Healthy Strides- Magnawave, Massage & Bodywork

11/28/2025

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The 3 Days • 3 Weeks • 3 Months Rule

How Training, Conditioning, and Massage Therapy Support a New Horse’s Adjustment

When a horse arrives in a new home, their body and brain go through predictable stages of stress, recalibration, and integration. Understanding these stages helps set fair expectations for training, conditioning, and bodywork — and ensures the horse feels safe enough to truly learn.

First 3 Days — Survival Mode

What’s happening in the horse:

• Elevated cortisol & adrenaline

• Hypervigilance, scanning for
safety

• Tight fascia, shortened stride

• Limited sleep, digestive changes

• Polite or shut-down behavior

• Not ready for new demands

Training Implications:

• Keep it minimal. Think familiarization, not training.

• Introduce routines gently: turnout, feeding, leading.

• Avoid high expectations — they’re not mentally available yet.

• Don’t correct “weird behavior”; it’s stress physiology, not defiance.

Physical Conditioning:

• No conditioning work yet.

• Allow grazing, walking, and movement at liberty.

• Let the horse decompress before analyzing gait or posture.

How Massage Therapy Helps:

• Supports parasympathetic activation (“rest + digest”)

• Loosens protective tension in the poll, neck, TMJ, ribcage

• Improves breathing and vagal tone
• Helps the horse recover from travel stress

Goal of this phase:

Establish safety, lower stress, restore baseline physiology.

First 3 Weeks — Adjustment & Testing Phase

What’s happening in the horse:

• Nervous system begins stabilizing

• Sleep improves

• True personality begins to emerge

• Herd dynamics are being negotiated

• Fascial patterns surface (bracing, crookedness, restrictions)

Training Implications:

• Start light, simple, consistent training

• Focus on boundaries, manners, basic communication

• Expect some testing — this is normal

• Introduce new tasks slowly

• Reward relaxation and curiosity

Physical Conditioning:

• Begin low-stress conditioning:

• In-hand work

• Hill walking

• Long-and-low

• Ground poles

• Evaluate natural asymmetries, stride length, and posture

• Avoid hard cardio or heavy schooling

How Massage Therapy Helps:

• Identifies tension patterns formed from travel, past training, or stress

• Releases compensations as the horse begins doing more

• Improves thoracic sling mobility and ribcage elasticity

• Supports better saddle fit as musculature shifts

• Enhances proprioception during early training

Goal of this phase:

Build trust, establish boundaries, begin reshaping movement.

First 3 Months — Integration & True Conditioning

What’s happening in the horse:

• Herd social structure established

• Full neurobiological regulation

• Digestive system normalized

• True posture, habits, and movement patterns appear

• Genuine learning and bonding accelerate

Training Implications:

• The horse is now mentally available for real training

• Can handle consistency, new challenges, and progressive demands

• Trust is present → training becomes safer and clearer

• Complex concepts (lateral work, transitions, softness) begin to stick

Physical Conditioning:

• Begin structured strength-building:

• Raised poles

• Cavaletti

• Lateral work

• Hill work

• Engagement and core work

• Monitor soreness as new muscles develop

• Expect posture changes as the horse remaps its body

How Massage Therapy Helps:

Massage and MFR are most impactful at this stage:

• Supports remodeling of fascia as new movement patterns develop

• Helps muscles adapt to conditioning without overload

• Prevents old compensations from returning

• Enhances stride length, symmetry, and thoracic sling function

• Keeps joints decompressed as the horse gains strength

• Creates better balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic tone

• Improves overall body awareness → smoother training progress

Goal of this phase:

True integration, real conditioning, and long-term partnership.

A horse’s nervous system, fascia, and biomechanics need time to recalibrate after any major change. The 3 Days • 3 Weeks • 3 Months framework reflects how their body integrates safety, movement, and new information. Training and conditioning shape new patterns, while massage and myofascial work support the neuromuscular system as it reorganizes. Together, these pieces create lasting change — and a horse truly ready to thrive.

https://koperequine.com/the-power-of-slow-why-slow-work-is-beneficial-for-horses/

11/20/2025

🦠𝐀 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐌𝐞 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐄𝐇𝐕-𝟏

With everything going on with EHV-1 right now, I just wanted to check in and let y’all know what I’m doing — not out of fear, but out of respect for the horses I work on and the barns that trust me to step foot on their property.

💛 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈’𝐦 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞:

•𝘾𝙡𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙨
Keeping each stop as clean and separate as possible.

•𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙙
My hands, my tools, my gear — if it touches a horse, it’s getting sanitized.

•𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜
Fewer barns per day and avoiding back-to-back high-traffic locations. Slow is smooth, smooth is safe.

