Jolien De Rechter - EquiHealth

Jolien De Rechter - EquiHealth Neuromuscular Horse Dentistry

10/04/2026

Grief is a funny little bastard that strikes when you least expect it.

The loss of Appapri has come in waves over the past few months. Waking up crying at night as I sometimes lack the capability to grieve consciously.

Nonetheless I try to keep up the good spirit and think about all he has brought me over the past 5 years. Which brings me back to losing my first horse. My heart horse, Texas. If soulmates exist, he sure was mine. Even after losing him almost 6 years ago I can still feel that fire burning in me, or the comfort he once gave me daily.

Texas was the soul that saved mine. He may have been the horse people were afraid of, as he was obviously bonkers, but he was also exactly the soul that my soul was desperate for.

And after such a heartbreaking loss, being rather sure I will never feel a spark of that love again, Appapri showed me that love is all around. It may have took me years to open up fully but he was patient. He was kind. He was loving. Like a good friend that was always there for you whenever you needed it most.

Sometimes I envy people who would rather put their horse down cause they lost their function, their role, their purpose in our weird human world, while still being able to roam carefree without suffering.

How I wish I had that chance with Texas or Appapri, for them to lose their “function” or “purpose” and still have the privilege to watch them grow old.

May we encounter more Texases who ignite our fire, and more Appapris who show us love is all around.
And may we especially love and take care of our horses, even if they lose their “functional” role in our mad human world.

Ps: hug your horse 1 extra time before leaving the stable, trust me❤️

Little reminder to check your horse’s incisors every now and then.🧐This little buddy has been cribbing for yeaaars. He n...
10/04/2026

Little reminder to check your horse’s incisors every now and then.🧐

This little buddy has been cribbing for yeaaars. He never bit on anything but he did press his lower incisors on anything he could find. Which resulted in damage on these incisors, as you can see in the picture.

A lot of things can happen with incisors. Young horses might have issues with shedding their baby teeth, older horses might develop EOTRH, some horses play a bit too rough and might break off a piece. The options are endless.🫠

It’s not the job of the owner to see EVERYTHING, as we’re all only humans trying our very best. But it also won’t hurt to check the incisors every now and then.

And if your horse really doesn’t like getting his incisors checked, try to make a game out of it with clickering. Or teach them to “smile” and lift their upper lip. This way it takes less contact for the sensitive horses and it stays fun for both of you. It absolutely works wonders!🥰

31/03/2026

“If no one’s coming to save you, no one’s coming to stop you either…”

It’s a quote I keep thinking of lately. You shouldn’t wait for someone to come safe you, or fix your problems or make your dreams come true.

And because no one is coming to safe you, fix your problems or make your dreams come true… no one has the control, power or authority to prevent you from taking action, changing your life or pursuing your goals either.🫶🏻

I have met the absolute best people in the world to help me make my dreams come true of helping horses with dentistry while traveling, but it also would never have happened if I never gave myself the chance of changing my life for the better.

And honestly, how freeing does it sound to know that actually no one is coming to stop you if you decide to pursue your dreams?!🤪

21/03/2026

Today was a big day for Joey, it was sheath cleaning day by Leen Willems!🥳

Joey is with me for almost 4 years now. He’a 90% fine with me but other people are still an issue. I suggested we use sedation cause I didn’t want to make it too hard for Leen or Joey, but Leen wanted to try without and I sure as hell am not disappointed!🥹

I know Joey to be kind and gentle, but also very explosive when it’s all too much or the energy isn’t right. Today he was an absolute champ with Leen. She’s so gentle and soft, and very confident, which Joey thrives on.

He did spook a little and had an opinion sometimes but nothing crazy. This was the calmest I’ve seen him with strangers, ever.😍

So very grateful to find such knowledgeable and soft people to treat my horsies!🫶🏻

The other day I was with a new client who had a traumatized horse. An absolute sweetheart but broken by other people.The...
12/03/2026

The other day I was with a new client who had a traumatized horse. An absolute sweetheart but broken by other people.

The tension and stress were palpable by everyone. The owner told me he couldn’t handle any kind of pressure around his head/halter so that wasn’t making things any easier.

I did my very best to be as calm as possible and to follow his lead but sadly it was too much for him. The weight of the speculum probably felt like pressure already and he lost his s**t. He went from 0 to 1000, just like the owner told me he might.

