I have had a passion for horses for as long as I can remember. Growing up in the Okanagan Valley with 2 miniature geldings, Bucky and Sabre, and a very expressive Arabian mare, Nikki, led to a lifelong obsession. Every precious moment spent with my little herd taught me how to listen to a horse's needs and sparked a continuing curiosity about the way they move and how their bodies work.
After completing a Bachelor's Degree in Biology, I spent several happy years driving horse-drawn carriages in downtown Victoria while completing my second degree in Education at UVIC. While carriage driving, I spent many hours watching and analyzing the movement of the horses in front of me and I devoted myself to learning as much as I could from my co-workers, both human and equine.
From Victoria I moved with my loving husband to the Big Island of Hawai'i. While there, I spent my days working at the barn, exploring the world of Dressage, and volunteering many hours to organizing local schooling shows. The focus of Dressage on high quality movements that benefit the well-being of the horse was enchanting and led me to an even deeper interest in biomechanics and ways that movement can be affected. After learning a few small bodywork techniques to help my favorite mare, Honey, who was having some difficulty with chronic lameness, I saw the huge difference in quality of movement and happiness of my friend. From then on, I became determined to gain expertise in Equine Bodywork in order to help other horses live fulfilling and pain-free lives.
After moving back to Victoria with my Husband, as well as my young son and two cats that joined our family in Hawai'i, I felt pulled to focus my time and efforts on serving the needs of horses in our community. I completed my Certification in Equine Myo-Massage Therapy and I have not been able to think of anything else since! I am excited to devote my life to learning everything I can about the equine body and how it works so I can expand my knowledge and skill set to help horses in better ways every day.
I am so excited to meet your horse and help them with anything they may need from: providing simple relaxation, to maintaining healthy muscle function during training, or to help in recovering from an injury.
I feel an incredible sense of privilege and honour to be able to communicate with, and to provide relief, relaxation, comfort, and healing to such incredible animals. Our equine friends tuly are Heaven Sent.
Equine Myo-Massage Therapy is the horse equivalent to human Massage Therapy. "Myo" translates to "muscle" as this therapeutic technique focuses on the physical manipulation of muscles and soft tissue to provide relief and relaxation to your horse. The number one goal of massage is full painless contraction of the muscle. I use a combination of massage, tapotement, and stretching to promote circulation, soothe nerves, and relax and lengthen muscles. Massage can affect many things, generally increasing your horse's range of motion, suppleness, and mobility. It also increases circulation of blood and lymph and restores nervous system function. Imbalances in the nervous system can be very painful and make it difficult for your horse to move smoothly or can even cause behavioral problems. This is a very gentle and pleasant therapeutic technique and my goal is to have your horse enjoy every moment of their massage.
What can Myo-Massage help with?
Equine Myo-Massage Therapy can help with general stiffness, short range of motion, unevenness of gait, tender or sore areas - general problems caused by tight muscles. I can also use massage to gently increase circulation and reduce swelling of an injured area. This speeds healing and promotes healthy scar tissue development for increased function and mobility after healing. Injuries often cause compensatory muscle issues when the horse tries to compensate for the injured area, regular massage while healing can make a big difference in minimizing this issue.
Many behavioral problems, either on the ground or under saddle, can be cause by physical discomfort which can be improved or resolved with massage. We are all more likely to co-operate when we feel good, and our horses are no different. Massage can help reduce tension and pain to have your horse feeling their best and ready to work with you.
I am also trained in massage techniques to help reduce pain and duration of gas colics.
Massage is not a replacement for veterinary care. Any injury or medical situation should always be seen by your vet first and massage can be used to help speed healing and improve results. Under any circumstances, and with any injury or medical situation, I am always very happy to work with your vet and their recommendations.
All massages have a free grooming session included.
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Heaven Sent Equine Bodywork
Serving Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Please feel free to contact me at (778) 967-1912, email me at desiree@heavensentequine.com or send me a message, below, to book your appointment or start a free consultation:
