Equine Physique &Motion - Fascia release and posture correction therapy.

04/04/2024

I wanted to share the power of fascia work ! This was my own little horse who was 27, I am forever grateful for her lessons in fascia release. This was taking last year, but such a great example of dehydration and restriction within the fascia sheets.

🙌 The Body keeps the score 🙌

🙌These photos are 12 hours apart from myofascial release. 🙌

This lovely little lady holds a special place in my heart. At 27 years old and on her final journey with me , I am trying to make it a peaceful and happy one for her. ❤️

Arthritic change in a few parts of the body, issues with teeth due to age, and problems within the feet, this lady isn’t without her problems. All being addressed with veterinary care.

I always check in with my horses that are in my care, and yesterday I could see she was struggling, holding her body in tension. The thing is I know at this stage I am never going to change the long term damage caused, or improve posture, as the compensatory patterns are keeping her safe in survival mode….

What I simply wanted to do to help her was show up , be present and listen to her body, give her a space where she could relax , let go and allow the body to BREATHE again from its holding patterns.

Working on the fascia systems….

When fascia becomes restricted this causes dehydration, tightening and hardening, this decreases the space between the fibres and increases irritation in the fascia. This will cause restrictive mobility, and increased pain or fatigue.

This morning after 12 hours of fascia work , I was presented with a much more happier relaxed horse, the pictures speak a thousand words, and I am honoured you feel safe enough and trust me to work on the parts you feel vulnerable with.

The final journey is always the hardest, but I will do everything in my power to make it a safe peaceful one, my beautiful golden oldie. ❤️

Equine Physique & Motion

22/03/2024

Hi everyone, I have been poorly at the minute with this horrible bug going around, thank you all for your patience, I will get new dates rescheduled for next week at the weekend. I do apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused. Thanks Sam 😊

18/03/2024

Are you struggling with a head shy horse?

Do they turn into a giraffe, or push you out of the way when trying to do anything around their head or ears? Most times I hear owners say that is just the way the horse is, he has always been that way! Unfortunately this is not normal and most cases it is pain related.

Over 80% of horses struggle with poll pain, the problem is it is never detected early enough, so by the time it gets to head shyness, it becomes a real problem for the horse. The poll is the region situated behind the ears. It is made up of the C1 and C2 known as the atlas and the axis, the atlantoaxial joint is between them, and the Atlanto - occipital joint at the atlas, where the occipital bone at the back of skull sits. There is a hugh highway of muscles, ligaments that attaches from here running down the sides of the neck, it is also encased with major cranial nerves . So you can see how easy it is to create issues in this area.

Direct Trauma
Direct trauma such as a fall, pull back on a halter tided up, rearing up and hitting the head, ear twitching ( please do not do that). This can have major effects on the poll.

Poor hoof, or imbalances can cause excessive strain in the poll as the horse has to find a way to compensate from poor posture due to this problem. Also dental issues, uneven wear of teeth etc can cause more pressure on one side than the other.

Poor tack, saddles not fitted correctly or checked regularly, can cause extremely poor posture and the horse has to compensate and use incorrect muscle groups, that put excessive pressure on the poll.

Even overall weak poor posture and harsh training methods, this causes the horse to have to use the underside of their neck and poll to balance and hold themselves up, instead of correctly using their thoracic sling muscles.

Lameness and undetected lameness can play a huge part in poll pain, so it is always important to get those head shy horses checked out!

If we are dealing with soft tissue issues, Equine Physique & Motion can help! We offer myofascial treatments aimed at poll pain, this gentle treatment can really help relieve old tension patterns and restore healthy function again, and all followed with after care plans.



# healingtrauma

17/03/2024

Anatomy is emotional, emotions are transmitted felt, expressed, held or repressed in the body. Emotions are stuck in the fascia. Our issues are in our tissues.
Fascia work can be effective at treating all types of pain with physical and emotional benefits, with calming mindful effects.

Hi guys have not been on in a while! Just popping on to say that I am going back to school!! Another new adventure is taking place to add on to what we are currently doing here at Equine Physique &Motion - Fascia release and posture correction therapy. Exciting times ahead. I will still be taking on clients, just availability will be a little limited, so please try and book in advance. Thank you all for your continued support in my business.

07/02/2024

Fascia is an interconnected system, any strain or tension in one part of the body, will generate pain, reduce movement and cause dysfunction elsewhere in the body.