A lot of people come to me especially because I like to try dentistry without sedation. Due to personal preferences, health issues or whichever reason. And I absolutely love to work without sedation but there are also limits. For your horse and also for me.

We can have horses like little buddy here who really could not deal with this kind of pressure despite his lovely character, and we can also have horses who are not losing their s**t completely but sure are wrecking my body in the process and are high in stress.

I always try to do my very best and give every horse a chance to see if it’s doable without sedation but keep in mind that sedation is not the enemy. It’s a tool to help your horse get through a rough moment, while still handling them as calm and respectful as possible.

But keep in mind that my body also has its limits and I don’t want to wreck it by trying to please people into dentistry without sedation when we can all see it’s damn hard for your horse and me.

It only takes 1 horse to knock me out of the game (or life) and I prefer doing this lovely work for a couple more decades. So please bear with me when I suggest using sedation. I’m not saying your horse is bad or not behaving, I’m just saying it’s easier and calmer for everyone.❤️

Thank you all for understanding🫶🏻

05/03/2026

‼️SEARCHING FOR CASE STUDY HORSES‼️

I keep telling myself I’m gonna stop studying something new but I keep coming back to; meh, maybe next time I’ll stop.
So, here we are, again.😂

For my studies of Equine Health and Nutrition I am looking for 4 different horses. Each of these horses would have to fit the bill for 1 topic.

The topics in question are:
1. Horse with gastric conditions, such as gastric/colonic ulcers (diagnosed or suspected)
2. Horse that needs to lose weight
3. Horse with a metabolic/hormone disorder, such as PPID/EMS/laminitis
4. Change of career horse, such as a high-level competition racehorse that will retire to become a pleasure horse

These case studies contain a lot of questions where details are crucial to provide a proper plan of action for your horse. Do you think your horse fits the description and are you willing to answer all these questions in detail?Send me a brief text via insta or WhatsApp about your horse and his or her issues so I can see if they match one of these topics.

If your horse is the perfect match, we can figure out a date to schedule an appointment.

What you’ll gain? A nutrition plan specifically for your horse as an individual. And of course all for free as this is to gain more experience and improve my knowledge by case studies.

So, bring it on!🤪

Big or small, we do them all!🤪Forever in love with the most gorgeous and kind Shire, Kaatje, from 😍
26/02/2026

Big or small, we do them all!🤪

Forever in love with the most gorgeous and kind Shire, Kaatje, from 😍

I got Sage in November. I knew she was gonna be a work in progress but I didn’t expect to see her feet this bad.🥴To star...
04/02/2026

I got Sage in November. I knew she was gonna be a work in progress but I didn’t expect to see her feet this bad.🥴

To start off, I’m not a professional barefoot trimmer. I did study for it but I don’t see myself as a professional as I don’t have the thousands of hours and horses of practice to call myself a professional. So just keep that in mind. Nothing here is perfect but it sure was a massive improvement for her!

Anyway!
The pictures speak for themselves. Her feet were absolute s**t. There was barely anything functional about it. So can we just admire that gorgeous frog that is finding its way back to functionality and became TWICE as big? Or the thrush that is getting less each month? Or her heels that stay where they have to stay? Or her sole that doesn’t have a 2-3 cm layer on top of it?🥹

Man, this horse is one hell of a beast. To endure this without being lame, doing everything you ask her and more, not a second she would even consider herself a priority. (Not to praise mentally dead horses!👎🏻) All while raising a foal that demands everything of her. Craziness if you ask me.🥲

A project for sure. A lot I can learn from her. And a lot I can do research on to help out more horses. My main focus is obviously teeth, but the body is so intertwined. There is no separating body parts, it’s all connected and affects every little fiber of their being. Physically but also mentally and emotionally. Imagine going through life with chronic pain, you’ll be ready to kick someone in the 🍒 in no time.

Learning every bit of the body, around the teeth, is worth knowing. The things I see in the teeth reflect the issues you can see in their body, and visa versa.

Balancing out teeth and not looking at their feet or their body is basically costing you more in the end. You might need to get the fysio out more often cause the jaw is blocked by dental issues, causing more tension in their topline. Or you might have a jaw pulled to one side due to a high low issue in the feet. Endless options/issues.

