EQUINE ASSISTED THERAPY

Equine assisted therapy for horse and rider is a combination of physical therapy on both horse and rider. E.A.T will take a closer look at the behavioural and physical patterns exhibited by your horse. The initial assesment will also look at the relationship between horse and rider and identify the treatment required for any structural or behavioural problem your horse may be experiencing.

You will see Liz and Catherine throughout your course of treatment Liz is a craniosacral therapist and works with your body’s structural imbalance. see ( inset link for cranio description ) for a description and for more information on this therapy.
She will also use Intentioned Therapeutic Touch to assess for imbalance in your horse and use light touch manual therapy to release these restrictions.
Catherine is a Bhs instructor and Equine Consultant who works on improving skill, knowledge and attitude of both horse and rider, improving performance and communication levels. She will assess the horse and rider in hand as well as under the saddle.

Why do you need this treatment?
Do you find your horse experiences any of the following…
  • Does your horse have difficulty making jumps or turns it previously had no problem with?
  • Are you being thrown from your horse now when not before, or more often?
  • Are you finding it difficult to school your horse?
  • Have you recently bought your horse and find it is not thriving as it should despite your best efforts?
  • Is your horse lame but your external professionals cannot find any structural reason for it?
  • Do you find your horse has behavioural problems?
  • Does your horse lack in concentration?

These are just a few examples of why you may need this therapy

Our horses are such sensitive creatures, as any rider will tell you, sometimes the slightest touch of the rein or a wrong move in the saddle can throw your horse off their stride. Well the same goes of postural imbalance both in the horse and rider.
For example if you are not correctly aligned you may be sitting in the saddle with a slight lean to one side or the other. This may be so slight it would be undetectable to the untrained eye but as you ride it is very quickly noticed in your horse by the different pressure on his delicate sensory system.

Imbalances such as these are very common in every rider as trauma such as falls or strains can be a regular occurrence. We may simply get up and shake it off yet not realise the implications such an impact has on our own system. Your horse may too have a slight imbalance in the fascia and muscular systems that may have gone undetected due to a simple knock or kick from another horse while in the field.
A small tension in your horses leg can result in a much bigger tension further along the system. The further the imbalance travels the bigger an area it begins to cover, eventually causing complete imbalance if undetected.

How does Equine Assisted Therapy work?
First your therapists will assess both you and your horse separately and while riding.This will give them an initial idea of what is going wrong for you.
Following this your therapists will begin treatment, which may involve the rider having some one to one craniosacral therapy in the clinic to address any imbalance you may have. Your horse will be treated onsite using intentioned therapeutic touch to find and release detected restrictions.

How does Equine Assisted Therapy work?
First your therapists will assess both you and your horse separately and while riding.This will give them an initial idea of what is going wrong for you.
Following this your therapists will begin treatment, which may involve the rider having some one to one craniosacral therapy in the clinic to address any imbalance you may have. Your horse will be treated onsite using intentioned therapeutic touch to find and release detected restrictions.
You may then both be treated together as it will allow for any shared emotional issues that may have built up between you and your horse.
This can occur through traumas or any stress or emotional issues that the horse takes on board.
Our horses spend so much time with us and are part of the family they will take on board our stress and emotional issues too.
Your therapists will also provide you with the knowledge, information and tools to carry your treatment forward and integrate your new awareness into your daily programme.
If you would like any further information please contact us on the details below.