For years I recommended carrot stretches to my horse clients. After all, using treats to help stretch and increase range of motion can’t hurt the horse, right? Wrong. Let me tell you why. What Are Carrot Stretches? A carrot stretch is a active stretch that is often done with a treat to encourage your animal…
I love to give my client’s homework when it comes to things they can do with their horses between massage sessions. While therapeutic massage therapy is very different from petting or grooming, there are some things you as the owner can look for or help with at the barn. As much as I would love…
I had an existing client, an 18-year old dog, who struggled to walk and would splay flat on the ground. I had a new client who had a senior horse suffering for three weeks and unable to physically put his head down to graze. The vet was seen but there was no progress and the…
I’ve had animals my whole life. I’ve been an animal bodyworker for many years and have seen numerous things. One unavoidable fact is that walking is by far the best exercise your animal can have regardless of species. We’ll start with the dogs and make sure to read part two, if you are a horse…
Unpopular opinion: if you can’t do it at the walk you shouldn’t be trying at another gait. Firstly, so many horse riders have learned to walk, trot, then canter your horse in schooling. Myself included before I had more information at my disposal. I learned the traditional way as a child and carried it over…
Or perhaps vaccinations and worming are the problem… The answer is complicated. Traditionally horses in the United States are dewormed every few months, vaccinations are conducted twice a year and many horses are treated for ulcers for a month at a time. It’s standard. Yet all three of these have something in common: they may…
No seriously. Often I get asked, “How did my animal get a knot in their (insert muscle here) or why did my pet have so much out of balance?
The truth is, it could be anything. I’ll explain.
Interested in Using Essential Oils on Your Animals? Look no further. Over the last few years, essential oils have been increasingly popular. I can’t tell you how many times I have spent time with another parent at a playdate who is using a diffuser in the kitchen or a client who says they have tried…
Systemic Inflammation. It’s something that has cropped up a lot during change of seasons and can create a lot of havoc for animal health (and ours). What Is Inflammation? Inflammation is the body’s natural, immune system response to infection or other irritant whether it is an injury, a bacteria, virus, or living in a chronic…
You may be surprised. Pet supply stores carry a wide range of walking aids for dogs. Often I receive questions from my client’s owners regarding what type of lead is best- using a leash attached to a collar, front lead harness, back lead harness, chain collar, prong collar- the list goes on. There are so…
It’s One of the Amazing Benefits Though! Relaxation is a wonderful reason to give your animal a massage session. But did you know that is the result of massage but not necessarily the primary goal? In fact, massage therapy has been used for thousands of years to balance the soft tissue in the body to…
