Equine Therapy Sessions
Investment - Initial Session: $120.00 plus travel fees if applicable
Investment - Follow-up/Routine Session: $100.00
How long does a session last?
This very much depends on your horse. As all sessions are consent-based (which can change within a session or certain mobilizations), great attention is given to how long the horse has benefit and remains in a capacity to receive.
Initial sessions include whole body and gait assessments, as well as a detailed overview of your horses history, diet, exercise program, husbandry practices, as well as your ideas and goals for the partnership.
Please allow 1.5-2 hrs for initial sessions.
You will be sent an intake form prior to the session so you can share all relevant information with me up front.
Follow-up or routine sessions are usually around 60 min.
What are the benefits of bodywork?
Due to their prey animal nature, horses are excellent at compensating discomfort elsewhere within their body. Therefore often a definitive issue such as lameness only shows up once they run out of compensation options. The great benefit of bodywork is that it is an excellent tool for preventative care. Compensation or the indicator of it can be detected early. Structures that are misaligned, under- or overdeveloped can be noted and a plan put in place to properly develop these structures. Often, subtle information such as breathing rate and capacity, sensitivity around the ears or nose, resistance when picking up a specific limb etc. indicates an area of restriction.
Especially cranial-sacral techniques also wonderfully improve fluid flow within the body. With adequate fluid flow, we can ensure that all tissues and structures can be nourished to the extent that is required for healthy function.
Benefits of bodywork include some of the following:
Unwinding deep layers of physical and emotional tension
Restoring and improving fluid flow and circulation
Supporting emotional resilience and reducing anxiety
Improved posture and biomechanics
Reduced strain on muscles, fascia, tendons, and ligaments
Improved range of motion and mobility
Preventative care and reduced risk of injury
What modalities do you use in your sessions?
My approach is holistic and therapeutic, utilizing gentle and non-invasive methods of assessment and mobilization. Cranial-sacral techniques, fascial release, stresspoint release, massage, osteopathic mobilization techniques, proprioceptive tools and kinesiology taping are some of the modalities used within a session.
How do I best prepare my horse for bodywork?
It is best if your horse is dry to work on them effectively. If your horse is on set feeding times, it is best to schedule the sessions when they just had a meal. Hungry horses usually do not have a great attention span. Alternatively, you can offer a snack (a flake of hay) prior to the session.
What other considerations should I take into account?
It is best to have a place to work in that is quiet and where your horse feels comfortable. Environment plays a vital role for them. It is beneficial to work in an area where the horse can move around if they feel they have to. It is also important to not schedule sessions around feeding times.
I generally do not work on horses in cross-ties and I prefer if the horse is not tied at all during the session. For one, this provides me with the best option for behavioral feedback and in turn, the horse feels seen and heard. It also allows the horse to drop into the relaxation of the bodywork (e.g. dropping their head and relaxing their topline), which is crucial for the overall effect of the work.
I would encourage to schedule sessions with the possibility for the horse to not be in hard work the next day. The nervous and musculoskeletal system are integrating changes that occured during (and after) the session.
I often provide the owner with homecare exercises to further integrate the changes that were facilitated in the horse’s body. To allow maximum benefit of the bodywork, it is recommended that you have the capacity to include these exercises in your routine.
