source of this electromagnetic energy field that radiates in concentric circles several feet around our physical bodies. Horses also have this same electromagnetic field.

Amazingly, the energy field of a horse is 5 times stronger than that of a human. This means they can detect shifts in energy much earlier than we can … but you already knew that! 
This is why horses are such amazing healers. They are very in tune with their own bodies, but they are also very aware of the energy fields that are being projected at them. 

This is also why horses are involved in so many types of therapy and recovery programs. They respond to you based on the energy you are projecting…whether or not you realize it. They will mirror your energy.

Ok, I know what you left brain thinkings are processing right now. Is this some woo-woo kind of stuff she is talking about? 
Nope! There is actual science behind it!
In fact, the Heartmath Institute is dedicated to understanding just that. In one study, they set-out to answer those very questions:
Can the electromagnetic field generated by the heart of one individual be detected in physiologically relevant ways in another person, and if so, does it have any discernible biological effects?

The results of these experiments have led us to conclude that the nervous system acts as an antenna, which is tuned to and responds to the magnetic fields produced by the hearts of other individuals. My colleagues and I call this energetic information exchange energetic communication and believe it to be an innate ability that heightens awareness and mediates important aspects of true empathy and sensitivity to others. Furthermore, we have observed that this energetic communication ability can be enhanced, resulting in a much deeper level of nonverbal communication, understanding and connection between people. We also propose that this type of energetic communication between individuals may play a role in therapeutic interactions between clinicians and patients that has the potential to promote the healing process [1]
[1] https://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart/energetic-communication/
While teaching a workshop recently, we were discussing Body Evaluation and learning to identify types of dysfunction in one of the demo horses. The horse could feel us evaluating and judging him. He became anxious and would not stand still. I have experienced this several times with other horses, and I instantly knew what was causing his discomfort. He could feel our judgmental energy and it made him uncomfortable. I asked the class and myself to assure him that he was safe and loved. Immediately, his demeanor changed and he was once again able to stand calmly. 
What you may not realize is that we can send the energy generated at the heart anywhere inside OR outside our body. This energy creation and utilization is the foundation of the LISTEN Approach. 

I am working on an online course called Introduction to Christ-centered, Energy-based Equine Healing as well as an Equine Craniosacral Course called LISTEN Approach Pillar 1: Using Equine Craniosacral Therapy to Unlock Mystery Soundness, Movement, or Behavior Issues. 

To be the first to know updates and launches, please be sure to sign-up for my email list here:
https://listenapproach.myflodesk.com/signup​

 Lucky and Shelley 

Can poor performance be a good thing? In the case of Shelley and her horse Reyefied (Lucky), it was exactly what brought them together. 
Lucky was a seasoned cutting horse competing on the NCHA circuit. Poor performance and mystery lameness pushed Lucky into a situation that would result in him coming home to Shelley. 

When I first met Lucky, he was experiencing chronic pain that resulted in him not performing well in the show arena. Multiple veterinarians and chiropractors had seen him with no real answers on what was causing his lack of performance or solutions that would help.

During his first assessment, I identified that his body had a myriad of compensation patterns to unwind from years of working hard, with dysfunction present in his body. He had extreme reactivity in his SI area, a thoracic torsion present with his left scapula shifted up, his ribcage was stuck to the left, sternum stuck down, extreme reactivity at poll and TMJ, and had limited to no abduction in his shoulders. 
He had been compensating for so long, he had also become shut down emotionally and mentally. 

However, Shelley was a committed owner and was open to helping Lucky in whatever way was necessary, even if it meant trying something new. This included an energy-based modality like my LISTEN Approach Equine Craniosacral Therapy.
Over time, I was able to help Lucky’s body release the dysfunction and tension present, restore his range of motion, and integrate the changes in his nervous system to maintain soundness and comfort. 

As a result, he was more than happy to perform again in the show arena. Even more important, he was once again happy and engaging to be around!
Lucky now has $107,000 in LTE with the NCHA, and he and Shelley were just named 2025 NCHA Red River Circuit $35k Non-Pro Year End Champions.

A huge CONGRATULATIONS to this amazing team! I am so grateful Shelley was committed to helping Lucky. It has truly been a pleasure to be part of their Wellness Team.

To God be the glory!