•𝙊𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣
If your barn has fever, travel, or possible exposure, just tell me. No stress, no judgment — we’ll shift the schedule and do what’s right for your horse and everyone else’s.

💛 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬.

Your horses aren’t just “sessions” to me — they’re your partners,teammates & family. I care about them (and mine) too much to operate any other way.

If your barn needs to pause, I’m happy to wait. If we need to adjust or be extra cautious, we will. Protecting these horses will always come before my calendar.

💛 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐞

I’ll keep an eye on updates and make changes where needed.
And if you ever have questions or concerns my messages are always open.

11/15/2025

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

Every few months there’s a brand-new “game changing” modality on the market: MagnaWave, cryotherapy, Acuscope/Myopulse, EquiVibe, red light, PEMF, lasers, massage guns… it never stops.

And the question I get all the time is:

“Which one is THE best?”

Here’s the calm, honest answer:

👉 The value isn’t in the machine. It’s in the practitioner knowing how to read your horse.
👉 Tools don’t make decisions — people do.

A $15,000 device doesn’t matter if the person using it can’t see:
- where the horse is guarding
- compensatory patterns
- tension patterns before they turn into performance problems
- nervous system overload
- the emotional state underneath the body
- how workload, recovery, and biomechanics connect
- how to intervene strategically rather than randomly
- what belongs in the “now” and what belongs in the follow-up

And this is why bodywork is the foundation in my program, despite the tools available.

I firmly believe in using my hands first.
It’s the most honest information you will ever get from a horse and I hate to say it-
No machine has ever compared with the results.

For example:
You don’t walk into a clinic and ask for the “best drug.”
You rely on the doctor who evaluates your animal, reads the situation, and chooses the appropriate drug — not the coolest or newest one.

Same with performance therapy.
You don’t pick the tool first.
You pick the practitioner who knows what your horse needs and when they need it.

Tools can help - and the technology and science we have access to now, for our animals alone, is absolutely incredible.
But, the results come from the practitioner who knows:
- what they’re feeling under their hands
- how to interpret your horse’s reactions
- exactly where to intervene
- how today connects to your performance goals
- how to build a smart, realistic plan

So when people ask me:
“Is MagnaWave better than red light?”
“Is cryo better than vibration?”

My answer will always be:

It depends on what YOUR horse needs today — and how that fits into their performance plan.

Tools matter.
But chasing every new gadget is a hamster wheel.

I don’t bash modalities I don’t offer — but I’m also not chasing trends just to have the latest toy.

Bodywork → evaluation → strategy → then tech if needed.

11/13/2025

We’re all smiles after her bodywork session 😂
I went in to do a little TMJ release and caught a glimpse of these interesting teefies 🧛‍♂️

11/05/2025

𝐇𝐞𝐲 𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐥! 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 + 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 🐴💆‍♀️

It’s been a busy fall (in the best way), and I wanted to hop on here and share my upcoming route in case anyone’s been needing to get on the books. I’ve been staying pretty booked and haven’t posted much lately — just working, traveling, and spending time with my own horses — but I really appreciate everyone who continues to keep me rolling!

📍Upcoming Route & Openings:
• Friday (Nov 7): Moscow area — room for a couple more sessions
• Monday (Nov 10): fully booked ✅
• Tuesday (Nov 11): fully booked ✅
• Wednesday (Nov 12): Arlington area — a few openings left
• Thursday (Nov 13): fully booked ✅
• Friday (Nov 14): Ecru, MS — limited avalability

Services offered:
• Equine massage & body alignment — $85
• MagnaWave full-body equine — $100
• Combo (massage + MagnaWave) — $155
• Human bodywork — $85
• MagnaWave for people — $60
• Combo (massage + MagnaWave) — $145

Hi! 👋 If you don’t know me — I’m Leah Tucker, a licensed massage therapist and certified MagnaWave practitioner. I specialize in performance therapy for both horses and humans, focusing on keeping horse and rider performing and feeling their best as a team.

I’ve always believed it’s counterproductive to fix one half of the partnership but not the other — both horse and rider make up the athletic whole. My approach centers on finding and addressing the root of the problem, not just chasing symptoms, so every session builds long-term balance, comfort, and performance.

I work on most small and large animals as well, but my main focus is helping equine athletes and their riders stay strong, mobile, and ready to perform.

If you’d like to get on the schedule, shoot me a message or text and I’ll fit you in where I can!

I’m so thankful for everyone’s continued business and referrals this fall — I may not post as much lately, but I’ve been hard at work and truly appreciate all the support from clients, barns, and friends. Y’all keep this little business moving, and I’m grateful for it every day 🤍


ill

Healthy Strides Magnawave/ PEMF Therapy, Massage & Bodywork for Humans and Performance Horses in North MS & TN

09/14/2025

09/10/2025

💯💯💯