Why Equine Bodywork?
Massage and bodywork promotes strength, agility and release of physical trauma in your horse. Massage frees the skeleton from the constriction of the muscles. This facilitates a full range of motion and flexibility.
For optimal health, muscles need to be fluid, not fixed
Massage and bodywork also promotes trust, confidence and release of emotional trauma in your horse. The thinking mind directs the whole show. Adverse emotional circumstances can lead to unyielding physical manifestations. Massage breaks up these “stuck” sensory and mental patterns, allowing the body to return to harmony.
A calm, responsive horse is an emotionally healthy horse
The musculoskeletal system, as the word suggests, is divided into two types of tissue: elastic muscle tissue and rigid skeletal tissue. The horse moves by directing the energy of the elastic tissues (muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments) to the rigid tissues (skeletal bones). This type of muscle is under conscious control and begins from electrical impulses in the brain.
Brain… Muscle…Movement
Movement comes from the energetic power of the muscles. If the muscles are over developed, or under-developed, the skeleton suffers from pressure. Joints become constricted and ligaments compressed, putting tremendous pressure upon the bones. Muscles and bones need to be equal partners in this choreography. Healthy muscle tissue is pliable, strong and flexible. It stabilizes the joints, supports integrated posture and produces heat. Massage encourages muscle tissue to relax which then allows the bones to resynchronize.
Strength…Flexibility…Heightened Performance
In the ridden horse, our extra weight on their backs causes them to move differently than they would normally. Massage helps a horse to better handle this physical stress by integrating muscular support between the spine and abdomen. This coordinated muscular energy is key to the entire riding process. Your horse can learn to harmonize brain/muscles/movement under stressful situations, which leads to higher physical resilience and piqued mental awareness.
Rider…Horse…Symphony
Massage of the muscles plays an important function in keeping our horses happy, healthy and connected to us. The brain, which wires this all together, responds to our touch with receptive curiosity. There is a powerful emotional component in this process. Your horse will, more often than not, be an integral partner in his own healing process. We need only lead the way.