Harmony & Balance

02/10/2026

02/09/2026

🌟 How Equine Massage Positively Impacts Muscle Energy (ATP) & Performance

For startes lets talk about what ATP is.
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the energy “currency” for every muscular contraction in a horse—from a powerful canter to a smooth transition. Supporting ATP production and efficient muscle physiology helps improve performance, reduce fatigue, and speed recovery.

Here’s how equine massage plays a role:
🩸 1. Improves Circulation & Oxygen Delivery
Massage increases blood flow to muscles, which helps deliver oxygen and nutrients needed for ATP production in the mitochondria (the cell’s energy factories). Better perfusion also helps transport away metabolic waste.
✔ Increased microcirculation has been observed in horses after sports massage.

🔄 2. Enhances Removal of Metabolic By-Products
By facilitating fluid movement in tissues, massage supports the clearance of metabolic by-products that can otherwise interfere with cellular metabolism and energy availability. Improved fluid movement helps maintain healthier tissue environments, which can indirectly support cellular ATP processes.

💆‍♂️ 3. Reduces Muscle Tension
High muscle tension requires constant ATP use just to maintain the contracted state. Massage helps relax muscle tissue, which can conserve ATP for locomotion and recovery rather than ongoing unnecessary tension.

🧠 4. Activates the Parasympathetic Nervous System
Massage stimulates a relaxation response—lowering stress hormones like cortisol—which can reduce metabolic stress and improve the body’s ability to use energy efficiently. Stress reduction also supports better overall nervous system coordination and muscle function.

💪 5. Improves Tissue Health & Function
Although direct evidence on massage increasing ATP levels in horses is limited, animal care practitioners report improvements in muscle pliability, flexibility, and recovery. Massage also helps restore normal tissue structure and function after strain.

🧑‍🔬 What the Research Says
🔹 Circulation: Equine massage has been shown to increase skin surface temperature in targeted areas, which is a proxy for improved blood flow and nutrient transport.
🔹 Stress reduction: Massage decreases cortisol and stress behaviors in horses, suggesting a calmer physiological state conducive to recovery.
🔹 Physiologic mechanisms (general sports medicine): Massage can influence muscle tone, neural activity, and hormonal responses in athletic populations.

🧠 Bottom Line
Equine massage supports muscle energy systems by:
✅ Promoting better blood and lymph circulation
✅ Reducing unnecessary muscle tension
✅ Supporting a relaxation/refeed physiological state
✅ Helping maintain tissue flexibility and health
All of these help the horse use ATP more effectively, recover more quickly, and move with more ease.

02/04/2026

✨ One question that comes up often is:
Should you ride before or after a massage?

✔️ Before a massage
Light riding before a session can actually be helpful. It warms the tissues, allows me to assess movement, and gives a clearer picture of what the horse is bringing to the table that day. Think easy work—not a hard schooling session.
✔️ After a massage
I recommend no riding for 24–48 hours after bodywork. Massage creates change in the tissues, nervous system, and movement patterns. Giving your horse time to process allows those changes to fully settle in and actually stick.
🐴 You may notice:
• Improved relaxation
• Increased range of motion
• Subtle movement changes
• A little soreness as the body adapts (totally normal!)
Massage isn’t just a “feel good” service—it’s part of a bigger picture of performance, longevity, and balance. Rest after bodywork is just as important as the work itself.
If you ever have questions about scheduling rides around massage, I’m always happy to talk through what’s best for your horse 🤍

02/03/2026

Feeling extra grateful for my clients today. Thank you for the trust you place in me, the conversations at the barn, and the shared goal of keeping these horses happy, sound, and comfortable. 🐴✨

02/01/2026

Horses are not human — and that distinction matters.

A horse’s brain is wired very differently than ours. Humans have a highly developed prefrontal cortex, which allows for reasoning, planning, moral judgment, and complex emotional narratives. Horses, on the other hand, are prey animals whose brains are primarily designed for survival, not interpretation or intent.

The equine brain is dominated by the limbic system and brainstem. This means horses respond to their environment through instinct, pattern recognition, and nervous system input, not through layered thoughts like “defiance,” “attitude,” or “spite.” When a horse reacts, it’s almost always answering one question: Do I feel safe right now?
When we place human emotions or motives onto horses, we risk missing what they are actually communicating. A behavior issue is rarely a “behavior problem.” More often, it’s a physical discomfort, neurological stress, confusion, or a learned response to pressure or pain.

