Helping put a swing back in a horse’s step

Audrey Anderson is Scotland’s only practitioner of equine touch, a holistic bodywork system

Horses tend to be long-suffering animals and it can often be hard to tell if they are in pain until it has been relieved and the horse rediscovers its correct way of moving or behavioural issues disappear.

Vets, physios, farriers, dentists and a myriad of other horse specialists and therapists can all have a part to play in the welfare of a much-loved pet, and in many situations, it is a case of trial and error to see what works for you and your horse.

Audrey Anderson, the only equine touch tutor and practitioner in Scotland, is based at Bankfoot and has successfully worked on horses from the Borders to Aberdeenshire, with a Facebook page full of comments testifying what a difference she has made to equines across the country.

The equine touch is a non-diagnostic, non-invasive equine bodywork system which is a holistic soft tissue address, affecting mostly connective tissue – muscles and tendons, joint capsules and ligaments using a very specific move.

It was developed in the late 1990s by Scotsman Jock Ruddock and is now one of the largest equine bodywork disciplines taught and practised in the UK with large numbers of students attending equine touch clinics at all levels each year.

Audrey went on her first equine touch course eight years ago to try to help her own horse which had had an accident and no treatment was working.

Within two days he was walking normally, so she continued to study and began practising four years ago.

She said: “Equine touch can help any horse; young, old, performance horses, eventing, dressage, carriage driving, show-jumping, recovering from illness, injury, on-box rest and many other issues.

“We have found it can help with reducing the pain spiral, improving relaxation, encouraging muscle tone as well as aiding recovery from injury, trauma and atrophy.”

Audrey also finds the procedure helps with stress and emotional trauma, minimising behavioural issues and strengthening the immune system.

Clients are requested to fill out a questionnaire about their horse before an appointment and they should receive permission from their vet before Audrey will visit.

She also leaves clients with a list of recommended stretching exercises for them to do with their horse, which encourages the tissue to elongate following a session.

She said: “Appointments are for as long as they take, and every one is different, although an hour and a half is usually about right.”

She finds that three sessions is often enough to help but most clients come back for maintenance check-ups on a regular basis.

Audrey also offers a ‘pre-race tune-up’ where she will go to an event and check the horse over 10 to 20 minutes before a competition.

Equine touch is not a therapy or treatment and Audrey is quick to point out that it is not an alternative or replacement for allopathic medicine.

However, as many clients have testified, it works and can often complement other treatments or therapies.

Every one is different, although an hour and a half is usually about right. AUDREY ANDERSON

Audrey with a patient.