What to Expect with a Session
Upon booking your appointment, I will ask for your email address and will send you some intake forms to fill out. Please complete these to the best of your ability and return them at least a day before your appointment.
The first appointment duration is approximately 90 minutes to 2 hours from my arrival to departure. All subsequent appointments are approximately 60 to 90 minutes.
The first session is a combination of consultation, assessment of your horse, and bodywork. Our first session is focused on building connection with your horse and activating their parasympathetic nervous system, so they realize that they can safely relax.
Subsequent sessions include a check-in with the owner for any updates, bodywork on the horse, and sharing stretches or exercises when applicable.
The amount of time spent doing bodywork on your horse may vary based on their willingness to receive it and any breaks they may need to process. Careful attention is made to stay below your horse’s nervous system activation threshold.
Please have your horse caught, groomed and in a quiet area for us to work in. If he needs a buddy to feel secure, that is perfectly ok with me. Please remove any food from the area. A barn is not necessary, but please provide a windbreak if it is cold and we will be working outside. I require the owner or trainer on site for the very first appointment, but it is not necessary after that. You are always welcome to attend any session. If you are not able to attend, I am happy to catch and groom your horse, but there will be a $10 fee as that cuts into some of our time.
Once I’ve arrived, we’ll spend some time going over your intake information and chatting about anything you think may be going on with your horse. Any worries, concerns, or initial questions about the session, etc..
I’ll introduce myself to your horse and will gently palpate them from head to tail, looking for any areas of tension and restrictions. If they are able to stand tied, that is great (I don’t hard tie during sessions) but if they aren’t happy doing that I will hold them while I work. I may ask you to assist while I’m closer to the hind end. The more they are able to focus on me, the better the connection and the better the work can be performed.
Once introductions and assessment is complete, I will perform a complete massage & bodywork session for your horse, addressing anything the horse’s body is telling me needs attention. It is not uncommon for more issues to show themselves once the surface tension has been relieved some. It’s a lot like peeling an onion!
The session length will vary and will depend on how much your horse is able to process and release during that time. Sometimes they reach their limit (especially if they’re younger) early, and sometimes they are good to go for as long as I can work on them. I always allow plenty of breaks and time for them to process releases and acclimate to what they’re feeling in their body.
When the session is complete I will take 10 minutes to complete my session notes and am happy to talk with you about anything I found and addressed, any recommendations I may have for “homework” between sessions, and of course answer any questions you may have.
We can also discuss any future sessions and schedule them if we are good on dates.
I will send a detailed session report form via email, highlighting any areas we worked on. This will also include any stretching, acupressure, or exercise “homework” for you to do with your horse in between sessions so you have them in written format.
While I’m building my practice, if during the session you would like to video or take photographs for me, that would be great! I am in need of content for marketing material and will offer $15 off your next session if I use any of the material you are able to capture and send to me.
Consistency Is Key
Session frequency is personalized based on any goals you have and your horse's progression at their own pace. We will gain results through consistency with sessions.
Multiple sessions are typical for best results simply because horses have large bodies and we are aiming to understand any causes of dysfunction, not just address the symptoms. It also takes time for the nervous system to accept the changes happening in the body in order to maintain them without falling back into the old patterns. The tension and compensation patterns didn’t develop overnight and they won’t be resolved overnight. Consistency is our friend.