What is an equine bodyworker? And what horses need bodywork?

I have to admit trying to decide on what my first blog post should be has been much more difficult than I anticipated. I have so much that I want to share so I struggled with where to start?! So I decided to write about my two most frequently asked questions: 1. What is an equine bodyworker? 2. What horses should get or need bodywork?
What is an equine bodyworker?
Equine bodywork today encompasses many modalities – equine massage, chiropractor, acupuncture, etc., etc., etc. With so many to choose from, I often have clients ask which modalities I recommend. Generally speaking, I think all bodywork is good. I also think it is something that your horse should have a say in. Some horses may not be able to accept a certain type of bodywork while other horses may welcome it. Some modalities may produce greater results depending on the horses circumstances, it really does depend on the horse. I have my own bodyworker and I remember asking him one day, when I was trying some different modalities, which one(s) he would recommend and he very quickly and simply said, “the one(s) that produce results.” That stuck with me and it is no different than how I came to choose the method of bodywork for my practice, the Masterson Method. See my story on my website, www.highpointequinebodywork.com/about to learn a little bit about me and my journey with one of our horses, Lincoln. Lincoln had chiropractic work in the past which was helpful - until it wasn’t enough. He was continuing to have performance issues and intermittent lameness. While we were on the search for a solution to his challenges, we learned of the Masterson Method. Lincoln’s response to it was nothing short of a miracle. Talk about a modality that produced results! Lincoln now receives regular Masterson Method bodywork and on occasion (quarterly) we use chiropractic/acupuncture.

The Masterson Method is a unique form of bodywork that uses the horse’s nervous system to help relieve tension in key junctions of the horse’s body. Horses are sensitive creatures and this method was created with that in mind. Horses are wired to survive (fight, flee, brace, etc.) and as a Masterson Method practitioner we are trained to recognize and respond to very subtle cues of the horse while using light touch so that we can stay under the horses natural survival response allowing the horse to stay in a more calm state allowing him/her to release more tension. This is a truly a technique that we do with the horse rather than to the horse.

What horses should get or need bodywork?
I recently had a new client inquire about bodywork and her first question was, “Does my horse have to be lame or having an issue to be a candidate for bodywork?” Her next statement was, “my horse is in work, is that ok?” I thought about our conversation as it related to my own human bodywork. I suppose some of us wait until there is an issue before we seek bodywork but many of us get bodywork to relax and to release tension in our bodies to help us to stay loose, feel better, decrease risk of injury. It is no different for the horse except horses can’t tell us what they are feeling or if they are sore or having issues. We have to figure that out and that is where I (a bodyworker) come in. Some horses because of the nature of their work will require bodywork more frequently but ALL horses will benefit from bodywork. I work with a wide variety of equine breeds, ages and disciplines: performance, pleasure, working, therapy, pasture, etc. and I serve a large territory (NW Georgia, SE Tennessee & NW Alabama areas).