~ By Rita Thompson-Tinsley ~
From hi-tech to hands on, there are a number of equine therapy methods to appease your Appaloosa’s every ailment and truly satisfy your insatiable stallion’s stiff, sore stifle.
When horse owner Maren Cochran’s Arabian, Harry, began displaying serious discomfort, Maren invested in BEMER therapy. BEMER is an acronym for Bio-Electro-Magnetic-Energy Regulation, which uses the principles of, yet another acronym, PEMF, Pulsed Electromagnetic Field. She purchased the MAGNA-WAVE unit to begin Harry’s therapy back to better health.
The hi-tech BEMER system is designed to stimulate cellular activity and enhance circulation, initiating the natural process of healing. The PEMF process is designed to improve blood circulation, oxygenation, and cellular metabolism in the body. By stimulating the microcirculation system, BEMER helps to deliver more nutrients and oxygen to cells, while eliminating metabolic waste products.
The therapy is applied via hand-held coils, hands-free horse blankets, cuffs (similar to horse boots), and neck applicators. The hand-held coils can be placed on injured areas for particular amounts of time, whereas the horse blanket, cuffs or neck piece, can be secured by Velcro closures, and programmed to the unit’s timer. The horse blanket that Harry uses (and loves) is great for large-area applications, generating a signal field that encompasses and permeates Harry’s body.
This therapy is considered a vascular treatment to improve microcirculation and further enhance improvement of various conditions along with healing injuries and reducing inflammation. And, magically, Maren confides that she also receives a benefit while holding the BEMER coil to her mare’s neck area with her hand. Her hand receives relief from her arthritis symptoms.
A newer and similar horse therapy is ArcEquine. This state-of-the-art microcurrent technology is conveniently portable, equine wearable, and also a non-invasive procedure. ArcEquine supports the body’s natural biocurrents by boosting the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) within cells. ATP is the energy-providing molecule vital to pain management and tissue repair.
Light therapy has been around for some time and is a staple for many horses as well as humans. Also known as infrared therapy or ‘cold laser’, this device was developed to increase vascular efficacy by increasing the formation of new capillaries which in turn speed up the healing process. By carrying more oxygen as well as more nutrients needed for healing, light therapies, such as RevitaVet, are also known to stimulate the release of ATP.
With the initial playful partnership of a pony on her great-grandfather’s farm, Raelene Paris has surrounded herself with the love of horses since childhood. Now, as an adult, Raelene abandoned a lucrative business career for a dream job which developed into Integrated Therapy Solutions for horses. She expertly performs the Masterson Method, an interactive method of equine bodywork which doesn’t only relieve years of equine stress and stiffness, but effectively helps to build incredible trust with the horse as well.
With the Masterson Method, she has learned to recognize and use the responses of the horse to find and physically release tension with the right touch. Working with the horse’s nervous system, the horse actively participates in the process. As a bodywork practitioner, Raelene Paris, MMCP, utilizes the Masterson Method to focus on the horse’s core muscles and key junctions which includes the head, neck and shoulders, and hind portion.
In addition to her full-time work sharing the Masterson Method’s Integrated Equine Performance Bodywork with her clients, Raelene is pursuing a 4-year education with the international Vluggen Institute’s equine osteopathy program. Her studies require her to commute to Florida 4 times a year and demands plenty of intense studying. She will eventually combine these osteopathy practices with her current bodywork service.
For pleasure and recreation, Raelene enjoys time in the dressage show ring and time on the trail with her beautiful Andalusian mare and her Lusitano gelding.
For 2024, Healthy Horse, Happy Horse, Happy Trails.
