Whole Horse | A call for collaboration to support horses with Dr. Rachel Heart Bellini
The Whole Horse Podcast with Alexa Linton
Release Date: 03/03/2024
WH136 | Contact nutrition for the horse-human relationship with Carmen Spagnola
The Whole Horse Podcast with Alexa Linton
As we continue this season's mentorship series, this conversation with one of my current mentors was as potent as I had imagined. Carmen Spagnola has been a support, guide, teacher and esteemed colleague for over 12 years, and I have benefitted greatly from her depth of presence, attunement, clarity and nuance. She has spent time with my mares Diva and Raven, and has recently, and excitingly, become the steward of two geldings. Her love and care for horses (and humans) spills forth in this conversation and in her many offerings. In this conversation, we unpacked the concept of attachment...
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WH135 | What flowers have taught me about horses and healing with Sabina Pettitt of Pacific Essences
The Whole Horse Podcast with Alexa Linton
Welcome to the first of my mentorship series. where I have conversations with some of my most important mentors, allowing you to access some of the goodness and wisdom that I was so supported by on my journey. The first in this series is my teacher and friend Sabina Pettitt, who is the founder of Pacific Essences, a company here on the west coast of Vancouver Island that makes vibrational remedies. Many of us have heard of Rescue Remedy, which is the most commonly used flower remedy, but have perhaps not looked too much further into what it is and how it works. If you are curious about what a...
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WH134 | A whole horse perspective on veterinary care with Dr. Tomas Teskey
The Whole Horse Podcast with Alexa Linton
This conversation with Dr. Tomas Teskey blew my mind in the best possible way, as he shared about what veterinary care looks like for him (and truly, what I would love to see much more of) - as he puts it, examining every square inch of a horse and what's impacting their health, including hooves, teeth, environment, feed, supplements and more. Tomas opens up about what a typical day looks like for him, why he started to focus on hoof care many years ago, and how shifting the environment has started to be one of the most important aspects of his care plan. Listen in to find out what simple...
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WH133 | Sacred contracts with horses and how to recognize them with Brittany Ashworth
The Whole Horse Podcast with Alexa Linton
Season 8 of the Whole Horse podcast is here! To start us off right, I chatted with my friend and colleague Brittany Ashworth of Sacred Echos and we headed right into some wild and wonderful territory. Rewinding back almost 12 years, Brittany shared about how she met her horse Duke, after never being a horse person, and how his presence and his story changed her path in a potent way. We reflected on their powerful and immediate connection starting her in the direction of her life's work, animal communication. Throughout our chat, Brittany shares in depth about the fascinating topic of soul...
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WH132 | Understanding equine postural mechanisms with Dr. Karen Gellman
The Whole Horse Podcast with Alexa Linton
In this episode, marking the end of season seven of the podcast, I spoke with Dr. Karen Gellman. What an incredible journey she has been on, culminating in her dedicating her life and veterinary practice to the study of equine health as it relates specifically to postural mechanisms, as well as sharing this body of knowledge with others. During our conversation she shares some of the keys to supports horses to live well in gravity, how to support your horse to be healthier and happier through simple changes to their inner and outer environments, what postural rehabiliation is all...
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WH131 | Shifting how we think about breathing with Holly Barnett
The Whole Horse Podcast with Alexa Linton
In this episode with Holly Barnett, I learned all about the new style of breathwork she created called InteroBreath, which is a way of working with the breath that focusses on our sixth sense, interoception. Holly walks us through the definition of this breathing practice, including what interoception is, how she developed it, why it's so powerful for our health and well-being, and the impact practicing it can have on our horses' well-being! We also discussed Holly's top not-so-secret secrets as a bodyworker and saddle fitter of over 20 years' experience, and what she's noticed as...
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WH130 | Horses as muses, teachers, and guides with artist Kim McElroy
The Whole Horse Podcast with Alexa Linton
As we wrap up season 7, I was honoured to sit down for a conversation with the artist Kim McElroy. As you'll hear in this episode, I met Kim in 2007 through a series of synchronistic events, and was struck by her presence even then. I then had the opportunity to be inspired by her art as I regularly pulled cards from the Way of the Horse, her collaborative deck with Linda Kohanov. In this episode, timed for the release of her newest collaboration with one of my mentors Sandra Wallin, the Council of Horses Oracle deck, you'll learn about the almost 20 year journey from first inspiration...
