GL Equine Therapy

Hey everyone, I've got some updates for you all! Firstly, I'm officially a member of the International Association of Animal Massage & Bodywork So what does that mean for you (my current and future clients)? It means that I have completed a certain level of education from accredited schools, and agree to follow the association's code of ethics/ standards of practice. It's too long to restate here, but essentially I am devoted to providing you and your horse of the highes...t quality I can provide, in a professional & respectful manner. Obviously this has been a goal of mine since day 1, but I hope this just emphasizes that even more You can find my practitioner information & the code of ethics on the IAAMB website: iaamb.org for those interested!! Next, unfortunately my online booking service is under some maintenance and I'm not entirely sure when it will be back up. So you'll have to contact me directly instead for time being, if not already. Lastly, my March dates are up on my website gl-equine.ca/booking. I'm trying something new with my booking to try and accomodate my single clients & my large bookings, so this way I can get people in sooner. If everyone likes it, we shall continue! Thanks everyone! Hope you're all enjoying the warm weather, can't wait to get back to outdoor appointments See more

Big and small, I can massage them all 2 very lucky miniature donkeys getting a very well deserved pampering

Only a select few dates left in February! I have my availability updated on my website at gl-equine.ca/booking to let you know what days I'm in what area. If you're looking for a specific date in March, make sure you book ahead to reserve that spot! It's starting to get warmer, and hopefully it stays that way, so let's keep your equine friend feeling their best!

The face behind my logo I always get asked about Archie, how's he doing, training, one eye stuff, etc but the other day I had someone ask if the horse in my logo was own. When I was designing and thinking of logos, I had several with very generic horse shapes, bland texts, etc. I really just wasn't settled on any of them, they were boring. Until I came across a photo of Archie with his distinct facial markings, I thought about drawing him out. As most of you know, I start...ed my massage journey on humans. When I made the decision to switch from people to horses, Archie was the first horse that I worked on and learnt to adapt my techniques to. He's been the first and main case study to all my courses, and today he helped me record his last assessment presentation for my second certification (yes I'm mid sentence talking about his glutes in this picture, but he was too cute to not share haha). Without him as my test dummy, I'm not sure where my business would be today!! So alas, when I drew out his face and paired with my name, I fell in love. It's got my personal touch but still appears professional! Best of both worlds. So thank you to Archie, for being the best model/ case study/ client/ everything! And yes- don't worry he gets spoiled with well deserved sporadic massages all the time See more

Bernie waiting for this cold spell to be over Just a reminder to everyone who doesn't have access to heated facilities to keep in mind that I can't massage below -15C! It becomes difficult to keep muscles warm, as well if I have to wear so many gloves that I can't feel the horses muscles, then I cannot be as effective as usual. Obviously we're all used to this Canadian weather and I'm sure we're all anticipating the temp to drop even more. So to my current clients who eithe...r have their appointment outside or in an unheated barn, we shall keep an eye out for the weather and book when it's ok to do so! I'm still quite flexible in my schedule so if we need to last minute add or change due to weather, I can make that happen To new clients who are thinking of booking, please just give me a heads up on what kind of facilities we'll be working with! Thank you See more

Just some @equi_tape in action! I always forget to take pictures when I'm done doing your horses so we'll have to put up with my mascot So how does kinesiology tape work and what does it do? Kinesiology tape designed for horses is a type of elastic athletic tape that stretches along its longitudinal axis to allow the tape to move with the body, and not restrict range of motion. It works in many ways by applying to the hair which lifts the hair and decompresses the skin. ...With the variety of application of methods and variations of stretch, we can use tape to help increase blood and lymph flow, decreases inflammation, supports joints/ ligaments/ tendons, relieve pain, decrease muscle tension, support muscles in movement and much more! Here Archie is sporting a support taping for his tensor fascia latae muscle (pink) and a relaxation taping to help decrease tension in his biceps femoris muscle (yellow). I really wanted to capture this to help reinforce the idea that tape can be worn while riding!!! I say this several times during appointment, but I want to say it again because a lot of people don't believe me. During our very fresh 60 minute ride, the tape did not budge at all and I'll likely leave it on until it starts to naturally fall off. See more

Back to school work once again Although between my current studies with UofG & constantly restudying massage/ anatomy and taking short courses with Equitopia and other sources to feel on top of my game, it feels like I never left! It's a little late coming, but I just wanted to thank everyone for the overwhelming support over the holidays I had a ton of fun working with all your horses, and am happy to be apart of your maintenance and wellness schedules!! I hope everyone has a wonderful 2021.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! Just wanted to thank all my wonderful clients for making this year so special! And thank you for all your support, it's much appreciated Hope everyone stays safe this holiday

I never thought I would be posting a picture of my dirty post- massage hand but it comes with a message hahaha. I get asked a lot, "do I need to bath my horse before a massage?" "How much do I need to brush them?" "How clean do they need to be?" "Does their hair need to be clipped to get kinesiology taped?"... Personally, as long as I run my hand along the horse without it slipping or getting caught on mud or dirt, that's all that matters. So please do not bathe or apply sprays (show sheen, detangler, etc) right before a massage. A wet horse is not one I can massage or tape, I would likely never be able to get a smooth even stroke. If they're wet from the rain, please try your best to bring them in a little early to dry and I will certainly do what I can to adapt! I always recommend a quick brushing before a session, specifically if you want your horse taped. Massage wise- I'm going to bring up a lot of dirt anyway and it's going to get all over my hands no matter what, so it's not too important to brush deeply. However, tape doesn't stick well to the hair if there's dirt, so I'll normally carry a couple microfiber towels on me to give a quick clean if I can. And lastly no- the hair does not need to be clipped to be taped. Sometimes if the horse has a very long winter coat, it can be beneficial to clip to the length of the summer coat but it's certainly not required. Horse Shay

Another fantastic semester done with @equinestudies_uoguelph ! Lots of learning, and eye opening moments Highly recommend these courses to anyone looking to learn more about horses. Whether you just want to take one or two courses or go for the full certificate or diploma, it's worth it! One more semester for me to go until I have my Equine Science Diploma