Eagle Ridge Farm

06/22/2026

Everyone whose horse "is just that way" can take a seat for a minute... time to be personally victimized. Your horse may not just be "that way" 🙈
(and they also could be a little spoiled but that's not what we are talking about... looking at you barrel racers... kidding... kinda)

Let's talk about the TMJ (temporomandibular joint). An uncommon injection site? Maybe not as uncommon as you think.

The TMJ is one of the most frequently used joints in the horse's body. Even at rest, horses are using this joint. From chewing hay and grain to carrying a bit under saddle, the TMJ is constantly working, and for some horses, that can mean inflammation, dysfunction, or pain.

The TMJ does not work independently. It is closely connected to the poll, hyoid apparatus, neck, tongue, and surrounding muscles. Because of these connections, discomfort in the TMJ can sometimes appear as a training issue, resistance under saddle, or a performance problem rather than an obvious lameness.

While many horses will never require treatment of the TMJ, others can benefit from therapies such as corticosteroids, regenerative medicine, or synthetic joint support products designed to reduce inflammation and improve joint function.

Signs that may warrant a discussion with your veterinarian include:
• Stiffness, resistance, or pulling against the bit
• Uneven rein contact or resistance on one side
• Difficulty bending or reluctance to flex laterally
• Changes in performance without an obvious lameness
• Excessive yawning before or after exercise or while eating
• Abnormal tongue movement, such as consistently hanging the tongue to one side
• Head tilt during work or while standing at rest
• Clicking or popping while chewing
• Teeth grinding (bruxism)
• Head shaking or sensitivity around the ears, poll, or jaw
• Difficulty chewing, dropping feed, or eating more slowly than normal
• Difficulty accepting the bit despite proper dental care and well-fitting tack
• Muscle asymmetry of the face, poll, or neck
• Favoring one side while chewing or carrying the bit

These signs do not automatically mean your horse has TMJ pain, but they can be worth mentioning to your veterinarian. Horses experiencing discomfort in this area may compensate through the poll, neck, shoulders, or back, creating secondary soreness patterns elsewhere in the body.

Dental health, poll restrictions, cervical discomfort, and even foot balance can influence how the TMJ functions. This is why many horses benefit from a team approach involving your veterinarian, dentist, farrier, chiropractor, and bodywork professionals.

A thorough examination can help determine whether the TMJ is contributing to the issue or if another underlying cause is present. As with many things in performance horses, interrupting the pain can be an important first step while determining why the pain exists in the first place. Finding and addressing the underlying cause, while helping keep the horse comfortable, gives them the best opportunity for long-term success.

Sometimes the horse that won't bend, won't soften, won't accept contact, or suddenly changes their behavior isn't being difficult... they may simply be trying to tell us that something hurts.

06/19/2026

06/19/2026

𝗜𝗧𝗦 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘 ~

06/10/2026

A Message to Prospective Horse Buyers
If you’re out there looking for your next show horse, futurity prospect, or future producer… I want to talk to you for a moment.

Because somewhere out there right now, a small breeder is standing in a quiet barn, brushing a mare they’ve owned for years — a mare they know better than most people know their own family. They know her quirks, her strengths, her heart. They know what she produces. They know what crosses work. They’ve studied her pedigree, her foals, her consistency.
And they’ve bred her with intention — not hype.

• They aren’t corporations.
• They aren’t trainers.
• They aren’t marketing machines.
• They aren’t sitting behind big-name banners and budgets.
• They’re ordinary people.

They are people who walk into a quiet barn long before the sun comes up. People who know every mare by the sound of her breath. People who sit on overturned buckets during foaling season, whispering prayers into the dark. People who hold a newborn foal in their arms and think, “Maybe… maybe this one will be special.”

And then they pour their whole heart into that “maybe.”

They study the crosses. They invest in the mares. They breed to the same top sires as the big barns — sometimes sacrificing more than anyone will ever know to make it happen.

And here’s the truth no one says out loud:
Where do you think the next great producing mares and stallions that become top sires come from? They don’t start in the spotlight. They start in the small barns. They start with the breeders who take the risks, who believe in their mares, who see potential long before the rest of the world catches on. Not every winner produces a winner. Not every “flavor of the year” sire stamps greatness.

But small breeders? They build their programs on heart, on mare power, on generations of quiet knowledge passed down through hands-on work — not hype.
And while the industry chases trends, small breeders keep showing up. They keep raising foals. They keep producing champions — often without ever getting the credit.

I can name 10+ small breeders who have produced World and Congress Champions. Champions born in humble barns. Champions raised by people who never asked for applause — just a fair chance.

So before you write that check …… Before you pay the commissions, the markups, the finder’s fees… Before you assume the “big boys” are the only ones who raise winners…

Look toward the small barns. Look toward the people who do this for love, not for glory. Look toward the breeders who keep this industry alive, one foal at a time.
• Small breeders matter
• Small breeders produce winners
• Small breeders deserve to be seen — and supported.

🖊️ Not mine but I wanted to share!