Gentle hands-on support for horse and rider
Horses and riders influence one another.
A restriction, imbalance or compensatory pattern in the horse may affect the way they move beneath the rider, while the rider’s own posture, balance and physical tension may influence how they sit, move and communicate through the saddle.
I offer Equine CranioSacral Therapy for horses alongside CranioSacral Therapy for riders, allowing us to consider each individually or explore the horse and rider as a partnership.
Equine sessions take place at your yard, with my equine work available across Fife, Tayside, Perthshire and the Lothians.
Equine CranioSacral Therapy
Gentle, whole-body work for your horse
Equine CranioSacral Therapy, or ECST, is a gentle hands-on approach based on the principles of CranioSacral Therapy.
Using light contact, I work with the tissues of the horse’s body and pay attention to patterns of tension, restriction, posture and movement.
The work is not limited to the horse’s head, spine or sacrum. I may work gently at different areas throughout the body, using light contact without forceful manipulation.
I do not force the horse’s body into a particular position. Instead, I work gently and allow the horse’s responses to help guide the session.
Why I Look at the Whole Horse
A horse’s body works as an interconnected whole. The way a horse moves, carries itself and compensates can be influenced by many everyday factors.
That does not mean I assume one of these factors is the cause of a problem. It means I look beyond one isolated area and consider how the horse is using its body as a whole.
What Happens During an Equine CranioSacral Therapy Session?
I come to your horse’s yard for the appointment.
Before beginning the hands-on work, I take time to observe your horse and gather relevant information from you.
- Posture
- Movement
- Balance
- Areas of soft-tissue tension or restriction
- Patterns of compensation
- How the horse responds as I begin working
I then use gentle CranioSacral techniques in different areas of the body. There is no forceful manipulation.
The horse is given time to respond, and I adapt the session according to the individual rather than working through an identical sequence with every horse.
Listening to the Horse
The horse is an active part of the session.
One of the things I value about Equine CranioSacral Therapy is that the horse gives us continuous information.
I pay attention to changes in posture, expression, breathing and behaviour as I work.
Some horses may lower their head, lick, chew, yawn, sigh or simply appear more settled. Others respond much more subtly.
Every horse is different. The important thing is to give the horse enough space to respond without forcing the process.
After Your Horse’s Session
Your horse may benefit from some quieter time following the appointment.
I will discuss anything relevant with you after the session, including what I observed and what I recommend regarding return to normal work.
New or worsening lameness should not automatically be attributed to the therapy. If you notice a new concern or a change that worries you, appropriate veterinary assessment should be sought.
Veterinary Care and Consent
Equine CranioSacral Therapy works alongside veterinary care
Equine CranioSacral Therapy does not replace veterinary examination, diagnosis or treatment.
I currently ask owners to obtain veterinary consent before an Equine CranioSacral Therapy session.
If the work is intended to address an injury, unexplained lameness, disease, pathology or another remedial musculoskeletal concern, the horse must first be examined by a veterinary surgeon and the work appropriately delegated.
Current RCVS guidance treats maintenance care for a healthy animal differently. Formal delegation is not required, but the horse must be registered with a veterinary surgeon, and maintenance work must stop if there is any sign of possible injury, disease or pathology.
If I notice anything that concerns me, I will stop and recommend veterinary assessment rather than attempting to diagnose or treat the issue.
Which Horses Can Have Equine CranioSacral Therapy?
Equine CranioSacral Therapy can be adapted to healthy horses at different stages of life and levels of work.
For a horse with an injury, unexplained lameness, illness or another clinical concern, veterinary assessment comes first.
How Many Sessions Will My Horse Need?
There is no standard number.
Some owners may choose occasional maintenance sessions for a healthy horse, while another horse may be working alongside their vet and other professionals over a period of time.
The appropriate frequency depends on the individual horse, workload, reason for the session and how the horse responds.
I do not promise that a particular number of sessions will produce a specific result. We can review what seems appropriate as we go.
CranioSacral Therapy for Riders
Because the rider is part of the partnership too
The way you sit and move on your horse matters.
As riders, we can develop our own areas of physical tension, restriction and compensation. Sometimes we are aware of them. Sometimes we only notice them when something feels different in the saddle.
CranioSacral Therapy for Riders gives us an opportunity to focus on you, using the same gentle hands-on CranioSacral Therapy principles I use elsewhere in my human practice.
The aim is not to create a perfect rider. It is to explore your own body, nervous system, physical tension and awareness in a way that may support greater balance and ease.
CranioSacral Therapy for Riders
60 minutes£60
Horse and Rider Influence One Another
Riding is a relationship between two moving bodies.
The horse responds to changes in the rider’s weight, posture and movement, while the rider constantly adapts to what is happening underneath them.
If a rider is holding more tension through one side, sitting asymmetrically or compensating somewhere in their own body, that may influence how they experience the horse’s movement.
Likewise, a rider may begin compensating for the way their horse is moving.
That does not mean every riding difficulty comes from either the horse or the rider.
That is why I like having both services together on this page.
What Happens During a Rider Session?
CranioSacral Therapy for Riders is a hands-on session for you, not something carried out while you are mounted.
You remain fully clothed and usually lie comfortably on the treatment couch.
I use very light contact at different areas of the body and allow what I notice through the tissues to guide where I work.
As with my other CranioSacral Therapy appointments, the focus is on the individual rather than following the same sequence with every client.
If you are a new client, I take your relevant health history by telephone before your first session, allowing the appointment itself to focus on the hands-on work.
Do My Horse and I Need to Be Treated Together?
No.
You can arrange Equine CranioSacral Therapy for your horse without booking a rider session, and you can book CranioSacral Therapy for yourself without your horse being treated.
However, some riders like the opportunity to consider both sides of the partnership.
If we are working with both you and your horse, I still treat each of you as an individual. The aim is not to assume that one is causing a problem for the other. It is simply to look more broadly at the partnership.
My Approach to Horse and Rider
My equine work combines two things that matter greatly to me: understanding the body as a whole and respecting the individual in front of me.
With a horse, that means listening through my hands while also paying careful attention to behaviour, movement and the horse’s willingness to engage with the session.
With a rider, it means bringing the same whole-person CranioSacral approach I use at Middlefield Wellness Centre.
I do not force either horse or rider towards an idea of perfect alignment.
I am interested in balance, adaptability and the patterns each individual brings to the partnership.
Equine CranioSacral Therapy Across Fife, Tayside, Perthshire and the Lothians
Equine CranioSacral Therapy is provided at your yard rather than at Middlefield Wellness Centre.
My equine work is available across Fife, Tayside, Perthshire and the Lothians.
Because travel, location and the individual horse need to be considered before arranging an appointment, Equine CranioSacral Therapy is not booked directly through the normal online booking system.
Please contact me first, and we can discuss your horse, yard location and veterinary consent.
Supporting Horse and Rider
Whether you are looking for gentle bodywork for your horse, CranioSacral Therapy for yourself as a rider, or would like to explore both sides of the partnership, you can contact me to discuss the most appropriate next step.
Equine CranioSacral Therapy
Gentle whole-body work at your horse’s yard.
Available across Fife, Tayside, Perthshire and the Lothians.
CranioSacral Therapy for Riders
Gentle hands-on CranioSacral Therapy for you as the rider.
60 minutes£60