The Vital Horse Podcast

In this episode, I have guest Penny Thorpe, Advanced Applied Equine Podiatrist, with me to talk about hooves and trimming. We answer some questions sent in by listeners about how to recognise and nurture healthy and functional feet, and some general principles we find helpful in guiding decision-making. We had lots more excellent questions submitted than we had time to get to in this episode, so Penny will be back for another episode in future. We are running an in-person workshop on hooves and trimming at my track system rehabilitation yard in West Sussex, UK, on 12th July - learn more here or sign up by emailing [email protected] the host:Dr Lily Wilson is a veterinary surgeon practicing in the UK. She runs a veterinary rehabilitation facility on a track system in West Sussex and has particular interest and expertise in species-appropriate lifestyles, postural improvement, and ethical behaviour modification. She also offers a whole horse review and reset either via a home visit or bringing your horse to her facility, and runs online courses and one-to-one online consult calls.Lily’s passion is helping people and animals to live their best life together by nurturing their all-round wellbeing and unique partnership. She is fascinated by all aspects of wellbeing from how the body functions in health and disease to how we all learn, think and feel, and how all of this is intertwined. She wants to help people on their journeys of discovering how to keep horses’ bodies and minds healthy, comfortable, active and engaged and to explore the integral role of both the horse’s and our emotions in all of this.About the guest:Penny Thorpe AEP has thirteen years experience as an Applied Equine Podiatrist covering the south east of the UK. She has a BA Hons, PGCE, Advanced level DAEP, Level 2 Photonic Red Light Therapy, and animal Reiki Level 2. She is also solo mumma to a 10 and 12 year old, and servant to two cats!Relevant links:Hooves and trimming in-person workshopWhole horse review and resetWhole horse rehab boardingHusbandry for Happiness online course (coming soon)Please do subscribe and share this podcast where you think others also need to hear it.

In this episode, I talk about sleep and rest, and how these affect the body, mind, and emotions. I cover why horses might have reduced sleep and rest amount or quality, and the toll this can take on them. I give you some things to observe in your own horse and their lifestyle to help them to get better sleep and rest.About the host:Dr Lily Wilson is a veterinary surgeon practicing in the UK. She runs a veterinary rehabilitation facility on a track system in West Sussex and has particular interest and expertise in species-appropriate lifestyles, postural improvement, and ethical behaviour modification. She also offers a whole horse review and reset either via a home visit or bringing your horse to her facility, and runs online courses and one-to-one online consult calls.Lily’s passion is helping people and animals to live their best life together by nurturing their all-round wellbeing and unique partnership. She is fascinated by all aspects of wellbeing from how the body functions in health and disease to how we all learn, think and feel, and how all of this is intertwined. She wants to help people on their journeys of discovering how to keep horses’ bodies and minds healthy, comfortable, active and engaged and to explore the integral role of both the horse’s and our emotions in all of this.Relevant links:Attuned Assessment MembershipWhole horse review and resetWhole horse rehab boardingHusbandry for Happiness online course (coming soon)Please do subscribe and share this podcast where you think others also need to hear it.

In this episode, I talk about posture as both an indicator and an influencer of health and wellbeing. I cover which body areas to observe and which body areas have particular influence in governing posture, and how lifestyle and management can affect posture and the physical, mental, and emotional health and wellbeing of our horses.About the host:Dr Lily Wilson is a veterinary surgeon practicing in the UK. She runs a veterinary rehabilitation facility on a track system in West Sussex and has particular interest and expertise in species-appropriate lifestyles, postural improvement, and ethical behaviour modification. She also does home visits for whole horse evaluations and dentistry, and runs online courses, consultations, and coaching calls.Lily’s passion is helping people and animals to live their best life together by nurturing their all-round wellbeing and unique partnership. She is fascinated by all aspects of wellbeing from how the body functions in health and disease to how we all learn, think and feel, and how all of this is intertwined. She wants to help people on their journeys of discovering how to keep horses’ bodies and minds healthy, comfortable, active and engaged and to explore the integral role of both the horse’s and our emotions in all of this.Relevant links:Attuned Assessment online workshopAttuned Assessment in person workshopWhole horse rehab boardingPlease do subscribe and share this podcast where you think others also need to hear it.

