Everything Horse magazine November 2015 | Page 32

How do I know if my horse likes Equine Myofascial Therapy? Horse is saying Emotional state Physical reactions I like that yes Relaxed eye, slow breathing, licking lips I’m bewildered, but that feels good so allow me to move and fidget so you can get the right spot yes Turning the body in a lateral, ventral or dorsal action with eyes open though not wide and body active though not tense STOP! that hurts NO Walking backwards, walking forwards, ears back, eyes wide, nostrils wide head high etc. I don’t recognise what you are doing.... am I safe? Not sure Ears twitching towards you, pinching mouth, turning to you a protective barrier against further pressure reaching the respective body tissue(s) and/ body organ(s). When the myofascial fibres tighten they lose some of their elasticity. To the natural horse this serves no physiological disadvantages, but to a working horse together with his unnatural working demands, the loss of elastin properties within his tissue structures will (through the laws of cause and effect) proceed to create negative consequences derived from mother nature’s positive action. Myofascial malfunctions are not detectable on x-ray. Treatment Each Myofascial Release Therapy session are depending on the horse. The therapy provided are lead by the horse, his lifestyle, his locomotion, his stress points, trigger points, conformation and anatomy. Each session can take up to an hour and 30 min. It is recommended to do several sessions for the horse to get a chance to readjust to the changes. By re-balancing restricted fascia tissue, muscular tension is equalized, restrictions are freed and tension is lost, freeing the horse from the respective emotional and physical trauma, How to know it’s working... Positive displays of physical and emotional behaviour from the horse often displayed during Equine Myofascial r V