Missouri Equine Therapy

09/06/2022

Yes!

Tape is only as effective as the person applying it is knowledgeable in applying the tape.

A loop knife and a rasp are only as effective as the person using the tools is knowledgeable and trained in using those tools.

A laser is only as effective..

A snaffle and split reins..

PEMF..

Massage..

Modalities, equipment, and tools aren’t what “work” on horses.

Knowledgeable professionals using these things appropriately as they were trained to do so is what makes these things work.

Maybe that modality or technique didn’t work for you because the person doing it didn’t have the correct training - or training at all.

Be honest with yourself about your own skill level as well.

If you need to refer somewhere else or ask for help, do it. You will never be the expert in everything.

If you’re paying someone to do a service, please ask questions.

Can that professional explain to you exactly what they’re doing and why? Both at a 3rd grade reading level and at a doctorate level?

They should.

If you are a paying client, you have every right to ask that professional every single question until you’re satisfied with the answers.

If you’re wanting to do these things yourself, you still need to educate yourself on correct use of any tool or modality. It’s the responsible thing to do for the horse.

The horse world is so unregulated. Other than being a vet or a chiro there isn’t much regulation and there are plenty of people taking advantage of that.

Take the class. Shadow the professional. Pay the trainer.

Invest in your knowledge. No one can take that away from you.

We’re all on a journey to be better.

Let’s not let the first dot on this graph “I know everything” keep us forever because it feels best to the ego.

The more you know the more you realize you don’t know a darn thing.

05/26/2022

Three wonderful horses! Massages and for three gorgeous geldings, all deserving to feel the best they possibly can.

05/06/2022

Ciara is such a smart cookie and explains things so we can all understand!

How does kinesiology tape work on horses?

By communicating with the nervous system to create long term change in the tissue.

Tape isn’t about the mechanical force it has over the tissue. No way.

It’s about communicating with the brain and nervous system!

🧠 The brain and nervous system processes the tape like touch (spinothalmic tract in the spinal cord, and somatosensory cortex in the brain).

So it’s like a massage! Or like a manual therapist leaving their hands on the horse to continue working on them.

The simplest explanation is that the tape sticks to the hair and lifts the hair.

That creates a lift of the dermal layer to decompress the underlying tissue and stimulate the nerves.

🩸 Decompressing the blood and lymph vessels improves circulation and lymphatic movement to promote healing and recovery.

👉🏻If a horse is standing on a water hose, the water doesn’t flow well.

👉🏻Sometimes fascia restrictions squeeze the vessels that move blood and lymph.

Decompressing those with tape is like asking the horse to move off of the hose.

👊🏻 Bam!! Better flowing fluid.

Decompressing the “nociceptors” (the receptors that tell the brain something hurts) improves pain.

Decompressing the soft tissue improves soft tissue glide, ROM, and decreases fatigue.

Decompressing the mechanoreceptors sends different messages depending on the type of receptors.

Each hair sits in a sensory plexus that houses mechanoreceptors.

✨The sensory plexus lets us communicate with the entire nervous system via the mechanoreceptors sending their specific messages.

The tape also improves body awareness and positioning (proprioception).

There are several ways to “say” what you want to say depending on how you apply the tape.

Through communication with the mechanoreceptors you can relax trigger points, decrease fatigue, increase circulation, support muscles, support joints, unwind fascial restrictions, improve body awareness, minimize edema, promote nerve function.

💥 You can watch me teach on it here.

https://fb.watch/b6_V5Uz6e6/

04/28/2022

Yes!

I have access to a lot of therapies for my horses: multiple types of body work, a Bemer set, proprioception pads, poles and more. I love all of them. But these therapies don’t work long term without doing the work to support quality of life in the horse.

