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Equine Bodywork: Body Balance/Soft Tissue Mobilization

I hold several soft tissue "massage" certifications. These cover a variety of techniques such as swedish massage, myofascial release & gua sha (this uses a stone tool to remove adhesions) as well as stretching (positional release) to reduce tension and increase range of motion. Sports Massage is more of a specific sequence using several techniques to increase blood flow into ischemic tissue, separate muscle fibers and reduce or eliminate adhesions and fibrosis.

Equine Body Balance follows the principles of Orthbionomy, which is slow, "under the radar" and similar to Hanna Somatics, which is another technique I use, both using a number of hand holds and positional limb holds to release tension from areas of the body.

I continue to take further education classes in different techniques and methods and incorporate these into my sessions as required. My way of working is less of a traditional "sports massage protocol" and therefore I tend to refer to myself as a "bodyworker" rather than a traditional Sports Massage Therapist as very rarely do I work through a single protocol and not incorporate several methods into one session! It's more about reading the horse, making them aware of issues so they can help themselves work through a problem, slowly unwinding areas of restriction, tension and pain. Please see my "about us" section for a full list of classes I have taken.

Bodywork is always tailored for your horse, whether they are a performance or pleasure horse, retired horses and those on layup or in rehab. It can be used pre event for performance, post class for recovery and as part of a general maintenance and wellness program. Depending on your horse’s needs, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly sessions might be recommended and often it is beneficial to incorporate other methods, such as red light, pemf and/or acupuncture points (photopuncture or acupressure). If indicated we often kinesiology tape the horse at the end of the session to increase benefits. A lot of the time I will be using massage techniques alongside energy, meridian and cranial sacral techniques to release both physical and emotional restrictions in the horse.

I also offer a shorter session that is available for horses who have never experienced bodywork such as rescues or youngsters that may take a number of shorter sessions to build up to a regular length session.

Some benefits of Equine Massage or "soft tissue mobilization" include:

  • Relaxation & Stress Reduction

  • Increased Flexibility of Soft Tissue

  • Reduction of Edema

  • Enhancement of Waste & Toxin Elimination

  • Maintenance of Good Posture & Body Balance

  • Prevention of Atrophy in Inactive Muscles

  • Improvement in Athletic Performance

  • Loosening & Softening of Scar Tissue

  • Release of Endorphins (pain reduction)​

Integrative Bodywork Solutions for the Performance & Pleasure Horse

Restore Equine LLC

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