Amanda Rockley - Equine Sports and Rehabilitation Massage Therapy

11/12/2024

A maintenance session for Caramac today 💕 a couple of little niggles but otherwise feeling great! We even managed to do hind limb stretches for the first time! 🎉🦄

08/12/2024

27/11/2024

Great start to my morning 🙄 whoever said working with horses is dangerous obviously never had to deal with bin lids in the wind 😂

17/10/2024

A maintenance session for the lovely Caramac today 🦄
This little pony has certainly been through it over the last couple of months but she never loses her sassiness 👑😂

03/10/2024

“He gets his back done one a year” 🗯
This comes from a place of love and education but please let me go a bit deeper into this statement I hear a lot 🙏

So it might seem indulgent or excessive to arrange a massage and bodywork session for your horse more than once a year, but the truth is that a single session once a year is not enough to sustain them.

Incorporating regular bodywork can have a transformative effect on your horse’s health and performance. After all, they are always in motion, running, turning, and let’s face it, occasionally finding themselves in tricky situations!

By establishing a routine of consistent bodywork sessions, you are not only addressing any current issues or imbalances but also taking proactive measures to stop future problems. Just like humans, frequent bodywork helps your horse maintain the best flexibility, range of motion, and muscle tone, which leads to enhanced performance and less risk of injury.

Please keep in mind that a single bodywork session won’t provide a lasting fix for an extended period.

Chat with your bodyworker to create an effective schedule that meets the individual needs of “your” horse!

💖
www.woldsequinemassage.co.uk

01/10/2024

Double tap if you agree - clients become friends faster than friends become clients...

12/09/2024

I think one of the most potent forms of gaslighting we see in the industry is the following:

“This horse couldn’t perform at this level if they were stressed or in pain.”

This single sentence justifies any means of getting a horse to perform at the upper levels on the basis that if they are there, they can’t be in pain.

That it’s impossible to get a horse to work at the upper levels without having a fully willing, pain free and stress free companion.

Despite the overwhelming evidence suggesting it’s not true.

This excuse is then combined with many others:

“If you haven’t ridden at this level, you can’t judge.”

(Ironically, these same people are okay with the judges who hand out scores not riding at the same level.)

“If the horse didn’t want to, they wouldn’t.”

(Meanwhile, the same people will have tons of reasons as to why their horse needs XYZ bit or equipment for control or why the horse can’t be allowed to get away with “naughty” behaviour.)

“These horses receive the best of the best care, they live like royalty.”

(If royalty was locked up into small little jail cells and isolated for much of their life outside of work…)

All of these excuses are attempts to “other” those who question the status quo while elevating upper level riders to such a point of perfection and knowledge that they’re free from criticism.

Ironically, anyone of any caliber can compliment these riders and comment their ability but as soon as you breathe a word of criticism, you’re unqualified to do so.

Shouldn’t it go both ways if it’s about experience before judging? 🤔

Also, that aside, if people are judging purely on horse welfare and not how to ride a test or jump a large course, why is it that we are shooting down expert opinions from behaviourists and equine scientists because they haven’t ridden at that level?

Why does one need to compete to speak on horse welfare?

To answer all of these rhetorical questions:

This is merely a feeble attempt to continue the status quo by alienating those who question it and implying they’re simply less educated and less talented riders despite the lack of evidence for such.

If this is the only defence we have for the actions occurring in competition, they’re not really defensible.

I’ve yet to see an argument in defence of the sport staying as is, with no welfare improvements whatsoever, that isn’t riddled with logical fallacies and personal attacks.

There’s a reason for that.

The research is not on their side and so they have to rely on intimidation tactics and gaslighting to try to silence discourse.

Don’t stay silent, there’s a growing number of people who are frustrated with the lack of change.

No amount of gaslighting will silence the movement.

We stocked up on gas beforehand, so miss us with that gaslight attempt.

15/08/2024

So excited to be asked to feature as therapist of the month for Wolds equine massage careers and to write a piece for their newsletter for August 😃🐎