If the horse keeps moving in unhealthy ways that continually need repair, these therapies will provide only temporary relief. I believe many types of body work can certainly pave the way toward change, allow muscles to feel better, and help a horse find a path toward better movement - but if you don’t learn to ride the horse in good movement, you will be actively fighting the body work. If you don’t work on your own balance, your horse will have to tighten their neck, shoulders and back to balance you and stabilize their own body. If you don’t learn about teaching your horse to carry themselves in healthy and sustainable postures, your horse will continue dysfunctional movement that requires bodywork repair.

The goal is to let the movement be the therapy- using therapies to assist you in getting there. The therapies are not the end- they are not a get out of jail free card. They are just the beginning.

04/24/2022

Curious about the services I offer? Check out my website!

Have the most wonderful week! Weather is getting more favorable for riding. It's time to get your horse ready!

services

03/30/2022

When you have some pain and your momma loves kinesiology tape.

03/25/2022

“My body worker is working on my horse regularly, but she keeps finding the same problems and my horse isn’t improving.”
This is a statement I hear a lot.

If you’re getting your horse regular body work, I commend you. It’s an important step in the way of getting your horse moving and feeling well. It’s a commitment of time and money, and one you should feel good about!

But - the big butt (sorry, I’m not mature)

If your horse doesn’t change their way of going, they will keep having the same tension patterns.
If you don’t fix your tack fit, hoof balance, dental balance etc, the body will keep getting pulled out of alignment or into tension

If you don’t open contracted muscles and tone carrying muscles, your body worker will have to keep doing the same work each visit.

It’s a little bit like hiring a house cleaner. Your house will look great when they leave, but if you keep making the same mess and don’t learn to organize, they will keep coming in and having to clean it back out.

The goal would be to need less restorative and repair work and let the movement release the body. That doesn’t mean you won’t need body work anymore, it just means you’ll be able to move beyond cleaning out the junk in the house and have a more efficient system organize and build on- you can actually move forward, instead of constantly repairing damage done by poor movement.

03/08/2022

You know what makes my heart happy? Seeing a horse for the second time and seeing them in a much better state! It’s been a few weeks since I worked on this sweet mare. She had a lot going on. I left some homework and when I returned yesterday, I found a different horse! She was much more supple, her eye was soft, she was more square, she was not reactive at a gentle touch.

I love tape. I love PEMF. But I really love hands! They are healing. Kudos to this girls trainer who has done a great job with her!

This girl enjoyed a short BEMER session after her 90 minute massage.

03/07/2022

Brilliant!!!

03/07/2022

The benefits of BEMER!

03/05/2022

Chance enjoying some work during the Brighton Saddle Club Health Clinic.

03/03/2022

The benefits of kinesiology tape...

I'm not sure what I have done to my shoulder, but I can tell you, it hurts. Badly. I've broken many, many bones and have gone through many surgeries. I know pain. This is definitely pain. My left hand goes numb and my arm tingles. The pain radiates up, causing pain and tension in my neck.

I was rushing between chores and appointments one day and was hurting so bad. I ran into the house, found an extra leftover piece of tape, rushed to the bathroom mirror and slapped it on the side of my neck running down my arm. Within 5 minutes I had relief. I couldn't believe how much it helped! I sleep better when I have tape on, I move better when it's on. No tingling, no numbness. At all.

I am skeptical by nature. I can hear testimonies from other people, but have a hard time believing until I experience it myself. I definitely experienced the benefit of tape myself. Not only is the pain less, I have a greater range of motion.

Until I can get this resolved, I have kept tape on almost every day.

I initially learned how to tape in order to help horses and the occasional dog or bovine. I read the studies, saw horses move better after tape was applied, safe inflammation reduced, but somehow, it never completely sank in just how powerful this tape is. I am a total believer.

Tape...

💪 Reduces pain
💪 Decreases inflammation and improves circulation
💪 Improves body awareness (proprioception)
💪 Prevents fatigue and injury
💪 Promotes the body's self-healing
💪 Re-educates muscles
💪 Supports weak zones
💪 Enhances performance

And so much more! If you are interested in having your horse worked on, let me know! If you want to learn to tape, check out Sozo Equine!