52 2008 CANADIAN HORSE ANNUAL www.horse-canada.com

by Karin Apfel

With their rootsin ancienteastern medi-cine, many ofthe “hands-on”therapies have

been poorly understood and, untilabout 20 or so years ago, poorlyreceived by the western world.However, now, along with a growinginterest in holistic approaches toimproving health, there is greateracceptance of a wide variety of thera-pies for people and animals. While sci-entific study is ongoing, most of theevidence for these therapies is anec-

dotal. However, in animals this is fairlyconvincing evidence, since the placeboaffect that can occur in people is notpossible. In other words, you can’tmake a horse think he feels betterbecause he had a “treatment”. He feelsor performs better or heals quickerbecause the treatment was effective insome way.

There are many different approach-es and variations in terminology, how-ever, the hands-on techniques all haveone aspect in common. Practitionerswill observe the horse’s responses totreatment during the treatment, whichwill tell them what areas of the body(and which meridians and points if

applicable) need the most attention.Magdalena Smrdelj, a Toronto,Ontario-based veterinarian who usesthe complementary therapies of chiro-practic, massage and acupuncture inher practice, puts it this way, “It’s veryrelational and interactive betweenpractitioner and patient, with the ener-gy of positive intent included as part ofthe treatment, and calling the horse toengage in its own treatment, ratherthan a mechanical one-way exercise,where the practitioner performs a ther-apeutic act on the patient.”

In addition, bodywork practitionerstake a holistic view of treatment.Smrdelj says, “The holistic approach is

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Hands-on HealingManual therapies for improving equinehealth are gaining in popularity. Hereare some of those most commonly usedon horses.

Massage begins with gentle strokes for a sedatingeffect, followed by deeper strokes as the horserelaxes.

2008 CANADIAN HORSE ANNUAL 53www.horse-canada.com

simply a ‘let’s stand back and look atthe large picture’ approach to animbalance, disease or condition in thebody. This approach takes into accountmany of the factors the body is influ-enced by, such as nutrition, environ-mental stressors, level of activity andexercise, and more. The term ‘holistic’does not imply any particular mode oftherapy, but can include any modalitythat takes a whole-body approach.Certainly, conventional medicine canbe applied holistically if the practition-er is taking into account the factorsmentioned above, and is not justfocused on the symptom at hand.”

Many practitioners combine tech-niques depending on the horse’s needsor recommend treatment by practition-ers in other fields. Says SidoniaMcIntyre of Equine Rehab.ca, whoteaches massage courses around thecountry, “As each horse’s issues vary, itis important to be able to adapt the

massage to the area of injury. Whatworks for one horse may not work atall for another.”

MassageMassage involves the use of the

hands, fingers and even the elbow, tomanipulate the soft tissues. Its goalsinclude the promotion of tissuedrainage, muscle relaxation, and painrelief. Massage can loosen and stretchdense connective tissue, has a sedativeeffect on the central nervous systemand can enhance lymphatic and bloodcirculatory activity. Massage can beused with stretching exercises toregain or maintain normal range ofmotion of a joint. After an injury, mas-sage can help align new connective tis-sue by providing appropriate tensileforces. This reduces muscle shorteningdue to scarring and adhesions (obliquecollagen fibres that become binding tothe connective tissue). There are a

number of different types of strokes,each with a specific application.

Sports massage is designed to specif-ically improve athletic performance.These therapists primarily aim toincrease the efficiency of limb move-ment and stimulate circulation. Post-exercise it is used to remove lactic acidfrom the muscles and reduce pain.Scientific studies on massage haveshown few measurable results, buthuman athletes report an increase inrelaxation and an improved ability tocope with physical exertion after mas-sage. One study did show improve-ment in range of motion and a thermo-graphic study indicated increases inskin temperature after massage toareas overlying muscle spasm, so sci-ence is starting to ‘validate’ the bene-fits of massage. Ann Turner of WitsEnd Farm, an equine rehabilitationcentre in Abbotsford, BC, finds shegets “amazing results with changes in

Learn Equine Massage TherapyBecome a Certified Equine Massage Therapist

I teach an intensive four day course in which you can learn how to competently do a full body equine massage, along with many stretches.Book work includes anatomy, massage theory, principles of massage,hydrotherapy, common injuries, acute to chronic massage, safety protocol, effects of massage on the varying systems, the skeletal system, 30 major muscles and conformation. You can learn how to effectively relieve muscle strains and spasms from injuries to help your horse attain its full athletic potential, or givepain relief for an older equine friend. No matter what your discipline, equine massage will make a noticeabledifference in the way your horse moves, along with reaching out tostrengthen your bond with your horse.We spend approximately twenty hours in the barn for hands-on-time.You will be working on a horse the very first day!

