There are some important things you need to know before applying equine massage and other alternative therapies to your horse. Now, I know some of you think you know horses inside and out and might not think these lessons are important. But, you might be surprised at what you can learn.

These lessons include:



Equine Behavior and the Mind / Body Connection

Learn more about the mind / body connection in horses and how it influences equine behavior. I will discuss 3 reasons why your horse might "misbehave". Then I will share information about the 5 F's of instinctive equine behavior and how to recognize them in your horse. This information can help you to understand why your horse might be "misbehaving". And, hopefully, help you to see things through your horse's eyes.



Equine Safety Tips During a Therapy Session

These tips will help keep you and your horse safe during a therapy session and help the session to go smoothly. Safety tips for applying equine therapy are different than the safety tips you might know from working with horses during training. You might know a lot of them, but it might be worth a look to see if I come up with anything you haven't thought of. Humor me and take a look.



Proper Body Mechanics


Ok, I know most of you are probably not using proper body mechanics. These techniques will teach you how to apply equine therapy to your horse and while preventing fatigue and injury to yourself. If you skip this step, I am sure you will come back to learn it once you realize how big and heavy horses can be! Do yourself a favor and just learn it now. Your body and your horse will thank you.




Basic Equine Anatomy and Physiology

This is an overview of equine anatomy and physiology designed to help you be familiar with the horse's muscular and skeletal structure and other body systems. For more advanced anatomy and physiology, books and videos will be suggested. Please take some time to become familiar with the information presented in this lesson.



Benefits of Equine Massage and Alternative Equine Therapies

So, why bother using equine therapy on your horse anyway? In this lesson I will discuss how your horse benefits physically, mentally and emotionally from equine massage and other alternative therapies.



Learn How to Perform a Thorough Equine Evaluation

This lesson will show you how I evaluate a horse before I begin any therapeutic work on them. This includes information on how to interview the owner, gait analysis, structural faults, body scanning and static palpation.

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At the end of these lessons, I hope you will understand more about your horse inside and out. You will start seeing them in a different way. I hope you will even begin to understand that he is not just being a "naughty" horse.

Ok, let's get started with the first lesson -