March 6, 2025

The Magic Before the Touch

Connecting with horses through bodywork is a deeply powerful and rewarding experience.

But healing sessions are never predictable. Even the gentlest, most loving horse can suddenly react in ways that demand instant awareness—a head jerking into the air, a hindend shifting unexpectedly into your space, or hooves landing just a little too close for comfort.

To facilitate a successful Craniosacral Osteopathy session with lasting results, I need to be fully present. My focus extends deep into the horse’s internal anatomy, tuning into the craniosacral rhythm, listening to the information stored in the tissues, and following the tension patterns within the fascia surrounding bones and organs. It’s an intricate dance of intense listening and physical alertness—staying relaxed yet ready to respond in an instant.

When Touch Isn’t an Option at First

Some of the horses I work with don’t welcome touch at all. They may be difficult to handle, defensive, or seemingly unpredictable. Many are in pain, suffering from PTSD, or carrying the weight of past trauma—whether from accidents or unkind human interactions. Fear builds up, not just in the horse but in the people around them, creating a cycle of tension. Misunderstandings often lead to punishment, making the horse even more unapproachable.

In many cases, these horses are sent to trainers who take months to rebuild trust and connection. But as a healer, I don’t have that luxury of time. I often have only a few moments to gain the horse’s trust and create a space where healing can unfold. It’s a bit like speed dating—I have five minutes to introduce myself, five minutes to find common ground, five minutes to set boundaries, and five minutes to build enough trust to share an hour together.

When this approach works, the transformation is stunning. A horse that was once defensive or shut down can shift into a place of openness and cooperation. It’s why I rarely watch videos of a horse’s “bad behavior” before meeting them—I prefer to tune into the moment without preconceptions. Horses mirror our energy; they read us instantly. If we bring insecurity, hesitation, or nervousness into the interaction, they will reflect it back to us.

Case Study: Rima’s Story

I recently worked with Rima in the bay area. She is a 13-year-old Zweibrucken mare who suffered a serious injury while lunging. She fell hard on her right hind end, developing a massive hematoma that spread down her leg and into her side as it healed. Although she received various treatments, she remained defensive—biting, kicking, and refusing to let anyone touch the injury.

The people around her were understandably tense. She had a reputation for pushing into people’s space, throwing her hind end at handlers during groundwork, and bucking under saddle. Not exactly the ideal candidate for bodywork.

But when I connected with Rima intuitively, I didn’t sense aggression—I felt frustration, boredom, and a deep desire to be understood. Her owner had recently purchased a second horse, one that was safer to ride, and I could tell that Rima felt pushed aside, carrying a layer of resentment along with her physical discomfort. I also learned that she tenses up every time she was taken to the arena.

So instead of working with her in a confined space where she might feel trapped, I chose the arena itself—a place that had become a source of stress. My goal wasn’t just to ease her pain but to rewrite her experience of that space, to release stored trauma out of her body and finally to create a positive shift for both horse and rider.

Kim, who kindly filmed our session, did an incredible job capturing my techniques. But what wasn’t on video was perhaps the most important part—the magic that happens before the actual touch. The unspoken conversation. The silent agreement between horse and human.

The Connection Before the Touch

Before I laid a single hand on Rima, we engaged in a deeper dialogue:

  • I introduced myself and asked for permission to work with her.
  • I asked her how she was feeling and whether she wanted to explore the arena with me.
  • I let her take the lead. I followed her around, observing where she wanted to go, listening to her body language.
  • We built a relationship based on shared leadership. She wanted to check out the grass along the arena’s edge—I wanted to practice respectful leading. We took turns.
  • She listened beautifully—moving forward when asked, stopping when asked. As a reward, we went grazing again.
  • I offered plenty of verbal praise and scratches. I could see how proud she was when she realized she had done something right.
  • When I asked her to trot, she eagerly agreed, staying by my side. We practiced walk – trot – walk transitions. We stopped, and she grazed again as a reward. She told me she likes to play and would be totally open to do groundwork at liberty.
  • We stood still in the arena together, simply listening to the surrounding sounds, ensuring everything felt safe. And went grazing again.

Only after all of this – which maybe took 15min. did I begin the hands-on work, gently placing my hand on her forehead, tuning into her energy field and physiology. I often went grazing in between my techniques and once in a while redirected her focus with simple ground work.

This unseen foundation—the trust, the patience, the mutual respect—is what opens the door to healing.

Watch this video to see how a different approach can transform the way we connect with horses.