LHequinetherapies
About me
Welcome to LHequinetherapies, where my passion for horses and dedication to their well-being drive everything I do. As a highly trained and experienced equine sports massage therapist, based in Gloucetershire, I am committed to providing exceptional care to your equine companions.
My love of horses began in childhood and ultimately led me to pursue it as a career that has spanned over 30 years. I have been fortunate enough to care for, manage, and ride racehorses, hunters, dressage horses, show jumpers, eventers, and manage the rehabilitation of all disciplines within a hydrotherapy centre.
These years have seen me working with young horses up to top-level international standards and given me the opportunity to work with amazing professionals, including sport massages, chiropractors, massage therapists, and vets. In recent years, I had the opportunity to train as a sports massage therapist, which has allowed me to develop new skills while utilising my years of practical experience, helping horses in another way. Since qualifying as a therapist, I have continued, and will continue, to add training to support and improve my treatments.
I have trained to become a myofascial release therapist, complementing what I already offer and allowing me to be more effective. I have also undertaken training with an osteopath to learn from other professionals, and I hope to continue doing this so I am always improving and able to support my clients.
Sports Massage
Manual therapy that uses a range of techniques and targeted stretches to treat soft tissue and muscles through the whole horse.The aim is to help maintain the musculoskeletal system health enabling the horse to move with an energy efficient stride which helps with stamina, reduction of wear and tear on joints, minimises injury and optimises performance. Sports massage can help remove or prevent pain, aid recovery of muscles, treat tension and trigger points which can restrict muscle function, activate muscles where necessary, prevent or correct compensation patterns. All horses can benefit from treatment to helping them function at there, be willing to work and comfortable in there body.
Dynamic and static assessment combined with discussion with owner. This can highlight any areas that need to be addressed, allowing me to tailor treatment to the individual. It can also help owners answer questions they may have.
Full Assessment
Myofascial release (MFR)
Kinesiology taping
Kinesiology taping - A technique also used on people, where specialist tape is applied to targeted areas of the body as needed. It can help with proprioception, muscle activity, joint support, pain relief, tension reduction, and improve circulation and lymphatic drainage.
Red light therapy
Fascia is a network of tissue that spreads through out the entire body. It connects, supports and surrounds everything, including muscles, bones organs etc, making its health vital. The layers work together and if stretch or glide of the fascia is restricted due to overuse, injury or inactivity then it can cause pain, tension, reduced blood flow, reduced flexibility and a compensatory pull through the body. MFR techniques, both direct and indirect are used on areas of pull or restriction to soften and stretch the fascia, helping to restore its normal function. Treatment can have a deep effect on the horse due to wide reach it has to every system that makes up the equine.I incorporate the use of fascial edge tool where needed to make my treatments most effective.
Red light therapy works by energising compromised cells and increasing blood flow using highly beneficial wavelengths of LED light. When light therapy is applied, the process of cell death is reversed, leading to quicker healing and recovery following injury. Proven effects of light therapy include: increasing energy in cells, fast cellular regeneration, preventing cell death when applied within 4-6 hours of injury, clearing inflammation, increasing lymphatic activity, improving circulation, boosting immune system activity, providing pain relief and calming by increasing endorphins and serotonin, and regulating collagen production.
Prehab/rehabilitation
After treatment, I can offer advice on how the owner can help their horse as an individual, based on their specific needs. Targeted exercise and stretches can help to improve range of motion, muscle tone, core strength, suppleness and balance. This can be used as a way to prevent potential problems and compliment manual treatments so your horse is kept at its best, or to help correct compensation patterns or areas of weakness to build better biomechanics for the future health.
My Services
"I thoroughly recommend Laura at LH Equine Therapies for treating my horse and my daughter's ponies. Malteaser, who was well in his 20's when we got him really benefited from Laura's magic hands. He was able to continue show jumping until his retirement. Also the new pony has also been treated and was found to be quite tight and is now much happier in her work towards grass roots eventing. We can't thank Laura enough, and can honestly say that they love being treated on a regular basis."
Samantha Cook
Sarah Greenhill
"Laura has been providing treatment for my horses since she qualified. I have been incredibly impressed by her commitment to continual professional development, leading to a broad range of treatment options that can be specially tailored to your horses needs.
Notable for me has been the improvement in my cold backed pony, he had always been unhappy during mounting to a certain degree. Responses ranging from the tight, poker legged walk to bucking. The change was immediate, after his first treatment Laura had identified the tightness that was causing the issue and released it. He has not displayed anything other than the mildest reaction to mounting since.
She is also a huge part of keeping a client’s 24 year old fit and happy. It is invaluable to have a practitioner who can provide the comfort an older horse requires and identify any potential imbalances at the earliest stage. It’s crucial as ridden horses age that there is a clear communication between everyone involved in their care and Laura is exceptionally good at summarising her findings, the treatment delivered and any additional information. She is also adept at listening to the owners requirements and concerns.
I have no hesitation highly recommending Laura, she provides a robust, holistic and thoughtful service and, in my experience, genuinely measurable results."
Testimonials
Don't just take our word for it—hear what our clients have to say about their experiences with LHequinetherapies.
Contact me
We'd love to hear from you! Whether you have questions, feedback, or just want to say hello, feel free to reach out to us through any of the following channels: