Your Session Guide:
Knowing what to expect helps you prepare and ensures your horse receives the maximum benefit from their session.
Before Treatment:
Clean & Dry: Please ensure your horse is dry and reasonably clean. Light-touch techniques are far less effective through mud or a wet coat.
Relaxing Environment: Choose a comfortable space where your horse feels safe, ideally with a buddy nearby for reassurance.
Rest Prior: Avoid riding or exercising before the session. Cold, unworked muscles allow for deeper, more effective tension releases.
Well-Fed: Ensure your horse has eaten beforehand. If they usually eat a hard feed, give it to them as per usual. Unlimited access to hay prior to treatment is ideal, as true relaxation is hard on an empty stomach.
Comprehensive History: I will gather background details on injuries, vet history, and performance concerns via email or in person. I will also check on dental, farrier, saddle fit, and work routines to build a complete picture of your horse’s care.
During Treatment:
Tailored Approach: Sessions begin with an evaluation to identify current pain points. I then use a blend of light touch and movement techniques targeting key junctions. Every treatment is guided entirely by your horse's unique tension patterns and responses.
Duration: About 75 minutes, depending on your horse's needs.
Focus and presence: To give your horse the deep attention they need, I maintain a quiet environment without conversation during treatment. While I may mention observations and cues as we go, these are intended to keep you informed and to record key details for your horse profile, helping us track their tension patterns and ongoing improvements. Horses are sensitive to shifts in our energy and presence, when they feel our focus drift, they may lose the connection required for effective release and feel unsafe within the connection and the role I hold.
Your Role: Holding Space: When we begin a session, your active participation looks a bit different than what most people expect. On paper, it sounds simple: you are simply holding your horse. In reality, staying still, quiet, and uninvolved can be one of the most challenging parts of the process. To help your horse truly drop into their body, release tension, and connect with areas of discomfort, your job is to hold space, physically and energetically.
Position yourself about an arm’s length away: Stand roughly an arm’s length from your horse, ensuring you remain just outside their direct personal space to give them room to process.
Keep a gentle, forgiving length of lead: Allow enough slack in the rope so that it stays soft and unrestrictive, letting your horse adjust their posture comfortably.
Refrain from patting or fussing: While our natural instinct is to soothe our horses with strokes and pats, this constant interaction acts as a distraction. It often prompts the horse to shift their attention outward or use the contact as a coping mechanism to avoid feeling or processing the vulnerable sensations happening in their body.
Redirect gently when needed: If your horse becomes fixated on an external distraction for an extended period, I will guide you to calmly bring their head back to centre. Once refocused, we return to quiet non-interaction.
Breathe with us: When you feel ready, align your breathing with the rhythm of the horse and myself. This intentional breath creates a grounded, "herd-like" energy. Through subtle body language, it signals to your horse that we are actively listening to them and responding to their internal communication.
Evolving roles: As we get to know one another and I deepen trust with your horse, your level of participation may adapt, introducing different roles to best support their journey.
Homework: you may be given some homework to support your horse between sessions.
After Treatment:
Giving Them Space to Integrate
Once the session wraps up, your horse needs time to process and integrate the structural shifts. Because bodywork invites deep release, the post-treatment period is just as important as the session itself.
Processing Time: Allow at least 24 hours of rest from riding or exercise so your horse’s nervous system and muscles can adjust to the structural releases.
Gentle Movement: Pasture turnout or a short, quiet 10-minute hand-walk is ideal for keeping things limber without overloading their system.
Navigating Soreness: It is not uncommon for a horse to show mild soreness or temporary stiffness as they adapt to their new alignment. While this is a normal part of the adjustment process, you are always welcome to reach out if you have questions or concerns.
Wrap-Up & Collaboration: Before I leave, we will review where tension was found and the progress made during the session. While I do not diagnose medical conditions, I always welcome collaborating directly with your veterinarian, farrier, and care team to support your horse’s long-term well-being.