Bodywork at Traveller’s Rest

Bodywork at Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary

by Jill Deming, M.A - Certified Massage Therapist

Integrated Animal Therapies

Jill is a member of the International Association of Animal Massage & Bodywork

During my initial bodywork session with each horse, I carefully evaluate each individual. I keep in mind that at this stage in their lives my objective is not to address any dysfunction in the body of the older horse, but simply to help them to be comfortable. This is because many of these horses have dysfunctions in their bodies that they may have been living with for quite some time. They have learned to adjust to these difficulties and their body compensates accordingly. To make any major changes at this point could be catastrophic.

 

I begin by working at the junction of the head and neck, a neutral non-threatening area of the body, because predators will often attack the head. Initially, I also want to stay out of the kick zone (around the hindquarters), I want to establish that this experience is pleasurable and non-threatening. By allowing the horse to invite me into his personal space, rather than forcing my way in, there is a much better chance of having a successful bodywork session.

 

For this reason, I use a lot of CranioSacral Therapy and Myofascial Release in my work. CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle and non-invasive modality. The CranioSacral system extends from the occiput (in the area of the poll), down the spine to the coccyx (tailbone) and is comprised of three layers of membranes. The outermost layer is the dura mater which is a tough, waterproof membrane that houses the brain and spinal cord. The next layer is the arachnoid layer, and the inner layer is the pia mater which adheres snugly to the inside of the spinal cord. These membranes are constantly bathed in fluid. This fluid is known as the cerebrospinal fluid. It pulses throughout the life of the horse (also all other animals as well as humans) and influences the movement of the skull bones and the connective tissue (fascia).

Fascia is the layer of connective tissue directly under the skin. When you cut into a chicken, recall the stretchy, translucent layer? That’s fascia. It is similar to a body-stocking just underneath the horse’s skin—-encompassing all the muscles. It extends from the brain to the hooves and everywhere in between. If horses (as well as all mammals) didn’t have fascia, they’d be nothing but a bag of water. Fascia gives us our shape. It also contributes to the health of the horse by increasing transport between the cells, moving nutrients into the cell and toxins out.

 

In addition to its’ location just under the skin, the fascia extends 3-dimensionally throughout the body, encompassing muscles, organs, bones—in short, all structures inside the body.

 

Whenever the fascia has been disturbed in the body, it will be felt other places as well, because of the fascia is so interconnected. It is impossible to influence one area without also influencing others.

 

Because so many of these horses are in such fragile health and some of them have compromised immune systems I don’t try to change the structure of the fascia, as I would endeavor to do in younger, healthy horses. Instead, I work within their energy level.

We Are Thankful......

(In no particular order, for TREES only functions if ALL the pieces, large, small, and in between, are in place……….)

We are thankful for all the support, moral, financial, physical and spiritual, that allows TREES to fill its niche in the world of horse welfare.

We are thankful for being able to work with a veterinary practice, Rappahannock Equine Veterinary Clinic, that not only understands the needs of geriatric equine, but also offers TREES’ residents the same level of customer service that is offered to show barns and top of the line breeders.

We are thankful for every single individual that offers TREES the gift of time, whether he or she comes to the farm weekly, monthly, or occasionally, or staffs special events, spends time researching funding or PR opportunities, works at home, hauls horses, picks up supplies, photographs residents, you name it. You ALL make it work.

We are thankful for Meredith Barlow, of Equidentistry, for her skill in finding whatever loose, fractured, infected, or oddly formed tooth might be causing an otherwise healthy resident to “go off his feed.”

We are thankful for students of all ages, who choose senior horse issues as the focus of field trips, community service or research projects.

We are thankful for animal control officers in surrounding counties who see the line “he’s skinny because he’s old” for the myth it is.

We are thankful for owners of elder horses who ask for advice rather than fall for that same myth.

We are thankful for Ernie Haynes' weekly farrier visits, and his patience with residents who may not be able to lift a leg as high as they did when younger, or who need a little break between feet.

We are thankful for continuing support from “non-traditional” care providers like Jill Deming of Integrated Animal Therapies, Janet Dobbs of Animal Paradise Communication & Healing, and the many volunteers of our Shelter Animal Reiki Association program.

We are thankful to Snow Hill Farm for delivering what seems like a mountain of Triple Crown Senior feed and forage cubes.

We are thankful for the Equine Rescue League (who will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year,) for inspiring the founding of TREES.

We are thankful for area businesses like Tractor Supply Company and Dover Saddlery, that support horse welfare efforts.

We are thankful for Scarlett Grove Stables for retraining a returnee and networking to find the prefect family for her.

We are thankful for all of TREES’ Facebook fans, and blog and web site visitors who help spread the word

We are thankful for Greg Flynn, at Desyne.com for hosting our current web site and for the new layout.

And we are thankful for all of the new friends we meet every year, whether human or equine, veteran horseman or beginner, young or mature. You inspire us with your ideas, motivation and support.

Thank you all. Happy Holidays.

Thank you Piedmont Horse Expo staff, visitors and TREES volunteers!

Thank you to everyone who made yesterday's Piedmont Horse Expo, in Culpeper, Virginia, a terrific day.

Traveller's Rest, in particular, is more than a little excited to have met so many wonderful Expo visitors and fellow vendors. If you haven't been to this new annual event in the last two years, be sure to watch for the 2010 Expo and mark your calendar early.

There were speakers addressing everything from equine nutrition to training to animal identification. Vendors covered every imaginable aspect of horsedom as well: equine "spinology," boarding, feed dealers, vet clinics, leather care and repair, blanket cleaning, farriery, and of course, equine welfare.

At the risk of leaving someone out.....and please feel free to send me a nastygram if I do......I'd like to try and thank everyone who made our booth one of the busiest in our area of the barn.

