Horse Massage and Healing - Mandy Cooling

24/07/2024

Don’t start your young horse too soon!

23/07/2024

01/06/2024

Love the honest and straightforward way Mary writes it like it is 😊
We owe it to the horse to know these things and to keep on learning for the betterment of the horses in our care.

Horses have never and nor will be ever designed to have beneficial effects from riding

So quite the bold statement and as I watch droves of followers maybe leave because of that statement, but try and stay to read on we must know that there is no beneficial advance to a horse having a rider on its back, evolution has not prepared them for this job it’s the fact that they were probably faster and more willing than other species when we were thinking of a work animal or a battle animal (and when we look back at the horses then some horses today are so far away from what we would consider an animal best equipped for the job)

So, don't leave yet because if you start at this base line then you either don't ride or you make damn sure that your horse is at the peak of health and fitness to be able to do what we want (yes what we want not what they choose)

We need more realists in the equine world who are going to tell you how it is not sugar coat things if we take our rose-tinted glasses off as to why our horses may not be able to perform the task that we ask of it then we might just get longevity and quality to their lives, rather than the fast turnover of horses continually breaking down

Balance ...you cannot ask a horse even to consider balancing another moving force without it or the moving force placed upon it being fit, healthy and balanced and if this means a long time on the ground before you get on then so be it.

Strength... A weak structure and foundation will lead to failure, if your horses haven't the strength to carry itself correctly again add another moving force and the foundation will become even more unstable and weak

Feed...internal health is so important, what we feed on the inside will show on the outside and that doesn't mean fancy smanchy expensive feeds it means you need to meet your horses Nutrional needs and feed it according to the work its doing remember the bacteria in the hind gut will start dying off at around 6 hours without anything passing through so especially in winter where our horses are stabled for long periods of time that amount of hours can be the realism for some horses (don't shoot me if that may different now i was taught that over 30 years ago things may have moved on lol)

Time out...we need to let our horses just be horses for the majority of the day we owe them that much, a horse must be able to have room to move and i mean if they want to gallop they have enough room to build up speed as if a horse is frightened by something yet never has the means to escape then what will it be doing to their nervous system are they forever trapped in flight mode without the ability to reach a peak to then come back down

Time...the last growth plates to fuse at the most important part and usually the most common areas we see dysfunction throughout the horse's life the last growth plate can close as late as 8 years old in some horses, yet we are overdoing things at 2,3 and mostly 4 yrs. old, how many horses do we see with lower neck and lower back issues in later years when coincidentally these are the last areas where the growth plate closes

Teeth and feet. The effect of imbalance or pain in these areas will have ripple effects throughout the body and no amount of bodywork will compensate for continual pain in these areas. In fact, I will say more feet than teeth as i see way more foot pain and dysfunction than I do incorrect dental structures, just pick your horses foot up have a look at the heels are they nice and plump or flat and hard and that is just one area I often see

Pain....changing tack, injections etc will only let us know the area no longer has pain the horse will still think the area may hurt again we go back to time for the horse to process that an area will no longer be in pain, how long I don't know we cannot ask the horse....and with that you may have removed or changed the offending object but do you think that it only affects one area remember one lame leg means the whole body will move differently

We are so lucky in these times we have so much information on ways to help our horses, but we need to listen to our horses after all we are supposed to have a partnership. And f we start at the basis of I am going to help my horse be as fit and healthy for the job I ask it to do then it’s a good starting point. Be a realist if your horse keeps saying no then listen, sometimes we cannot help them all, sometimes you may have got as far as you can and even sometimes, we have to make hard decisions, but we must always have the horses best interests we must never lose sight of the fact we must come second in our dreams the horse must always come first.

A healthy well balanced and confident horse can be more challenging as they may always ask the question why, but much better than a sore, unbalanced horse that may do the job while slowly breaking down

Are you still here it wasn't so bad lol my rants are always rubbish lol

29/05/2024

Good to do while waiting for a vet to arrive if your horse has colic.
I’ve used it many times with good results. They seem to recover quicker if it’s a mild colic after the vet has been.

