Whether your horse piaffes, racks, jumps, races, negotiates obstacles, pulls a cart, gives lessons, or is in the process of learning a new skill, your horse is an athlete. Athletes at all levels can experience body soreness, tightness and tension that affects their performance and willingness to work. Certified Equine Sports Massage Therapist Toree Lewis-Hefner's goal is to help horse owners and exhibitors, trainers, grooms, caretakers,  barn managers and aspiring equine therapists learn how to recognize these problems and effectively address them at home.

 

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Toree demonstrating one of a variety of helpful leg stretches

 

There are many things horse owners can do at home — or even at shows — to help their equine athletic partners. Similar to a human athlete, your horse will face ongoing physical challenges that are likely to need attention prior to the therapist's next visit. It is also often difficult to schedule a therapist for just one horse, so being prepared to help your own horse is critical to his or her well-being.

 

Our Equine Therapy Workshop will help you learn to evaluate your horse's needs and teach you proven techniques and modalities that can help alleviate the pain and stiffness our equine athletes often experience. These techniques are easy to learn and implement. The topics we'll cover will help you become more in tune with your horses and their physical needs — and the more in tune you are, the better partners you'll become. Strengthen the bond between you and your horse for improved performance and a better overall relationship!

 

We offer Workshops for Aspiring Equine Therapists, too! For this audience, Toree will teach about the many different available therapeutic modalities and their advantages and disadvantages; various educational opportunities; how to start a therapy business; billing and how to successfully build a client base.

A TEACHING APPROACH

Throughout her career as a Certified Equine Sports Massage Therapist, Toree Lewis-Hefner has garnered a great deal of knowledge and has been able to help many horses. Such expertise grew out of Toree's desire to be able to more effectively help her own horses on an ongoing basis, and is the result of more than 30 years of working with therapists, chiropractors and veterinarians.

 

Combining that knowledge and expertise with her own background in education (Toree has a bachelor's degree in teaching), Toree has now put in place for you the means to "fast track" your own personal equine therapy program. Attending one of Toree's Equine Therapy Workshops will help you:

 

• Focus on preventive measures to stop problems before they occur
• Become more "in tune" with your horse and learn how to address performance issues when they arise
• Learn to implement the methods of top equine therapists such as Emma Woods, head groom for Phillip Dutton
• Employ techniques that alleviate pain and stiffness common in equine athletes

 

WORKSHOP SESSIONS MAY INCLUDE:

• Common "training problems such as cold-backed, bridle lameness, cross cantering, refusals and crookedness; how to determine if such problems are being caused by physical issues such as back & joint pain, tendon & ligament issues or muscle soreness
• How equine posture relates to muscle soreness and performance
• The difference between primary and secondary soreness; why it's important to identify them, and how they relate to performance
• How myofascial release reduces muscle soreness, pain and inflammation while improving joint alignment and also increasing blood flow, range of motion, lymph flow and improving postural ability
• Stretching and suppleness exercises, including Pilates for horses
• The proper way to warm up and cool down and how it relates to muscle soreness
• How to address muscle soreness from hauling
• The causes and effects of TMJ syndrome and how to address it
• When and how to use chiropractic care, acupuncture and essential oils
• The various therapeutic modalities offered by equine therapists, including hands-on therapies, magnetic field therapy, photon therapy, electrical stimulation, heat & cold therapy, and stretching.
• Proper stable management for a happy and healthy horse
• Dietary considerations, including supplement use

 

Working Evaluations:

Toree watches each attending horse work individually and evaluates their movement, soundness and flexibility as it relates to their job. She shares her observations with attendees while discussing ways to determine if issues are caused by the rider/trainer or physical limitations of the horse, and the recommended treatment protocol.

 

Bodywork Sessions:

Toree will work on some horses to demonstrate different therapy techniques, but bodywork sessions for individual horses may be scheduled outside of workshop sessions. Modalities used may include massage, myofascial release, stretching, essential oils, ultrasound, PMF, Synaptic, light therapy and laser therapy.

 

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Toree demonstrating stretching that can be done to check for range of motion

 

EQUINE THERAPY THAT INVOLVES YOU

Equine therapy works. Its benefits have been proven time and time again, so having a therapist and/or chiropractor come to your barn to work on your horse periodically is sound practice. But what happens after the therapist leaves, or if those services aren't available in your area?

 

There are many things horse owners can do at home — or even at shows — to help their equine athletic partners. Similar to a human athlete, your horse will face ongoing physical challenges that are likely to need attention prior to the therapist's next visit.  Oftentimes, it is also difficult to schedule a therapist for just one horse, so being prepared to help your own horse is critical to his or her well-being.

 

Our Equine Therapy Workshops help you learn how to evaluate your horse's needs and use proven techniques and modalities that are easy to learn and implement to alleviate common problems faced by your horse.

 

HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE

Seeing a demonstration of Toree's different techniques and modalities is just the beginning for workshop attendees. Not only will you see her therapy in action, you will also be given time to practice the techniques you are learning — essential to you performing proper therapy at home. Evaluations of horses working under saddle or otherwise will help you recognize common issues, and seeing Toree put her expertise to use in practical fashion offers you an opportunity to see treatment of such issues.

 

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EQUINE THERAPY WORKSHOP

SAMPLE AGENDA

 

DAY ONE (1)

9:00 - 10:00 am

• Introduction to equine therapy and its many benefits

10:00 - 11:00 am

• Assessment, myofascial release and muscles, and how to utilize them on your horse

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

• Muscle soreness - including causes, primary/secondary soreness, acute vs. chronic and trailering
• Proper warm-up and cool-down techniques and how it relates to muscle soreness
• Specific disciplines and related soreness issues

12:00 - 1:00 pm

• Lunch Break

1:00 - 1:30 pm

• Recognizing signs that your horse is benefiting while therapy is being administered
• Most beneficial times to perform therapy on your horse

1:30 - 3:00 pm

• Hands-on practice by attendees

3:00 - 3:30 pm

• Question & Answer Session

 

DAY TWO (2)

8:00 - 9:00 am

• Benefits of various modalities

9:00 - 9:30am

• What to look for when choosing a therapist or chiropractor

9:30 - 10:00 am

• TMJ (temporomandibular joint mechanism)  — a common problem in horses; causes, how to check for it & how to alleviate it

10:00 - 11:00 am

• Treatment session on a horse — performed by Toree

11:00 - 11:30 am

• Stretching, Suppleness & Pilates for your horse

11:30 am - 12:00 pm

• Break

12:00 - 1:30 pm

• Hands-on work/experience performed by attendees

1:30 - 2:00 pm

• Workshop wrap-up

 

*All agenda items subject to change without notice.