Classes are forming in manylocations across Canada.

Please consult our website fora course near you.

Vertebral realignment and jointplay classes are also availablefor you to learn how to adjust

your own horse.

Please Visit or website at: www.equinerehab.caFor more information please call Sidonia at: 1-888-EQUINE2 (378-4632)

54 2008 CANADIAN HORSE ANNUAL www.horse-canada.com

temperament, movement and perform-ance.”

Acupressure and ShiatsuSimilar in some ways to massage,

acupressure involves pressure on theskin. The pressure is directed at specif-ic points to activate the body’s ownrepair processes. Shiatsu is theJapanese form of acupressure. “Shi” isthe Japanese word for finger and“atzu” means pressure.

Shiatsu is primarily about affectingthe life energy, or Ki, rather than themuscles or bones. (see sidebar)Healthy, flowing Ki creates tone andelasticity. These areas do not needadjusting. The acupoints in the meridi-ans where no tone is found are thebest places for pressure. The horse willoften indicate with his body languageif it needs more attention to a point ora move away. The acupoints are thesame as the points for acupunctureand lie along the meridians that corre-spond to various body organs and tis-sues that are regulated by Ki. Wherethe energy flow is “blocked” due toinjury or illness, pressure (or stimula-tion by needles in acupuncture) onthese points help unblock the channelsand maintain the energy flow. SaysLaurie Olstrom of Hands On EquineMassage in Surrey, BC, “A shiatsu prac-titioner treats all along the meridians,

giving extra attention where indicated,thereby treating the whole horse.”Olstrom treats mostly event horses andoften hears “that they get their fastestcross-country times ever after a mas-sage – the horses have so much moreenergy. They are also more supple forthe dressage phase. We have foundthat a massage three to seven daysbefore the event provides the bestresults.”

A more western view of this therapyis that the meridians correspond toneural structures. The acupoints areloci with an increased number of capil-laries, nerves, mast cells and lymphat-ics with a thinner layer of skin aboveso they can be easily affected by pres-sure. The pain relief and relaxationeffects of acupressure (as well asacupuncture) are explained by MimiPorter in her book The New EquineSports Therapy: “Acupressure inhibitsthe transmission of pain signals to thebrain through two mechanisms. Whensuperficial stimulation such as fingerpressure is perceived by the brain’srecognition centers, a “gate” is closedto other sensations. Acupressure mas-sage requires accurate location ofacupuncture points. Stimulating thesepoints releases endorphins and otherchemical catalysts for pain relief. Thisrelief is long-lasting and can relax thewhole body.”

TTouch Linda Tellington-Jones

developed the techniquethat has come to be calledTTEAM (Tellington TouchEquine Awareness Methodor Tellington Touch EveryAnimal Method). It is aimedat developing an animal’sbody awareness and alsofosters communication andbonding between humanand animal. TTEAM isbased on the neuro-muscu-lar training pioneered by Dr.Moshe Feldenkrais to pro-mote efficiency, coordina-

tion and ease of body movementthrough the repetition of non-habitualmotor patterns. For animals,Tellington-Jones uses this concept inground exercises to develop coordina-tion and confidence. She also devel-oped her own series of bodywork“touches” named TTouch to assist inrelaxation and awareness. Althoughthere is very little pressure involved,sensory nerves in the skin are stimulat-ed and a cascade of physiologicalevents (similar to those in acupres-sure) takes place. The touches arebased on circular movements of thefingers and hands all over the body.The intent is to activate the function ofthe cells and awaken “cellular intelli-gence” according to the TTouch web-site. The TTouch is done on the entirebody, and each circular TTouch is com-plete within itself. Therefore, it is notnecessary to understand anatomy to besuccessful in speeding up the healingof injuries or ailments, or changingundesirable habits or behaviour.TTouch can be performed by anyonewho has learned the techniques.

ReikiReiki is a Japanese technique for

stress reduction and relaxation thatalso promotes healing. It is based onthe idea that we are more likely to getsick or feel stress if our life force ener-gy, or Ki, is low. The person performing

All areas of the body are addressed by TTouch including the ears,belly and mouth.

The most difficult concept for westerners tocomprehend is that some therapies work notjust on the physical body, but also are said toaffect the flow of energy in the body, variouslyknown as Qi or Chi (in Chinese), Ki ( inJapanese) or Prana (in Sanskrit). It can bedefined as the body’s essential life force.Meridians are channels of condensed Qi movingin a regular and known pattern throughout thebody. Meridians have specific relationships tothe body’s anatomy. The dots you see on thediagram (next page) are acupoints, which arethe best place to access the energy within ameridian. Good health requires that the Qi existin a state of balance. The eastern manual tech-niques attempt to balance the Qi energy andmaintain energy flow along the meridians.