If we look at our own bodies, our sleeping patterns, how we sit, what posture and position our bodies take up when we work. Exercise we do or not do, or if we are even in correct form when doing exercises. This all has a huge impact on how are fascia is installed and how it develops our posture. This enables us to have weaknesses, stiffness one side to another.

Try standing up, feet shoulder width apart, relax your shoulders let your arms hang loosely by your side, keep your head forward, and slow side bend . Then try the other side. You might find one side completely more difficult than the other. What side do you feel shorter on? Is this the side you maybe struggle more on? If you horse ride , do you struggle with that side?

Now let’s look at our horses!

Their environment of stabling , haynets in corners, walkers, lunging in circles, gadgets , poor tack fit, hoof balance and you guessed it rider balance can all have an impact on the horses fascia system! Like us their bodies can become stiff, restricted movement patterns.

Fascia’s role is to contract during , injury, tension or response to inflammation in the body. It will not release on its own. It requires specific manual techniques and movement patterns this allows the body to rid itself of patterns of asymmetry, relieving tension and pain. This helps to reset the body back to neutral.

The pictures below is one session of fascia release with me. When I take pictures I want to see how the horse chooses to stand on its own accord , how does it choose to hold its body. This client said the horse was struggling on the right rein. There is a lot more to help this horse with, but asking for the body to relax and come into a better neutral stance is our starting point.

16/01/2024

Hi guys! Here is a little fun relaxing massage tip for you all to try on your horse.

Place your hand very lightly just above the point of shoulder. Be so gentle using the flat of your hand, imagine you have an egg yolk underneath and you are not allowed to break it!!! Take 3 deep breathes and relax everything. Wait until your horse gives you the signal to move on, this can be a change in breath, relaxing of the eye, slow blinking, licking and chewing, dropping the head, yawning. Each horse will be different in time, it could be 30 sec to a minute, just be patient!

Once you feel your horse is relaxed, slowly allow your hand to sink further inwards you will feel sensations under your hand as the tissue lets go. Remember keep breathing! Wait for the horse to give you more relaxing signals.

Then in your mind’s eye imagine stretching the tissue towards to poll, take a few breathes and slowly stretch the tissue upwards towards the poll, ( like stretching a piece of cling film without tearing it) and hold. Stay there for as long as the horse will let you.

Once your horse has had enough , step away and allow them to process quietly. Try this and let me know how you get on. If your horse fidgets a lot lighten your pressure and slow down! Do not proceed if your horse really says no there may be bigger issues. Your horse should be relaxed and show signs of release.

We will be running more workshops in 2024 for horse owner massage!

15/01/2024

Hi everyone! Could I please ask you all kindly to give my New page a share!

Much appreciated Sam 😊

15/01/2024

How often has your horse displayed a certain behaviour, and you have told your horse NO! Behave! Stop being Naughty!

If only our horses could speak and tell us hey human I am sore today, tired, or just not finding this easy. Well they do communicate with us through behaviour. We just have to be willing to accept that the unwanted behaviour may be a sign of bigger issues.

Here are some examples that you might resonate with….

- when you enter the stable with your tack, the horse moves away.
- When grooming certain areas your horse will swish their tail or pin ears back. Bite or kick out.

- Doing up the girth your horse may, hold their breathe, swish tail, ears back, bite or kick out.

- Your horse is head shy and hates ears being touched.

- When mounting your horse they move away from the mounting block, once in the saddle and taking a step forward maybe they swish their tail, or buck or refuse to go forward.

- When riding one rein is more difficult than the other, horse falls in, canter lead is difficult.

- When riding your horse explodes, bucks , rears, bolts , or is lazy and will not move forward.

- When picking out your horses feet , difficulty lifting a limb.

The list goes on! But a lot of the time we use words like naughty, lazy, stubborn, my favourite one I hear is “ that horse needs taught manners”!

Most of the problems from the above arises from discomfort, that starts off with early warning signs that are missed, and then turn into bigger problems later on. It can also be misunderstanding of training, which causes stress, and stress leads to poor posture and performance and you guessed it pain cycles.

So the next time your horse displays unwanted behaviour ask yourself why?
What is happening at that time, what are you asking your horse to do, remember this is how they communicate to us! Try listening more.

13/01/2024

Let’s talk about myofascial kinetic lines, they describe body movement and stability. They look at anatomy from static to functional. These lines are results of tension due to motion patterns. The body is complex system that everything is connected, so within each of these fascial lines they either work together or antagonistic to each other.

