As a licensed Equine Massage Therapist specializing in Structural Integration, I incorporate several modalities in my sessions, my therapeutic focus will always remain on the fascia within your horse's body. Focusing on the layers of fascia produces a more sustainable, long-lasting change in the body than massage strokes alone. The fascial network is the most sensitive, highly interconnected system in the entire body. One of its primary functions is as a sensory organ, but it is also an organ of support, power and elasticity. It communicates to the brain where the body is in space, what the body is doing, and how it's doing it. These sheet-like tissues start as a superficial layer sitting right beneath the skin--from there they spread throughout the deeper tissues throughout muscles, bones, organs, and blood vessels. The fascial matrix supplies fluidity of movement, suppleness, balance, catalytic energy, shock absorption, and nerve impulse/conduction. Deep fascia is highly innervated with sensory nerve receptors. This gives it the power to conduct bioelectric signals throughout the body at lightning speed.​

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Problems arise when wear, tear, or strain interrupt the body's fascial matrix. Things such as poor saddle fit, head trauma from pulling back, overuse or poor conditioning, poor shoeing/trimming, tooth problems, any bodily injury-- even emotional trauma will disrupt fascia. Disruptions cause the fascial layers to adhere to one another and disrupt the body's ability to maintain symmetry and balance in relation to gravity. The body will begin to feel pain, movement can become rigid, and tension can set in. An interruption to one part of the body will cause a cascade of negative effects throughout the entire body.  ​After I have completed the hands-on bodywork to release the fascial tension, the body is essentially in a state of reset; it is discharged, regulated, and ready to receive new data.

 

Structural Integration sessions have a cumulative effect. With each one, your horse will retain the changes made within the body longer and longer until restoration is achieved. That is why this work is structured into a five-session series. There is no one-and-done approach that will effectively heal your horse through bodywork. Injuries and patterns of compensations don't happen overnight, and it takes time for your horse to integrate changes made during a session. For most horses, the five sessions are enough to restore the body, however, if your horse has been experiencing a chronic condition or lameness, it can take more sessions to reach permanent and lasting progress.