The focus on the whole horse is a key component for all the horses in my training program. Naturally, shortly after purchasing Mac I started to look for an Osteopath for him. I was introduced to Jessica Martin of JM Equine Osteopathy through a friend at Merry Go Round Farm and was impressed with her intuitiveness and thorough evaluation of each horse.

After Mac’s first treatment I could definitely feel a difference in the mobility of his spine, pelvis and sacrum. The next treatment she was able to do even more resulting in more progress with his back and pelvis. These are key problem areas for horses with a racing history, addressing these problems early will help Mac to reach peak performance.

While interviewing Jessica Martin of JM Equine Osteopathy for this post, I learned that she grew up in a military family with a dad serving in the United States Navy. It was after a transfer to Northern VA that she started riding and leased a horse, after leasing for a few years her parents decided to buy her a horse.

This is where the interview got interesting while questioning her about her first horse that she called Sailor Moon Pie because of his fondness for Moon Pies. I found some similarities to a horse I owned named Sailor Come Back, a Canadian Thoroughbred. Further questioning revealed that her parents had indeed purchased her once-in-a-lifetime horse Sailor Moon Pie from me, for Jessica as a pre-teen. Jessica competed him up to 3rd level dressage, evented through Training, played polo cross, took him to college, and kept him till he passed away in his twenties. Interestingly, Sailor was my first Thoroughbred track retraining project. It was his name, Sailor Come Back that swayed me to purchase him in 2000 and a military transfer in 2002 dictated the need to sell him. As you can imagine this was a walk down memory lane for both of us.

After attending High School Jessica attended Averett University and received a degree in Biology and Biomedical Sciences. She then hoped to attend vet school but unfortunately did not get in. On the recommendation of a veterinarian and long-time mentor, she decided to change her path and attend The Vluggen Institute for equine Osteopathy.

What is Osteopathy? Osteopaths work on the basis that all of the body is connected and parts must be mobile. They assess not only the joints and spine but also the organs. They first address the problems within the body’s organs as they believe this then links to the musculoskeletal system. Osteopathy involves evaluating the motion in the spine and lower limbs in three dimensions. Once restrictions are found, they perform a series of stretches and manual manipulation to correct any issues they find and restore the body to health.

How is this different from Chiropractics? Chiropractors don’t believe you can fix an organ problem by manipulating the muscles. Instead, they focus directly on the bony points of a horse and believe spinal manipulation combined with massage can restore function to the spine and other joints allowing a full range of motion.

Both are valid treatments aimed at making your horse happier, healthier. pain-free and improving performance.

Jessica finished school in 2014 and worked as an equine vet tech while simultaneously building her now thriving business in Virginia and Maryland. Her Co-Pilot and assistant is an English Lab named Joey.

Jessica has a key role as part of Mac’s performance team and will continue to contribute to his long term health and wellness leading up to and beyond the Thoroughbred Makeover.

Look up Jessica Martin on Facebook by searching JM Equine Osteopathy