Horse and Rider
All round benefits to you and your horse
Shiatsu enhances physical, mental and emotional health in us and our equine athlete friend. Our and our horses' ways of being and imbalances influence each other. The horse reflects to us our present state, helping us to become conscious and notice what deserves our attention for us to evolve.
To become one with our horse we must first become one with ourselves.
Regular sessions are insightful, support our and our horses' awareness and health for a connected, harmonious partnership, development, training and performance throughout all disciplines: dressage, show jumping, eventing, racing, endurance, hacking, as well as supporting our older equine friend to be balanced and happy.
Treating the horse, treating and teaching you to apply safe techniques specific to both yourself and your horse. By receiving Shiatsu yourself you return to your core, learn what it feels like to receive; adding Qi Gong body awareness, energy and fitness exercises further build up an internal embodied knowledge. This helps you to know when, how and where to touch, apply holding, pressure and therapeutic techniques to your horse.
Anchor this knowledge into your body with individual tuition, focusing on your unique patterns; develop the eyes to see and sensitivity to intuit what your horse would benefit from, or is already asking for, feeling confident how to fulfill that ask.
- Effective therapeutic aid to good health
- Helps with tight muscles, stiff joints, movement dysfunction
- Alleviate pain, acute and chronic conditions
- Prevention of and rehabilitation after injury & during box rest
- Manage stress, mental and emotional health, transitions
- Help with behaviour changes – bucking, bolting, kicking, rearing
- Recover from daily strains
- Preparing for changes of seasons
- Deepen the relationship through presence & sensory communication with touch
- Enhance awareness and perception through inner observation
- Satisfying and joyful riding experience
- Achieve harmony between horse and rider through improved balance, suppleness and freedom of movement
- Empowers you to maintain and improve you and your horses’ health: identify and alleviate discomfort before it becomes an obvious problem
- Maintenance of brood mares and older horses
I am fully trained in equine and human shiatsu, as well as craniosacral therapy and I have participated in Masterson Method workshops, too.
I combine my skills, responding to the individuals’ need in each moment.  Horses are brilliant communicators, clearly guiding me to areas that need to release tension. My passion is to support the horse – human partnership through bodywork and awareness, bringing greater harmony to the ridden experience.  For 25 years I have taught riders pre- and post ride techniques to support their mounts and themselves.
Please consider that veterinary permission may be required prior to Shiatsu sessions for your horse.
Shiatsu supports any conventional medical treatment you or your horse may be receiving.
Treating The Horse
Experience a great way to maintain good health in you and your horse.
Shiatsu treatments can prevent illness arising and also help a speedy recovery when there is already an existing ailment. It helps to revitalize and support the horse after the strains of being ridden.Â
Play the video below to see what a Shiatsu session looks like and how this horse releases tension as a result of  the treatment:Â
Teaching The Rider
As the owner, carer, rider or trainer of a horse you can learn to apply safe techniques specific to both your horse and yourself.
I will explain and show you techniques, which will then allow you to treat your horse. I may include my experience of ground and awareness exercises, as well as working at liberty in a picadero.
Learn through felt experience and personal tuition with your horse. Individual ‘building blocks’ allow you to learn to give Shiatsu sessions to your own horse. You can pick up techniques by watching me treat your horse. It is very beneficial for you to receive Shiatsu. You learn about and how to work with your own imbalances. Your body builds up an internal knowledge of what it feels like to receive Shiatsu. Individual tuition with focus on your unique conditions will back up this knowledge. Over time, this will guide you to know when, how and where to touch, apply holding, pressure and therapeutic techniques to your horse.
WorkshopsÂ
Coming back to Being. Connecting from here. Introduction to using presence, embodiment practices, principles and techniques of Shiatsu. A very practical session informing and empowering horse handlers to treat their horse. Spend quality time with your horse, know more about and learn to alleviate her/his personal tensions. Use your body in a balanced and mindful way, feel stronger and more energized after each session yourself.Â
Benefits
Shiatsu aims to assist the individual towards greater balance and natural alignment. As stress is releases from muscles, tissues, fascia and joints, expansion arises naturally throughout the structures of the body, improving mobility, comfort, attitude for being, training and performance.
Undetected, accumulated physical and emotional stress, if not dealt with can cause physical and behavioural issues which may impede performance.
Conditions that can be treated with Shiatsu include:
- Revitalize and support the horse after the strains of being ridden.
- acute or chronic conditions
- arthritis
- behavioural changes: bucking, rearing, kicking, bolting
- cold backed
- gait problems: short striding, cross canter, tracking up
- Help prevent injury and disease before it occurs
- laminitis
- lameness
- muscular-skeletal problems: stiffness on one rein, neck/back conditions
- pain and discomfort in older horses
- Reduce stress and promotes relaxation
- Help the elimination of toxins and reduces muscle soreness
- Improves proprioception
- Increase metabolic rate, blood and lymph flow, cellular nutrition, strengthens the immune system, supporting hormonal and nervous systems
A Typical Session
I will visit you and your horse at your stable or yard. I will assess your horse and take a case history, which will include questions about physical conditions, patterns of behaviour attitude to work, and social position in the herd. Next, I will observe your horse, possibly on the lunge and if appropriate under saddle. A session normally lasts an hour and a half.
It is preferable to find a quiet area to treat your horse. To maximize the integration of the Shiatsu, your horse would benefit from being allowed a day off work.
After the session I will explain and show you techniques which will allow you to treat your horse until her next visit.Â
As effective as physiotherapy! Shiatsu is better because I can use it to reward the horses after training. It helps them to be more balanced and focussed during work and maintains their soundness.
After only six sessions: ‘My 12 year old warm blood gelding had a field accident as a youngster, resulting in a misaligned pelvis, severe muscle tension and intermittent lameness. Riding him gave me back pain. Following both Horse and Rider Shiatsu, I have no more back pain, I feel more balanced on him than on my top dressage horse and he’s wonderfully sound’.
10 minutes hands on Craniosacral Therapy treatment worked magic! Archie had a swollen right top lip for 8 years. Vets and other therapists over those years tied to help, the swelling only increased in size. Alexandra released the occiput area, tear ducts, sinuses and jaw and saw an accident image, reminding me that he got his head stuck in the fork of a tree as a youngster. The next morning the swelling had reduced 50 % and he is now so much more comfortable.