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WH129 | Unmasking sensitivity to be better (horse) people with Lori Halliday
The Whole Horse Podcast with Alexa Linton
This conversation with the wise and wonderful Lori Halliday certainly touched into some tender places! Lori offered her perspective on the fall from grace of a notable rider this past summer, which led us into a powerful discussion on the personal responsibility we all hold to be accountable for our history and allow it to inform our present-day actions. She shined a light on how trusting our intuition and exposing our sensitivities is how we get the good work done, while being mindful to remember the importance of not sacrificing our health in the process. Tune in for another fantastic...
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WH128 | Becoming nervous system navigators with Wired 4 Connection author Lucie Klaassen
The Whole Horse Podcast with Alexa Linton
Today on the podcast, I had Lucie Klaassen back on for the first time since Season 1 (!) and we had a chance to catch up on all the ways her work has evolved since that first conversation. Lucie’s new book, , just came out over the weekend, and I was excited to ask her about how this new body of work came to be. Throughout our conversation, Lucie and I discuss how invaluable it is to practice horsemanship through the lens of the nervous system, and she shares several tips on how to incorporate this important framework into your sessions with your horse. CW: brief mention of...
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WH127 | Speaking the language of horses with Belinda Bolsenbroek
The Whole Horse Podcast with Alexa Linton
In this episode I was joined by classical horse trainer Belinda Bolsenbroek for an amazing conversation about the way she merges scientific study with historical, artful ways of partnering with horses. I had the pleasure of auditing a clinic of Belinda’s awhile ago, and it was great to be able to sit down together to talk about her latest work doing equine dissections and the wealth of knowledge she has accrued over her years of being a rider, trainer and horsewoman. Much of our discussion centred around the many subtle ways in which horses communicate with us, and how by...
info_outlineThis week on the podcast I was joined by holistic veterinarian Dr. Rachel Heart Bellini for her perspective and experience of the scope of vet med and the ways in which she’s supplemented her education over the years in order to be of better service to horses.
We had a really interesting conversation about the gap and, at times, inconsistencies between body workers and veterinarians, and discussed possible solutions for bridging these professions in a way that optimizes care and treatment for our equines.
Whether you’re an equine care provider or a horse owner, this episode will leave you with food for thought on the horse health and wellness industry, and hopefully some new ideas about assessing where to start when it comes to helping the horses in your life feel their best.
Heart Equine is owned by Rachel Heart Bellini DVM CVSMT CVA CVBM. Rachel is a holistic sports medicine veterinarian who uses her broad based education, years of experience and MOST importantly a large NETWORK to provide you with the absolute best whole horse solutions available. Rachel began her career on the racetrack, travelling the country with access to the best horses, trainers and veterinarians in the industry. That was followed up by a lengthy stint doing referral sport horse medicine clinic working for an industry pioneer in imaging and treatment of the cervical spine. She had access to the most up to date conventional diagnostic and treatment resources. After hitting a plateau in what she could offer she embarked on what has now been a fifteen year deep dive into multiple non conventional modalities. She has since acquired certifications in both traditional and balance method veterinary acupuncture and veterinary spinal manipulation therapy. Other certifications and trainings include many advanced manual therapy techniques, applied kinesiology, advanced neurology, human classical homeopathy, spiritual and anthroposophical medicine, postural rehabilitation, multiple ISELP courses and canine rehabilitation. Most recently her interests have turned to training techniques doing multiple clinics with industry leaders like Manolo Mendez, Mark Rashid and Celeste Lazaris. What she brings to her clients is a melding of all things with the goal of treating each partnership where they currently are and providing the guidance, support and therapies for long term health and soundness of our equine athletes.
Follow Rachel on her FB page, Heart Equine, and visit her website to learn more http://heartequine.com