In this episode, I talked to Dr Daniella Vansteenkiste of VSK Veterinary Neurology. We looked at neurology, the importance of a thorough and focused physical examination when investigating for possible pain and dysfunction, and at pain physiology in a way that will help you as an owner to get the help your horse needs.About the host:Dr Lily Wilson is a veterinary surgeon practicing in the UK. She runs a veterinary rehabilitation facility on a track system in West Sussex and has particular interest and expertise in species-appropriate lifestyles, postural improvement, and ethical behaviour modification. She also does home visits for whole horse evaluations and dentistry, and runs online courses, consultations, and coaching calls.Lily’s passion is helping people and animals to live their best life together by nurturing their all-round wellbeing and unique partnership. She is fascinated by all aspects of wellbeing from how the body functions in health and disease to how we all learn, think and feel, and how all of this is intertwined. She wants to help people on their journeys of discovering how to keep horses’ bodies and minds healthy, comfortable, active and engaged and to explore the integral role of both the horse’s and our emotions in all of this.About the guest:Dr. Daniella Vansteenkiste is a board-certified veterinary neurologist with a lifelong passion for horses. With a strong international background, she offers expert consultations in equine neurology to support owners, veterinarians, and trainers seeking answers to complex neurological cases. Dr. V earned her veterinary degree from the Royal Veterinary College in London 2014. She then completed a small animal rotating internship at Garden State Veterinary Specialists in New Jersey, followed by a research fellowship at the University of Missouri. She completed her neurology and neurosurgery residency at The Ohio State University, where she also earned a master’s degree. Her thesis focused on cervical spondylomyelopathy (CSM, also known as Wobbler’s Syndrome). Dr. V also completed her neurosurgery certificate and continues to invest time in learning new surgical techniques. Dr. V sees small animal patients at Metropolitan Veterinary Associates, in Norristown, Pennsylvania where she sees a wide array of patients with both medical and neurosurgical problems. She is starting up a consulting service that she tells us more about in the episode itself, called VSK Veterinary Neurology. In her spare time, Dr. V loves to work with her horses Zookie and Sesame. She strives to combine species appropriate care, good horsemanship and performance. At home, Dr. V loves to spend time with her husband and their pets, Victor (dachshund) and Marty (cat). If Dr. V wasn’t focusing all her time on her patients then she would probably open up a sourdough bakery!Relevant links:VSK Veterinary NeurologyAttuned AssessmentWhole horse rehab boardingPlease do subscribe and share this podcast where you think others also need to hear it.

In this episode, I talk with Yasmin Stuart, equine physiotherapist and trauma informed horse trainer, about our approach to horses, both philosophical and practical. We talk about our expectations of our horses and about having both an evidence base and intuition as to what we can ask of them and do for them, and reflect on some important lessons some very special horses have taught both of us. I'm sure you'll enjoy this conversation, and I think we have room for much more!About the host:Dr Lily Wilson is a veterinary surgeon practicing in the UK. She runs a veterinary rehabilitation facility on a track system in West Sussex and has particular interest and expertise in species-appropriate lifestyles, postural improvement, and ethical behaviour modification. She also does home visits for whole horse evaluations and dentistry, and runs online courses, consultations, and coaching calls.Lily’s passion is helping people and animals to live their best life together by nurturing their all-round wellbeing and unique partnership. She is fascinated by all aspects of wellbeing from how the body functions in health and disease to how we all learn, think and feel, and how all of this is intertwined. She wants to help people on their journeys of discovering how to keep horses’ bodies and minds healthy, comfortable, active and engaged and to explore the integral role of both the horse’s and our emotions in all of this.About the guest:Yasmin Stuart is an Equine Physiotherapist & Trauma Informed Horse Trainer who practices in the UK. She combines evidence informed practice with philosophy and intuition to create positive changes in the horse industry by empowering horse guardians to make informed choices for their horse as a unique individual collaborating as an even more unique partnership. Yasmin's approach combines behavioural assessment, manual therapy and movement therapy to support postural restoration and overall horse wellbeing.Relevant links:Yasmin Stuart Equine PhysioYasmin on FacebookYasmin on InstagramAttuned AssessmentWhole horse rehab boardingPlease do subscribe and share this podcast where you think others also need to hear it.