Dysfunction in the body usually results in more than one of these lines becoming statically contracted. This can happen due to injury or trauma, ill fitting tack, poor training choices, poor rider balance , hoof or dental issues. Even high stress from the above or environmental issues where the horses welfare is not met, can cause the body to spiral in all directions.

The Superficial Dorsal Line (SDL)
(This line works antagonistic to the Superficial Ventral Line(SVL), but we will just discuss SDL for this post).

SDL - This includes the whole top line

Starts from the hindlimb, superficial flexor tendon and suspensory ligament, over the gastronemius muscle, continues to the semitendinosus, the bicep femoris muscle, inserts into the tuber ischii. Passing into the sacrotuberous ligament of the pelvis. Through the spinal muscles, the red dotted line is following under the scapula , following up through the neck to the teompral muscle of the head and attaching to the mandible .

The function of this line is to extend the neck, back and hip, and for the hind limb to flex the stifle, hock and toe. When this line and its antagonist SVL work correctly it supports the mobility and motion to create tension and flexibility of the back muscles. When the SDL becomes contracted the whole top line becomes restricted and stiff, the extended posture creates weakness within the back, and the range of motion between the vertebrae close reducing flexion , lateral flexion and rotation. This causes lack of motion within the back muscles causing them to atrophy. The hind limbs can’t bear weight correctly under the body, causing imbalanced stance under the body. This can damage joints and bony structures in the hip, stifle or tarsal joints.

Then neck will be raised in extension causing dysfunction in the thoracic sling area, putting create strain on the shoulders, the front limbs take the extra load.

When the this SDL is in contraction the back is locked, the horse can not physically work correctly, it is putting a create amount of pressure through the entire body and even harder with a rider on board. Also horses with hind limb issues or poor hoof pathology could also be causing the SDL into contraction.

Correct posture is key to helping these issues, and if fascia is never addressed it will only do its job and that is to protect the body !!!

09/01/2024

This lovely girl has been in with me 8 weeks, So happy with her improvements!! My holistic approach takes a look at the whole horse, through fascia and nerves. The whole body is connected!

My check list …
✅ Good farrier work/dental checks.
✅ Good diet, freedom, socialising.
✅ Non evasive exercise (Balance Through movement method).
✅ Regular bodywork.
✅ Saddle checks . ( she has been non ridden with me).
✅ An understanding and care that the body takes time to heal.
✅ Setting realistic goals for the horse that is in front of me.

09/01/2024

The temporalis muscle is situated at the front of the skull. These muscles are responsible for closing the jaw. If the horse is sore here they will react by raising their head or pulling away.

If these muscles are not working correctly they will either by atrophied ( wasted) or in this case uneven , you can see if you look head on that the right side is more pronounced than the left side. These problems can all be associated with the teeth and dental problems. With these issues in place it can cause the horse to have very unpleasant headaches as well.

🐎Regular dentist checks are very important for your horses wellbeing.

🐎 Always have a check of these muscles and note muscle symmetry on both sides.

09/01/2024

Back doing what I love ❤️.

Head down technique allows me to release tension in the poll/ atlas area. Asking gently for the head to lower will help open up the joint at the top of the poll, this will help me to work deeper into the surrounding tissues .

Reasons for discomfort or restrictions in the poll area.

✅ Incorrect training/ or training aids
✅ Overuse of muscles causing strain
✅ ill fitting tack
✅ Unbalanced / poor feet
✅ issues with teeth
✅ Injuries/ pull backs/ falls

Signs of discomfort

✅ Head Shy
✅ Hates ears being touched
✅ Difficulty putting bridle on
✅ Turns away for saddle
✅ Head tossing / high head carriage riding
✅ Difficulty picking up canter leads
✅ Overall stiffness in gait

09/01/2024

Are you having problems with your horse❓

Equine Physique & Motion would like to help😊.

We offer a range of different Muscle Therapies, and bespoke rehabilitation programmes. Check out the captions below‼️

Any questions or you would like to book in do contact us.

Our main goals are improving performance and wellbeing for horses in all disciplines. 🐴

09/01/2024

I am just amazed, how much impact fascia release can have on the body.

The first picture shows what is known as a hunters bump, this is known as a protrusion of the tuber sacrale, this was due to repetitive strain and an old injury from falling. The muscles surrounding the pelvis where always in a state of contraction, which caused muscle fatigue and a unstable range of motion in the hindquarters. This also caused great stress within the lumbar region. This is not a conformation fault, which most people are lead to believe, it is most definitely posture related.