Instead of asking, Why is my horse being difficult?
A more accurate question is, What is my horse experiencing in their body and nervous system?
When we remove human judgment and look through a horse-centered lens, we create clearer communication, better training outcomes, and healthier bodies. Understanding the brain allows us to work with the horse instead of expecting the horse to think like us.

01/30/2026

Knowing the different effects of each modality is important! Especially when you are picking which path to go for your horses care.

01/29/2026

Massage isn’t just relaxation — it’s communication.
When we put our hands on a horse, we’re listening to what their body is telling us. Subtle restrictions, guarded movement, or areas of compensation often show up long before they become obvious in performance.
Regular bodywork helps support:
• Balanced movement
• Healthy topline development
• Freedom through the shoulders, back, and hips
• Better connection between horse and rider
If your horse has been feeling a little stuck, uneven, or not quite themselves, it may be their way of asking for support. Consistent massage helps restore harmony, improve comfort, and keep their body moving the way it was designed to.
✨ Balance. Connection. Performance. ✨
Let’s keep your horse feeling their best.

01/28/2026

Understanding function and connection is one of the bigger parts about being a bodyworker.

A great read on connection and performance is "How your Horse MOVES" by Gillian Higgins.

Today lets highlight the topline!

True topline development comes from harmony and balance throughout the body — and it begins with a functional thoracic sling.
The thoracic sling (including the serratus ventralis, pectorals, and supporting shoulder musculature) suspends the ribcage between the front limbs and allows lift through the withers, thoracic spine, and back. When tension or restriction exists in this system, the horse often becomes heavy on the forehand, loses freedom in the shoulder, and compensates through the neck, lumbar, or hind end. Massage supports balance by reducing restriction, improving circulation, and restoring clear communication between muscles so the horse can lift, carry, and move in harmony. When the body finds balance, correct movement improves — and the topline develops as a result, not a force.

If your horse is feeling stuck, struggling to build topline, or not moving with ease, a regular bodywork schedule can help restore harmony, support correct movement, and keep progress moving forward.

Contact me today to get on the right path & get your horse moving more freely 734-686-4242

Images by: Gillian Higgins; "How you horse Moves"

01/26/2026

I know it’s been cold lately ❄️ but colder days don’t have to mean stalled progress.
What are you working on right now to better your upcoming show season—or simply deepen your connection with your horse?
Small, consistent efforts add up, even in winter.

01/23/2026

Cold days = podcasts and educational videos playing in the background ❄️🎧
This is a great listen on how the hoof connects through fascia and influences the entire horse. Everything really does start from the ground up.

The first in a new series of video lecture discussions on equine sciences, talks about how the hoof affects the musculoskeletal system and vice versa. With i...

01/22/2026

✨ Consistency creates balance. Balance creates harmony. ✨

I’m excited to roll out my new Harmony & Balance Bodywork Packages, designed for horses who deserve intentional, ongoing care.

Continued bodywork is essential because tension is dynamic.
As your horse trains, competes, grows stronger, or changes workload, the body is constantly adapting. Each adaptation can create new patterns of tightness or reinforce old ones if they aren’t addressed.

Deep lines of tension aren’t just “tight muscles.”

They’re patterns!

These lines don’t appear overnight. They build with workload, posture, training demands, and even emotional stress. And when we address them thoughtfully, we’re not just chasing tight spots—we’re restoring communication through the whole system.

Here’s why staying consistent matters:
• Tension layers over time – When one area tightens, others compensate. Without ongoing care, those compensations deepen into chronic patterns.
• The body changes between sessions – After release, the nervous system reorganizes. New movement patterns emerge, and different areas may surface next.
• Performance demands never stop – Riding, conditioning, turnout, and even saddle fit continue to influence the body daily.
• Prevention is easier than correction – Regular bodywork keeps small restrictions from becoming limiting or painful.
• Consistency supports balance – Repeated sessions help the body maintain symmetry, fluid movement, and efficient muscle use.

Continued bodywork isn’t about fixing a problem—it’s about supporting the whole system as it evolves.

That’s how we maintain harmony and balance, keep tension from building deeply, and allow the body to move the way it was meant to—strong, responsive, and connected.

Travel fees applied to appointments 30miles outside of my location and can be split between scheduled appointments.