Services

Comprehensive Evaluation: $100

Each Bodywork Session: $80 (Bodywork sessions vary between 45 minutes to one hour based on the horse’s needs that day)

Prices include all modalities used during a session. There are NO travel fees or additional up charges applied. The current rate reflects the time and education needed to provide this professional service as well as the equipment needed to perform these modalities.

Our modalities used include:

Animal Neuro-Myofascial Release

ANMR is an effective therapeutic approach for equine care that focuses on alleviating pain, reducing swelling, and enhancing range of motion through targeted massage and the use of a chiropractic trigger point tool. By applying sustained pressure and facilitating soft tissue release, this technique encourages neurological responses that help horses realign and reset their bodies.

The benefits of ANMR include:

Pain Relief: Targeting specific trigger points can significantly reduce discomfort and pain in horses.

Reduction of Swelling: Increased circulation from sustained pressure helps reduce inflammation in affected areas.

Improved Range of Motion: The technique promotes flexibility and mobility, essential for both performance and daily comfort.

Overall Wellness: Regular sessions can enhance the horse’s physical fitness and alignment, contributing to better health and performance.

Behavioral Improvements: As physical discomfort diminishes, horses may exhibit more relaxed and cooperative behaviors.

In practice, combining ANMR with other complementary therapies may enhance its effects, and routine assessments can monitor progress and adapt treatment plans as necessary.

Stability Pads

Stability pads for horses are a valuable tool for improving a horse’s proprioception, balance, and overall performance. By encouraging horses to stand and move on unstable surfaces, the following benefits can be observed:

1. **Balance Improvement**: The unstable surface of stability pads challenges a horse’s balancing mechanisms, helping to enhance their core stability and foot coordination.

2. **Proprioceptive Awareness**: Standing on these pads stimulates the sensory receptors in the horse’s feet, enhancing their awareness of body position and movement, which is crucial for coordination and balance.

3. **Muscle Development**: Regular use of stability pads can strengthen the muscles used for balance and movement, thus improving overall athleticism and reducing the risk of injury.

4. **Confidence Building**: Horses may gain more confidence in their movements as they learn to navigate different surfaces, which can transfer to their performance in various activities, such as riding or jumping.

5. **Re-education of Movement Patterns**: Stability pads provide a set of new movement opportunities, helping horses break free from habitual patterns and develop a more fluid and adaptable way of moving.

When integrating stability pads into a training regimen, it’s advisable to start slowly and monitor the horse’s response, gradually increasing the complexity of the exercises to ensure safety and efficacy. If you’re considering using stability pads, consulting with an equine professional can help tailor the approach to your horse’s specific needs.

Cranial Sacral Therapy

Craniosacral therapy is a gentle, hands-on technique that evaluates and enhances the functioning of the craniosacral system which includes the membranes and fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. By using light pressure applied to the skull, face, spine, or pelvis, CST practitioners can help alleviate tension and blockages within this system improving overall body function. This approach may provide relief for conditions like migraines, neck pain, or stress.

Kinesiology Taping

Kinesiology taping is a therapeutic technique that involves applying a thin, elastic cotton tape to the skin to support muscles and joints, alleviate pain, and reduce inflammation. Developed in the 1970s by Japanese-American chiropractor Kenzo Kase, the tape is designed to mimic the skin’s elasticity, allowing for full range of motion while providing support.

Benefits of Kinesiology Taping:

Pain Relief: By lifting the skin, kinesiology tape may reduce pressure on pain receptors, potentially alleviating discomfort.

Reduced Swelling and Inflammation: The tape’s elasticity can promote lymphatic drainage, helping to decrease swelling and inflammation.

Improved Circulation: By lifting the skin, kinesiology tape may enhance blood flow to the affected area, supporting the healing process.

Support for Muscles and Joints: Kinesiology tape provides support to muscles and joints without restricting movement, aiding in injury prevention and rehabilitation.

Kinesiology tape is often used to treat various musculoskeletal conditions, including:

Sports Injuries: Such as sprains, strains, and tendonitis.

Post-Surgical Recovery: Assisting with swelling reduction and support during rehabilitation.

Chronic Conditions: Like lower back pain, osteoarhtieits, or neck pain.

Kinesiology taping is a widely used technique aimed at supporting muscle and joint function, reducing pain, and promoting healing. However, its effectiveness can vary, and it’s important to use it as part of a comprehensive treatment plan tailored to individual needs of your horse.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation

TENS is a is a non-invasive, safe, nerve stimulation intended to reduce pain, both acute and chronic.

TENS appears to be particularly beneficial as an adjunct for chronic pain management, and its role in acute pain relief is still being evaluated. While controversy exists as to its effectiveness in the treatment of chronic pain, a number of systematic reviews or meta-analyses have confirmed its effectiveness for postoperative pain, osteoarthritis, and chronic musculoskeletal pain. In palliative care and pain treatment, TENS units are used in an attempt to temporarily alleviate neuropathic pain (pain due to nerve-damage).

Safety: It has minimal side effects when applied correctly, allowing horses to adjust the treatment as needed.

Mechanism: Conventional TENS activates large diameter non-noxious afferents to decrease nociceptor activity, providing quick and effective pain relief.

REF: Johnson M. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation: Mechanisms, Clinical Application and Evidence. Rev Pain. 2007 Aug;1(1):7-11. doi: 10.1177/204946370700100103. PMID: 26526976; PMCID: PMC4589923.

Core Stability Exercises

Core stability is an important aspect to consider in order to ensure appropriate biomechanical function of the horse. Just like humans, horses rely on their core muscles to maintain balance, stability, and efficient movement patterns. The core muscles in horses—particularly those along the dorsal and ventral chain—play a crucial role in controlling posture and movement, allowing for better functionality and less strain on the spine and limbs.

When the core is properly engaged, the horse can perform more effectively, and the reduction in the contraction of the long back musculature helps with better back function. This is key because excessive tension in the back can restrict movement, particularly in terms of flexion and extension, potentially leading to discomfort or injury. By having a stable core, the horse can achieve more natural and efficient movement patterns, allowing for better engagement of the hind limbs, which is essential for activities like collection, transitions, and overall performance.

Core engagement, particularly through muscles like the rectus abdominis, also facilitates proper posture and alignment, contributing to improved biomechanics in activities like jumping, dressage, and even basic locomotion. As the abdominal muscles engage, they support the spine and pelvis, enhancing the coordination of the hindlimb and forelimb movements. The connection between the abdominal muscles and the coxofemoral joint is also crucial in maintaining proper hindlimb function. When the core is stable, the horse can better move through the hindquarters, allowing for increased protraction (the forward movement of the legs) and an improved range of motion.

Training and strengthening the horse’s core muscles are typically incorporated into exercises that focus on collection, balance, and flexibility. It’s also a key focus in rehabilitation after injury, as proper core stability can help prevent further strain or misalignment of the spine and pelvis.

Stretching

Horse-Apeutics uses stretching techniques based on Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) to enhance flexibility, muscle strength, and coordination by integrating sensory information through movements across different planes in space. This technique stimulates the neuromuscular and proprioceptive systems, leading to improved motor responses.

Key Components of PNF based Stretching:

This technique involves alternating between muscle contractions and relaxations to facilitate muscle elongation utilizing various sensory stimuli, including tactile, visual, and verbal cues, to facilitate muscle activation and coordination.

Benefits of Stretching:

Increased Range of Motion (ROM),

Enhanced Muscle Strength and Power contributing to improved athletic performance.

Improved Neuromuscular Coordination by integrating sensory information to enhance neuromuscular control, leading to better movement patterns and reduced risk of injury.