The second picture was two days after fascia trauma release, you can clearly see how much the pelvis has relaxed.

Fascia form’s everything in the body, it runs through absolutely everything, it really is powerful stuff! By asking certain muscle groups to relax, working through the nervous system to tell the body it is safe to relax, by focusing on the scar tissue at the site of injury and trauma. By allowing space and being patient with how she needed to process. This was the end result, I feel I now understand what connection to the body really is. ❤️

I am so grateful for your teachings this weekend and so grateful for the amazing people who shared this gift of fascia healing with me. ❤️🌻

Equine Physique & Motion
Equine Fascia and Trauma Release - Liza Kimble

09/01/2024

💥Myofascial Release-How it can really help💥
relieve pain and stress in the body

✅Fascia surrounds every cell, muscle tissue, bone, organ, the brain, spinal cord, lymph nodes, nerves and blood vessels in the body, binding everything together and maintaining tensegrity.

✅Myofascial Release Therapy is the release of restricted “fascia,” which has become stuck and dehydrated.

✅When the fascia or connective tissues in the body get restricted, it leads to exhaustion, inflammation, chronic pain, and dysfunction of movement, posture and weakening of the immune system.

✅Did you know that fascia restriction can happen in response to emotional trauma as well as physical injury.

What is emotional trauma in horses ‼️

• Living in unnatural environments.
• Separation anxiety/ living alone.
• Insufficient forage/ dietary issues.
• Abrupt weaning.
• Moving Yards.
• Inappropriate training methods.
• Inappropriate handling.

✅Fascia is largely made of Collagen and water. Restricted fascia is damaged, dense, dehydrated tissue. It becomes more rigid through overuse; day-to-day stress; scarring and through retained memories of physical injury and/or emotional trauma.

Photo 1️⃣ shows restricted dehydrated fascia along the hamstrings and gluteal area, this little horse struggles with arthritis in both hock, and issues within the SI joint due to a traumatic fall when riding.

Photo 2️⃣ was taken 12 hours after fascial trauma release, these shows how affective this type of therapy really is.

To book in for Myofascial work - Equine Physique & Motion.
07871037855.

09/01/2024

‼️ Scar Tissue is it Important ⁉️

✅ What is Scar Tissue ?

A scar is the body's natural way of healing. A scar is usually composed of excess fibrous tissue, they can cause local restrictions to the affected area , which can also spread to distant parts of the body due to the network of connective tissue. This is why over time scars can cause compensations far from the original wound. This problem is always overlooked in horses.

Scars may be formed for many different reasons, including as a result of infections, surgery, injuries, or inflammation of tissue. Scars may appear anywhere on the body, and the composition of a scar may vary. Most common areas are neck , chest, shoulders, pectorals, hindquarters and lower limbs.

A scar may appear flat, lumpy, sunken, or colored. It may be painful or itchy. The final look of a scar depends on many factors, including the location on the body, the direction of the wound, the type of injury, and how it is managed.

✅ What happens to Scar Tissue if left
untreated?

The fibrous cells in the wound become much less elastic and the site loses natural flexibility.
With this scar tissue can cause stiffness particularly over a joint such as hocks , fetlocks. This creates compensation throughout the body, eventually causing myofascial restriction and pain, causing lack of performance and dysfunction.

✅ Picture 1

A horse treated this week with me, a very fresh scar, due to a bite from another horse. He displayed lots of discomfort above and below this scar , restrictions in the wither and shoulder joint area. This was still painful to touch and inhibited short movement in front.

✅ Picture 2

This one is sometimes more commonly known as Prophet’s Thumbprint - A lovely story but it is actually fascial scarring very commonly seen On the neck, chest, shoulder or hindquarters. Either due to injury, overuse of the muscle, or can happen within the womb.

This horse had huge restrictions within the poll regions and interestingly further back in the pelvis and hamstrings. Remember the whole body is connected.

✅ Picture 3

Gelding scar
After the gelding process, the adhesion of scar tissue can cause mild to extreme irritation during movement, and this horse walked extremely close together from behind.

All horses will have revisits with me so we can continue to help these very interesting scars.

There not just scars, they do have impact on the body, so if your horse has one get them checked over ‼️

Equine Physique & Motion

09/01/2024

🙌Just Breathe 🙌

More often than not, I come to horses that are stuck in a state flight response. Flight is one of the most natural instincts a horse will have to protect themselves.

