Horse In Hand - Equine Sports Therapy

20/06/2024

When the after massage endorphins hit just right!
During massage, a large amount of endorphin is released which gives the horse a sleepy feeling after their massage.
Massage can be greatly beneficial both physically and mentally. Just ask Sonny here 😂

Lillelund Riding Academy

19/06/2024

A little extra b***y support.

Equine Kinesiology Tape is an elastic and adhesive based tape. Kinesiology Tape is to
✨ relieve pain
✨ improve muscle function
✨ blood flow
✨ lymphatic flow
✨ joint support
Kinesiology Tape works by adhering to the horses coat, this then lifts the skin creating space between the skin and under tissue which promotes self healing.

17/06/2024

Top three benefits of equine massage
✨ Decrease in muscle stiffness
✨ Improved range of motion and flexibility
✨ Improves the horses quality of sleep

How often should your horse get a massage?
✨ Short answer, as often as you like ☺️
✨ I recommend once a week to once a fortnight for horses I am working with that have pain issues and need some rehab.
✨ Maintenance schedule ever 4-6 weeks

Feel free to contact me so we can book your horse in and get them on started on regular massage.

15/06/2024

Today I went and treated a few regulars at Glenworth Valley.
First up was Spirit, Spirit showed so much love for her massage today.
Then it was Jed’s turn, he always makes me laugh. He is the funniest horse, he couldn’t decide if he wanted to have a little nibble at us mid yawn 🥱 😂
Last up was Ace, who matched perfectly with his mum, halter and Kinesiology tape ☺️

01/06/2024

I love the connection I build the horses I massage. From the first time I meet them we build trust and a connection that I hold with me and I know the horses do too, long after their session.
I love seeing how excited they are when they see me and they know it’s their turn to feel amazing.

29/05/2024

Did you know, that a horses body is made up of about 40% - 55% muscle.
Muscles are constantly changing depending on the horse life stage. A young foal that’s growing and learning, the young horse that’s just been broken in and getting use to their new routine, the “established” horse who is learning and working through the levels, the older horse that enjoys life and work at their level and our favourite the mature retired horse.

During the horse’s life they will go through different riders, trainers, conditions, owners and so much more. This will all change their muscles, they will increase muscle as they work harder, drop muscle as their work load lessens.

But what is consistent is they can all benefit from regular massage to ensure their muscles stay healthy at all stages of life. Regular massage can pick up on muscles differences and changes in the muscles between session.

Let’s chat about getting your horse/s in on a regular massage schedule

22/05/2024

How much would your horse love a massage? But can’t make a week day session?
This Saturday I have a few afternoon spots left for clients on the central coast. If you would like to book in send me a message 😊

10/05/2024

Lovely post massage roll and mini zoom from Duke.

Duke is a very special horse to me. Duke is retired from ridden work and lives his absolute best life with his besties Rio and Axel and is loved endlessly by his mum Terry.

He can get overwhelmed with new people or when he feels crowded, but I’ve been lucky enough to work with Duke for a number of years now. He gets a massage every 6 weeks to ensure he is feeling physically and mentally his best.

05/05/2024

I love the bond I get to build with clients, and we sometimes get ourselves into some pretty funny positions 😄

This week I will be in the following areas and have a few availabilities left
Glenworth Valley: Tuesday the 7th May
Wyong Creek: Wednesday the 8th May
Wyee: Thursday the 9th May
Dooralong: Friday the 10th May

If you are in or around theses areas, feel free to message me and we can book your wonderful horse in too 😍

24/04/2024

13/04/2024

Sugar checking out what goodies I have in my amazing purple box 😀

10/04/2024

Could you imagine 😂
I must say this horse is pretty amazing, he stays behind the yellow line, doesn’t completely freak out when the train comes and stands so nicely when they put his halter on.

05/04/2024

No better way to finish a massage than with a relaxing poll release. Darcy definitely enjoyed his massage

03/04/2024

The rain has hit for the next few days. We definitely need some good rain.
If your horse is booked in today, tomorrow or Saturday and you do not have a shelter or stable we can use to keep the horse dry before their session and during please let me know so we can reschedule.
It’s very hard to massage a wet horse and I’m sure no one wants to stand in the rain for an hour 😊

Thank you in advance

29/03/2024

I am super excited to share that my amazing bridle/bit fitting teacher will be coming to Australia this year!!! She will be here to share her knowledge on bridle and bit fitting for her Australian students plus so much more.
Natascha has created the best bridle/bit fitting course, ICPBC. I’ve loved being her student and learning from the best means we can provide the best care to our horses.

I’d love see many of you on the webinar 😍

22/03/2024

I think I’m living in a world of giants 😳😍

This big boy is Milo, he stands at 17.1 at the wither. But if you ask me he looks about 19 hands, especially when he stands head tall 😂

Milo is the absolute stunning. He loves his massages. As Milo gets regular sessions we can focus on the areas he is loving and wanting more attention too.