25/05/2024

I almost always finish a session with tail slides 😊 they love it and a good way to finish.

24/05/2024

More common than you think 🙁

18/05/2024

So how many of you spend time just grooming your horse?
It’s one of the best things you can do for them.

Bonding time. Let them show you the scratchy spots.

Loosens tight fascia. Helps muscles.

Gets rid of dead skin and hair. That’s got to feel better 😜

And so much more 😀

12/05/2024

Definitely…

You are not in pain you are just being an arsehole

Personally going from being relatively healthy to having a long term not yet understood illness, having many tests, having non specific symptoms and sometimes being brushed off because my bloods come back clear 🤔 has my personality altered ?? You bet it has yet I can vocalise my frustrations, my pain and I can down tools when it becomes to much

But what about the horse?? There are many issues that go misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, not yet even recognised for a diagnosis,

Horses that have sporadic or chronic pain yet routine checks may not pick up anything

Horses that are living longer, bred with illness or genetic malformation that we are not yet able to get a clear answer to because the wheels of research to recognition are so slow

Horses living in environments not congruent with how their natural lifestyle leading to having a real affect on their health and wellbeing

Whatever the cause wether diagnosed or not the first clue is usually always a behaviour change, and not always an aggressive change for alot of horses just become quieter and often these are the ones that often go unrecognised for longer

In the human world when we see a behaviour change with someone the first thing we ask is "what is the matter" yet often in the horse world even though the owner may ask this question they will be quickly dissuaded by others that the change in behaviour is a challenge of authority and not a cry out for help

We should never wait for an escalation to seek help we should keep pushing earlier to get the answers our horses need to be able to heal

Behaviour is always a reflection of either how the horse is feeling internally or how the horse is dealing with the external situation or how past pain has been so prevelant the horse has never known a life without it and its upto us to find the why and try and resolve it before we ask them to continue with the work we ask them to do

Simply we owe it to the horse they ask for nothing in return to what we ask of them its our duty to not label the behaviour we find undesirable it's our duty to keep asking why until we find the answer

29/04/2024

Energy Healing for horses..
Have you ever seen or held the lead rope of a horse having a healing treatment ?
It’s an amazing experience. Emotional sometimes, relaxing and grounding.

If you would like your horse to experience this and yourself, get in touch and I can discuss in more detail what involved.
It truly is a gift to give to your horse. 💝

24/04/2024

Please dig deep and buy a raffle ticket for my lovely friend Sarah. She was injured when working at what she loves to do..

🌟 🌟 RAFFLE FOR SARAH 🌟 🌟
ticket sales now closed

Many of you may have already heard that one of our Tassie hoof trimmers was seriously injured recently when she was kicked in the face whilst working.

That person was our truly beautiful, Sarah Adrych. If you’ve ever met or worked with Sarah you will know how deeply passionate she is about helping horses and how much effort she goes to for her clients.

Sarah has sustained serious facial injuries including multiple fractures. Last week she underwent urgent reconstructive surgery where titanium mesh, plates and screws were used to reconstruct the fractured bones. So far Sarah’s journey has not been without complications with multiple return visits to emergency.

Her injuries are disfiguring and are effecting her vision. Sarah will require further reconstructive surgeries in the future.

As a fellow equine professional, my heart goes out to Sarah so deeply. We give this work our all and every day we take risks working with horses. But we do it anyway because we want to help.

I know Sarah has already been humbled to see the community rally in donating some AMAZING prizes (there are more coming too!). Please show her your support and go nuts with tickets!!

We can't take away the accident but we can assist in a small way by taking some financial pressure off for a little while.

And a little word from Sarah: "I hope my story can act as a reminder to please be safe around horses". ❤

Tickets $5 each or 3 for $10, please message me to purchase 🙂
Will be drawn Wednesday 15/5/2024

02/04/2024

What she says 😉

What type of therapist am I??

