Equine Massage Therapy

• Head tossing
• Crookedness under saddle
• Girthiness
• Unexplained lameness
• Bunny hopping at the canter
• Not tracking up
• Stiffer to one side
• Trouble with leads
• Spookines
• Uneven strides
• Hock and stifle problems
• Wobbly hocks
• Tail wringing
• Grumpiness
• Stall walking
• Tail rubbing

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Fees:
Massage – $100.00
Structure Alignment – $140.00

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What is Equine Sports Massage?

This technique was developed many years ago by a man called Jack Maegher – who is known as the father of Sports Medicine in the US. He was a physiotherapist that worked on NFL players and many major athletes, and he developed a technique called Sports Massage which was meant to be therapeutic, not just relaxing, and was aimed at breaking down scar tissue to reduce pain and aid in blood flow and nerve release. It is very intense but also very effective.  There are a few techniques involved:

Cross- Fibre friction:   

– Rubbing of the muscle across the fibres to detach scar tissue and free up blood flow and also help trapped nerves and impingement.

Deep muscle manipulation: 

 – Use of heavy pressure to release spasms.

               

Equine Rehabilitation:

Rehabilitation of an injured horse includes many factors – emotional, physical and mental stress relief.

Horses that have been injured are very often depressed, and they also do not trust their body to move normally. Many times the compensation becomes worse than the original injury, as in humans we put our weight somewhere else and change our movement to adapt to pain. Horses do the exact same thing, and for an animal whose only defence is speed, this is a very scary thing indeed.

Sending a horse to me as a rehab project involves a few things:

• A current vet report – I need to know that all bases have been covered, and that there is not an underlying issue, like OCD, fractures, bone chips, navicular, ringbone etc., as these conditions in the past worked alongside Dr. Nick Kleider and Dr. Ray Wise as attending vets, and I have also had a case sent to me from Pullman in Washington.
  
  
• Physical Evaluation – After the vet work has been done, I will also evaluate the horse’s current condition, do a movement analysis and check out the musculature to see what is going on – are there any tears, lesions, scar tissue, tendon or ligament injuries that I can feel from the surface. A written evaluation is given at this point and the client and I will have a discussion about the planned course of action including, body work, exercise, diet and nutritional support, custom herbs and barefoot trimming.

• Barefoot trimming – Most horses in rehab can have the shoes pulled so the feet can allow changes to happen and undergo the most changes to become healthier when there is no shoe to restrict the balance and angles if they need adjusting.  The feet and hoof balance is a very important part of the recovery process, as it affects the entire structure of the horse, and it can make them lame, pull tendons and create muscle imbalances if the feet are not balanced. The changes I have seen in horse’s movement with correct trimming over the years has been nothing short of miraculous.

• Diet and supplements will be addressed also, as good nutrition is the foundation of health. Minerals are most important especially in healing the body on the cellular Many horses have ulcers and those will also be addressed in the rehab process.  I have used the Pureform Supplements for 20 years and have found them to be very effective in healing and the detox process, especially for post op cases  where the horse has to get rid of pain killers and anesthetics in the system.
  
  
• Special exercises – the fact is that I am the personal trainer for your horse in   terms of therapeutic exercise to restore normal range of movement and correct paces.  Each horse is an individual, and my program comprises of stretches, lunging, work over poles, Classical training that involves the Work in Hand, both with a cavesson and a bridle, and also if needed, Work under Saddle which helps the horse move correctly under the “This riding is specific to the injuries and is not intended as training, but more as a way to get the horse to trust his body again under the weight of the rider, and it is friendly to any discipline, as it focuses on correct movement and articulation of the joints as opposed to what is needed in a show ring.
  
  
• Cost: I currently work out of Hoof N Rail in Chilliwack, BC so the board is paid to the barn, and the rehab is paid directly to The barefoot trimmer, my herbs, supplements and treatments done for Structural Alignment are charged and paid for directly to the professional. My ex husband and I collaborate from time to time on horses together, as we ran Wit’s End Farms Equine Rehab centre on Sumas Mountain in Abbotsford together for 12 years.  I still call him in to do the skeletal work when needed, as he is highly skilled and trustworthy.The cost is dependent on how many times a week I work on the horse, so each program is different and we will discuss all of that in detail in our intake interview.   As a ball park figure, you can expect to spend between $600 to $1000 a month on my services, excluding board and the other extras.

I take photographs and video of the progress, and I also document everything, so when the horse leaves my care, you will receive the file with all the info of the entire I also send you email updates, approximately once a week to keep you updated on the progress.