20/03/2024

Every day I am so grateful to be able to do what I absolutely love, and how can I not love what I do when I get to treat this absolute stunning man Harry!
Harry stands at 18.1 hands and is just stunning. Harry got some massage session in before he is off to compete at the Royal Easter Show.
I wish Harry and his mum Ashley the best of luck and I am super excited for you both.

06/03/2024

This is too fun not to share

What's your tally $$ 🙈

29/02/2024

Do you find your horse can sometimes feel resistant? Do they feel more tight on one rein compared to the other?

Did you know I can help make your horse feel loser, more balanced and we discuss how to get the most benefit for your horse. I love setting goals and taking about how we can add different experiences into your horses routine to make them feel their best!

Horse in Hand is more than just regular massage, it’s a whole horse approach

26/02/2024

School ponies are the hardest working horses and deserve to be treated like the athletes they are 🥰🥰🥰

I love working with riding school horses/ponies. I love seeing their releases and them have an hour of bliss

13/02/2024

I absolutely love that I am making horses feel better within their own bodies

Recent Testimonials from a few of my amazing clients.

11/02/2024

Let’s celebrate Valentines Day together with the one we love most … our horse 😍🥰💕

I’m offering a Valentine’s Day special, book your horse in for a massage on Wednesday the 14th February 2024 and save $15.00 per horse

Message me for available times and let your horse enjoy the love of massage.

* due to time constraints this offer will be for horses located on or near the central coast NSW

09/02/2024

Ollie loved his massage!
During a horses session I am always checking to see how they are responding and looking for signs of stress, too much discomfort, and enjoyment. Massage is a tool to release tension, and making sure the horse is comfortable with the pressure and area I am working is super important to ensure they get the best out of their session.

07/02/2024

As many of you know, I absolutely love and advocate for ground work and long reining.
And it makes me so happy to see a riding school teaching the kids the importance of this work to better our horses and better the skills of our future equestrians!

Double lunging/long reining

This would have to be my favourite alternatives to riding! Today young Chloe got the chance to have a double lunging lesson with my super school pony Junior. 🐴

After a little fumbling to get used to the two reins Chloe absolutely nailed it! 🤩

Why I love this and why it’s a stable part of my weekly training routine:

• allows the horse to work without the rider on top
• allows me to see what is going on with my horses body and functioning.

I’ll often work my horse outside the arena doing this in an a wide open space to break up the routine and allow the horse to get confident in different environments.

I love using poles and hills and again without the rider on its back allowing the horse to find its own balance.

Go on give it a go! Send it you photos 🥰

04/02/2024

When you are riding, do you find that your horse feels heavy in your hands? This is what some call Heavy on the Forehand.
What does this mean? Generally speaking, this occurs when the horse is unbalanced and not working in an “up hill” frame. During work they tend to pull themselves forward instead of pushing themselves forward with the use of their hind end. This in turn caused them to drive downward and as a result a lot of riders will try and correct this by pulling more on the reins. However, this often has the opposite effect and caused more pulling.

There are amazing ground work and ridden work exercises that you can do with your horse to help them correct this, and in turn they will become stronger over the back and hind quarters too.

However, horse that ride on the forehand, tend to be very tight in their chest and under neck. And it is important to treated to release this tension and continue with massages on a regular basis to help the horse move their body in the best way possible.

03/02/2024

The next few days over the Central Coast and Sydney the temperature is predicted to reach up to 39 degrees.
I just wanted to remind everyone that if you are hosing your horse off to cool them off, make sure you’re scraping the water off straight after.
If you don’t scrap them, the extra water that sits on their coat can heat up super quickly and cause your horse to overheat instead of cooling them off.
Remember to add electrolytes to your horses feed or water to support their bodies too as they will be losing a lot of salt via sweating.

This has been a hot and muggy summer, I hope you all stay cool and safe.

29/01/2024

Let’s play a game of “never have I ever”

Put a 👍🏻 or ❤️ if you said any of these things to your horse/s

I’d love to hear what else you say to your horse and we can play round two.

29/01/2024

Darcy absolutely loves his post workout mash
Darcy gets a mash with EquaCare protein pellets added in. To build good muscle, including top line, we need to focus on muscle building exercises but also what we feed our horses to support the muscles to build.
During muscle building exercises we are creating micro tears in the muscles, the muscles become bigger and stronger during the recovery after and by adding protein pellets this will aid the muscles in their recovery.

What does your horses after care look like?

27/01/2024

Took a road trip to QLD to learn from Dressage Royalty Charlotte Dujardin.

Her eye for detail was amazing.
It was such a super hot day but the horse care was the best, lots of sponge downs and Charlotte was always asking about how they feel.

Given me lots to think about and play with

18/01/2024

After a fantastic week away with my family and amazing friends, it’s back to making horses feel amazing!!!!

The first lucky boys today were Ben, Will (who did not want to wait for his photo 😂) and Milo!

All three boys loves their treatments and will sleep well tonight