Bodywork realigning your horse's physical structure for more power,
efficiency, grace and speed, making a happier horse.
Why does a horse need bodywork? 
Injuries, chronic stress, aging and normal living can cause connective tissue to thicken into adhesions as tissue repairs itself. These adhesions become glue-like, reducing flexibility, preventing muscles from lengthening for easy movement. The horse is held in old compensation patterns. Circulation of blood to the tissue is constricted; muscles and body tissue become less healthy.

Equine Natural Movement bodywork brings your horse’s muscles, bones and connective tissue back into balance and alignment. Even one session often creates lasting results in flexibility, comfort and balance for the horse.
Structural Integration can help
This fine-tuned functional rebalancing of the body can create significant and fairly permanent changes in the horse’s structure. In sessions, the practitioner's hands work the layers of muscle and tissue, going deeper as the horse’s tissue permits. In a series of sessions, the hands work deeply into the horse’s structure to organize muscle and joint relationships more smoothly and efficiently. The practitioner applies stretching and/or pressure to the area and waits for change. The change occurs when the fibrous tissue lengthens and returns to normal elasticity.
Full body restructuring occurs in five sessions. Over the sessions, the horse becomes more comfortable in his body; old holding patterns release and movement becomes fluid. Power that was inaccessible is regained. The horse feels better and emotionally balanced. The horse becomes the athlete he or she was born to be. Even one session can create lasting results for the horse.
The Equine Natural Movement Series
The Equine Natural Movement Series was created in the early 90s by Joseph Freeman as an extension of his Structural Integration practice with humans. Freeman’s equine work was consistently effective in moving fourth place horses into blue ribbons, that he teaches this work for horses.
Results from Equine Natural Movement Series:
• Realigns compensation patterns and injury patterns
• Improves performance and self carriage; strides lengthen.
• Releases constrictions throughout the body; breathing improves beyond performance plateaus.
• Horses feel more vibrant, engaged and responsive; attitudes improve.
• Allows the horse to participate in his healing process.
• Brings out more power, increases efficiency, creates fluidity.
• Improves precision; horses go beyond performance plateaus.
• Horses feel more vibrant, engaged and responsive; attitudes improve.
Five Reasons Your Horse Will Benefit from Equine Natural Movement Sessions
1. Just like people, horses have a life. They experience twists, pulls, accidents, athletic stress and social rough behavior from other horses. As athletes, we expect the best from our horses. Like us, they have issues that compromise their abilities to perform for us. They slip, knock their heads and experience injuries. Or, like the best of us, they simply need to have their top abilities working to win in competitions and events.
2.  Your horse is at a performance plateau. The training has brought great results, so have your lessons. Still, you aren’t placing quite where you want to place in competitions … and you are both soooo close. Or, you’re winning and want to keep it up!
3. The horse is older, but still going well. Extending his/her capabilities is the goal.
4. The horse is being marketed for sale and there are some changes in overall capacity to improve for both a better price and better home for the  horse. Or, you just got a new horse. Wouldn’t it be great to give him/her a session for this wonderful new beginning as a team?
5. The horse is your dear friend; you know that having him/her move at his best is well worth the investment. Making him/her happier, more graceful and agile justifies all, even if he/she doesn’t have injuries or issues that you notice.

More benefits from this work include helping the horse to have soma emotional recall and release. Connective tissue is known to have memory, and the energy from a traumatic event often enters the body of the horse and becomes stuck in the tissue. It can stay walled off in the body and become what is sometimes referred to as an energy “cyst.” These can often be released through ENM session work.

I wanted to share that after the body work session on Saturday I gave my 3 year old Andalusian gelding a couple days off to digest, and then worked him for the first time today. I started with a free longe to see what he would volunteer on his own - I wanted to observe if his movement had changed, how he carried himself, what he did through the back, neck, poll and jaw, etc.

I have been working with Dandi for nearly a year, since I started him, and I have never seen him offer to stretch and lower his head and neck voluntarily. He was also quite held through the poll and jaw.

For the first time today, he offered all these things plus chewing!! He released through his entire body in a way he has never done before and I believe it is specifically to do with your time together on Saturday. In addition, he seemed more balanced to both sides, whereas he was more comfortable to the right 99% of the time in the past. I am impressed with one session and wanted to find out, based on what you felt with him, if you feel another would be helpful?

Thank you!
Lynn Clifford, LPCC pending, EAGALA

I wanted to write to let you know how thrilled I am with the progress you have made on my beloved Paint, Poco Bean. Last year he suffered a subluxation of his right shoulder. After regular chiropractic adjustments, his shoulder issue was resolved, but his canter remained stilted and rough and he lost the normal pep in his step. After only two sessions with you, his canter has become smooth as silk and he has regained his energetic forward motion. He is also consistently picking up his proper leads, something that was elusive following his injury.

Poco Bean was the reason I sought your help, but all of my horses have benefited from your healing touch. Thank you for all you do for our equine companions. Your work is amazing.
Sincerely,
Paula Howe

Margaret Henkels, Equine Natural Movement Practitioner
Santa Fe, New Mexico
 505-501-2290

Free Evaluations Available; Barn Demos and horse club presentations.