Benefits
The philosophy I follow in assisting horses is, if there is any pain there can be no gain.
What does this mean? Pain limits the ability to move freely.
Every part of the body is connected to another. If the horse trips, it causes a domino effect up through the entire body as the body falls forward, strives to prevent a fall, returning to an upright position equally weighted over all four feet.
I assist your horse enjoy the best quality of life, regardless of where he is in his career and lifespan. A happy horse is an incredible joy to be around, to ride, compete and care for.
Many of us are taught our horse’s physical weaknesses are often caused by poor confirmation. The reality is, many of these "confirmation” issues are truly postural; they can be changed for the better.
A horse living with chronic or masked pain, is a tense, unhappy horse, with limited ability to perform at full potential.
The equine musculoskeletal system is a remarkable and complex set of structures.
I am a facilitator in the healing process. I am neither a veterinarian; I can’t cure a fatal disease or eliminate aging.
Does your horse have behavioral issues?
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Unwillingness to work
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Unwillingness to cooperate with vet, farrier or dentist
When horses do not feel well they begin demonstrating an unwillingness to cooperate with their human, often beginning with a reluctance while being led in/out from the field, culminating with major displays of bad behavior while ridden or worked because the horse has not been heard.
Is your horse recovering from an injury or illness?
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Recuperation times are lessened when muscles are soft and mobile.
Injury to one area often shows up elsewhere, horses work hard to compensate for injuries. That compensation often leads to strain and soreness in a different part of the body. At times, it can be difficult to identify the root of a problem; the horse can “tell” us where it hurts if we are willing and able to “listen.”
Is your horse at peak performance for competition?
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Is your horse balanced?
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Do his feet meet the ground equally on both sides of the body?
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Is he contracted on one side? Or both sides with co-contractions?
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Is he irritable?
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Does he offer to do what you are asking, though is unable to maintain the action?
The various techniques I use allow horses to become more comfortable within their bodies by improving his posture, creating a more relaxed and happier horse.
Are you transitioning a new horse to a different discipline?
When a horse comes off the racetrack, OTTB’s, often do not know much about “being a horse”. This includes how to be turned out in a field of other horses, how to carry their body in a proper rhythm and balance correctly – amazing as this sounds. Most of these horses are still babies.
It is traumatic to leave what you know and have been taught; then to be transitioned into something that is 180 degrees the opposite.
A horse cannot be trained out of crookedness. We do what we think is correct to ride our horses into straightness, using techniques and exercises from the ground and while ridden, just to have the horse return to being crooked.
Equine Hanna Somatics® assists the horse's body to become straight, often in one or two sessions.
It has been said, ” Humans are given weeks, months and sometimes years to learn new ideas and ways of doing tasks, horses are given minutes.” Think about how this concept could create physical and emotional problems between a horse and a human.
I can help your horse’s experience be less traumatic.
The goal of our work together is to wholly balance the horse, acknowledging the emotions, the spirit, the mental and the physical portions of the horse.
Do you want to provide your older horse with a great quality of life?
As all animals age, physical limitations present themselves. I can assist your horse grow older gracefully by helping the soft tissues in his body remain elastic relieving some of the stress for older bones. I have four horses in my barn over 21 years of age. They ALL look as though they are young to middle teenagers, thanks to EHS.
21 year olds aging gracefully
