Acupressure for horses- Acclimatizing
Try these helpful acupressure points for grief
Laughing is a natural painkiller!
Please turn off the loud sounds!
A quick solution to stress, anxiety and worrying…try it now!
Acupressure Points for Pregnancy
Acupressure Points for Anxiety
Acupressure is an ancient healing art developed in Asia over 3,000 years ago, using the fingers to press key points on the surface of the skin to stimulate the body’s natural self-curative abilities. When these points are pressed, they release muscular tension, and promote the circulation of blood and the body’s life force energy (Qi or chi) to promote health and healing. Using the same points as Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupressure applies a comfortable range of pressure from gentle to firm. Acupressure is safe, non-toxic and definitely habit forming… And the horses highly recommend it!
To perform acupressure, place the ball of your thumb or middle finger on the acupressure point. Gently apply direct pressure to the point while exhaling. Use prolonged pressure directly on the point; gradual, steady, penetrating pressure for approximately three minutes is ideal. Slowly release the point while inhaling and move on to the next point. Trust yourself, relax, breath deeply, go with the flow of energy and enjoy!
PACE
Today, the horses are saying PACE, PACE, PACE, get yourself in PACE! PACE is a simple series of movements that are based on the copyrighted work of Paul E. Dennison, Ph.D, and Gail E. Dennison. Brain Gym is a registered trademark of Brain Gym International. I first encountered PACE when I took Brain Gym Level one in 1999. Since then I’ve been recommending them to athletes, artists, healers and anyone who desires to switch gears and benefit from synchronizing our brain and body to work as a team. Try some, they are simple but incredibly effective. The horses highly recommend PACE, especially before competing or taking a lesson.
Here is a video to guide you through PACE. I would like to thank Lauren for so graciously letting me film her demonstrating PACE.
Bananas!
I was very surprised, when a friend of mine at the barn, told me about her horse’s delight in eating bananas as a treat after her riding lessons. She also mentioned that bananas and salt, were an excellent electrolyte for horses. Curious, I consulted my friend Pam MacKenzie, who is a Purina Certified Equine Feed Consultant for Atlantic Canada. Pam’s experience and knowledge on nutrition and improving the well being of horses is vast, she is my go to person for all related queries. I am grateful to her for answering my questions! These were her answers.
Are bananas and salt an electrolyte?
Yes. Bananas rolled in salt (salt is an electrolyte when wet) create sodium chloride and potassium. Potassium, is often included in commercial electrolyte products, because, like sodium chloride, it is a component of sweat.
How much salt would I put on the banana?
The salt level: it depends on the day, the weather, what feed, hay etc., and the amount of sweat loss the horse is experiencing. Hydration, can change every 4 hours. Watch the horse and see if it is drinking after working, shipping, etc. Check hydration with the tent test.
Tent test: pick up a good pinch of horse’s skin at the neck and let go. If the skin snaps back immediately, the horse is properly hydrated.If the skin takes a little time to go back down, or, it stays up in a ‘tent’ shape, the horse needs more fluids.
This would be a beneficial time to give the horse a banana rolled in salt. Most horses like them and it is a nice way to get salt into them, to encourage and keep them drinking water. Plenty of clean, fresh water must be accessible for the horse to drink after eating the bananas and salt, or the horse will become more dehydrated. As horses are unable to drink on the road while in transit or in the show pen, it is best to only feed them this treat after trailering and after a competition when plenty of water is available.
Also, if the manure is loose the horse may have eaten too many bananas.
Most horses enjoy this natural way of restoring, replenishing and hydrating their systems. I was delighted while watching some of my horse friends gobble them up. So try it out, of course if the horse sniffs the banana and turns away, respect their choice and refrain from force feeding them!
A Recipe for Calm
Spring is here and the earth is thawing! Even though the weather is delightful, a few of my friends are still in their stalls looking outside with longing, due to very muddy conditions. They have been requesting that I bring Chamomile to them to help them remain calm and patient. I’ve been feeding them handfuls and they are highly recommending it! Chamomile is also very soothing for dogs. Click here for an excellent article on the uses of chamomile for dogs.
Chamomile for Horses
Actions: Sedative, caminative, anti-inflammatory, relaxant,bitters, vasodilatory, analgesic, antispasmodic
High in calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, potassium and manganese. An anti-inflammatory aids DIGESTION especially of nervous hyperactive horses. Chamomile s a well known and effective CALMATIVE without making the horse dozy. Eases cases of tension, anxiety and stress. Use for aches and pains.
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