The value of gentle bodywork
While it might seem that horses need a firmer form of bodywork, or else nothing will happen, this is often not the case. Gentle bodywork can actually achieve more in a shorter time.
Relaxation should be our first goal when dealing with a horse stuck in sympathetic overdrive.
Horses are big animals, so many people assume it takes a lot of force and strength to do bodywork on them and release their tight tissues. But actually, often the opposite is true. More often than not, I find myself using gentler techniques and less pressure than I would with a human. And frankly, the end result is often better. While it's true that each horse is an individual and even an individual might need a different modality of bodywork in an individual point in time, a gentle bodywork session will always be a good place to start peeling the onion.
There are some horses that have so much going on in their bodies and that are so stuck in an anxious mindset, that a firmer approach can do more harm than good. Why is that? Horses that are under chronic stress or stuck in an overactive sympathetic system will have a heightened sense of pain. Sensations that might not be painful to a relaxed horse, can be hard to bear for a horse that is in a constant fight or flight mode. This kind of nervous system setting is more often than not accompanied by tension, tightness and restrictions in their soft tissues. Thus, these horses can be way more sensitive to firm touch due to two pathways – the overreactive nerve endings and the soreness coming from tight muscles.
These horses will often be very wary of bodywork (or any kind of touching, really). If we go and we tie them up and force them into a bodywork session, all we are doing is pressing the gas pedal for the sympathetic nervous system even more. They will tighten their muscles even more in response to the firm touch and will experience the session as a threatening event. If in that scenario we use techniques like joint manipulations, we are causing pain. Any potential benefits of the session will be subverted by the horse's nervous system and the horse might end up very sore the next day.
If instead, we accept the fact that the horse simply cannot tolerate any serious adjustments at this time, we and first make sure the horse is able to relax, we can achieve much more. Gentle bodywork, aimed towards reassuring the nervous system is the way to go. Gentle touch that the horse is comfortable with, along with non-threatening rocking motions of the pelvis and spine can achieve a lot. The most important thing here is to assure the horse that his opinion matters. Moving away or easing the pressure whenever the horse starts to get unsure (even before he moves away) is critical for establishing trust. If the horse knows that we will respect his boundaries, he will allow us to do more and will be able to relax and start to enjoy the session. Often, these horses will be completely different by their second session and will be able to tolerate (and enjoy) a wider array of techniques. So, if your horse is anxious and stressed, make sure the bodywork experience is a relaxing one above all.