Equine Bodywork

Enhancing function of your horses tissues and supporting them to feel their best. So that you can efficiently work together, towards your goals.

Bodywork uses a range of techniques that were first developed on humans. The benefits include:

  • Increased blood flow

  • Reduces the activity of pain receptors (Scott & Swenson, 2009)

  • Encourages the body to heal microtraumas before they become a larger issue

  • Lengthens muscle fibres which reduces the risk of soft tissue injuries

  • Improves proprioception & balance

  • Supports the immune system

  • Encourages appropriate muscle tone, which encourages optimum posture for that horse

  • With regular massage, the therapist may identify areas of increased tension before an injury occurs

  • Stress relief

My qualifications in Equine Bodywork include:

Bachelor of Equine Science

Certificate in Equine Sports Massage

Advanced Student with the Masterson Method

Cost is $80 per horse.
Sessions last approximately 1 hour.
Regularly traveling around Brisbane, Redlands, Carbrook, Logan, Jimboomba, Mt Tamborine, Beaudesert.
Happy to travel within 1 hour of Brisbane if I can arrange a 4+ horses in a day.

There is plenty of research into Equine Massage & Bodywork.

Here is a summary of a few papers I find particularly interesting.

A recent study from 2022, found that weekly massages improved gait symmetry, in walk, trot and canter. The authors found that stride length, protraction and hock flexion was significantly improved in the massage group when compared to the control group. This has extremely positive implications for performance horses, as greater gait symmetry leads to improved performance across all equestrian sports. (Mabbutt et al., 2022)

Another study involving 76 Arabian racehorses found that horses receiving regular massages experienced lower heart rates during saddling and racing than horses who didn’t receive massages. The horses who received massages also showed significantly better performance and won more races. (Kowalik et al., 2016)

A very recent study published in 2023 found that massages are an effective modality for reducing stress in horses. This paper writes that “the observed changes in pupil size in the experimental group likely resulted from enhanced parasympathetic and diminished sympathetic activity resulting from the treatment” (Wild et al., 2023).

I am deeply passionate about providing gentle and effective bodywork for your horse.

My approach will always be horse led and because of this, no two bodywork sessions will be the same.

I consider my role as an important part of your horses wellness team, supporting you to advocate for your horse.

References used on this page:

Kowalik, S. et al. (2016) ‘The effect of relaxing massage on heart rate and heart rate variability in purebred Arabian racehorses’, Animal Science Journal, 88(4), pp. 669–677. doi:10.1111/asj.12671.

Mabbutt, C., Yarnell, K. and de Godoy, R.F. (2022) ‘A short-term hindlimb massage programme can improve gait symmetry in riding school horses’, Comparative Exercise Physiology, 18(5), pp. 419–426. doi:10.3920/cep220022.

Scott, M. and Swenson, L.A. (2009) ‘Evaluating the benefits of Equine Massage therapy: A review of the evidence and current practices’, Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 29(9), pp. 687–697. doi:10.1016/j.jevs.2009.07.017.

Wild, K.N. et al. (2023) ‘Pupillometry to show stress release during Equine sports massage therapy’, Scientific Reports, 13(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-023-47590-y.