It’s all connected. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.🫶🏻

Anyway, I’m just happy. Happy for her. And happy to see her getting her spark back.🥹🥰

02/02/2026

The other day I was talking with someone about a professional that was treating their horse and this professional eventually hit their horse, in a mean/offensive way. The owner was too stunned to speak, let alone take action.

And we would all be lying if we said we never experienced this before. It happens to the best of us and we feel all the shame and guilt afterwards for not standing up for our horse, right?
Jep, good times.🙃

I had the same happening with my first horse, Texas, once. The vet from the stable came over for a blood sample. Texas wasn’t the most pleasant horse to give injections as he was always a bit of an as***le (which is also one of the reasons why I loved him so much🤪). And I admit, I wouldn’t like to do it either!

He wouldn’t rear, bite, kick, runaway,… but he sure knew how to shake his head and neck non stop. So cheers to any vet that wants to try.😅

There were 101 different ways to get the job done, but this particular vet didn’t have a better idea than to kick my horse in the stomach, hard, with a f*cking massive boot. Sure, he stood still. I would be in shock too if someone kicked my in the stomach that hard.

Out of reflex I hit the vet on his shoulder with a proper fist, yelling what the hell his problem is?! Why would you go to vet school to eventually kick horses in the stomach?

I have experienced these kind of brutalities multiple times before, but this was the first time I actually took action. And although it felt suuuper scary, I also felt very proud to finally stand up to such a bully.

Anyway, this is my little post to tell you you can 1000% kick or beat anyone that freaking hurts your horse in a mean way.
And if you’re scared, do it scared. I also cried right after cause I couldn’t deal with all the emotions coming in hot. So if you want to stick up for your horse with shaking legs and tears, go for it! Your horse will be very grateful for you and your actions.

💩F*ck the s**theads that think hurting your horse is normal💩

Side note in comments😅

I have a specific question for you all, as my brain starts farting.🤔What do you think is worse?1. Riding a 3-4yo2. Havin...
15/12/2025

I have a specific question for you all, as my brain starts farting.🤔

What do you think is worse?
1. Riding a 3-4yo
2. Having a 3-4yo, not ridden but very fat/obese

I am a big advocate to wait a bit longer before I ride my young horse (maybe 5-6-7yo). And that is just my personal preference, nothing more.
But I also see a ton of young horses who are fat/obese, not ridden, and I wonder… isn’t that even worse than riding them at a 3-4yo?

I mean kuddos for the people who love to wait and let their horses grow a bit more before riding them, but what about those young fat horses? Carrying all that excess weight 24/7?!

Like I said, it’s just my brain farting, but I am honestly wondering about your opinion. And please, no filter, we could all use honest opinions to be better for our horses!❤️

11/12/2025

Sage and Orea, the ones who were definitely not planned.🫣

Even before I knew about Appapri’s diagnosis I told everyone and myself he was going to be my last horse. It was becoming so busy with work, I wanted to be able to travel the world (without feeling guilty about leaving my horses behind), and I felt just very bad of not spending enough time with my horses in general.

And I listened very well to my own advice: not 1 other horse anymore.
So I didn’t get 1… I got 2!😅

You know, sometimes some things just feels right and the universe is guiding you towards something. I learned that you better just follow that vibe and let it flow, instead of trying to bend it to what you thought you wanted. Cause in the end, the universe (or however you want to call it), is always right!👌🏻

Now of course Sage gets all the time in the world to focus on being a mom, while Orea gets to grow up on her own pace. But eventually the goal is to see how far I can go with Sage on long rides, while keeping it ethical and putting her as the number 1 priority! So adventures await!😍

For now we’re 100% focusing on connection and trust by hand. I’m in no rush to ride her whatsoever. For now I want to make sure her health is on point and her body is trained on the ground, before we go on ridden adventures. And to be honest, I think it’s the absolute best to use this time to build up our teamwork + being a mom is exhausting enough as it is.😂

By next spring we will start our ridden training and at this point is handcrafting us a custom build saddle, specifically for Sage. While also having the ability to shape it to her body as it changes over time. Gold, I know right?!
And the coolest part? It’s going to be a freaking DRAGON SADDLE!🤪🐲

I will keep you guys updated for sure!
Any questions about this duo? Shoot!

I’ll keep you guys updated for sure! Especially on the saddle, which is going to be a freaking DRAGON SADDLE?!🤪 I still can’t believe it!

Adres

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