Why is this ?
Horses are evolved as prey animals, they are designed to run at the first sign of danger, but if a horse is in pain or injured, they are very clever at hiding these symptoms of weakness. Remember weakness means you get singled out and eaten by the big scary predators. This means when the body is in pain they will brace and compensate any way they can to protect themselves. Through time the compensatory patterns become restricted, the fascia becomes dehydrated, muscles and joints stop functioning correctly. Eventually the nervous system switches on to flight response and the horse can become agitated, spooky, stressed. This can be so exhausting for the horse .

So when I meet a horse for the first time , I simply like to start with rest and digest, basically create a space for the horse to relax and breathe. And yes it does sound crazy , but if we can activate the peripheral nervous system we can help decrease the flight response. Which then allows me to start unwinding the compensatory patterns stuck in the fascia system.

The video below shows my clients horse last week taking some slow deep breaths (rest and digest) before we looked further into the body.

Equine Physique & Motion

09/01/2024

🐴 Why choose Myofascial/ Trauma🐴
Therapy for your horse ?

Myofascial/ Trauma Therapy works on the whole horse approach to help balance and restore the whole system.

Myofascia is connective tissue that connects everything in the body, its web like structures connect skin to muscle, muscle to bone. Myofascial pain is pain directed in the bodies soft tissue and affects the musculoskeletal and nervous system, leaving muscles to become weak and stiff with no flexibility and loss of range of motion. This can have an affect in the behaviour of your horse directed through discomfort.

Myofascial work is not just releasing the tissue, it helps restore muscle function and posture, helps realign the body, and release deep emotional trauma. It looks at the whole body approach of physical and emotional well- being.

Have you ever considered this therapy for your horse ? Here are some reasons why-

✅ Helps improve tissue glide and Range of
motion.

✅ Limits painful muscle spasms .

✅ Limits muscle/ gait dysfunction.

✅ Helps restore poor body posture.

✅ Helps relieve tired, tight, weak dehydrated
muscles.

✅ Breaks down scar tissue and adhesions.

✅ Increase flexibility and range of motion.

✅ Increase in performance.

✅ positive behaviour changes.

Myofascial work is something I highly recommend for your horse, it has very positive results and works on the whole horse approach.

Pm to book in.

09/01/2024

Happy New Year 2024 🎉

I would like to introduce myself ….

Hi my name is Samantha Garvin I am the owner of Equine Physique & Motion- Fascia release and posture correction therapy.

I have been an Equine bodyworker 4 years now and absolutely love my job. So what can I offer you in 2024 for you and your horse…..

Equine Physique & Motion specialises in Fascia Trauma Release.

Fascia has been “the forgotten “ tissue for a very long time, this changed when human fascia work has been on the increase over the last decade, which has now lead to fascia research in animals. There is 12 different myofascial lines within the horses body. That is why my holistic approach to treatments consists of the whole body!

What is Fascia❓
Fascia is a web like structure that surrounds the entire body, surrounding individual muscle fibres, tendons, ligaments, nerves, organs, lymph vessels and blood vessels. It plays a huge part within the nervous system. Healthy fascia as the ability to stretch and move without restriction, but if one part of the body is restricted the fascia will be affected in a completely different area! Why ? Because it is all connected, and if untreated the following may occur….

The tissues become stuck, hardened and dehydrated. This causes restrictions and eventually bio mechanical dysfunction, undiagnosed pain, fatigue and weakness the immune system.

What can cause this ❓

Injury, strains, over riding, poor training, poor tack! Poor hoof care, wrong shoes, dental issues. Rider fitness, unbalanced in the saddle, or if you have your own body issues. Over use of training aids/gadgets. Not understanding good biomechanics for your horse and yourself. Environment issues, poor diet, no turnout, or socialising with other horses. The list is endless!

There has also been evidence to show that fascia is not only responsible for helping muscles move, but also responds to emotions and environment. So stressful situations for our horses could be affecting their fascia systems!!

It is time to make a change for our horses! If the issues keep progressing it could be fascial pain and restrictions. Fascial work is brilliant along side Veterinary diagnostics ( at the right time).

My life’s mission over the last 4 years has been to help horses and owners with Fascial work! So please consider me and this therapy for you and your equine friends in 2024❤️🌻

A holistic approach to Equine bodywork, improving the performance and wellbeing of all equines.