Equine Craniosacral Therapy.

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 In the early 1900's, an osteopath called Dr William Sutherland discovered rhythms and motion in the body and that these could be influenced by applying pressure to the individual bones of the skull and this would affect the sacrum and pelvis. 

Craniosacral Therapy uses the principles from osteopathy tapping in to the body's natural ability to heal and reorganise the practitioners contact is light and they orientate to health and wholeness  as well as focus on the individual bones and systems within the body. Craniosacral invites awareness and orientates to balance throughout the whole of the horse be it in the physiology, mental and or emotional.

Craniosacral Therapy was developed originally for people but is now becoming more available for animals.

This technique is a very gentle hands on therapy which helps to facilitate the horse to re-balance their posture, emotions and release any compensatory patterns they may be holding. It is a wonderful alternative to regular body work especially if your horse is sensitive or anxious.

Particular attention is given to the horses head and the cranial bones, which all have an important part to play in maintaining healthy movement and balance throughout the horse. 

Equine Craniosacral Therapy is not limited to the horses head its a whole body session.

Craniosacral is wonderful for all horses of all disciplines, ages and work loads. Maybe they have had a recent fall or injury, even a pull back. Its essential to keep your horse in balance and correct posture as soon after he has experienced some trauma or stress,  craniosacral is a wonderful way to do this supporting through life experiences your horse may go through such as 

* moving yards 

* falls in the fields

* ridden accidents 

* recovery after injures

* sugary

* after density to release any tension caused and to reorganise after changes to the teeth. 

* loss of a field mate.

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How does Craniosacral work?

Craniosacral is a energy-based therapy where I use a light touch to 'tune' in to the body. This is when I receive feed back which my contact is trained to feel. There is no physical movement or manipulation of the tissues or bones the body has its own natural ability to release tension and stresses and time is allowed for the fluids and tissues of the horse to release.

Craniosacral Therapy is noninvasive and non manipulative but deeply effective therapy by tapping in to the body's own natural self healing abilities. 

Examples of what Equine CranioSacral can help with:

Cranio is a great way to help support your horses over all health and well being. I have experience in helping horses with

* postural issues

*soreness in the body

* headaches, head shyness, ear shyness

*behavioral problems

*moment and balance, 

*stressed and anxious horses

*TMJ/TMD (temporal mandibular joint dysfunction)

* difficulty in eating

*head shaking

*stiffness in the body

*box rest

*breathing. 

*Also after competition TLC.

Why should I try Equine Craniosacral for my horse?

Horses are put under a lot of stress and strain in the way we manage them, and how they are trained exposes them to all sorts of injuries and traumas, many of which go unseen. Maybe your horse panicked and had a 'pull back' this could trigger a number a stresses and tightness's in the horses body. Tight tack such as nose bands can restrict some very important nerves in the horses head. These become affected and then your horse may not want to be bridled.  Craniosacral Therapy is an effective way to address issues of aversion of the bridle and head shyness.

The horses nervous system and musculoskeletal is complex. Craniosacral Therapy can help to create deep relaxation and taps into the body's own healing mechanisms to bring about balance and re organisation.

Does my horse need a problem to have Cranisacral Therapy Session?

Not necessarily, your horse comes into regular pressure from head collars, bridles and other tack on a regular basis this influences the cranium the bones in the skull and tightness and pressure can build which can effect the horses bio-mechanics. Craniosacral Therapy can help to orientate to better balance within the horse's systems.

Do I need to do anything specific for the visit?

 You should notify your vet get permission before I see your horse please call them and advise them of my visit.

Ideally the session happens in a quiet part of the day avoiding routine times such as feeding or turnout, the horse can easily get distracted and not able to concentrate.

How soon can I ride?

After the session I ask for up to three days non ridden depending on how regular your horse has cranio and what happens in the session, this is so your horse can have the time needed to process and allow the session to settle. 

Before a session.

It is courtesy and also the law to inform the vet of my visit by just making a quick call to notify them.

Craniosacral does not replace veterinary care for your horse if you have a concern get it checked out first. I am more than happy to work alongside a vet or any other equine practitioner, working as a team to bring about an outcome that provides your horse with an inner and outer balance.

I am not here to diagnose I work holistically with the horse.

During a session  

I like to see the horse walk up and turn a few times so I can see what is moving well and what isn’t working for the horse. I also like to take photos as it’s a fantastic record and we are able to see the horse before the session and after the session.

Most horses are happy to have their session in the stable with a head collar and lead rope, I’m happy for the owners to hold the horse but on occasions I may need to hold him while he is being treated. I may just guide the owner on how to hold their horse just so we all remain safe.

During a craniosacral session the horse often “releases,” this brings about behavior such as licking, chewing, snorting and yawning. Other horses may feel the need to move their feet and walk round a little, or may like to have a little bit of a stomp. This is all very normal as this is may be the way that your horse chooses to express themselves. For me it’s all information on how the horse is doing and letting go.  

On some occasions when horses “release” they can get a little nippy so I may suggest that they are tied up loosely just to save owners from getting bitten or in some cases I will ask the owners to leave the stable.

Some horses will just completely chill out and relax which is amazing to see and to be part of.

I will also ask you to fill in a details form and I will make notes about the horse. Also I will log down any findings I come across as to how the horse has been to treat and how he looked before and after.

The next session is usually a week later.  In the first session I have just kind of hit the "reboot button" and ask the body to respond, the next session usually allows me to get in deeper lifting another layer and the third session I find is a beautiful settling session.

Depending on how the horse is responding, changing and releasing I usually suggest weekly sessions for three consecutive week's and then once a month for maintenance, tho this is not set in stone as each horse is different. It’s important for me to treat each client as an individual.