The new age horse whisperer
Karen Watt is transforming the lives of horses and humans alike with a sound massage therapy inspired by Buddhist meditation rituals. Clare Trodden visits a yard in the Borders to see the effects for herself. Photographs by Lisa Ferguson
Deep in the beautiful Roxburghshire countryside something strange is happening. There isn’t much to see in the neat, Lilliesleaf stable yard. It’s only the sound that hints at the unexpected events in the corner stable.
The stable is dark in contrast to the sunshine outside. There’s a comforting smell of fresh hay and warm wood panelling. In the middle of this haven, stands Herbie, a very handsome, 18-year-old bay gelding. There is something of a reverential silence as the vibration from the first note gently reverberates through the stable and into the neighbouring gaffe.
Herbie’s ears prick up at the sound, they rotate, like satellite dishes, trying to pick up every nuance of the noise. As the little mallet strikes the metal bowl again, a second, then a third note rings out, and Herbie is so tuned in to the sound that his eyes become quiet. In another note or two, heavy eyelids are concealing the beautiful brown eyes, the nostrils twitch, the bottom lips falls open and his head droops slightly.
He stands at over 15 hands high, almost half a ton to the finely honed muscular frame, and he is literally starting to nod off.
“The response is very much like what happens when a vet sedates a horse,” explains Herbie’s owner Jenny Hess. Her horse is stabled with Marion Livingston’s 18-year-old grey gelding, Spider, a 16.3 hands former race horse who occasionally peers in from next door.
Herbie isn’t drugged but is responding to a treatment based on the healing effects of sound, using the same type of metal singing bowls that are used in Buddhist meditation rituals. Here it is used to identify and ease areas of pain.
“I am aware that it can seem crazy if you are new to it,” says practitioner Karen Watt, “but it has had good results.
“Initially, if you strike the bowl close to an injury or painful area, the horse often moves away slightly. It is useful to know where the pain is. The treatment also seems to give relief – and it calms the horses.”
The relaxing effects are clearly apparent and the other efficacious effects are not so far-fetched as they may seem. Sonar technology is widely used to navigate, communicate and detect other vessels at sea. Uiltrasound treatments are also fairly common practice. And, while sound massage is not quite the same as ultrasound, it is harnessing the same powerful vibrations, albeit in a different way.
Marion’s horse had been diagnosed with ringbone, a form of osteoarthritis that causes extra bone to form. She noticed an improvement after treatment:
“His gait had changed and he wasn’t trotting in from the field. There has been a marked improvement and the only thing that has changed is in having the sound massage treatment. Both the horses are also happier and calmer in the field.”
Calm reigns in the stable too. Karen, a former graphic designer and art teacher, is tall enough to work over
Herbie’s back with ease. She also moves around and under the horse, striking bowls as she goes. She lays bowls on his back, and also moves them around in a figure of eight making the sound reverberate in different ways. She and the horse are in perfect harmony. She tuning in to any reaction from the horse; he apparently comfortably zoning out.
Karen has been practising since December 2015. She discovered sound massage on a summer yoga retreat in Portugal. “I had no idea what it was – I remember thinking I have just thrown away €70 for a lot of nonsense and a bowl at my feet.” But it worked. “The treatment blew me away. I couldn’t believe my reaction to it. It was mind altering. I loved the mesmerising sounds.
“After it, I felt more peaceful than I had before. People were also commenting on how different I looked, I was so relaxed and all the strain had gone from my face.”
That single treatment was enough to convince her to train and to leave her teaching job. Since then, she has treated “mainly 40s and over” for various conditions, from arthritis to tension and lower back pain. Parents have also brought a colicky baby and a couple of teenagers suffering from anxiety. Deep relaxation is a common response in humans too.
Now Karen has treated an arthritic greyhound, a cat (which “didn’t really respond”) and several horses, which seem to respond particularly well. The dramatic response is only partly due to their sheer size.
Horses, as prey creatures, rely on their sensitive hearing to alert them to danger. Their ears can capture sounds humans can’t hear – which is why they can seem highly strung or nervy when we humans can’t hear or see any problem. It seems to make them even more sensitive to the effects of the vibrations.
There is something incredibly intimate and powerful about witnessing the results of the treatment. It is very unusual that a horse would let go so completely with humans around, particularly one a complete stranger and very much an equine novice. Yet, here is this statuesque chestnut creature apparently deep in a trance – despite the noises from the next stable as Spider rolls and bangs the wall from time to time.
Once or twice in the 40-minute treatment, Herbie is so relaxed that his head is almost on the floor and there is a slight shudder throughout his 1,120-pound frame. Without batting an eye, he steadies himself and submits again to the treatment.
Despite near 360-degree vision, horses do have the odd blind spot, one of the reasons why it can be dangerous to stand too close if you don’t know your way around a horse.
Karen looks like an expert. Not only in the way she wields the bowls, but also in the fluid way she moves around. She has been practising sound massage for a couple of years, but the equine world is still relatively new to her.
She had never ridden until last summer when her “horsey pal” Jenny set her up with Sammie, a gentle giant of a Clydesdale owned by her sister.
“I started off getting Karen to groom Sammie to allow them to get used to each other,” explains Patricia Hess. “Karen just had a good, fluid rhythm and Sammie relaxed very quickly.”
From there it was a short conversation about his response, to Karen offering to try a sound massage treatment at the Loch Leven stable.
Sammie, 23, suffers from arthritis, as many horses of his age do. “I assessed him the day before the treatment. He was limping.” His response to the treatment was similar to Herbie’s, both during and after the treatment. “He was significantly improved. I was delighted and totally surprised. After the second treatment, I couldn’t detect any lameness. He was moving freely and happily.” His movement was so improved, he not only trotted and cantered, he “broke into a gallop of his own accord”.
“In humans, it could be put down to the placebo effect. That can’t be the case for horses, and their response is astonishing,” says Patricia.
Karen’s visits are warmly welcomed in Loch Leven, by the two friends in Lilliesleaf and in the wider equine community. After Herbie and Spider were treated in the Borders, a local farmer called on Karen’s services. To date she’s also treated a foal, a yearling and a pregnant mare.
“The results are amazing,” says Jenny. “Herbie used to totter about a bit in the field due to arthritis and cartilage wear and tear. After the first treatments, we had our first gallop in ages. He is so much more comfortable.”
Back in the stable, the last notes are struck for this treatment. Once the final vibrations have died away, Karen starts to pack up her equipment. Herbie takes a minute or two to come round.
He is led out of the stable yard with Spider. Now the only sounds are the singing birds and the pounding of hooves as the sure-footed pair head off into the paddock. For further information, visit www.edinburghsoundmassage. com, tel: 07732 774121, or email, edinburghsoundmassage@gmail. com