Benefits of Bodywork
What is "Bodywork"?
The definition in the context of equine bodyworkers is:
therapies and techniques in complementary medicine that involve touching or manipulating the body.
Massage therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic work, fascia release, energy work, etc. My herd has tried various types of therapies, and there are benefits for every single one. But the most life-changing, noticeable effects have been the work executed by Equipoise Wellness Solutions!
The people behind EWS are Addie & Katrina, and while both have worked with the trio, we have had Addie working on them for ongoing sessions!
Keep reading to get the full scoop.
Benefits of Myofascial Release
Myofascial release is a manual therapy technique that targets the fascia, the connective tissue that surrounds muscles, bones, and organs throughout the body. In horses, myofascial release is often used to alleviate tension, improve range of motion, increase circulation and enhance overall well-being. It involves applying gentle pressure and sustained stretching to release restrictions in the fascia, which can help with issues such as muscle stiffness, soreness, and mobility problems. Here’s some words from Addie:
“Fascia release differs from other bodywork by addressing not only the musculoskeletal system but also the nervous and lymphatic systems. For horses with elusive pain sources, alternative therapies become essential. Fascia release can effectively manage neuropathic pain, a brain pattern rather than a result of physical trauma. Take Tucker, for instance; despite no acute injuries, he exhibits pain patterns throughout his body. With 90% of proprioceptors housed within the fascia, fascial restrictions can disrupt the communication between the nerves and the brain, resulting in neuropathic pain that does not respond to traditional pain medication.
By reducing fascial restrictions, this therapy also facilitates improved lymphatic drainage, aiding in the removal of toxins and waste products from the body. Enhanced lymphatic function promotes overall health and immune system function, contributing to the horse’s well-being and recovery process.”
Every Horse is Different
Tucker
Always the strong warrior at heart, Tucker was quite surprised during his first session. Unable to ignore the old pains being brought to the surface, he actually fought pretty hard against it. By the next session, he was so much more open to it, and though still quite sensitive and requiring a light touch, he has learned to release tension much faster.
Trubee
A giant baby of SO much muscle, Trubee LOVES bodywork of any kind. He requires maximum pressure, truly leaning into the work. He does have his problem spots, and sometimes there are some spots he would rather avoid, but in general he is not sensitive, and loves a good deep tissue spot with her full body weight behind it. He is the most physically exhausting to work on!
Adee
Oh so sensitive, Adee reacts strongly to pure energy. Sometimes, she cannot even handle any pressure on a spot, and has a full body reaction to what looks like magic. When something hurts, she has to be in the right headspace to tolerate it, but if she is ready to work through it she really tries & seems to love it. She does best with short sessions more frequently!
Investment
An up to two hour session with Addie is $200, and this includes: “a full-body session for horses in need of comprehensive release and restoration. Ideal for addressing accumulated tension, supporting recovery, and identifying patterns of stress that may be affecting movement or comfort.”
If you have a sensitive soul like Adee, Addie does shorter sessions for $125. For Adee, that means doing as much as Adee feels comfortable doing – but this option would also be great for a horse who has already had bodywork, but has just one specific problem area that they are working through still.
Having a relaxing place where your horse feels comfortable and safe will help a lot! Addie can also do energy work only, with Reiki energy healing. With both Tucker and Adee, they have some spots that can sometimes tolerate only the slightest touch, so mixing in this option has been immensely helpful for them. If you’re balking at this, I get it – I wasn’t a big believer before, but it was pretty dang obvious that it was doing stuff when I saw it happening! And horses don’t fake their body’s responses.
Worth the Cost?
While bodywork is often considered expensive, the effects can be well worth the cost. This applies to all types, but I’ve never seen results last as long as they do with this type of bodywork!
Trubee had always been a horse of hard muscles, but now he is so much softer to the touch. And he stays like that for months. At the time of writing this, he has not reverted back to the way he was before his first session, even though it has been months since his last session. There are some spots that could use some work, sure, but overall – he remains softer. This is not something you “need” to do every month indefinitely to see results!
Tucker is harder, because he is such a fighter, older, and less open to relaxing. He guards his pains, and I think he compensates more aggressively than Trubee does in order to mask them. Adee has been harder because of her sensitivity, paired with a strong opinion that she not be subjected to anything even mildly uncomfortable. The last session Adee had was like a whole new horse though! So we’re hoping that we can progress more with her with shorter, more frequent sessions. Her back is incredibly tight, and I don’t want to even attempt to start training more with her until we feel her loosen up a bit more.
If you can afford only one type of bodywork, I think this is likely to be the most comprehensive & effective use of your funds! And if you can afford to mix in others, this will enhance the work of literally every other kind of bodywork you can imagine.
Results
Here is a before & after of Tucker’s hips after several months of no sessions with Addie. She didn’t get him perfectly balanced, but certainly much better! In both photos, we got him standing squarely with both hind hooves flat on the ground. It is hard to get a photo like this that is truly believable, I know, but she is placing her hands on the same spot in both images.
After Trubee’s first session back in April of 2023, he was sooo incredibly playful and running tons just to run. He still gets those crazy zoomies now, and while that wasn’t totally new it definitely increased significantly after that first session! And the duration of his zoomies was shocking to me, too. I know that if we can get his feet dialed in, we’ve finally got the support we need to tend to his body!
Adee doesn’t have any crazy before/after stories (yet), but her whole body was so tightly wound when she arrived at the end of 2022 that I think we have a lot of layers to get through. I think we are finally starting to get through to her though, as our last session was just amazing! We’re hoping to feel her back loosen, and help her neck stretch out.
