A technique is a particular way of carrying out a particular task. As in any endeavor there are techniques that have to be applied to the process in order to accomplish a task such as a painting a picture, writing a short story or training a young horse to carry a rider. The same is true in accomplishing an effective massage that a creates lasting change for the horse. We teach you the techniques of hands on bodywork so that you understand how to apply subtle pressure with direction of motion to the soft tissues and joints of the horse to help the horse relax back to its natural state of well-being. Techniques are the building blocks to understanding and practicing equine massage.
Principles are the fundamental truths of how something innately works and those principles must be the guiding factors for the techniques applied. Listening to the horse for feedback when you apply pressure to their muscles is essential in order to know when to adjust your pressure so it is either a help or a hindrance. The horse will either relax if it is the right amount of pressure or will resist if it is too much so the principles of pressure must be understood as well. In massage we look to the principles of how applying pressure to soft tissues creates a change or a relaxation of compensation patterns within the horses. We also have to understand principles of natural movement so that we know how that change effects and stimulates the well-being and movement of the horse.
Therefore we at AEMB work on the premise that teaching you just the techniques of equine massage is not enough, you also have to learn and let the principles of massage and the principles of natural movement be your guiding vision for all the work that you do with each unique horse you have the honor of touching.