We couldn't have pulled this off without:

Gene and Carol Craigo who helped haul every thing to the site, set up, staff the booth all day Saturday, then packed up and hauled everything home. The Craigo's also came to the farm Sunday to man the muck forks for two days worth of cleanup.

Deborah Caprio, candy artiste extraordinaire, got very creative with these horse lollipops. Very popular, we sold out by the end of the day. That buys seven 50-pound bags of senior feed. Deborah also took care of having many of our brochures printed in time for the Expo.

Valerie St Romain and her entire family derusted, primed and painted "Golden Horseshoes," also very popular!

Thank you , too, to Jill Deming of Integrated Animal Therapies for offering gift certificates to sell.

Karen Souder....hugemongous, delicioso chocolate chip cookies, home baked by Karen, appealed to those not quite up for solid chocolate horses. Karen, while manning her own real estate booth (anyone looking for a home in the Culpeper area? Please call Karen!) also sold animal puppets, donating a portion of the proceeds to TREES, and directed visitors to our information table.

Michaele and Jim Babcock, between the two of them, also helped staff the booth the entire day, provided hot coffee and pastries for volunteers and visitors and helped break down and pack up when it was all over.

Trish Hallier took over for Jim when he had to leave for the afternoon, greeting visitors and packing up at the end of the day. Trish has been helping out at TREES booths for a couple of years now and its always a great pleasure to see her again!

Amanda Blanton, DVM, of Rappahannock Equine Veterinary Clinic, wrote some of TREES' brochures, allowing us to pass along professional information on managing elder equine. You will also be able to see Dr. Blanton's articles on TREES' new web site, to launch soon.

To the Orange Madison Farmer's Cooperative, thank you for the bags of feed. Every mouthful is deeply and gratefully appreciated.

Thank you to Sherrie Minkes, the Expos' Vendor Coordinator organizing a smoothly run event for all involved.

And finally, a whopper Thank You to everyone who stopped by the Traveller's Rest table. Its always fun to talk with others who care for Equine Elders, and those who offer services that may help our residents remain healthy and happy. We hope to speak with you again in the very near future. We also look forward to talking more with those who are interested in volunteering with TREES, in having their clubs and 4H groups organize service projects, and in starting equine welfare organizations in other areas of Virginia. Please let us know how we can help.

Whew!

Readers that might like to help, but may not be able to participate in booth staffing or prep, can help enormously by letting us know of other events in the area where our information on Elders would be of interest. We'd love to get out and meet more VA Horse Lovers. (If you know of a potential event, please email Traveller's Rest as info@equineelders.org. Maybe we'll see you there!)

Bodywork at Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary

Traveller’s Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary is very fortunate to have Jill Deming, M.A., of Integrated Animal Therapies as one of our complementary healers. Jill is a certified Massage Therapist and member of the International Association of Animal Massage & Bodywork. Incorporating massage, acupressure, myofascial release and craniosacral therapy, animal Bowen and equine myofascial structural integration into her practice, Jill integrates elements of several types of bodywork into each visit, based on each animal’s individual needs.

In Jill’s words, here is a basic description of an integrated therapy session:

During my initial bodywork session with each horse, I carefully evaluate each individual. I keep in mind that at this stage in their lives my objective is not to address any dysfunction in the body of the older horse, but simply to help them to be comfortable. This is because many of these horses have dysfunctions in their bodies that they may have been living with for quite some time. They have learned to adjust to these difficulties and their body compensates accordingly. To make any major changes at this point could be catastrophic.

I begin by working at the junction of the head and neck, a neutral non-threatening area of the body, because predators will often attack the head. Initially, I also want to stay out of the kick zone (around the hindquarters), I want to establish that this experience is pleasurable and non-threatening. By allowing the horse to invite me into his personal space, rather than forcing my way in, there is a much better chance of having a successful bodywork session.

For this reason, I use a lot of CranioSacral Therapy and Myofascial Release in my work. CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle and non-invasive modality. The CranioSacral system extends from the occiput to the coccyx (tailbone) and is comprised of three membranes (the Dura Mater, Pia Mater and Arachnoid Layer) housed within the spinal cord that are constantly bathed in fluid. This fluid is known as the cerebrospinal fluid. It pulses throughout the life of the horse (also all other animals as well as humans) and influences the movement of the skull bones and the connective tissue (fascia).

Fascia is the layer of connective tissue directly under the skin. When you cut into a chicken, recall the stretchy, translucent layer? That’s fascia. It is similar to a body-stocking just underneath the horse’s skin—-encompassing all the muscles. It extends from the brain to the hooves and everywhere in between. If horses (as well as all mammals) didn’t have fascia, they’d be nothing but a bag of water. Fascia gives us our shape. It also contributes to the health of the horse by increasing transport between the cells, moving nutrients into the cell and toxins out.

In addition to its’ location just under the skin, the fascia extends 3-dimensionally throughout the body, encompassing muscles, organs, bones—in short, all structures inside the body.

Whenever the fascia has been disturbed in the body, it will be felt other places as well, because of the fascia is so interconnected. It is impossible to influence one area without also influencing others.

Because so many of these horses are in such fragile health and some of them have compromised immune systems I don’t try to change the structure of the fascia, as I would endeavor to do in younger, healthy horses. Instead, I work within their energy level.

TREES residents all respond to Jill’s therapeutic touch, but some are more appreciative than others. Each time Jill works with Betty, the mare afflicted with pemphigus, Betty tries to follow her out of the stall as she leaves. Betty’s bodywork is usually followed by a long nap. With so little known about pemphigus in horses, it’s heartening to see Betty respond so positively to these sessions.

In addition to horses and other equine, Jill also works with dogs and cats in Fredericksburg, VA and the surrounding area. Be sure to visit her web site for more information.