Show Notes
Why does your horse stand crooked — and what is it costing him? In this episode, Dr. Karen Gellman, veterinarian and research scientist behind Postural Rehabilitation, explains how neutral posture is the foundation of soundness, and why the most common lamenesses we treat trace back to a horse who simply can’t stand up square.
We cover the three factors driving abnormal compensatory posture — the hooves, the teeth, and the upper cervical spine — and why fixing only one of them means the horse reverts within weeks. Dr. Gellman breaks down how the TMJ is hardwired into postural control, why an untreated overjet or offset jaw changes where a horse loads his feet, and how negative palmar angles crush the navicular bone and cause navicular disease.
We also get into hypermobility and ECVM, why instability presents as anxiety and spookiness, and what “up foot/down foot” really tells you about a horse’s whole body.
If this episode gave you something to look at differently, follow the show wherever you’re listening — it genuinely helps more horse people find it.
For training resources, ride-along lessons, and everything else I’m working on, head to samanthabaer.com