Equine Shiatsu - by Elaine Liechti & Liz Eddy

"This article was published in the Spring 2008 issue (12) of National Equine Student magazine"

Shiatsu is a Japanese therapy which is growing in popularity for both people and animals. Shiatsu on horses has been developing in the UK since the mid 1990's, and there are now a number of practitioners offering treatment.

But, "what is Shiatsu?"
The word "shi-atsu" in Japanese means "finger pressure" and the basic technique of Shiatsu involves pressure with fingers, thumbs and palms on areas of pain or sensitivity. Stretches and rotations are also an important part of the treatment, which aims to stimulate the body's own self-healing abilities through increased blood circulation, lymphatic fluid movement and the activation of both divisions of the autonomic nervous system. The theories underpinning Shiatsu are those of traditional Oriental Medicine, similar to Acupuncture theory. The basic premise of all Oriental Medicine is that the body (whether human, canine, equine, etc) is an energetic entity whose health and wellbeing are dependent on a smooth flow of energy ("Ki" in Japanese) to all the internal organs, muscles, and body tissues. "Ki" flows throughout the body, but condenses more strongly in certain spots and channels which are often near to nerves, joints or major arteries. These spots and channels are known as acupoints and meridians, and it is here that the Shiatsu practitioner or Acupuncturist can most easily access the body's "Ki". The meridians are called after the organs of the body, and centuries of experience in China and Japan have shown that stimulation on certain points can affect a certain organ or body system. Thus the Heart meridian and its acupoints can be used to affect the heart or circulation, and the Stomach meridian can be used to help digestive upset or sluggish metabolism. If "Ki" flow in a particular meridian is disturbed or interrupted, then symptoms of illness or discomfort will begin to manifest. In Equine Shiatsu we use the aspects of Oriental Medicine theory which are relevant to horses and apply them accordingly. So, for example, we would define a muscular, well proportioned horse who enjoys his work but gets impatient without plenty to do as a "Wood" type horse. He may encounter tendon and ligament problems: whereas a "Metallic" horse is quieter, has less presence, but likes routine. Skin, intestinal or lung imbalances are more prevalent in this type of horse.

A typical Shiatsu session
A typical session begins with taking a case history, including questions about the horse's attitude to work, emotional outlook and social position in his herd, as well as the details of any physical problems. This wide outlook is important in Oriental Medicine as we are looking at the whole horse and how any problem may manifest in all areas of his life, not just "the problem" that the carer called us to look at. Next there will probably be some time observing him being walked and trotted up, and if appropriate worked under saddle. All this information provides pointers towards the overall energetic and meridian imbalance, and helps us to choose which of the meridians it is most appropriate to work on.

The session usually begins with sweeping our hands over the whole of the horse's body, to accustom him to our touch and for us to feel any areas of heat, cold, or particular sensitivity. Quite often we start with working on the back, since this is the area most stressed by riding, and working close to the spine affects the autonomic nervous system and assists in the release of relaxing endorphins. Pressure is then applied on the meridians relevant to the horse's condition, for example the Lung meridian if there were respiratory issues. We begin with palm or whole hand pressure before going on the specific work with thumb or fingers. Each point is held for three to five seconds, and pressure varies depending on the area being worked and the wishes of the receiver - horses are very quick to let us know if we are working too deeply! Often horses enjoy firm pressure on large muscle groups and will even lean on to us to get the level of stimulation they want. On the other hand, pressure round the eyes and ears has to be gentle. The whole length of the imbalanced meridian is worked several times, with attention being given to sensitive or needy areas. We include stretches and rotations to the legs and tail, with the angles of stretch varying to affect different meridians. Stretches are particularly good to loosen up the limbs or large trunk muscles, and horses often participate in these with enthusiasm once they understand what we are trying to do. Because Shiatsu is a holistic therapy we work on the whole of the horse's body, not just, for example, the stiff hind leg. Often we would end with some relaxing techniques on the face or tail. A session normally lasts between 30 minutes and an hour, depending on the needs and wishes of the horse. Some horses love being touched in this way and will happily stand for ages, others find the work more challenging, particularly if they have tight sore areas, and they will let us know when they have had enough. Better to do a few short sessions that to try to "fix" too much in one session. Like human receivers of therapy, the horse should be allowed to chill out for the rest of the day - preferably with a roll in the field.

What does it help?
Equine Shiatsu practitioners, like all practitioners of complementary therapies, must not make medical diagnosis and the horse's veterinary surgeon must be involved in the choice of Shiatsu treatment for the horse. In many cases where Shiatsu is just for relaxation for the active equine athlete or the elderly retired horse, vets are happy to give consent without seeing the animal. Obviously if the horse has a more complex problem then there has to be more collaboration.

