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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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• 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)​

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