I love when my clients ask me about craniosacral therapy, why I got into using it for treatment and how my education qualifies me to do what I do. I feel that these are very important questions for everyone to ask so they get to know me and what training I have. Today I would like to take this opportunity to let you all know where it all comes from. First off, I want to explain how I got into using craniosacral therapy as a treatment method for both humans and horses. After completing my degree in Athletic Therapy I took over the Algonquin Sports Therapy Clinic (www.astc.ca) as well as became the Head Athletic Therapist for Algonquin College. I treat a wide range of clients from the weekend warrior to professional athletes to people who are looking to increase mobility. Through my time treating athletes and working with other therapists I learned about craniosacral therapy and the benefits this technique has on a wide range of issues, especially concussions in my athletes. So off I went, I registered for my first craniosacral therapy course for humans through the International Alliance Healthcare Educators (www.iahe.com) and I was hooked. While I was there I found out that craniosacral therapy was not only beneficial for humans but horses as well and there were courses that I could attend following the completion of the human ones.

I was excited that I now had the ability to combine my 2 passions of both horses and sports and show people the benefits of Athletic Therapy and Craniosacral therapy. There were so many advantages of having to complete the human aspect of craniosacral therapy prior to working with horses. Horses show you how they feel whether good or bad and lick, chew and yawn to name of few when they release, but humans can verbally tell you what they are feeling during and following treatment. It is the best way to learn to feel with your hands and trust your instincts. I have found there is an importance to have treatment done on yourself to understand what your clients feel during a session.

Following my first equine craniosacral course I started working on my own horse. I was amazed at his reactions and the benefits he had. I remember going back to my equine instructor for craniosacral and talking about what I found and wanting to learn more. I kept working with my own horse to ensure my skills and hands were up to the task and kept educating myself through more craniosacral therapy courses for humans and our equine friends. At this point I opened Equine Head to Tail Healing in 2012 and haven’t looked back since. I continue to educate myself to benefit all my clients, 2 legged and 4 legged ones. Through the years I have had the pleasure of seeing horses, their riders and my human clients see and feel the benefits of this form of treatment not only for themselves but for their horses as well.

​I leave you today and only ask one thing, ask questions and educate yourselves, the more you know and understand the better it is for your horse and yourself.

​Starting a stretching routine we want to make sure we are doing the best for our horse. The first thing you need to consider is that you only want to stretch warmed up muscles. If you think of an elastic band, when you try to stretch it out when it is cold it doesn’t have as much give and possibly can become damaged. When you warm up the elastic it has more give and more elasticity. Before you stretch your horse prior to a ride ensure to warm up the muscles you are stretching. Here are a few options:

• Walking or lunging your horse
• Light massage muscles
• Use a warm towel for a few minutes to heat the area

You will have a more relaxed and elastic horse for your upcoming ride.
Following your ride include stretching as part of your cool down. Allow your horse to stretch their muscles that have just been worked. Post exercise stretching can help increase circulation, decrease tension, promote relaxation and decrease the risk of overuse injury. 

The best part about treating horses are their reactions. They tell you what feels good, what they want more of, and what is sore. Today I had the pleasure of treating this amazing horse forthe first time who took in every aspect of his treatment. He stretched, yawned, licked and chewed, snorted and overall became so relaxed after his releases. My favourite part was after doing some mouth work with him he brought his head around and touch his mouth to my hand multiple times as though saying ‘more please.’ Then having this picture sent to me of him sleeping not even 30 minutes after his session was over makes what I do and the benefits of Equine Craniosacral Therapy worth ever second.
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​A question I get a lot in the winter is ‘why is my horse stiff and their back tight.’ Whether a horse is on indoor board or outdoor board they don’t move around as much due to the footing. You will often notice the path in the snow of your horse walking from the hay to the water and back to the hay. As similar to humans when we decrease movement our bodies become stiffer until we warm them up by moving and increasing the blood flow to the muscles. Muscles not being used are shorter and under contraction, overtime this can cause pulling and damage.  The best thing to do to help your horse is creating a good warm up and stretching routine. A consistent routine will help you and your horse succeed and bring more balance. In the next blog posting we are going to go into a little more detail on the importance of stretching.

Welcome to the Equine Head to Healing Blog. I have created this blog to help my clients and those who are interested in equine health to learn about new treatment options for their horses, when to use certain forms of treatment and overall equine health.
 
I encourage my readers to send me emails on topics they would like to see on this blog. I feel as though there isn’t just one way to do something and that options, communication and combining treatments maybe the best option. Isn’t the end goal the same, wanting the best for our horses?
 
Stay tuned and help bring balance back to our horses.
 
For your health and mobility, check out the Algonquin Sports Therapy Bog at www.astc.ca/blog where we educate on topics that include rehab, training, concussions and overall health.
 
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