I wanted to spend an episode talking about some very special horses to me, and how they have led me to the work I am doing now. There have been several very significant horses in my life, who have been my teachers, and most importantly my friends. I felt I needed to honour their part in the work that I do now, because it really wouldn’t have happened without them.About the host:Dr Lily Wilson is a veterinary surgeon practicing in the UK. She runs a veterinary rehabilitation facility on a track system in West Sussex and has particular interest and expertise in species-appropriate lifestyles, postural improvement, and ethical behaviour modification. She also does home visits for whole horse evaluations and dentistry, and runs online courses, consultations, and coaching calls.Lily’s passion is helping people and animals to live their best life together by nurturing their all-round wellbeing and unique partnership. She is fascinated by all aspects of wellbeing from how the body functions in health and disease to how we all learn, think and feel, and how all of this is intertwined. She wants to help people on their journeys of discovering how to keep horses’ bodies and minds healthy, comfortable, active and engaged and to explore the integral role of both the horse’s and our emotions in all of this.Relevant links:Attuned AssessmentNeedle shyness online courseWhole horse rehab boardingPlease do subscribe and share this podcast where you think others also need to hear it.

In this episode, I talk about how investigating and addressing healthcare concerns is an opportunity for improving our relationship with our horses. Aspects of husbandry or veterinary procedures that our horses find difficult can be indicators of underlying physical, mental, and emotional factors that will be helpful for us to address. And acknowledging and honouring their signals to us that this is the case builds connection and a more rewarding relationship.About the host:Dr Lily Wilson is a veterinary surgeon practicing in the UK. She runs a veterinary rehabilitation facility on a track system in West Sussex and has particular interest and expertise in species-appropriate lifestyles, postural improvement, and ethical behaviour modification. She also does home visits for whole horse evaluations and dentistry, and runs online courses, consultations, and coaching calls.Lily’s passion is helping people and animals to live their best life together by nurturing their all-round wellbeing and unique partnership. She is fascinated by all aspects of wellbeing from how the body functions in health and disease to how we all learn, think and feel, and how all of this is intertwined. She wants to help people on their journeys of discovering how to keep horses’ bodies and minds healthy, comfortable, active and engaged and to explore the integral role of both the horse’s and our emotions in all of this.Relevant links:Needle shyness online courseNeedle shyness free webinarPlease do subscribe and share this podcast where you think others also need to hear it.

In this episode, I talk about interpreting signs that your horse is showing. Do certain signs lead us to certain interpretations? Sometimes, but more often than not, we need to do a bit more detective work than that. This detective work includes figuring out the underlying processes that makes the signs come about, exploring which parts are relevant when, and checking back in over time to see what is changing. To avoid tunnel vision, it is often helpful to view the investigative or diagnostic process as more of an untangling work in progress than a linear check-box-exercise.About the host:Dr Lily Wilson is a veterinary surgeon practicing in the UK. She runs a veterinary rehabilitation facility on a track system in West Sussex and has particular interest and expertise in species-appropriate lifestyles, postural improvement, and ethical behaviour modification. She also does home visits for whole horse evaluations and dentistry, and runs online courses, consultations, and coaching calls.Lily’s passion is helping people and animals to live their best life together by nurturing their all-round wellbeing and unique partnership. She is fascinated by all aspects of wellbeing from how the body functions in health and disease to how we all learn, think and feel, and how all of this is intertwined. She wants to help people on their journeys of discovering how to keep horses’ bodies and minds healthy, comfortable, active and engaged and to explore the integral role of both the horse’s and our emotions in all of this.Relevant links:Attuned Assessment online workshop - next dates May - June 2025Needle shyness online courseRehabilitation boardingPlease do subscribe and share this podcast where you think others also need to hear it.