If you’ve been treating a horse with poor performance or mystery lameness, let this be the permission you’ve been looking for to try something new and look outside the box for answers. 
​
And, if you have questions about my LISTEN Approach Equine Craniosacral Therapy, leave them below. Always happy to help! 

​

News Flash: Negative Plantar Angles result in possibly the most overlooked cause of lameness in horses!
 
Ever had a “mystery” hind end lameness??? Keep reading…
 
Hind Hooves: What parts of the horse’s body are being negatively impacted when the hind hooves aren’t balanced???
 
Let’s recap the front hooves. When front hooves aren’t balanced and the horse is experiencing heel pain, the lameness will usually present in the hoof. Imbalances in the hind hooves are more complicated.
 
A negative plantar angle (front under run heels) will present HIGHER in the horse’s body. Why? Let’s look at the biomechanics of what is happening in the hind end. The front leg is kind of like a swinging pendulum absorbing force. The hind leg is generating force.
 
When the hind foot is lifting off the ground (protraction), it starts with flexion of the hip, stifle, and hock. The hip joint is flexed by the iliopsoas muscle, the stifle is then flexed by the femoral bicep, and the hock flexes from the reciprocal apparatus. When the hind foot is going back towards the ground (retraction), the middle glute muscle contracts and pushes the whole leg backwards. The hamstring muscles are the second start in this phase of movement.
 
The imbalance of the hind hoof causes the hoof to stay on the ground longer. This means that all the muscles we talked about above are working REALLY hard. What happens when the body is working harder than it’s designed to? It tries to find a way to transfer the load somewhere else. Like the Sacroiliac Joint for example (which isn’t actually a joint, but that’s for another time) This is also causing excessive strain on the deep flexor tendon. Excessive strain on the deep flexor tendon can eventually lead to inflammation in the hocks.
All of this leads to the horse developing compensation patterns, which lead to postural changes involving fascia and body mapping, which lead to a very complex lameness presentation. In order to help your horse achieve balance again, it will take time and the right team.
 
What issues might you be experiencing/observing? 

• Lack of willingness to go forward.
• Reluctance to back-up or stop on hind end.
• A change in postural stance when at rest or stopped. Your horse is bringing its hind end underneath themselves.
• Unusual anxiety or behavioral changes.
• Multiple areas of soreness of lameness in the hind end.
• Chronic back pain or tension.
• Kissing spines.

 
Ok, take a breath. I know. That’s a lot. If you believe your horse is experiencing this issue, you are not alone!
 
Where should you start as a horse owner if you’re having some hind end lameness?
 

• Ask your vet to x-ray your horse’s hind feet to evaluate the plantar angle. PLEASE be sure to use the hoof radiograph (x-ray) checklist to ensure the proper views and method is used!

 

• Work with your hoof care professional to come up with a plan to help your horse become balanced.

 

• Find a certified equine body worker who can partner with your vet and farrier to determine the best rehabilitation plan for your horse. If you are in my service area, it would be my pleasure to be part of your wellness team! If not, consider a wellness consultation I offer to point you in the right direction.

 
Blessings,
Amy

Horses are Hard
If you have ever owned a horse, you know that sometimes it seems like there is always “something” going on with your horse. They can go from sound to not, or healthy to not in what seems like overnight. We become so attached to them, and they literally are like a member of the family. We invest a lot of resources into caring for them (time, money, energy, emotions). They help us grow in ways that non-horse people just can’t understand. They shape us into who God intends us to be.
That being said, they do have a predisposition of being easily injured or sick. It is easy to feel down, and it seem like it is always “something”. The truth is, it is always “something” with them. But, that’s horses.

During times of illness or injury, try to find the joy in just spending time with your horse. Sometimes we get so caught up in the responsibilities of horse ownership, that we forget the incredible blessing they are to just BE with them. Remember the incredible awe and wonder you felt about your first horse?!? It’s the small things like hand grazing/hand walking or soaking a hoof that can increase the bond you have with your horse.

If you are going through an it is “something” phase at the moment, I am sorry. Hang in there! We (other horse lovers) feel and see you! You will get through it. Trust that God has it worked out already and find peace in the current moment you are in with your horse.

I was recently supporting clients going through some tough challenges with lameness and hoof problems. One of them looked at me and said, “Horses are hard!” Yes, yes, yes! Horses are hard indeed.

But, thank you Lord allowing them to be part of our lives!
 Blessings,
​Amy