Equine Shiatsu for happy horses

Films like the Horse Whisperer make us aware that our equine friends respond well to soothing words and gentle touches, but did you know that they can also be treated with SHIATSU? Yes, that’s right, why not let a horse chillax with some massage techniques?I recently learnt about Shiatsu being used in the case of horses and am simply lost for words.

It’s not so much the idea of a horse benefiting from deep tissue massage which astounds me, rather the enthusiastic way that site Methods of Healing describes the treatment.

‘Equine Shiatsu operates under the same philosophy as regular Shiatsu, applying the philosophy of energy movement and meridians to horses instead of humans. The movements have just been tailored to suit the equine form.’

Think that’s all of it. Oh noooo, there’s much more.

The start:

Pamela Hannay, a pioneer in the practice of animal Shiatsu has taught at the Ohashi Institute in New York and Europe for over twenty years.  Her practice with animals began in 1983 when a client asked her to help a horse with pain from a severe injury. After six months of therapy from Hannay, the horse recovered and she began sharing her work with other equine enthusiasts.

When a horses energy is out of balance, there are a number of ways they may display this. The horse may just seem out of sorts, appear to be in pain, or exhibit behavioural problems. Similar to how a person may feel when things just “aren’t right,” a horse will display qualities of imbalance and discomfort.

The Bladder Meridian is one of the horse’s most important meridians. This is the area a horse will most likely need adjusting. The average owner or caretaker may not understand that this is the case if the horse is having no issue with urination. The thing that is important for the caretaker to understand is that this meridian is important to the horse’s back muscles, hindquarters, hind legs and pasterns. It is the largest meridian on a horse, beginning on the face and running to the hindquarters, ending on the coronary band.

Horses predominantly communicate through their body language, and as such, are particularly sensitive to touch. This makes Shiatsu and ideal therapy to treat a horse because the respond to tactile communication.

Certain movements on the horse will influence the energy in a horse, and sometimes help to reestablish a flow of energy that is clogged or blocked. Similarly as with human athletes, racing horses may find Shiatsu especially helpful, due to the physical exertion they experience on a regular basis. Shiatsu is beneficial for overall health, but it also helps to promote healing and improved disposition and behaviour.

Want to know more? Yes, there is MUCH more. Check out the site here.