30/07/2024

COPING WITH A HEATWAVE

Summer has finally arrived! 🥵

Worth another share:
> Horses (like us) can struggle to adapt when temperature quickly change by more than 10 degrees, so this sudden change can be harder for them then a gradual increase up to full summer heat
> Turnout overnight ideally, and consider stabling in daytime if your horse's field lacks shade/shelter. Brick or block stables are cooler than wooden
> Don't assume its only exercise that can cause heatstroke - horses with thick coats can overheat outside without shade
> Take your horse's temperature if in doubt - if over 39 deg, you need to cool them, if over 40 they're at risk of heatstroke and you need to cool 'aggressively' with plenty of cold water over the big muscles (vets and physiologists agree)
> Ensure clean fresh water is available at all times
> Exercise your horse during cooler periods e.g. early in the morning or late in the evening (but adjust this to keep them adapted to what they'll face in competition if they compete...e.g.)
> If you are due to compete in the middle of the day, you'll need to adapt your horse to this but do it gradually
> Adjust your horse's exercise routine with reduced duration and possibly intensity too if you're unable to exercise them during cooler periods
> If your horse gets very hot during exercise, cool them with - ideally iced - cold water sloshing or hosing without scraping off (thermoregulation expert Dr David Marlin has studied the research and concludes that scraping wastes time when aggressively cooling and its more beneficial to keep sloshing cold water onto the horse, not scrape off the hot water, which will run off anyway)
> Use sun protection cream for pink noses/legs
> Consider clipping very hairy horses, especially if you find them sweating standing still
> You may need to increase your horse's salt intake in the feed if they are sweating more
> Watch out for feed and/or supplements going off - especially those with a high oil content - which can reduce palatability
> Soak forage and mashes/sugar beet out of the sun, and for as little time as you can to ensure they stay fresh
> Don't forget to look after yourself too, with suncream, plenty of fluids and shade!

Please feel free to share,
🐴🍏☀️🥵

22/07/2024

A first session for a new client this afternoon 😊 the very handsome Milo.
Some restrictions down the right hand side particularly at the TMJ and cervicothoracic junction so lots of myofascial release techniques applied around the poll and shoulder 💪🐎

15/07/2024

Absolutely ❤️

Maintaining Perspective

The foundation of what dictates the Quality of the horsemanship journey in building the equine partnership is based on the openness of the human putting themselves "out there" to be present and available to the horse's communication... without filtering the equine interactions with critique or judgment.

If this can occur, the potential human stress, anxiety, and anticipation diminishes. This allows the person to stay mentally present, think, assess, and make real-time, relevant decisions that support and help teach the horse rather than challenge him to survive the experience.

Those quality Conversations build confidence and trust between the human and the horse. New scenarios can then be seen as a positive learning Opportunities, rather than a potentially overwhelming unknowns.



📸Joanna Verikios

03/06/2024

A follow up maintenance session for Disney today ahead of his big endurance ride on Saturday 💪💙

16/05/2024

This! 🙌

Let’s repeat it for the ones in the back - or front, depends how you see it:

We can train and manage and condition our horses - but we can’t change the fact that they are horses.

Horses are prey animals. Their whole existence is wrapped around the ever on going play in nature between prey and predator.
Their whole being has evolved around the behavior and skills they need to play this game.

They played this game more than 50 million years.
The 5000 years of domestication won’t change that soon.

Your horse is supposed to spook from noise and sight.
Your horse is supposed to bolt when it feels threatened.
Your horse is supposed to buck off what’s on his back.
Your horse is supposed to search for food.
Your horse is supposed to be buddy sour.

All what we call „vices“ is simply a surviving mechanism, implanted deeply into the DNA of every horse.

Your horse lives in a human world, where he has no handbook for in his genes. He is just being a horse.

It’s your task to show him trust, patience, calmness, strength, assertiveness and fairness. But you have to be like this yourself.

You cannot expect what you are not ready to give.

It’s your responsibility to help your horse navigate.

Acts of aggression, confining him, calling him names, defining him as „naughty“, does not teach or proof any horse to behave the right way. It only shows your capability of teaching a horse.

There are so many techniques, methods, tools and trainers all defining „bad behavior“ and their solutions, all hustling and managing around a horse to bend and press it into a form. All of them, that claim to be so knowledgeable, so experienced, so wise, have forgotten, that the horse is just a horse.

06/05/2024

A Common Question 🤔
Massage Therapists, Physios or Chiropractors?

Who should you use? 🤯

📌 Massage therapists, equine physios, and chiropractors can work together effectively to improve the overall health and performance of horses. Each of these professionals has a unique set of skills and techniques that can complement each other, leading to better outcomes for the horse.

📌 Equine physiotherapists are trained to assess and treat musculoskeletal injuries, including soft tissue and joint problems. They use various techniques, including massage, stretching, and exercise therapy, to improve mobility, reduce pain, and enhance performance.

📌 Chiropractors specialise in treating spinal problems and joint dysfunction. They use spinal manipulation and other manual therapies to restore proper joint movement and alleviate pain.

📌 Massage therapists use their hands to manipulate soft tissue, such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments. They can identify areas of tension, stiffness, and soreness, and use various massage techniques to reduce pain, improve circulation, and promote relaxation.

❤️ By working together, these professionals can provide a comprehensive approach to treating musculoskeletal issues in horses. For example, a massage therapist can help to loosen tight muscles and prepare the horse for chiropractic adjustment. The chiropractor can then perform spinal manipulation to restore proper joint movement, and the physiotherapist can use exercise therapy to strengthen weak muscles and prevent further injury.

💪 Working together, massage therapists, equine physios, and chiropractors can provide a holistic approach to equine healthcare, improving the overall well-being and performance of the horse.

Start a new Career in Equine Sports Massage , visit us on
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