In reality I am the type of therapist the owner needs and in that moment they interpret who and what I am

For the owner who's horse is just recovering from am injury I am a rehabilitation therapist

For the owner who wants their horse to have a nice massage then I am the lady who gives their horse a nice treat

For the owner who's horse is competing then I am the therapist who makes sure their horse keeps winning

For the horse with a sore back the owner might refer to me as the back person

For the owner who is lost and just needs someone to listen I am sometimes theirs aswell as their horses therapist

Each owner sees our work as something different it matters not what or where I gained my qualifications it just matters in that moment I am the right therapist the owner wants for their horse

I do not change how I work I work with the horse in front of me, labels, titles, whatever therapist I am that day means nothing to the horse or the owner they simply want me to do a good job and make their horse better

I am all of those things above yet seen differently to every horse I work on in the end I am who that horse needs on the day, a label means nothing 🫠

If I can give one bit of advice to any new therapist it is do not worry what anyone thinks of how you got where you are for those that criticise very rarely pay your wages ###

17/03/2024

This…

Your horse's shoulder is out???

Often I hear that phrase along with others and part of being a therapist is giving clarity to owners on what we are finding and the words "out" especially when concerning bone can leave owners worried and sometimes putting things into layman's terms may often confuse what is actually happening in an anatomical term

When I ask where did it go?? Often the owner does not have the answer because the therapist proclaims two things, it was out and now they have put it back in and all the stuff in the middle is not worth telling the owner

SUBLAXATION

This is a hot topic and the word itself can be controversial and widely debated among practitioners as to what their individual training specifies as to what it means I am simply going by the medical terms

Where the joint supporting the bone either has a partial dislocation, so will bring the bones away from the normal position but are still connected, repetitive injuries, joint conditions and trauma is often involved. Instability of the joint, pain, swelling and a reduced range of motion may occur

DISLOCATION

This is severe and a displacement from the bones where the joint is occurs, normal function is ceased intense pain occurs, visible deformation occurs, complete immobility, swelling and bruising, often trauma is involved (remember trauma to a joint can occur by taking it outside its normal range of motion) we have all seen knee dislocations usually happen in a sports environment and you can see how painful it is for humans so ask yourself is your horse in the same state of immobility or pain and would you need a vet or therapist

It may be easier and quicker to say a bone is out, but it can be misleading for the owner and there can be a whole host of other issues involving the joints which may be less dramatic and there are many types of joints in the horse,

If we look at vertebrae which are misaligned, we would be seeing words such as scoliosis, if we were looking at a vertebrae out of place words would be used such as spondylolisthesis and both of these words would fall under the veil of diagnosis which only your vet can tell you

Being out often comes with the simple explanation that they can be popped back in and when we look at issues such as in the previous paragraph often these happen over a long period of time and other factors are involved

Often what we are addressing is the soft tissue compensation I like to address it as a pull and often people may only focus on the tight side but when one side is tight the other side is also affected so often work in between sessions restores strength and stability

THE SNAP CRACKLE AND POP

Now we all go oooh when we hear a big pop but what is it ??

Cavitation

The pop you hear is when gas pockets form and create small cavities in the joint and when the place is stretched, they are burst and pop, and no you will not get arthritis if you crack your knuckles, but you may damage ligaments and tendons so stop lol and more importantly you are not changing the bone shape in your finger

Crepitus

If you feel or hear a creaking sound when mobilising a joint then this is the word to describe it, it is translated from the Latin word creaking, (any of you teeth clenchers may hear this when you move your jaw or as we get older we also may feel or hear this in our knees ) it is not restricted to joints but often if you hear the word creaky joints you will know this is crepitus (great word) Age can add normal wear and tear in joints so as always each individual horse must also be taking into consideration

Correct terminology is so important as if we just proclaim a pelvis is “out” it can conjure all sorts of images and worries for an owner and if your horse is having to have its pelvis put back “in” every few weeks then two questions need to be asked how and why and the third question is having to address something every few weeks even working

If you are unsure the simple answer is to ask your professional to explain what they mean

03/03/2024

By Gillian Higgins and Horses Inside Out With a background in Sports and Remedial therapies focussing on muscular skeletal problems and imbalances in both horses and riders, with a passion for anatomy and biomechanics, Gillian strongly believes that if we understand more about how our horse works, w...