Reiki channels the “universal life forceenergy” (which is what Reiki means inJapanese) to wherever it is needed inthe body of the person or animal beingtreated through the laying on ofhands. As practitioners become better“attuned” they are able to accessgreater amounts of healing energy andthey are then able to treat from a dis-

tance. Reiki is not taught in the usualsense, but is “transferred” to the stu-dent during a Reiki class from a Reikimaster (possessing Third Degreeattunement). Hence, anyone can betaught how to apply Reiki to any livingbeing and, it is in fact recommendedthat horse owners perform Reiki ontheir own animals to heighten their

bond and to promote physicaland mental harmony.

Because Reiki is solely ener-gy-based, it is completely non-invasive. It is said to be partic-ularly beneficial for emotionalissues such as nervousness,hyperactivity, and anxiety.

BowenBowen consists of a series of

precise moves on specificpoints of the body. There arefrequent and important pausesbetween each series of movesgiving the body time to benefitfrom each as the neurologicalimpulses created areprocessed by the brain. Thebiofeedback loop that Bowencreates allows the body torestore its own natural bal-ance. Linda Cho, a Bowen andmassage therapist practicingin Spencerville, Ontario,explains, “When the muscle isplucked, it sends an indirectmessage to the brain that inturn sends back a default mes-sage to the muscle to go backinto its resting place.”

Practitioners note that themessages from Bowen that are“reprogramming” the body canbe “erased” by the applicationof other kinds of bodywork.Other forms of manipulativeor energetic therapy per-formed up to seven days aftera Bowen session may interferewith its effectiveness but theBowen technique does notinterfere with the effectiveness

of other disciplines.A recently completed double blind

study on human volunteers given asingle Bowen treatment (presented atthe Fascia Research Conference inOctober 2007) showed “significantincreases in hamstring flexibility in theBowen group immediately post-test.These increases maintained for oneweek without further treatment.”

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blue dot – bladder & kidney meridiansgreen dot – gall bladder and liver meridians

red dot – heart and small intestine meridianspurple – pericardium and Triple Heater

(controls body’s heating system and lymphatic flow) meridians

yellow – stomach and spleen meridiansblack – lung and large intestine meridians

Diagram courtesy of Shiatsu, a Threshold Guide

Hands-oon TherapyWho Needs It?

Daily wear and tear, poor saddle fit, excessive training can act cumulatively to create an environment in which the muscles tight-en, lose the ability to release through inflammation and edema (swelling), and create spasms. If left untreated, these issues canaffect movement, flexibility and strength. Slips and falls, overwork or accidents can cause injury, resulting in scar tissue, edema andchronic inflammation. The result is discomfort and pain causing limitations in performance and even changes in behaviour. Someof the bodywork benefits can include:• increasing circulation which speeds healing and detoxification and reduces edema (swelling)*• improving joint flexibility and muscle tone• improving disposition through relaxation and pain relief• improving the ability to focus and learn• improving the condition of the skin, coat, gums and teeth• relieving pain and discomfort• reducing recovery times from injuries• reducing stress• preventing injury due to improved strength and flexibility

*McIntyre explains how bodywork can even help with situations such as laminitis or navicular. “[It] cannot have a direct effect onissues of the hoof, however, it can increase the circulation to the area to provide drainage in an area of swelling (laminitis isswelling of the laminae of the hoof), and bring nutrient-rich blood to the area.”

Who Doesn’t?• horses with elevated temperatures, low blood pressure, or who are in shock• horses with tumours (unless there is specific owner permission) as it is unknown if bodywork can spread tumour cells• undiagnosed lame horses (a broken bone or chip can be aggravated)• horses with unknown/undiagnosed outbreaks or disease (to avoid spreading infection)• horses with colic (mainly because the safety of the practitioner is at risk)• horses in acute distress (due to thunderstorms, separated from the herd, etc.)• dehydrated horses (dehydration compromises the fascia – the “glue” that holds the skin to the muscles)

There are also local areas that contraindicate bodywork. These include:• any area with an open wound, that is infected or swollen or hot without a diagnosis and approval from a veterinarian• fracture sites during an acute stage of the injury

A Note on Regulation and CertificationBodywork on animals is unregulated in Canada. However, most therapies have registries or programs that “certify” practitioners

and promote good standards of practice. For example, Equi-Bow Canada (www.equi-bow.com) registers Bowen practitioners. For adetailed explanation of how equine massage therapists are “certified” you can visit equinerehab.ca and click on FAQs. In manyprovinces supervision by a veterinarian is required for professional treatment. These therapies are not meant to replace veterinarycare, only complement it.