Equine Mind and Body

Equine Shiatsu

Shiatsu is a Japanese therapy, derived from traditional Chinese medicine. The term itself is translated as "finger pressure" and a shiatsu treatment consists of various types of touching techniques; vertical pressure (applied by finger, palm, elbow or even feet), massage, stretches and limb rotations are all used, typically within a single treatment. Each different method of touch provides a different means of healing the body.

A shiatsu practitioner will make use of the body's twelve major meridians. These meridians are channels, along which energy flows to all parts of the body. Each channel is associated with one of the body's organs and will have specific properties which govern the physical and emotional characteristics of the client (be it human, horse, dog or guinea-pig...). When something happens to prevent this energy flowing freely, we become ill, injured, depressed or some other imbalance. The job of the shiatsu practitioner is to rebalance the channel so that the energy can flow freely again, removing the cause of the illness. (S)he will use the touching techniques, either generally across an area of the body or more specifically at particular acupoints - locations along the meridians which can be used for specific conditions. The concept of "energy channels" can be quite a leap of faith for the more scientifically-minded readers, myself included since I am a professional astrophysicist. I find the quest to explain complementary therapy in terms of science fascinating, if frustrating, but am a strong believer in "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence". There are many unanswered questions but actually the meridians do seem to be quite well-understood. Various modern experiments have enabled the detection of meridians, including the measurement of tiny electrical impulses along the very channels predicted thousands of years ago by ancient Chinese wisdom.

So where do horses fit in?

Shiatsu on horses is a relatively new therapy, having been brought to the fore by the late Pamela Hannay, author of "Touching Horses" and "Shiatsu Therapy for Horses". It is now being taught by a number of different schools, mostly under the umbrella group "the Equine Shiatsu Association". I have spent an excellent two years completing a practitioner course with the School of Equine Shiatsu, not with the intention of a complete career-change, but because I wanted to learn more about the subject and help horses along the way.

Horses have the same meridian system as humans and we can employ the same touching techniques (although I can't see me ever using my feet when treating a horse!). During a treatment the horse will often become very relaxed, looking sleepy with soft eyes, lowered head and droopy ears and lips. Sometimes there will be licking and chewing and/or yawning, although note that these can also be signs of stress and worry. There may be sighs, stretching, urination (typically when treating the Bladder meridian!) Other times the horse might appear less convinced, remaining alert and unwilling to "let go". That's fine, it's not easy for some horses (or people) initially to accept shiatsu, but a responsible practitioner will give them the time they need and allow them to learn gradually that shiatsu is a good thing. It's important to remember that, since shiatsu works on an emotional level as well as physical, it can stir up all sorts of difficult feelings. I feel it is of utmost importance to respect those feelings.

What can shiatsu treat?

Pretty much anything! On a very simple level, if I am feeling tired then I might rub my eyes and face - that's shiatsu and I feel better for it! If I have a really good stretch, that's also shiatsu. Riding a horse is also shiatsu - the Liver meridian runs up the inside of the legs and is related to the anger emotion - which is why going for a ride can make you feel so much better after a bad day at work (not that I'd advocate making a habit of inflicting your bad moods on your horse!). But as a formal treatment, shiatsu can help relieve many conditions from back pain and arthritis, to stress and insomnia and to colic and COPD.

Shiatsu will treat both symptoms and cause of conditions but a note of caution is in order. It is no good treating the horse's back if the saddle doesn't fit, treating the laminitis if the horse is still on lush grass or treating the horse's apparent behavioural problems if the real problem is actually the owner's behaviour towards the horse. Shiatsu (or any therapy) can only go so far and I will always take other potential factors into account, for example amount of turnout, hoof balance or inappropriate training methods. Furthermore, complementary therapies should always be seen as complementary to veterinary medicine and not alternatives.

While I will treat any horse needing help, I am particularly intrested in using shiatsu to help alleviate behavioural problems - as part of an on-going training programme devised for the individual horse and owner. I complement my shiatsu training with years of training in behaviour and the use of positive reinforcement; there's no blanket "method" or "natural horsemanship", just the understanding of behaviour and aim of creating a personal training programme that is right for the partnership.