Western States Wild Horse & Burro Expo Reno, Nevada, August 15 - 17, 2008 |
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BLM PRESS RELEASE ABOUT CINDY HALVERSON:
BLM News NEVADA STATE OFFICE NO. 2003-57 FOR RELEASE: July 9, 2003 |
Massage Therapy Comes to the Equine World
RENO -- Who doesn’t like a back rub now and then? Especially if your back bone is six feet long, you weigh 1,200 pounds and your shoes don’t fit right.
That’s the idea behind a concept in the horse world bringing the healing powers of massage to the equine. Coining the phrase "head-to-tail" to describe the concept, Cindy Halverson of Sacramento brings her healing powers to the Reno Livestock Events Center July 18–20 for the Western States Wild Horse and Burro Expo.
A horse enthusiast since age nine, Halverson has been involved with massage therapy for years. She recently realized that therapeutic massage works on animals as well as humans. "Equine Cranio-Sacral therapy" or head to tail, is not dissimilar to human massage, but the patients don’t complain as much, Halverson jokes.
The massage steps are also similar. First she does an overall assessment of the horse, and then she watches the animal’s walk. Working in concert with the owners, the massage therapist listens to the owner’s overall analysis of the animal’s behavior or patterns and history. Halverson then applies some hands-on therapy to assist the animal.
She’s looking for inflammation, vertebrae out of alignment and other signs of stress on the horse. Often the injury can be attributed to a poor saddle fit.
"It’s just like us wearing shoes that don’t fit right," she explains. "Our feet hurt, it affects our walk and pretty soon our back is out of whack."
The difference is that a horse can’t explain that its shoes don’t fit.
"Most horse owners interpret the horse’s action as behavioral, and it’s a purely physical thing," Halverson continued. "The horse just can’t say the saddle doesn’t fit right, but it knows when it jumps it hurts, so it stops jumping."
Many horse injuries can be attributed to problems with shoes, saddles, bridles, bits and the riders. These problems are somewhat like the issues people experience in the workplace. The relationship between humans and machines is often called ergonomics, or more correctly, biotechnology.
Certain people prefer certain chairs, and the position of the computer screen can affect a person’s body. An uncomfortable chair or a poorly positioned computer monitor can have serious negative impacts on a person’s overall health, thereby affecting their behavior.
Horses likewise can sustain injuries doing normal "on the job" routines, like jumping, Halverson explains.
"Jumpers can easily develop what we call jumper’s hump," she said. "That’s where the vertebrae are out of sync. It produces a hump and it hurts the horse."
Horse injuries can likewise be attributed to poor-fitting shoes, poor saddle fit, and poor eating habits. Horses try to let their owners know they are hurting through their actions, but theses actions are often misinterpreted.
"You touch him without hurting him, that’s body communication," Halverson explains.
A person who sleeps on their side on a pillow that is too small soon ends up with a strained neck. A simple switch to a bigger, firmer pillow can work miracles.
"It’s hard to tell people they have the wrong equipment," she says. "But at least people can say what they are feeling."
Horses must contend with countless events, as well as rider styles and the size of the people who ride them. A quality saddle can run anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000.
Cindy’s Therapeutic Massage offers hands-on, light-touch treatment.
"Your intention is to feel the tissue, the muscles and the difference in breathing" she says. "You perceive the touch, thereby making the muscles relax. It’s a mind over muscle kind of thing. You communicate with the horse through body language."
When Halverson comes to Reno she will work on both horses and people.
Halverson can be contacted at 916-206-4197, or 916-791-1235
EDITOR’S NOTE: BLM Nevada offers wild horses and burros for adoption July 20 at the Reno Livestock Events Center. For adoption information go to www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov or call 1-866-4-MUSTANGS. The BLM has prepared a series of news releases geared to the adoption and the first Western States Wild Horse and Burro Expo which is being run in conjunction with the wild horse adoption. The celebration of the wild horse begins at 6 p.m. Friday, July 18. It is free and open to the public. Go to www.wildhorseandburroexpo.com for more information on the show and expo.
The Wild Horse & Burro Expo, as part of the National Wild Horse Center, is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
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