What
is Equine Touch?
History
What
is Equine Touch?
How does it work?
What does an Equine Touch session entail?
 History
The Equine Touch
was evolved in 1997 by Jock Ruddock when he was requested by a client
to translate his unique form of human bodywork to her equine companion
- and the rest, as they say, is history!
News soon spread
of the sometimes miraculous results Jock was achieving by addressing the
horse as a 'whole' and encouraging the body's innate healing system to
help itself and he was invited to conduct seminars to introduce the Equine
Touch to veterinarians and trainers throughout Europe.
It was on one of
these seminars that Jock met his future wife, Ivana, who was at that time
teaching at a veterinary University in the Czech Republic. With Ivana's
exceptional knowledge of anatomy and physiology and Jock's amazing instinctive
bodywork skills they studied, refined and researched the mechanics of
the horse, as well as its energy patterns and emotional armour. The routines
were evolved to turn the Equine Touch into the growing and living modality
that we know today, known and recognised as a premier equine care discipline
worldwide from Norway to New Zealand.
....More
on Jock and Ivana Ruddock
The
Equine Touch has been described by equine veterinarians as
"'the ultimate hands on modality for horses"
What is Equine Touch?
Equine Touch is a
non-diagnostic, non-invasive energy and muscle release discipline that
works at a complete, holistic level; in other words it addresses the equine
as a whole.
 It
is not a 'therapy' although it has been proven time after time to have
a strong therapeutic effect on an eclectic multitude of equine problems,
which is why we have come to believe that the Equine Touch is perhaps
best looked upon as an holistic equine training 'discipline'. The gentle
non-invasive procedures re-educate the equine body to re-balance from
a cellular level, encouraging the horse toward the ideal state of homeostasis,
wherein any problem can be addressed on all levels.
The above is the
'official' definition of the Equine Touch - it is the first basic understanding
and the starting point for every student and Practitioner of the Equine
Touch, but each student who comes to learn the procedures, whether already
a Practitioner of another equine therapy or simply a horse owner who wants
to learn how to help their own horse, has to work with the modality and
grasp the concept and understanding of what the Equine Touch is in their
own way. Each will verbalise quite differently what the Equine Touch is
to them and the horses they body balance and indeed each will gain an
ever changing understanding as the responses from every horse they use
the procedures upon, teaches them more.
 On
a practical level a pre-determined series of gentle moves are made over
specific points including the fixed and insertion points of muscles and
tendon, belly of muscles and opposing muscle groups, in a choreographed
routine. Observation periods intersperse the routine that allow the horse
to recognise and process the effects of these subtle procedures.
The Equine Touch
as a system of bodywork, helps to teach us how to better understand and
help our horses. It can be looked upon as a 'gift to the horse' from the
horse owner, encouraging the horse's own body to move toward balance and
to maximise the efficiency of the body systems whatever the current state
of disease. It is non-invasive and non-diagnostic and can be used when
other forms of bodywork are contra-indicated. The Equine Touch is just
as complimentary to orthodox veterinary medicine as it is to nutrition,
chiropractic, homeopathy, aromatherapy,dentistry, hoof care and herbal
medicine.
How
does it work?
Recent research has
led us to believe that the Equine Touch works through the intelligence
network of the body, the fascia. However it also appears in places to
work via the golgi receptors, the spindle cells, trigger point release
mechanisms, acupuncture points, meridians, neuromuscular receptors and
to directly address the lymphatic system.
As it is totally
holistic, Equine Touch addresses the body at all levels, physical, chemical,
emotional and some would say, spiritual. It also has the ability, due
to the fact that it will often address the better side first, of supplying
a blueprint of how that particular part of the body should be when it
is correctly functioning. As a result when the 'area of concern' is addressed
it will be aware of what is required of it to heal or balance itself.
What does an Equine Touch session entail?
- Information gathering
from the owner
- Visual observations
and palpation
- Basic dynamic
body balancing
- Addressing areas
of concern
- Stretching
- Post treatment
care and discussion
See also benefits
and case studies
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