Cristina’s Equine Bodywork

08/05/2025

08/03/2025

🕰️ Hours and hours spent with my hands on horses 🤲🏻. This is my full-time job and every horse and every session has something else to show me and teach me ✨

📸🐴

08/02/2025

Enjoying these summer evenings 🌅

✨ It’s not +30 and it’s not -30 ✨

08/02/2025

It starts with a whisper.

Too often, riders wait for the big signs, the bucking, rearing, kicking, biting, to recognize that something’s wrong. But by the time your horse gets to that point, they’ve likely been trying to tell you for a long time.

Pain doesn’t always shout right away. Sometimes it whispers.

You reach for the halter, and your horse turns away.
You approach with the saddle, and he moves away
You lay the saddle pad on his back and he flinches, barely, just for a moment.

These subtle moments are where communication begins.

And when we don’t listen?

The horse learns they have to speak louder. That’s when the behaviours escalate, when discomfort becomes pain, and pain becomes desperation.

And yet, how many times do we hear…

“My horse is so sensitive, I’d know if something was wrong.”

All while the small signs are missed, or worse, dismissed.
Your horse is always communicating.
The question is: are you tuned in to hear the whisper before it turns into a scream?

08/02/2025

✅

07/28/2025

07/28/2025

I spent a fabulous afternoon with Gemma of The Eponacary - I 💯 recommend booking a sampling for your horse(s) ♥️

07/24/2025

⚖️ I use balance pads for proprioceptive and postural therapy, helping to make horses more aware of their bodies and to activate and release deep stabilizer muscles. We can learn a lot about a horse’s preferences and compensation patterns by the way they respond to them.

For example:

✨If a horse always loads one limb more heavily, they might favour that limb. It might indicate soreness on the opposite side.

✨If a horse rotates or twists on a pad, there might be imbalance or asymmetry in the body - possibly from pelvic, sacral, or shoulder tension.

✨If a horse only puts its toes on, they might be stretching out sore ligaments and tendons.

✨If a horse only puts its heels on, they might be trying to relieve heel pain.

✨If a horse shifts weight quickly, they might not be able to tolerate pressure. The pad might be too challenging. There might be pain/discomfort in the limb or somewhere else in the body.

✨If a horse consistently places a foot on a certain pad (hard, squishy or slanted): the horse is choosing what feels good or supportive - self-regulating therapy.

✨If a horse avoids the pad, they might not feel safe, it might be too unstable, or the foot/leg/body associated with that limb might be uncomfortable.

After I have introduced the pads, I leave them and let the horse find the position they need. It’s very interesting to see what they choose!

www.equinemassage.co

07/18/2025

🔺The “equine pyramid” of health and performance is a framework that outlines the priorities of care and interventions for our horses 🔺

It is not an exact guideline but the concept is that basic needs and foundations must be addressed before advanced therapies or training can be truly effective.

🚫 Bodywork is not a substitute for veterinary or farrier care, it is an important complementary therapy once the foundations are in place.

Think of it as enhancing comfort, function, and performance — and potentially helping you detect issues before they become problems.

It is not something to be done before veterinary care and it is not something to be done only where there’s a visible problem - that is a vet call!

Your horse will get the most out of its bodywork sessions when their basic needs and foundations of care are met.

🩺 Bodywork is done at the approval of vets especially if your horse has an injury or ailment. NOTE: ONLY vets can diagnose. Information that comes up in a session can help you sort through issues but only a DVM can diagnose and often imaging equipment is required so there is no way for me to know what is happening inside your horse.

🩴 Bodywork will not be successful if your horse has issues with their hooves but it can be beneficial during the hoof rehab process.

🐎 Bodywork will not be successful if the horse’s tack is causing discomfort. But bodywork can help identify this issue and help alleviate discomfort while the tack is being assessed.

🌾 Bodywork will not be successful if a horse is hungry.

☺️ Bodywork will not be successful if a horse’s well-being is a concern. If it is lacking in enrichment, consistency in handling or its interaction with people. Coaches and trainers are the ones to help with this.

Bodywork is an important part of a horse’s regular maintenance and we must consider the pyramid to ensure they get the most out of it ✨

KEY TAKE AWAY …. It takes a village🧑🏼‍🔬👩‍⚕️🧑‍⚖️👩🏼‍🏫🕵🏻👨🏽‍💻

www.equinemassage.co

07/17/2025

Bodywork for foals ✅

Setting her up for a life of comfort and mobility.

Important things to remember:

💕Always work with veterinary guidance, especially if there’s a health concern (e.g., contracted tendons, angular limb deformities)

💕 Sessions should be short and positive, allowing the foal to move, nurse (she nursed twice) and explore.

💕The dam should be present to help the foal feel secure.

💕Consent and curiosity are key—working with the foal’s natural interest, not against resistance.