We all have been in the situation when our horse was not 100% perfect. Being little bit ‘off’, not as enthusiastic about his work and with his performance not peaking up despite his "expensive" training. Otherwise he was fine, no signs of disease, no changes in his vital signs. Contacted veterinarians could not find anything "out of the ordinary" either. Chosen strategy of a few days off, some extra supplements and keeping a close eye on him was the best that the owner could do in this situation. But was it really all?
When Jock and Ivana Ruddock were developing their Equine Touch, they had exactly these situations and the horse owner in their mind.
Sometimes our horses are a little bit off due to the extra pain in their muscles and soft tissue. This can be as a result of the training load, their daily work or even playful games with a paddock mate. Being horses, the ultimate prey animals that have survived for millions of years by hiding all weaknesses, they continue to hide their problems from us and they start to compensate - they change their gait so that their body movement looks normal so as not to attract the "lions" searching for an easy lunch. A little problem at the start of this story will be growing, due to the compensation, into a big issue. Repetitive injuries have a cumulative effect and one day, at the end of the story, the horse may end up with a serious injury. Except direct injuries as result of a fall or accident, the compensation injuries have developed over a long period of the time. And where does the Equine Touch (ET) fit into this story?
ET is a gentle method of palpation and addressing the soft tissue. The ET founders believed that soft tissue can be the medium that gives us the answer to questions such as, “why is my horse not performing to his best potential?”, “why is there this change in his behaviour?” and “why is he acting in the way that he is?”
By palpating the soft tissue, we can feel the horse instead of just seeing it. This feel is extremely important, as soft tissue does not lie. Our eyes, however, can mislead us, so that by the time we see that the horse is lame or ‘off’, its body may already be experiencing 80% pain. As long as the horse can continue compensating, it will do so, in order to hide its injury and avoid the unwelcome attention of predators. It is only when the majority of the body is ‘in trouble’ that the problems start becoming visible to our eyes.
Dysfunctional soft tissue can be the source of pain and this pain is often the reason for the horse’s changed behavioural and social patterns. Frequently, in its silent suffering, these changes may be the only sign of the horse’s discomfort or pain.
The Equine Touch technique addresses the soft tissue. The unique move, applied with fingers and thumbs, is performed over the muscles and, of course, the fascia. When the move is correctly applied, it can achieve many positive results, from releasing the muscle tension to improving the local blood and lymphatic circulation.
Student learning the Basic Body Balance during a Foundation Course 2021
Equine Touch is not a diagnostic technique that addresses specific problems, it offers a whole body address. This has a great advantage because with compensation the whole body is affected, not just the individual parts of the body.
Equine Touch is easy to learn. There are classes for horse owners as well as for professionals. Horse owners are the first people who can see the little changes in their horses and this is the time when they can use ET. The Equine Touch move can supply them with accurate feedback from the horse’s body, not only about its biggest system, the muscular system, but also regarding the state of the horse’s mind.
A Foundation student enjoying a ‘processing break’ with her subject 2021
Many problems can be addressed at the beginning, when there is just a little achy spot; preventing it from having a negative impact on the whole body. ET can be used as a preventative measure; it is a bodywork system that can keep the soft tissue in good shape; pliable and free of restriction. By using it on a maintenance basis it can also be helpful in developing a good relationship and bond between the human and the horse.
Equine Touch is also an energy modality addressing the energy pathways and acupuncture points. Some reported stories show that this whole body address can bring about changes in the whole system.
I had a lovely short story from an ET practitioner regarding one of her clients who suffered from skin eruption, breathing and coughing problems. She had no energy, and looked really tired. She had - over a period - been treated by several vets, several times and with several medicaments – among other things adrenal cortex hormone. She had an outbreak in February this particular year – and it lasted until May. It disappeared, but returned in the middle of August.
“I came to see a client’s horse on 13th of September, and she looked awful. Skin eruption, dull fur, dull eyes, not much energy, coughing, and problems breathing. After three sessions with ET (13, 17, and 21th of the same month), I returned the 26th and she had really changed. Lustrous fur and eyes. Just a little coughing, better breathing and much more energy, and nearly no bald spots on her skin. She didn’t have any medicine during this period”. Best of all, the owner was encouraged to learn ET for herself so she could continue with regular maintenance sessions.
ET can be used in conjunction with other modalities and of course with allopathic medicine. Personally I had one case, when my little miniature horse, Alvi, had colic, after eating some mouldy hay that my neighbour threw over the fence. I found him profusely sweating, running and looking very stressed. I called the vet as his heart rate was over the top and his mucous membranes did not look too good. Waiting for his arrival I did a couple of procedures of ET on him, walking and stopping for more ET and giving him homeopathic remedies. When the vet arrived, he found Alvi calm with all his vital signs in normal range. Waiting for an extra 15 minutes to be sure that he had really recovered, we both agreed that he was back to being his own cheeky little self, as he was dragging both of us to a grass patch. No medication was needed in this happy case.
By "touching horses" we can surely create a better world for them, a place where people can understand and communicate with the horse at every level.
Article by Ivana Ruddock-Lange from the the Archives Photos courtesy of Babette Littlemore 2021