Well Beings Massage Therapy

07/10/2025

SO EXCITED to finally announce this, and to be able to make a difference for horses, dogs, AND PEOPLE! 💛

Stay tuned for booking info and more exciting news on the horizon 😊

Thanks so much for the photos Lauren’s Animal Photography!

Lifelong Massage is THRILLED to officially welcome Ash Harris to the table!

When I had dreams of expanding and growing the practice, I knew that I wanted a therapist with excellent skills as a massage therapist and also a person that I would enjoy working with to cultivate a new legacy for massage therapy. I found all of that and so much more with Ash! Ash is one of my current students that expressed an interest in working with me after graduation and as we discussed goals, our future ideas and aspirations, and we became friends it made sense for us to form a partnership.

While she is a new massage therapist, Ash brings years of veterinary rehabilitation and the experience of being a canine/equine massage therapist with her into Lifelong Massage. We have a very similar style in the way that we work, yet different enough in our skill sets to complement each other and create even more diversity in the practice.

I am so excited to have another practitioner to partner with that holds the same values, passionate beliefs and enthusiasm of massage therapy, and healing touch.

I can’t wait for y’all to meet her! Ash will be in the office shadowing and observing over the next few weeks (I’ll reach out to each client individually to get consent!!) before her schedule opens mid-August (🤞).

Lifelong Massage has lots of new and exciting ventures on the horizon! As always, thank you for entrusting your body and health with our hands.

-Ally

06/02/2025

Hope everyone had a good and successful time at Devon! Sharkie and Guppy and I loved watching! 🩵

05/19/2025

The posterior pectoral, often called the ascending pectoral or caudal deep pectoral, is the largest of the pectorals, and is the only one that comes into contact with the girth. It originates on the sternum and inserts on the humerus. When the horse is in locomotion, the muscle is responsible for pulling the trunk towards the front leg, and when the horse is static, the muscle draws the leg in towards the body. It is a major shoulder stabilizing muscle, and helps to suspend the trunk.

Simple muscle tightness here is a very common cause of shortened strides. If the posterior pectoral is tight, the leg can’t extend forward fully, so forward motion is inhibited.

A common cause of muscle soreness or dysfunction here is poor girthing. If a girth is too narrow or too tight, it can inhibit this muscle’s activity, and it may also cause decreased blood flow, damage and pain in this muscle, all of which will affect the horse's movement.

If your horse is ‘girthy,’ this is an important muscle to check: stand at the horse’s shoulder and run your hand along the lower portion of the rib cage (right behing the elbow). **THIS MAY BE SENSITIVE, SO BE PREPARED FOR YOUR HORSE TO MOVE AWAY OR REACT** If the muscle is relaxed, this area will feel flat and soft. If it’s tight or in spasm you’ll feel a knot—a lump in the shape of a small hot dog, across the muscle (perpendicular to the ground).

Now it’s time to call your horse’s massage therapist!

Here’s another single session before and after of a horse that had significant adhesions, and was very painful on palpation of his posterior pectorals. By the end of the session he welcomed touch to the area, and the tension was released. ✨

05/05/2025

Happy Cinco de Mayo, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY BURDOCK! 🎉

The boy sure knows how to throw a good party! ☀️

04/25/2025

We get by with a little help from our friends 🐶 🐴

04/21/2025

The LATISSIMUS DORSI (often referred to as lats) is a large triangular muscle that originates from the thoracolumbar fascia, spans over a portion of the ribs, and inserts at the medial humerus, connecting the spine to the shoulder.

The latissimus is a major front end mover with two different actions depending on if the leg is on or off the ground…
If the leg is off the ground, it will flex the shoulder joint (making a smaller angle at that joint) and lift the leg higher off the ground. If the horse has his weight on his leg, it propels the horse’s body forward relative to the leg.

There will often times be noticable knots in this muscle, as it is superficial (sits just under the skin and fascia). Horses who show signs of discomfort while being brushed or saddled may be experiencing pain with this muscle. The most common issues with the lats are poor saddle fit, rider imbalance, overuse/strain, and compensatory tension from an injury in another area of the body.

In the photos, you can see a single session before and after of a horse that had significant tension in his lats. After his massage, the tension is released and his topline is in optimal position (and his abdominals are now able to properly engage). By keeping this important muscle healthy, your horse can stay comfortable, perform better, and feel happier overall!

04/19/2025

The Health Fair will feature live music and entertainment, great food, vendors and an activity fair!Free blood pressure screeningMini stretch sessionsTouch-a-Truck“Brown...

04/17/2025

It was a cute red-headed mare kind of day today ❤️❤️

04/14/2025

The serratus ventralis is an extremely important muscle to the horse as it is the largest muscle suspending the chest cavity between the forelimbs. It is called the serratus because the bottom edge looks serrated. There is a cervical portion and a thoracic portion, which can work together at rest or in opposition while in motion.

The thoracic portion of this muscle attaches to the first 8-9 ribs and inserts into the cartilage of the scapula. If the foreleg is stationary, this muscle supports the trunk. During motion, this muscle pulls the upper part of the scapula down and back as the leg is extended forward.

Often times, injury to this muscle is secondary to injury elsewhere that causes lameness and offloading of one forelimb to the other, resulting in over-stress to one side of the serratus.

Poor tack, such as over girthing that causes pinching or direct pressure to the muscle, or ill fitting saddles that restrict scapular range of motion can result in injury of the serratus.

Jumping disciplines could predispose injury to the serratus due to the large concussive forces of landing that will increase the demand on this muscle’s role in supporting and suspending the trunk from the forelimbs. 

This handsome Gypsy has a well defined serratus to demonstrate for you!

04/08/2025

The anterior pectoral, also called the descending pectoral connects the forelimb with the trunk. Due to the horse not having a collarbone, its forelimbs are connected to the rest of the body only through muscles!

This muscle originates on the sternum and inserts on the humerus. It acts to adduct and retract the forelimb (draws the limb back under the body).

This muscle is very important for the horse to have good ‘collected’ movement. It also has a major roll in jumping to cushion the fallout of the trunk and soften the pressure on the lower joints. The anterior pecs have a significant role in dressage horses because they are involved in the lateral and crossing movement of the forelegs.

Injuries to this muscle can cause significant pain with abduction and adduction of the front legs. The pectoral muscle tissue is delicate and the knots you can feel with your fingers will be quite tender to the horse.

One way to strengthen the anterior pecs is to start or finish your session with 5-10 minutes of active trot with the nose down in a relaxed attitude!

You can see that the anterior pecs come in various densities depending on age, fitness, breed, and discipline!

04/07/2025

Got to spend some time with some really cool horses (including Batman, the handsome Gypsy in the photo), and learn some good stuff this weekend! Exciting news coming soon! 🐎 📚 👩‍🏫