16/01/2024

Education: treatment chart with acu for horse that is girth sore. All points must be done.

22/07/2023

Really good visual explanation 😊

04/07/2023

This exercise is great and has many benefits

Tuesday tip

Backing up is a low-impact exercise with no moment of suspension. It can be done in-hand and ridden. You horse should move his limbs in diagonal pairs.

Performed well, it requires your horse to carry more weight on his hindquarters, and maintain increased hindlimb, lumbosacral and back joint flexion throughout the stride cycle.

Executed correctly with relaxation, impulsion and with the head lowered, the movement increases the throacic vertebral rotation, encourages core recruitment of the abdominals , thoracic sling and hip flexors. It also contributes to back mobility, the ability to collect and good posture.

For maximum benefit ask your horse to back up in-hand daily. Start with 1 or 2 steps and progress to 20 steps. The aim is good quality, long, marching steps.

01/07/2023

Something to think about..

Pain is not always a direct measure of tissue health.
Pain does not always have a biomedical cause or solution.
Pain is the brains way of screaming, "Danger! Do not proceed!"
Pain can be emotional and contextual.

The nervous system gets better at what it practices. Often, chronic pain is a result of the nervous system being stuck strengthening patterns of self protection and survival.
Chronic pain leads to chronic stress, and vice versa, leaving the sympathetic nervous system in overdrive.

Often, in horses you'll see behaviors like excessive spookiness or explosiveness at, "nothing".
Or overreactions to simple requests, tasks or work.
Immediate defensive behavior over little things.

Pain is always real and it cannot be ruled out.
Even if there is no diagnosable cause.

Why? Because pain doesn't exist in the tissue, it exists in the BRAIN. 🧠

28/06/2023

You don’t see many horses on the lunge looking relaxed and moving softly. Something to strive for as they build up muscle strength. It’s not always about going fast which can cause bracing.

27/06/2023

This…
I’m always saying groom your horse!

Grooming for connection, not just cleaning!

When we groom our animals, we often go in with a specific purpose - removing dirt and hair! While this is often necessary, taking the time to groom with the sole purpose of doing something enjoyable for your animal, can be an incredible exercise in listening, observation, and trust building.

Whether it is with dogs, cats or horses - grooming quickly "to get it over with" is rarely a truly enjoyable process for the animal. Taking the time to slow down, pausing when the animal gets "bored" and noticing patterns of response can provide some invaluable information about how comfortable they are about contact all over the body. Breathing, stillness, movement, ear, eye and mouth tension are all key things to notice.

Most of our domesticated animals are incredibly good at tolerating the seemingly illogical things their humans do with them. When we can approach regular husbandry tasks at a slower pace, with less of a goal oriented end, we can actually help animals go from tolerance to real acceptance.

The next time you go to groom, try slowing down and "see your animal with new eyes". You may be surprised to see what their subtle behavior is trying to tell you when you really pause to listen.

Let us know if you discover anything you had not noticed before!

04/06/2023

True..

🌟

04/06/2023

As a Body worker I have evolved over time the way I use my hands on healing treatments with horses.

Knowing intuitively where to place my hands to release muscles but also emotional energy stored from trauma be it emotional or physical.

This morning dwelling on my role in helping horses, I realised I could offer my help further by including you the horses person in this magical experience.
Helping them to reconnect with you on a deeper, emotional level. And a new path of learning from each other.

If this is something you would like me to do for you and your horse then message me for more info and to book a session. Or call me.
🕊️💜