EM Equine Sports Massage Therapy

01/22/2026

📍 Sioux Falls–area horse owners
I will be offering equine wellness services in the Sioux Falls area March 6–8 (dates are flexible based on scheduling).

Appointments available for:
• Equine massage
• MagnaWave
• BEMER
• Red light therapy
• Equine nebulizer treatments

📩 Please message me directly to schedule an appointment or with any questions.

✨ Emily Wellness Services Now Available ✨
Provided by Emily Miller | EM Equine Sports Massage Therapy

At Heart & Hooves Arena, we believe whole-horse care goes beyond training — and that’s exactly where Emily Miller comes in. Emily’s passion is helping horses feel their best in both body and mind, so they can move freely, comfortably, and willingly.

Emily doesn’t just treat symptoms — she looks for the root cause. Every session is thoughtfully tailored to the individual horse, taking time to listen to the owner and truly understand what the horse is communicating through movement, posture, and behavior. No routines. No checklists. Just intentional, individualized care.

Whether your horse is a high-level performance partner, a senior friend, recovering from injury, or a child’s beloved best buddy — Emily’s goal is always the same:
💙 Relief • Comfort • Balance • Understanding

🐴🐶 Services Offered

Equine & Canine Massage Therapy
Supports overall comfort, recovery, and performance by focusing on muscles, fascia, and soft tissue.
✔ Improves circulation & oxygen flow
✔ Reduces soreness, stiffness & tension
✔ Aids recovery from exercise, injury, or stress
✔ Improves flexibility & range of motion
✔ Promotes relaxation & nervous system balance

⚡ BEMER Therapy
✔ Enhanced circulation & detoxification
✔ Faster recovery & reduced soreness
✔ Improved stamina & performance
✔ Non-invasive & drug-free

🔄 TheraPlate Vibration Therapy
✔ Increased circulation & lymphatic flow
✔ Reduced pain, inflammation & swelling
✔ Faster healing of soft tissue & bone
✔ Improved balance, strength & stability

🌊 MagnaWave PEMF Therapy
✔ Reduced pain & inflammation
✔ Faster healing of muscles, tendons & ligaments
✔ Improved mobility & comfort
✔ Completely non-invasive

These services aren’t just for injured or competition horses — they help prevent problems before they start and support long-term soundness.

📍 Contact & Scheduling
🌐 Website: www.hearthooveshorsemanship.com
📧 Email: hearthooveshorsemanship@yahoo.com
📞 Emily Miller: 605-380-5346
📩 Message us or reach out directly to schedule or learn more about which therapy is right for your horse! 💙🐴

12/06/2025

Good read

10/31/2025

🌿 Exciting news! 🌿
I’m thrilled to officially be offering equine wellness services at Michelle Jerry Heart and Hooves Horsemanship in Deer River, MN! 🐴💙

I’m always looking for ways to keep learning, improving, and offering the best care possible for every horse I work with. This partnership is such a great opportunity to keep growing — and I couldn’t be more excited for what’s ahead! ✨

I’ll also continue traveling back to southeastern South Dakota regularly to work on horses there, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to get on my schedule! 💆‍♀️🐎

Our Services

10/30/2025

Let me know if this is something you would like to try or if you want a massage and magnawave combo session!

10/23/2025

Growth never stops! These past three weeks have been such a valuable learning experience — challenging, rewarding, and full of inspiration. I’ve learned so much about horsemanship, connection, and communication with the horse. I’m excited to put these new skills to work right here in Deer River, MN, alongside Michelle and her amazing team at Michelle Jerry Heart and Hooves Horsemanship. I love how continued learning helps me better serve the horses I work with every day!

I still plan to come down to service the area regularly, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to schedule your horses!

08/26/2025

✨ I’m so excited and grateful to be partnering with True North Veterinary Health to offer an Equine Massage Day! 🐴💆‍♀️

This is such a wonderful opportunity to help our horses feel their best, and I can’t wait to spend the day doing what I love most. ❤️

📅 Saturday, September 6
📍 Wentworth, SD
📞 Call or text me at 605-380-5346 to schedule your horse’s session!

Spots are limited, so I’d love to see this day fill up quickly! Thank you all for the continued support—it means the world to me and the horses. 🐎✨

I’m so excited to partner with Emily Miller to provide a massage day for our horses!

Call or text Emily at 605-380-5346 to schedule!

*Only massage services will be offered*

08/06/2025

Yes, horses get headaches!!

And they’re often trying to tell us — we just need to pay attention.

I talk to my clients about this all the time. What we call “bad behavior” is so often just a horse saying, “I’m not okay.”

Head tossing, avoiding the halter, pulling away when touched near the ears or poll — these are not training issues. These are pain responses. Nervous system overload. Built-up tension. Old trauma showing up in subtle ways.

Stress, injury, tight tack, even emotional changes — it all stacks up in their bodies. And unless we’re really tuned in, it’s easy to miss.

If your horse suddenly doesn’t want to be caught, or you’re having to take the bridle apart just to get it on, don’t ignore it. That’s communication. Something is going on in the nervous system, the fascia, the cranial nerves. And they need help, not pressure.

This post below explains the anatomy and the signs in a way every horse owner should see. It’s so good.

Please read it. Please share it. Let’s start normalizing the question, “What if my horse is hurting?” before we assume they’re being difficult.

We can do better. They deserve that.

Q🐎 I’ve said it many times — 𝙃𝙊𝙍𝙎𝙀𝙎 𝘿𝙊 𝙂𝙀𝙏 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝘿𝘼𝘾𝙃𝙀𝙎!!

