Define "body work", what to consider, and how to find practitioners?

[BroncoMo]

Because my natural tendency is to overthink, spiral, and overspend on keeping my athletes going, humor me and tell me about the various body work y’all use to keep hard working upper level horses going? Beyond chiro and PEMF.

“Body work” is such a broad term, it’s frustrating when people suggest it but not an actual type or technique. Also I don’t know how to decipher whether a practitioner who is experienced and knows what they’re doing versus a whackadoo who is just, at best, running their hands all over or, at worst, doing more harm than good.

Scenario: Green hunter has some pretty gnarly back X-rays and has had associated extreme back soreness (perpetuated by my saddle ). The saddle situation has been remedied and we are on the right path with his back. He has made tremendous progress in the last couple months.

Best we can tell, he cannot tolerate chiro work. The two times I’ve had him done (at major shows, of all places) he has had an absolute come apart and hardly able to be shown; scratching classes at one point because of his bracing and scooting after fences. I realize correlation does not equal causation, but at this time, we will not do chiro on him despite the fact that I do believe in the good it can do.

This horse LOVES fascial release. The chiropractor usually just does it over his croup. I am wanting to incorporate in to his routine myself. But looking for other ideas to keep him loose, especially over his topline.

I’ve looked some in to the Masterson technique and am intrigued. It seems low risk considering how non-invasive it is. Essentially that’s what I’m looking for: low risk but with some backing that it may also be high reward. I’m thinking acupuncture may also be of use.

A complication in the whole thing is the horse is in training 1200 miles away. So I am not able to personally incorporate something that needs to be done every day for an hour. I’m looking for ideas and methods where I can find a body worker in the area and schedule appointments as needed.

[HorseLover65]

I tried Reiki a few months ago. I was a bit skeptical. He isn’t always keen to be touched and groomed but he loved it. It definitely provided some relief where he had been bracing.

[fivestrideline]

My gnarly KS horse is the same - didn’t tolerate chiro until AFTER I’d done almost a year of monthly myofascial work. My bodyworker does “regular” massage, Bemer, and myofascial massage- she mainly does the light work for this one. Now he’s tolerating (and enjoying!) chiro when he used to go full Murder Spree about it. Clearly the bodyworker did something to help!

As far as finding pros - honestly I just tried people in the area until I found one my horse liked. I specifically chose this one because she had no problem backing off and going lighter and lighter with him. A Masterson Method person or someone who specifically mentions myofascial would be my starting point.

[Living_In_The_Sticks]

I wouldn’t knock chiro completely off the list. If the vet also does chiro I’d have it done the next time they are out & give him a couple days off to let his body readjust.

I would love to be able to do acupuncture but we don’t have anyone close by. With acupuncture it’s best to be done in a series of every or every other week for how many treatments are needed like it is for people. I don’t think it won’t be helpful here & there but it works better if you use it as a series. They will also be able to tell you if something else is going on based on the points they touch & if there’s a reaction.

Masterton or T Touch could be helpful. I’m a reiki master so I do reiki my personal horses when needed but I wouldn’t say I do it on a consistent basis. I only do it for myself & my own animals. I use it to help the old guy feel more comfortable with his arthritis or if I feel like I want his guts moving because he’s a windsucker. I’ve used it on the 5 yr old for swelling & sometimes if he’s yawning. He’s not always a huge fan of it if not on crossties but he doesn’t really have anything going on like the old guy.

The nice thing is the energy goes where it’s needed. Reiki can be done remotely with a picture of your horse, it doesn’t have to be in person to work. It’s not a cure all but I find it does help.

[Amy3996]

It’s so horse dependent. My late WB absolutely loved his massages. He was so expressive about it that he actually became the business’s social media profile photo for quite a while. Current TB wants no part of massage - he gets so bothered by the initial poking and prodding where it’s sore that he never actually relaxes to find the muscle release.

He gets regular PEMF instead. That’s less hands-on so he seems to be able to settle into it better and will give huge, yawning releases for it. Our DVM also offers chiro, acupuncture, and BEMER. I had never tried acupuncture for either myself or my horses and was pretty skeptical, but my TB’s reaction is priceless. His eyes go half mast, he’ll lick and chew and yawn. We joke that he looks a bit stoned when that endorphin rush hits.

As far as finding practitioners… vets and farriers have been good sources of info for me. Some offer these services themselves or can recommend someone.

Photo of the massage ham WB for tax.

[BroncoMo]

Thanks for the suggestions. In the topic of chiro, I’m definitely a believer in chiro and like the results I’ve seen in other horses and myself. But the massive change under saddle (not in a good way) and subsequent body condition loss BOTH times tells me it’s pretty damn painful for him. I realize I may have screwed up by not incorporating it with message or something else to help the adjustment stay, but at this time I’m not willing to try it again. We don’t have a trusted chiropractor near the training barn, so I usually just book the one I like at shows.

