Equine Muscle Therapy
The horse’s body functions as a unit. The well being of one part depends largely upon the efficiency and well being of another.
This statement is as relevant to dental work and foot trimming as it is to muscle therapy; the one difference being that more often than not the signs of ‘lack’ of well being in the teeth and feet are usually more obvious than within the body.
The practice of Muscle Therapy in its various forms has been around for thousands of years. This ‘hands on’ treatment has been used in many different countries and cultures. Techniques such as Acupressure, Shiatsu, Stress Point Therapy, Equine touch and Myofacial Release Therapy has been used the world over.
Drew first took a more serious look at equine muscle therapy when he was training horses and ponies for riding and carriage driving. Drew co-managed a 14 box stable yard called Rookmore Riding and Carriage Driving School. The business was sponsored by a local company, MTS Ltd. Drew's close friend at the time was Mathew Davies who was a lecturer at the London School of Osteopathy. Drew acquired the information and understanding of the workings of muscles from his helpful friend. Over time he developed his own calming ‘hands on’ treatment which he used on young stock before backing them. Horses were much easier to train if treated first. Some years later in 1998 Drew started studying the findings of Jack Meagher. Jack was working as a sports therapist using 'Stress Point Therapy'. Drew was amazed by the vast spectrum of dysfunctions this type of therapy ‘claimed’ to overcome, he continued to investigate further and initiate the practices on his own horses.
Since this time he has also taken on board some of the aspects of ‘The Tellington touch’ and in the year 2000he attended the course given by Ian Fields, Director of Equine Bowen Therapy. He has had many successes with his use of muscle therapy and believes that the best protection you can have is prevention . Therefore all horses can benefit greatly from a session.
Since 2000 Drew has helped horses and ponies with a wide variety of ailments and illnesses e.g. lameness, strained tendons cold back, sore back, unevenness in gait (not lame), uneven wear of shoes, signs of muscle degeneration, stiffness in one side, sluggish immune system and in particular, uncharacteristic change of temperament and/or deterioration of performance.
How does it work?
Equine Muscle therapy is a gentle, non-intrusive ‘hands on’ therapy which stimulates the body’s inner ability to heal itself. By activating these stimuli the musculature of the body can bring increased energy levels and pain relief.
As a soft tissue therapy it ‘disturbs’ the facia or connective tissue. There is no pulling or cracking of joints and no insertion of needles. The therapist uses fingers or thumbs in a rolling action over specific muscles, tendons and ligaments, incorporating resting periods to allow the body to absorb the information and respond accordingly
The brain is the main sensory organ sending low voltage communications to the muscles. The muscles reply to the brain stating their condition. As an example, if you hurt a muscle, the muscle sends a message to your brain to tell you to stop using it. Your muscle usually goes into some amount of spasm and you feel pain. The pain is the governor to tell you how much to use or not to use the affected muscle. The spasm sets in and that part of the body then has a limited use. We can use the analogy of an electrical circuit, i.e. when there is a problem a trip switch cuts off the power. With the muscle therapy Drew uses he 'resets' the trip switches in the horses body and the power is allowed to flow again aiding the animal to operate more efficiently.
The technique is useful for a wide range of conditions, from acute pain to chronic conditions
The treatment is essentially holistic, treating the whole body and is generally a pleasant and relaxing experience. A treatment will take approximately 1 hour.
please note: This equine muscle therapy is not intended as a substitute for veterinary advice or treatment. Please consult your Veterinary Surgeon in the first instant. If the Veterinary Surgeon considers muscle therapy to be appropriate for your horse/pony please contact us for further information.