"Advocating Equine Wellness since 2003"
Your horse deserves the best!
Connecticut Equine Massage was established by Wendy Rivers and Halide Caine in 2003. As horse lovers and riders since childhood, it led them to careers in equine bodywork and subsequently the founding of Connecticut Equine Massage. With increased client demand came the addition of Lauren in 2019 and in 2022 expanded again with Gabby joining the team.
Our therapists take pride in treating every horse as their own, whether a high level competitor or retired companion, every horse gets top level attention and care!
NEW FOR 2025!
Use code CEM for special discounting at spectratherapy.com
Meet the Team
Owner, CESMT
Wendy Rivers
Wendy has applied her years of experience and continuing education in equine bodywork to detailing her methods.
Incorporating multiple massage techniques along with essential oils and low-level laser light therapy, each session is customized to the client's individual needs whether it be a high-level competition horse or a retired companion pony. Sessions include a combination of therapeutic modalities such as sports massage, craniosacral therapy, myofascial release, trigger point, and acupressure work. Wendy is also a recommended practitioner of April Love, formally known as April Battles of Holistic Horseworks, www.holistichorseworks.com.
When Wendy is not busy massaging, she enjoys dressage training with her mare "Clover" and spending time with her husband along with her foster dog "Bear".
CESMT
Lauren Preli
Lauren joined Connecticut Equine Massage in June 2019 after finishing her certification through Midwest-Natural Healing for Animals, East Coast. Lauren became interested in equine massage after seeing and feeling the incredible benefits it had on her personal eventing horse, Cash. Lauren's goal is to create a customized massage plan for each horse, whether a retired companion or a high-level show horse. She strives to make each horse feel and perform at its best. Lauren is currently certified in Equine Sports Massage, CranioSacral & Myofascial Therapy along with Trigger point & Low Laser Light Therapy. Lauren plans to continue her education and offer other modalities and enhancements to her massage work. In her free time, Lauren enjoys competing her horses Dakota & Cash in eventing & dressage and hiking with her dog Bentley.
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CESMT
Gabby Marks
Gabby joined Connecticut Equine Massage in July of 2022, after receiving her certification through Midwest-Natural Healing for Animals, East Coast. Gabby has had a lifelong passion for all animals and a particular love for horses. Seeing and feeling the benefits of equine sports massage on her own horses piqued Gabby’s interest in this incredible benefit to equine health and wellbeing and eventually started her journey toward certification.
Gabby’s goal is to make your horse feel comfortable throughout the massage process while creating customized sessions for each client that allow your horse to feel and perform their best. Gabby looks forward to continuing her education in equine massage and expanding her knowledge and skills in that area. In her free time, Gabby enjoys spending time with her horse Pedro and dog Linus, who loves going along for the ride.
Services
Rates starting at $95 per session
payments can be made via cash, check, paypal & venmo
Sports Massage
Equine Sports Massage is a hands on treatment to the muscular system that reduces muscle pain and other symptoms associated with muscle dysfunction. Like us, horses develop restrictions and tension in their bodies due to the physical demands we ask of them. These restrictions can go unnoticed for some time before manifesting into issues such as loss of impulsion, reduced performance, head tossing, sore back, shortened stride, incorrect and/or swapping of leads, inability to maintain gaits, girthing issues, bucking, and behavior concerns. Sixty percent of a horse’s body weight is muscle. Sore and tight muscles are not healthy muscles. Unhealthy muscles restrict blood supply, oxygen, and nutrients causing the muscle to become tight, painful and unable to perform its job. This will affect attached and surrounding muscles throwing the horse out of balance and will cause compensation throughout the body. Sports massage helps to break this cycle through stimulation by introducing new blood and healthy levels of oxygen to promote muscle health and healing. If massage therapy is used as part of a horse’s normal maintenance regiment, rather than waiting to treat muscle injuries after they happen, the owner and therapist can get ahead of the potential issues. Used as a preventative, massage can help to reduce the likelihood of injury by maximizing the range of motion and decreasing muscular restrictions. Sports massage supports healthy biomechanical movement by addressing the whole body of the horse. It allows all of the muscles to work together in unison giving the horse the ability to use its body the way it was designed.
Myofascial Release
Myofascial Release is a hands on technique applying gentle sustained pressure on myofascial connective tissue to reduce restrictions. Fascia is a three dimensional web that surrounds every bone, muscle, nerve, organ and vessel from head to hoof. Restrictions can develop in fascia from trauma, poor posture, & repetitive training. MFR techniques are useful for pain, decreased range of motion, undiagnosed lameness, inability to pick up correct lead, poor collection, balance problems, difficulty bending, change of behavior, and loss of impulsion.
Sure Foot Pads
SURE FOOT Pads challenge your horse’s balance, proprioception, work all of the small postural muscles, and generally creates greater body awareness.
Trigger Point Therapy
A trigger point is a tight area within the muscle tissue that causes pain in other parts of the body. Trigger points are a direct result of heavy work, chronic tension, overuse, muscle fatigue, overstretching, and allowing the muscles to become chilled. Trigger Point Therapy is specifically designed to alleviate the source of pain through cycles of isolated pressure and release.
Spectra Laser Therapy
Low level laser therapy was cleared by the FDA in 1985, Our wearable wraps are easily accepted by most horses, there is no uncomfortable heat/ cold, or vibrations, instead the energy from the laser penetrates the skin to expedite the body’s natural healing process. It has been proven useful in healing and preventing injuries to muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints. We offer rental of our wraps for injury rehab. Interested in purchasing your own? Use code CEM for a discount! www.spectratherapy.com
Craniosacral Therapy
Craniosacral Therapy is a gentle and subtle therapy that works on the central nervous system and fascia with special attention given to the cranium, spine and sacrum, but not limited to those areas. The light touch technique is used to help stimulate the body’s own healing properties along with lessoning the restrictions found in the nervous system and fascia. CST helps with headaches, behavioral problems such as aggression and nervousness, head shaking and tossing, facial nerve issues, TMJ pain, and is highly recommended after dentistry is performed.
Connecticut Equine Massage in the News
