Amanda Rockley - Equine Sports and Rehabilitation Massage Therapy

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
www.equinemassagecareers.co.uk

23/04/2024

A regular maintenance session for the handsome Sid today 💙
He was quite sore and reactive around the poll as you can see. Working within his tolerance level is so important so just some gentle myo-fascial release work over the re**us capitis muscle group (muscles surrounding atlas and axis (C1 and C2)), gently stretching through the brachiocephalicus muscle (long neck muscle) as this has an attachment site at C1 and some freeing up of the rhomboid muscle (along the crest of the neck) 🐎
I also think he was very aware that his beautiful face was on camera 🥰😂

03/04/2024

Someone was quite interested in what I was doing next door…🐎😂😂

02/04/2024

21/03/2024

14/03/2024

A first treatment for Disney today 💙 Such a sweet boy who thoroughly enjoyed his session 🐎

13/03/2024

Low level laser therapy being used today on lovely Marnie 💓
This is a really useful non invasive tool that helps with tissue repair by working at a cellular level 🐎🐎

26/02/2024

A first session for Saty today and a maintenance session for Merlin who is rehabbing following a suspensory injury 🐎

17/02/2024

We are recruiting a part time Groom/Coach https://www.yardandgroom.com/Job/UK/Hertfordshire/Groom-Coach-/416525

04/02/2024

𝑨 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 – 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒏.

When you take away the rider, sparkly tack, patent riding boots, perfectly pristine white saddle cloths and fluffy bandages… the percentages, qualifications, medals, trophies… all that really matters is a happy horse.

A horse can be unhappy, and still perform. Many will say “you cannot force a 700kg animal to do anything”… but that is the problem, as sad as it is, you can.

I see horses on a daily basis performing at all levels experiencing pain, running at a low grade level of degradation to their bodies and minds. And only a select few will show this outwardly.

The standard of what is acceptable needs to change. But it starts with being that person your horse needs you to be — listen to them, know what is correct, know what is a sign of pain and discomfort, and continually check in with them and your training to ensure they’re happy.

01/02/2024

Maintenance sessions today for Apples and Brandy and a first session for the owners new boy, lovely Casper 💙 Here he is enjoying some compression into the cervical serrate muscle. This muscle originates on the transverse processes of C3-C7 and inserts at the surface of the scapula/scapula cartilage. The muscle is a principal trunk supporting muscle and it also raises the the neck when the limb is fixed.
I think Casper enjoyed his session today 😍💙

18/01/2024

Baloo 💙 showing some lovely signs of release from some gentle work around the atlanto-occipital junction 🫶

15/01/2024

This! 👇🏻

08/01/2024

Absolutely ♥️

❤️ 🐴 ❤️

21/12/2023

All finished for 2023!
I would like to thank all my clients for their continued support this year and wish you all a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I will be back treating on the 3rd January 🐎🎅🏼❤️

16/11/2023

Maintenance sessions for Gyp, Fred, Alfie and Ringo today. A couple of little niggles sorted before they become compounded into bigger issues. Happy, relaxed horses 🐎🐎

09/11/2023

03/11/2023

“Don’t let him get away with that!”

Your horse is not trying to get away with a damn thing.

“Get after her and make her pay attention!”

Do you really think that harassing your horse into obedience while she is anxious is the best solution?

“You have to be the leader and get him to respect you!”

Respect is earned through trust, not forced. Read that again. And again.

“Don’t let her win!”

If you think this is a competition with your horse, neither of you is ever going to win.

Check yourself. Check anyone else who tries to employ these methods with you or your horse. Be willing to get some science-based education on horse behavior and brain function. Be willing to change trainers or barns.

Your horse is always communicating in the only way she can, not trying to get one over on you. Pain. Trauma. Fear. Poor training. Poor nutrition. Too much confinement. Ill-fitting tack. An overly demanding training/competition schedule. Not enough conditioning. Your unbalanced body, your challenging energy, your fear, your lack of riding or handling skills. This is what they are responding to.

Step up, or step off. Before your horse makes the decision for you.

31/10/2023

A first session today for the very handsome Kam. This lovely boy is only 3 and yet to start his ridden career. He still has lots of growing to do and muscle to build 💪 Whilst before and after pics should be taken with a pinch of salt (both photos need to be identical in order to compare which these are not) I think this shows some nice subtle changes in the musculature. The shoulder shows less tension through the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles (muscles lying over the scapula) and the hind end seems more rounded and less constricted particularly over the gluteals and tensor fascia late. You can also see how he is opting to stand more square post session and his abdominals have a more ‘lifted’ appearance which is improving the dorsoventral tensegrity 🐎🐎

25/10/2023

Search for a professional or join us 👉 www.progressiveequinepartnerships.com

please share. Thank you

19/10/2023

The horse gets louder when you don’t listen

That behavior you ignored when it was mild… well now it’s a lot more aggressive.

The solution to ‘problem’ behavior is not:

‘They’re just grumpy’
‘They just need more rides, more work, they have too much energy’
‘They’re testing you, ride them through it..’

The horse is actually saying:

‘Ouch I’m hurting’
‘Hey this is too much for me’
‘I’m confused’
‘We’re going too fast’
‘This is scary’

👆This is what that behavior you’re so inclined to ignore is telling you.

We need to stop making justifications for things that are actually plain as day.

The horse DOES TALK we just need to listen.

18/10/2023

Murphy 💙 lots of tension released through the neck muscle groups today particularly through the brachiocephalicus and cervical trapezius. The cervical portion of the trapezius moves the shoulder blade (scapula) forward aiding in retraction of the forelimb. It originates on the nuchal ligament and inserts on the scapula spine. Dysfunction here can result in loss of power to the shoulder/forelimb causing a reduction in length of stride 🐎🐎

13/10/2023

2 of my lovely clients treated today in preparation for their last international event next week! 🐎 I’m so privileged to work with these beautiful animals and wonderful owners 💕

08/10/2023

Just arrived home after an amazing 3 day course in Devon with the amazing Tami Elkayam 🐎 My brain is fried but learnt so much and can’t wait to put it into practice! Thank you to Tina Fitzgibbons of Equichanics for hosting 🐎🐎

26/09/2023

Two of my clients this morning after their session😴🥰🐎

18/09/2023

I’ve been a little quiet for the last couple of weeks as I’m sure some of you know I’ve been moving 🍾 The horses arrived Friday afternoon and are settling wonderfully 🐎 I’m taking this week off to be around for them and I’m back to work next week 💪 Thank you to my clients who have been so patient with my limited availability over the last couple of weeks 😊