equine Massage 

My approach to equine massage therapy is highly customized and integrated with your horse’s broader care and wellness needs. Each session begins with a careful review of your horse’s history and how they’re presenting on that day.

I practice the following modalities, tools, & techniques: 


#1 Gaining Your Horse’s Trust 
Trust is foundational to equine massage because it directly determines nervous system state and tissue responsiveness. When a horse feels safe, the autonomic nervous system can shift out of sympathetic “fight or flight” and into a parasympathetic state associated with rest, repair, and digestion; this state allows muscles, fascia, and connective tissues to soften and respond to therapeutic input.

Without trust, protective tension and heightened vigilance limit circulation, restrict tissue change, and reduce the effectiveness of even the most skilled hands-on work, making nervous system regulation the true gateway to meaningful, lasting physical change. 


Maintenance Massage 
Maintenance massage is regular, preventative bodywork designed to keep your horse comfortable, moving well, and feeling their best. It helps relieve everyday muscle tension, supports healthy circulation and flexibility, and gently supports the nervous system so the body can relax and function efficiently. 

Ongoing maintenance sessions can help your horse recover from routine work, move more evenly, and stay ahead of small issues before they become bigger concerns.


Performance Massage
Performance massage is targeted bodywork designed to support horses in training, competition, and travel by addressing the physical and nervous system demands of athletic work. Sessions may incorporate focused assessment, myofascial release, and advanced soft-tissue techniques to support muscle balance, range of motion, and efficient movement.

Performance massage is especially beneficial before and after events to support warm-up, recovery, and relaxation following trailering and competition stress.


Rehabilitation Massage
Rehabilitation massage is therapeutic bodywork designed to support healing from injury, overuse, or trauma, often working in close partnership with a veterinarian or physical therapist. Using targeted assessment and soft-tissue techniques, it helps support tissue repair, reduce inflammation and scar formation, and restore movement.

This work is well suited for horses recovering from injury, pre and post-surgical care, or those needing structured support while regaining function.


Swedish Massage
Swedish massage is the foundational, widely practiced therapeutic technique in soft-tissue work, rooted in the 19th-century Swedish movement system. It uses systematic strokes such as effleurage, petrissage, and compression to improve circulation, reduce muscle tension, and support healthy tissue function. These basic techniques are adapted from long-established human massage practices that form the core of equine bodywork. 


Manual Lymphatic Drainage
Manual lymphatic drainage is a gentle, rhythmic technique used to stimulate the lymphatic system and support fluid movement and immune function. This work can help reduce swelling, flush metabolic waste, and ease discomfort associated with edema or fluid retention. It is especially beneficial for horses with post-exercise swelling, injury-related fluid buildup, lymphatic stagnation, or those needing a gentle boost to the immune system. 


Craniosacral Therapy
Craniosacral therapy is an extremely gentle modality that works by engaging the craniosacral system to assess and release restrictions from the cranium to the sacrum, supporting regulation of the central nervous system and the body’s natural capacity for balance and self-regulation.

Craniosacral therapy originated in the early 20th century from osteopathic medicine, developed from the work of osteopath William Garner Sutherland who proposed that subtle cranial motion and cerebrospinal fluid dynamics play a key role in overall health and nervous system function.

Cerebrospinal fluid protects and nourishes the brain and spinal cord and plays a vital role in how the entire nervous system, and therefore the entire body functions. In craniosacral therapy, supporting the natural movement of cerebrospinal fluid is understood to help promote relaxation, regulation, and overall health. 


Scar Tissue Therapy
Scar tissue massage therapy focuses on addressing fibrous tissue that develops after injury, surgery, or chronic strain and can limit normal movement. This work helps soften adhesions, restore healthy movement between tissues, improve flexibility, and reduce discomfort associated with scar tissue restriction. It is especially beneficial for horses with surgical scars, old injuries, or chronic tension resulting from long-standing compensation patterns.


Acupressure 
Equine acupressure is a gentle, non-invasive technique rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine, a healing system developed over thousands of years. Acupressure works by stimulating specific points along the body’s energy channels, supporting the natural flow of qi and restoring harmony between interconnected physiological functions. (Coming Soon!) 

Sure Foot Balancing Pads 
Equine Sure Foot Pads can be used during massage sessions to enhance body awareness and support more effective postural release. The gentle sensory input through the feet can help improve balance, encourage even weight distribution, and allow the body to respond more fully to hands-on work. They are appropriate for horses of all ages and disciplines, especially those with tension patterns, compensation, or in rehabilitation. 

Manual therapy that supports the whole horse.