In this episode, I talk about coping and thriving. My aim is vitality as opposed to simply health as the absence of disease. In this episode, I talk through my thoughts on horses' ability to cope with the inevitable stressors that are a part of life, and how their capacity for doing this is the key, with building this capacity opening the door to thriving.About the host:Dr Lily Wilson is a veterinary surgeon practicing in the UK. She runs a veterinary rehabilitation facility on a track system in West Sussex and has particular interest and expertise in species-appropriate lifestyles, postural improvement, and ethical behaviour modification. She also does home visits for whole horse evaluations and dentistry, and runs online courses, consultations, and coaching calls.Lily’s passion is helping people and animals to live their best life together by nurturing their all-round wellbeing and unique partnership. She is fascinated by all aspects of wellbeing from how the body functions in health and disease to how we all learn, think and feel, and how all of this is intertwined. She wants to help people on their journeys of discovering how to keep horses’ bodies and minds healthy, comfortable, active and engaged and to explore the integral role of both the horse’s and our emotions in all of this.Relevant links:Attuned Assessment online workshop - next dates May - June 2025Needle shyness online course

In this episode, I talk about what we can learn about our horses by observing signs as diverse as their body and hoof shape, behavioural responses, facial expressions, and movement. We can gather information that can help us answer questions about their underlying health, any pain, how they sense and learn, and what they need.About the host:Dr Lily Wilson is a veterinary surgeon practicing in the UK. She runs a veterinary rehabilitation facility on a track system in West Sussex and has particular interest and expertise in species-appropriate lifestyles, postural improvement, and ethical behaviour modification. She also does home visits for whole horse evaluations and dentistry, and runs online courses, consultations, and coaching calls.Lily’s passion is helping people and animals to live their best life together by nurturing their all-round wellbeing and unique partnership. She is fascinated by all aspects of wellbeing from how the body functions in health and disease to how we all learn, think and feel, and how all of this is intertwined. She wants to help people on their journeys of discovering how to keep horses’ bodies and minds healthy, comfortable, active and engaged and to explore the integral role of both the horse’s and our emotions in all of this.Relevant links:Attuned Assessment online workshop - next dates February - March 2025Online consultationsRehabilitation boarding service

In this episode I am joined by Sarah Schlote, psychotherapist, counsellor, and Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner with extensive training and experience in a number of trauma treatment approaches. We talk about attunement in relationship, and trauma as applied to veterinary and husbandry procedures in horses, and what we can do to both help minimise this and recover from it.

In this episode, I discuss the question “Have we really ruled out pain?” when it comes to the veterinary investigation of behaviours like bucking under sadlle, girthiness, or other signs that there might be an underlying health problem, pain or discomfort. Quite often we are left unsure as to how far we have answered this question - we might find obvious reasons for the behaviour and treat them but be unsure whether we have successfully resolved them or the pain associated with them, or we might not find obvious reasons and be left scratching our head as to why the behaviour is happening. This is a common reason for people to approach me for online consultations, in-person visits, or my rehabilitation boarding service.

In this episode, I am joined by Peggy Hogan and Anat Shalev, from whom I have learned so much about ethical and effective training. They are both pioneers in the field of cooperative care, where you can train horses for medical and husbandry procedures, and they employ the use of choice and control on the part of the horse to create amazing wholehearted behaviour offerings from horses.

In this episode, I explain my approach to helping needle shy horses ethically, yet effectively. The basis of this is two-fold - address the underlying causes for the individual horse's needle shyness, and teach cooperative care behaviours that allow for two-way communication, giving the horse choice and a voice in the process.

In this episode, I am joined by Karen Rohlf of Dressage Naturally to talk about the interconnectedness of horse health and happiness and the role our relationship with them also plays in this. We discuss the three pillars and four deep roots of my approach, which Karen helped me to identify, and definitely practices herself.

In this episode, I explain why I named this The Vital Horse Podcast and my business Nurturing Nature Equine. I outline and explain the three pillars and four deep roots of my approach. The three pillars I call Attuned Assessment, Wholehearted Decision-Making, and Compassionate Implementation. The four deep roots are Husbandry for Happiness, Movement Medicine, Cultivating Comfort, and Communication, Compassion, and Consent.