The Art and Science of Equine Shiatsu

CHAPTER 1

An Introduction to Equine Shiatsu

A Brief History of Equine Shiatsu

The principal pioneer of establishing Shiatsu with horses was Pamela Hannay from the USA, although the majority of her students came from the UK. She first came to the UK to teach in the mid 1990s, up until her untimely death in 2001. Pamela was the principal teacher of Shiatsu at the Ohashi Institute in New York and transferred her knowledge and skills to develop a therapy based on the techniques used in her human teaching.

Shi-atsu literally means 'finger pressure' but palms, fingers and elbows can all be used along with massage techniques and stretching. However, it is the form of Shiatsu used that allows it to work so well with horses. To explain this, we must go back to the beginning of Shiatsu as a therapy. While the origins of Shiatsu are thousands of years old, being an amalgamation of several types of pressure-point therapy and massage brought together and called Anma, Shiatsu was only formally recognised by the Japanese government in the 1950s. This was primarily the result of work done by Tokujiro Namikoshi. Namikoshi Shiatsu does not use the energetic channels and is much more physical and dynamic, working on areas of pain and neuromuscular points. His method requires sound knowledge of the musculoskeletal system, the nervous system and the endocrine system and therefore is more Western than oriental in its approach.

The use of the more traditional oriental framework was introduced by Shizuto Masunaga, who pioneered a more subtle and integrated form of Shiatsu, known also as Zen Shiatsu, where the giver and receiver converse through touch. This more supportive and gentler form of Shiatsu is what Pamela Hannay practised and brought to the equine world, although Ohashiatsu, as taught at the Ohashi Institute, uses methods from both Masunaga and Namikoshi. As such, every horse is an individual and every session will be different, depending on what the horse is happy to accept. Equine Shiatsu is considered to be a conversation with the horse; in essence it is something that is done with the horse, not to the horse and that is what makes it special, and what makes it work.

Zen Shiatsu

The general fundamentals of Zen Shiatsu apply to both equine and human practice but there are also differences due to the fact that we are dealing with a large animal. There are also other essential qualities, which are common to many different forms of oriental bodywork, that we can consider first.

Intent

A desire to help and support that is genuine allows the giver to free their own mind and thus be open to what is happening with the horse. It is often said that horses are mirrors and so if you are not truly engaged in the process then the horse will not be either. Indeed, being sincere in your wish to help can go a long way to make up for any technical inconsistencies in the beginner.

Working with the horse to attain the best pace of work and amount of pressure.

Breathing

The ability to breathe correctly enables so many more of the things that lead to a successful Shiatsu to take place. It means that you can relax, stay centred and it calms the mind, allowing you to stay in the moment and therefore feel more. The breath needs to be deep and steady, not shallow and disjointed. This is particularly important to remember if the horse becomes worried or upset about what you are doing, or what he thinks you might be about to do, because often at these moments we unconsciously stop breathing. As a mirror, your horse picks up on this and becomes even more stressed. Breathing out well is just as important, if not more so, as being able to breathe down into the abdomen. The feeling of filling the abdomen (or Hara, as it is known) gives a feeling of being strong and grounded while breathing out allows a feeling of release and letting go, which in turn aids relaxation.

Being in Hara

In oriental culture, Hara is seen as more than just the abdomen but has a spiritual aspect and indeed is regarded as the source of wisdom. It not only gives increased stamina and energy but also the ability to feel and to transmit Ki (energy/life force). To develop your Hara, the simplest ways are to practise breathing exercises and meditation. Western society promotes and praises the 'washboard' look and so, to hide the not-so-flat belly, many people change their posture, which in turn restricts their breathing and creates an environment where the upper body does most of the work. Bringing consciousness to the lower abdomen, allowing it to relax so that you can breathe correctly, helps the body to become one, move more freely and allow that feeling of power to fill the whole body, so that you can truly move from Hara.

Qi Gong, Tai Chi and Yoga, as well as many martial arts, are all methods which use the principles of moving from Hara and will also help develop Hara. Being in Hara creates a relaxation and calmness, which not only allows you to be more receptive to what you feel, but also makes working with the horse less tiring, as it is less physical because movement is not through muscular strength, but by moving from Hara.

Moving from Hara

Being able to move from Hara is key to allowing yourself to feel what is happening under your hands and to direct the appropriate amount of pressure at each moment. It comes from whole body movement, with lack of tension in the body. A more detailed description of how to achieve this can be found in Chapter 6, in the practical section of this book.

Two-Handed Connection

In Zen Shiatsu, there are always two hands on the body. One is quiet and still, known as mother hand, as it has a supporting role. The other hand is the working hand, which asks the questions of the body. Each time that you move this hand, you are saying to the horse, 'How do you feel about this?' Sometimes you will get a reply in the form of ears back, tail swish or alternatively sighing, chewing, eyes closing but the body itself will also respond to you. Do you sink in? Are you pushed way? Is it hot or cold? Learning to put these two together will take you a long way to developing the conversation with the horse that is Equine Shiatsu.

Both hands need to be somewhere energetically significant, in this case on the same channel.

Simple Breathing Exercise

This can be done sitting or standing but the most important things are to be comfortable and be able to breathe. Place your hands lightly over your abdomen, just below your navel, and breathe normally. Do not try to change or force the breath but just allow it to happen. As you breathe in, bring your consciousness to your abdomen so that you can feel it expand as the air fills your lungs, and then feel it deflate as you breathe out. This is sometimes known as belly breathing. In reality, your lungs, when full, move against your diaphragm, causing the expansion of the abdomen. Do this for a few moments until it feels comfortable. Next imagine that you have a little ball of light, or a flame, in the middle of your abdomen and that every time you breathe inwards the light gets brighter and hotter so that the breath that you expel, which we can also call Ki, is brighter and more powerful.

Perpendicular and Stationary Pressure

To be effective in your work, the pressure must be at 90 degrees to the body. This allows you to sink directly into the energy channel, which makes for a deeper connection with Ki. Horses are very energetically aware and will often shift a little to get you in the correct place. Alternatively, they may become restless and move if you have deviated from where you should be.

Working with both hands, showing the correct angle of pressure.

Care needs to be taken when considering the angle of pressure, as different stances, and different shapes of horse, can alter the angle at which you need to be. Consider the difference between a horse with a flat tabletop back to one with high withers and a prominent spine.

Shiatsu is one of the few therapies where the pressure is completely stationary. This can sometimes make it look as if nothing is happening but those long moments where you just wait and hold are often the most powerful. Be guided by your horse - he knows something is happening! If an area lacks enough Ki then you might find yourself sinking into a big hole; alternatively it may feel as if everything is stuck and you can't get in, and this might be where you need to use more 'moving' techniques such as massaging, percussion, rotations and stretches, such as are shown in the second half of this book.

Working the Whole Channel

In Zen Shiatsu, the whole channel is worked to re-establish balance along its length. In human Shiatsu, it is common to work a channel two or three times but given the greater size of a horse, generally channels are worked only once by palm and once by fingers or thumb. However, there is no reason why you cannot work a portion of a channel more than once to ensure that there is balance. It is often talked about there being empty channels and full ones but the reality in Equine Shiatsu is that most channels that are out of balance have full areas and empty ones within their length.

Masunaga also developed an extended pathway of the channels so that those found in the arm (front leg) had a portion found in the leg (hind leg) and vice versa. However, working the primary channels in a horse usually takes as much time as the horse is willing to tolerate, and so knowledge of Masunaga's extensions on the horse are useful as a diagnostic tool, but are not so commonly...