Much of an Equine Shiatsu practitioner's work involves the musculo-skeletal system, whether it is helping a horse to recover after injury, releasing the aches and pains caused by inappropriate work or badly fitting tack, or giving a general relaxing session. If we are working with a horse which suffers from arthritis or a tendon injury we would stimulate the meridians associated with the tendons, bones or joints, but in addition Shiatsu can identify and improve areas which have become tight and sore as a compensation to the original problem. Sometimes the original problem may have been resolved a long time ago, but the horse has compensated by moving in a manner which he feels is the only way he can be comfortable. When asked for more work, then problems can start: bucking on going into canter, stiff to one side, even biting on being girthed up. Because Shiatsu is a whole body therapy, these areas can be addressed and helped. There is also the interesting aspect of "how much is my horse compensating for my imbalance". If both horse and rider receive Shiatsu, these issues can be looked at in combination. We once had a student whose discipline was endurance riding, but whose horse was stiff and uncomfortable when she trotted on one diagonal. After we gave her Shiatsu and adjusted her sacro-iliac joint the horse became perfectly sound and at ease on both diagonals.

In addition Shiatsu has been used for a variety of other conditions. Skin problems react well to Shiatsu - flaky skin, mud fever, urticaria. Laminitis is another area where Shiatsu has been found to help, as it assists the circulatory system, alleviates tension in the muscular system due to the classic laminitic stance, and helps the digestive system. Some cases of simple colic have been helped with the use of acupoints, and Shiatsu students writing case study projects have reported that "moody mares" become more amenable.
Much of our work with horses, as with humans, falls into that grey area between sickness and health, where things are not definitely "wrong", but they are "not quite right" either. Often this is because of low grade pain. It is obvious that a horse that is free of physical discomfort, whether it is due to muscles, joints, tension headaches, hormonal upset or allergic reaction, will feel more able to cope with his work and environment, which will lead to a change in attitude.

The Equine Shiatsu Association
Equine Shiatsu has had a professional organisation since 2002. The Equine Shiatsu Association (tESA) exists to publicise the benefits of Shiatsu on horses and is a support forum for people practising and training in Equine Shiatsu. It runs a Register of Practitioners who have attained a professional level of expertise in Shiatsu, and has a Code of Ethics to which members must adhere. Members of tESA are encouraged to develop good relationships with their local vets, as Shiatsu (like all complementary therapies) requires that a vet must make diagnosis and be aware that the horse is receiving Shiatsu treatment. Practitioners are now finding that vets are referring horse owners to them for various problems, and it is very encouraging to see this acknowledgement of the therapy by conventional medical practitioners.

tESA's annual conference is an opportunity for members and others to meet and learn further techniques, share experiences and enjoy the company of like minded practitioners. The 2007 conference was held in Wiltshire and featured presentations of different approaches to Equine Shiatsu, a demonstration by an Equine Physiotherapist and a session on how to develop a professional practice. Previous conferences have included demonstrations of natural horsemanship and a presentation on barefoot trimming by a registered farrier, as well as showing specific Shiatsu techniques to assist with neck stiffness in the horse.

Conclusion
Nowadays, there are many different therapies available to the horse owner and knowing which one to choose for a particular problem can be difficult. There is also a tendency for people to think that since we are dealing with a large animal the treatment needs to be dynamic and strong in order to be effective. This is not the case. Shiatsu may look gentle but it is, in fact, very powerful. By tapping into the body's energetic structure Shiatsu can effect change at a very deep level, affecting not just the physical but also the mental, emotional and social levels. Shiatsu has the benefit of the whole wealth of Oriental Medical theory behind it. This theory, which has been in use for centuries, can guide practitioners to work on areas which will benefit the whole range of the horse's wellbeing.

Learning Equine Shiatsu
There are several training courses available in Equine Shiatsu. All run on a part time basis, with timescale depending on the experience and knowledge of entrants. Most courses run over two to three years if the student starts with no knowledge of Shiatsu. Courses for practitioners already qualified in Shiatsu on humans are shorter with APEL taken into account. Courses which are ratified by the Equine Shiatsu Association (tESA) are equivalent to Level 4 on the National Qualifications Framework. Graduates of schools whose assessments have been ratified by tESA have automatic entry to tESA's Register of Equine Shiatsu Practitioners. Currently these schools are:
Hands on Horses: Principal teacher Sarah Wale
Rosewell Shiatsu Centre: Principal teacher Sue Hix
School of Equine Shiatsu: Principal teacher Jill Blake
Scottish School of Shiatsu for Horses: Principal teacher Liz Eddy. (Branch school in France)
Belgische School voor Paardenshiatsu: Principal teacher Dominique Bergmans

To find out more
To find a practitioner or schools and teachers of Equine Shiatsu contact
the Equine Shiatsu Association
Tel: 01505-682889
www.equineshiatsu.org

Elaine Liechti MA, M.R.S.S (T), tESA (P), is the Chairperson of the Equine Shiatsu Association, a registered practitioner for both horses and humans, and she teaches the human and theory modules on the Diploma course run by the Scottish School of Shiatsu for Horses.
Liz Eddy BSc, tESA (P) is the Principal of the Scottish School of Shiatsu for Horses.