Heal Your Horse

About Heal Your Horse

Owning, training and working with yours can be a lonely road. In this podcast I share real stories and my years of experience as an animal chiropractor to inspire you to keep asking questions and enjoy and ups and downs of horses. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

nika vorster

Category

kids & family

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

7 Jul 2024

Latest episode

29 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

22 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Sept 2026

   Perimenopause and Horse Riding: Why Does Riding Feel Different? Nika Vorster

   Has riding started to feel different? Perhaps your confidence has changed, you’re exhausted before you get on, or you’ve quietly stopped doing things you used to enjoy. In this episode, I walk through a study of 1,629 female equestrians who shared their experiences of perimenopause and menopause. We look at what riders reported about physical symptoms, confidence, competition and coaching—and where the research has limits. I also share three questions you can use after your next ride: What felt different in my body? What did I change or avoid in my riding? What support would help me stay involved? A change in your riding deserves curiosity, not self-criticism. You and your horse can find a way forward together. The research: Bradley, S. & Mills, C. (2026), Breaking the silence: the unexplored impact of perimenopause and menopause symptoms of female equestrians. https://doi.org/10.1080/20533691.2026.2629210 (https://doi.org/10.1080/20533691.2026.2629210) What, if anything, has changed for you in the saddle? I’d love to hear your experience in the comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   24 Aug 2026

   The Lifetime Horse: Reading Your Horse at Every Stage of Life

   Every stage of a horse's life speaks a different language. In this full recording of The Lifetime Horse, Nika Vorster and Bradley Whale show you how to read the one in front of you, and how to catch the small signs before they become permanent. From birth to the veteran years, a horse's body is always changing, building itself, reaching its peak, then reorganising, and each stage needs something completely different from you. In this live session we walk through all three stages of the horse's biomechanical life and give you practical, everyday ways to read and support your own horse at home. In this webinar you will learn: ✓ Why the developing, mature and veteran horse each process load completely differently ✓ The early warning signs that a horse is carrying more than it can absorb, and how to spot them at home ✓ Why fatigue, not the exercise itself, is what wires problems in for life ✓ Simple, stage-specific changes you can make this week ✓ How to look at your own horse with more confidence and far less second-guessing Chapters 00:00 Welcome and house rules 00:00 Meet your speakers 00:00 What you will learn tonight 00:00 The force chain, how the whole body works as one 00:00 The three stages of a horse's life 00:00 Stage 1, the developing horse (0 to 10) 00:00 Stage 2, the mature horse (10 to 20) 00:00 Stage 3, the veteran horse (20 and over) 00:00 The diagnostic blueprint, early warning signs 00:00 System drift, how a small problem becomes permanent 00:00 Your action plan, three changes to make this week 00:00 Recap and where to go next (Drop your real timestamps in once you've watched it back. Chapters really help watch time and search.) About your presenters Nika Vorster MSc is an equestrian performance and biomechanics specialist with over thirty years working with horses at the highest level, and the founder of The Female Rider Code. Bradley Whale B.Ost is an osteopath, educator, researcher and author with over twenty years across human and equine healthcare, who has worked with Olympic competitors, Formula One personnel and elite athletes. Get the Assessment Toolkit Scan the QR code on screen to get The Lifetime Horse Assessment Toolkit, a simple, do-it-yourself workbook that helps you read your own horse in an afternoon, matched to its stage of life. If this helped you see your horse a little differently, subscribe to The Horse Listener for more, and tell us in the comments which stage your horse is in right now. #TheHorseListener #EquineBiomechanics #HorseHealth #YoungHorse #HorseTraining #HorseWelfare #Dressage #KissingSpines Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   10 Aug 2026

   Aggression Is a Symptom in Horses: What Ella Taught Alex Geudon About Horse Health

   What do you do when your horse is aggressive, clearly in pain and completely normal on paper? In this episode I am joined by equine therapist Alex Geudon, an old friend from my Oxfordshire days, whose whole-horse approach to balance and health began long before her qualifications, growing up in Germany with a grandfather who treated everything with folk medicine and taught her that a symptom is information, not the problem itself. Alex shares the story of Ella, the mare she has known since before she was born, whose slipping stifles, refusal to turn right and escalating aggression were dismissed as young horse quirks until one vet suggested putting her to sleep. X-rays, bloods and a full workup found nothing, her ovaries were removed on the best advice available, and every symptom returned within three months. That heartbreak sent Alex down a path of hindgut microbiome testing, traditional Chinese herbs and years of research that finally gave Ella her life back, and it changed the direction of Alex's own. We talk about why the foal's microbiome is set in the first few months of life and can only be managed after that, what modern feed and imported sport horses mean for the metabolic problems now showing up everywhere, why detoxing the liver first is the wrong way round, what chronic pain does to a horse's nervous system, and the questions every owner should ask before agreeing to remove a mare's ovaries. Alex also shares the story of Jubilee, the starved youngster whose recovery came down to one breakthrough, and why making the nervous system feel safe is where the real healing begins. If you have a horse with mysterious intermittent lameness, unexplained aggression or a diagnosis that never quite fits, this conversation will give you a new set of questions to ask. Connect with Alex Geudon: Facebook: Alex Geudon Equine Therapist https://www.facebook.com/p/Alex-Geudon-Equine-Therapist-61581668819620/ (https://www.facebook.com/p/Alex-Geudon-Equine-Therapist-61581668819620/) Website: https://www.equicircle.co.uk (https://www.equicircle.co.uk) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

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