You know those people that you like to hang out with but you don’t exactly know why? Well, that is Rio. Except of course, he is a horse, not a people. Rio is a handsome fellow. He is kind and wise, and sort of a sage.

So, I am an Equine Bodyworker.  I use my hands to apply therapeutic massage to different muscles and connective tissue of the horse.  Massage is believed to increase blood flow, promote muscle and mental relaxation, and increase suppleness. It is effective and I don’t need any other tools, or so I thought.  Enter… light!  And, not just any light, really cool laser and LED light. Properly called Photobiomodulation (PBM).

I have a body work routine “checklist.” It is systematic starting with moves on the horse’s shoulder--check….then works up toward the head--check….then the back--check, etc. It is a good routine with a good system of movements and good techniques.

He had me at “hello.” Exellent (no this is not a misspelling, there is no “c” in his name) was a charming 16.3 hand, dark bay warmblood with a perfectly centered star between his eyes and snip on his nose. He was 6 and a dressage “flunky.”