Body scanning can be challenging for some people to learn. Don't give up too quickly, you can learn it. You just need to practice.

Body scanning is when you are checking for temperature and energy changes in the body without actually touching your horse. You will hold your hands slightly off the body and try to sense temperature and energy changes.

Before beginning a body scan, you will need to get yourself into a relaxed and centered state of mind. You need to make yourself very aware of what you are about to feel through your hands. You must let go of other thoughts you have on your mind and center on what you are doing. (I will discuss this more during the Equine Energy Techniques lesson.)

Temperature changes will obviously feel hot, cold, or just warm. An area that is too cold will most likely have a blood flow restriction. Massage can be used to increase circulation to this area. An area that is hot could be inflammation and might need veterinary attention. But, if the vet has given the all clear, light massage could help to alleviate any swelling that could be from fluid build up.

Energy changes can feel "tingly" or "prickly", heavy or "dead", and they also may feel cool or a "sense of heat". It is a different "sense of heat" than inflammation would feel. I don't quite know how to explain it, but I think you will recognize it when you feel it.

Energy can be hard for some people to detect because it can seem so subtle. The more you practice and the more you learn to "tune-in" to it, the easier it is to feel.

It can be very interesting to practice and I encourage you to do so. However, you do not have to use body scanning if you don't want to. I just presented this for those people who might find this interesting. In this case, you may skip this step and move right onto learning about Palpation.