I found a Masterson practitioner near where my horse is. I might give her a try but next time I’ll be in town is the day before we leave for a large show. Considering my run of bad luck with this horse, I’m hesitant to schedule her that close to hitting the road.

I’ve ordered a Posture Prep and will use it as much as I can when I’m at the same location as him. I do also do sternum lifts and carrot stretches with him. He’s super stoic so I have no idea if they help at all but they certainly won’t hurt.

[greywithchrome]

My horse with back issues responds best to Bowen-based bodywork. We also do PEMF.

[WNT]

My late TB that had back and muscle tension issues loved Masterson work. His book is great with excellent descriptions of where and how much pressure to use. Mister was extremely demonstrative that something was working when I did it with him.

He was very resentful of traditional massage, I think it was just too much pressure. Some of the electric massagers were disastrous as well. PEMF and BEMER had not become readily available when I had him, so I couldn’t say if they would have been tolerable for him.

[PaddockWood]

What can be done with TTOUCH circle and a 1/4’s and Masterson work is nothing short of saying “holy shit!” every couple minutes. It must be fascial release? I’m a BIG believer in bodywork and have released my own body pretty much over the years and also seen huge results in my horses.

I won’t do chiro and haven’t had much done on my horses. That takes real skill and damage can be done. But have had that work done with truly skilled individuals.

Just today had a friend over and was doing a wee bit of TTOUCH, airgap and grape skin or whatever the heck it’s called (Masterson) - on the neck and poll -and in a matter of a minute it starts. They zone out, then things start releasing and moving. The lower jaw starts moving, twitches, and other body movements.

Years ago I would do TTOUCH circles on my Arab and in a matter of minutes he’d stretch UP through his neck. It happened so many times I got it on video. Sadly, do not have that video anymore or I’d post it here for ya’ll to see with your own eyes. Has anyone else had that happen?

[Hightale]

I’m qualified to advanced professional level in the bodywork modality I do - Emmett technique, and I am always astonished by how quickly and fully it relaxes the horses through very light fingertip pressure.
They just let go and sometimes when they are really sore and are going to brace against a more invasive treatment it’s the perfect opener for them.
For me that’s what bodywork is - a way of freeing up tension, a feel good beneficial hour that the horse enjoys and feels better from.
All recognised modalities should hold a register of qualified professionals, so if you are looking it’s worth checking out the web pages of those of interest and looking for someone close by.

[PaddockWood]

I’ve never heard of Emmett. Could you tell us more? I forgot to mention I’m also a Jack Meagher devotee and have his book and VHS tape and have also done that deep work and found it VERY beneficial both on myself and my horses BUT also find some horses (like my new guy mustang - stallion until 6 and I have fighting pictures from a photographer) DON"T like the deep work. He doesn’t. He’s also PSSM2 so that is part of the puzzle.

[HeartsDesireEventing]

I’ve been doing PEMF on my upper level horse for several years now - he gets done regularly, varying from every 2 - 4 weeks depending on how hard he’s working. He’s on a three week schedule now. Even the vet comments how much better his SI feels after adding that in (started it after we had to inject his SI).

We do chiro as needed, either with my vet or with a friend who’s also a vet and a chrio, just depending on who is available. His SI does tend to get stuck occasionally, typically with the right side stuck up high. I can usually tell now when it’s out, and can get that adjusted. Also acupuncture occasionally - I think the first time we did this was the best. I still find it nice to do, but it’s not a regular part of his maintenance.

I added in bodywork when he was coming off 7 months of stall rest for a tendon injury. I found my bodyworker by asking our PEMF practitioner. Adding the bodywork was very helpful - we were at the point of doing 30 seconds of canter when she first came out. Since we were cantering for a set period of time, in a straight line (nice big polo field), I knew where to start the canter to get the whole time on the straight side. The day after the bodywork, his canter was so much better with a longer, more relaxed stride, that we actually ran out of straight side. So we’ve kept that in the mix now too, about every six weeks.

As others have mentioned, we do carrot stretches, butt tucks, tummy lifts, etc. every time I ride to help maintain in between visits. And do turn on the forehand each direction before every ride to help loosen up that SI joint.

[BroncoMo]

I’ve done PEMF, something else I’ve seen the good results from, only once on him. And it was at the last show where he was in the middle of a significant physical crisis event. So it’s hard to tell if it did anything for him. I may try again with a clean slate when he’s already feeling pretty good so I can compare to a baseline of sorts.

We do have a few clients who have BEMERs and have offered their use. I braid for them so we can swap services easily. We’ve already talked about giving it a try and I do realize BEMER needs to be done more often than a pulse machine.

I also know a lot of people who swear by red light therapy for their own injuries. Again one of those things I would incorporate at shows and when I’m out there schooling, but wouldn’t be a regular every day thing. I’ve been shopping for a pad that’s big enough to cover his back that doesn’t require me to sell a kidney….