And I’ll keep saying it, because too many still ignore the signs.

𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗢𝗧𝗛 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 🚩
𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗪𝗛𝗬 ⬇️

The general term head shyness refers to a horse that moves its head away when touched in certain areas — especially the ears, poll, face, or upper neck.

Yes, rough handling can create this behaviour. But I’m talking about the horses that give a clear pain response — and we MUST pay attention to the 🚩 red flags 🚩

Let’s break it down with some anatomy — including cranial nerves — and real-life examples:

🔺 If you have to take your bridle apart to get it on — this is NOT normal.
🚩 It’s a pain response! Likely involving the poll, the occipital bone, or surrounding soft tissues like the nuchal ligament and suboccipital muscles.

🔺 Soreness around C1 and the upper neck? 🚩
The atlas (C1) supports the skull and sits in close proximity to the brainstem — where cranial nerves originate. If there’s tension, compression, or trauma in this area, horses can experience headaches, vision changes, coordination issues, and hypersensitivity.

🔺 Ear shyness – Behind the ears lies a complex neural and muscular region. Structures here include:

CN VII (Facial Nerve) – controls facial expression; dysfunction can lead to twitching or hypersensitivity.

CN V (Trigeminal Nerve) – especially its mandibular and ophthalmic branches, which are often involved in facial pain and head-shyness.

CN VIII (Vestibulocochlear Nerve) – important for balance; tension near the inner ear can affect proprioception and make head movement uncomfortable.

🔺 Horse is poor to catch?
Many are not trying to be 'difficult’ — they’re avoiding the discomfort of the halter going on, which may stimulate the trigeminal nerve or cause tension in the TMJ area. 🚩

🔺 Can be brushed on one side but not the other? 🚩
Could be unilateral cranial nerve irritation, often stemming from fascial pulls, past trauma, or misalignment.

🔺 Foaming at the mouth under bit pressure? 🚩
This isn’t always “submission.” Bit pressure can impact:

the mandibular branch of CN V (trigeminal nerve)

the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII) — which controls tongue movement

the glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX) — associated with the throat and swallowing
All of these nerves can be compromised by poor dental balance, bitting, or cranial dysfunction.

Summary

Refusal to touch the ears, poll, or head is NOT just “bad behaviour.”
It’s communication.

Horses with myofascial pain, C1 restrictions, cranial nerve irritation, or TMJ dysfunction will naturally protect themselves — pulling away, raising the head, tensing the jaw, or shutting down altogether.

💡 Signs of stress you may see when touching the head area:

Elevated heart rate or subtle sweating

Holding the head unnaturally high

Tight nostrils or pinched expression

Squinting or avoiding eye contact

Rushing to the back of the stable when a rug is taken from the door almost in a panic

Don’t ignore these changes. Don’t write them off as “just being difficult.”
Think about pull-back injuries, rope accidents, or even long-standing bridle or bit pressure. These can have lasting effects on the cranial nerves, cervical vertebrae, fascia, and overall comfort.

Not to forget the cranial sacral connections, got a a horse with SI joint issues ? Could be related all the way to the skull!

🧠 Pain is real.
🐴 Headaches are real.
🎯 And your horse is telling you — are you listening?

Reposting because it’s THAT important.
Let’s do better for them.

07/10/2025

🐴✨ Peak season is here! Whether you’re heading to rodeos, horse shows, or just out enjoying the trails, your horse is giving their all right alongside you.

With all that hard work, they may start feeling sore or stiff. Treat them to an equine massage to keep them feeling great and performing their best.

Equine massage can:
✔️ Relieve muscle tension and soreness
✔️ Improve flexibility and range of motion
✔️ Enhance circulation and lymphatic flow
✔️ Support quicker recovery after workouts or events
✔️ Help prevent injuries by keeping muscles loose and supple
✔️ Promote relaxation and reduce stress

🗓️ I have routes extending from Sioux Falls to Mitchell or Watertown and up to Aberdeen, and I’ll be traveling to northern Minnesota a couple times at the end of the month. If you’re along these routes, it’s easy for me to stop and take care of your horse.

📲 Message me today to schedule an appointment and keep your partner feeling their best this season!

06/25/2025

This is great information to consider while your horse is in season and working frequently. A sore pelvis or back end could cause referral pain. If something feels off with your horse reach out! I’d love to come take a look and help out!

03/05/2025

Cinch placement isn’t just about fit—it directly affects your horse’s comfort and performance. A cinch that’s too long or too short can put pressure on sensitive muscle edges, leading to discomfort, soreness, and even gait issues.

The post below explains how to find the correct cinch length to avoid unnecessary strain on the latissimus dorsi and ascending pectoralis muscles. If your horse is cinchy, struggles with forward movement, or trips frequently, this could be a factor worth checking!

A well-fitted cinch supports better movement, relaxation, and overall well-being. Take a look at the guide below and let me know if you have any questions—I’m always happy to help assess your horse’s comfort!

Western Cinch Length Tip

How long should my cinch be?

It depends on your horses' anatomy.

In order to ensure your horses comfort it is imperative to keep the buckle off the edges of both the latissimus dorsi muscle and the ascending pectoralis muscle.

For western cinches a great reference point is finding the point of your horses' shoulder (red circle) and going straight across. This is where you want your buckle to be once your cinch is tightened.

If your cinch buckle lays across those muscle edges (pink x's above and below the red line) damage can be done to them due to the fact that they are very thin and fragile and prone to a shearing effect from the buckle.

If your horse is very cinchy or chronically trips and stumbles I encourage you to check your cinch length because one cinch length will not work for every horse.