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News
CEM Leads Local News In
New Haven Register
New Haven Register
New company offers massage therapy to horses
Maria Garriga, Register Staff
06/10/2004
NORTH BRANFORD — In a shady barn at Lanes Pond Farm, Wendy Rivers works her fingers into a
quarter horse’s glossy coat.
She works her way down the horse, from the arched crest of its neck to the sturdy flanks.
The horse nuzzles Rivers in gratitude.
"Sometimes you can feel a knot, just like you can in your own back," said Rivers, a partner in
Connecticut Equine Massage of Guilford.
Susan Blue, a horse trainer and owner of Lanes Pond Farm, a horse boarding facility, watched the
massage Wednesday. Blue has been riding for 40 years, taken part in many equestrian shows and now
trains others in the sport.
"Show horses and race horses are equine athletes," Blue said.
Massage benefits these equine athletes just as it does human athletes.
Blue called in Connecticut Equine Massage when Zips Classy Countess, the quarter horse, started
showing stiffness.
"The first massage really helped out. She gave me more extension," Blue said. "In (equestrian shows)
it’s important to be fluid."
Rivers, 30, of Wallingford, and Halide Caine, 51, of Guilford, started Connecticut Equine Massage in
January, and were stunned to see business take off at a gallop.
To date they have 45 clients throughout Central Connecticut, and they offer appointments whenever
necessary to encourage holistic treatment for horses.
"Trainers will do anything to improve their horse’s performance," Caine said. She noted there are at
least a couple of dozen horse massage specialists in Connecticut.
Caine and Rivers, both certified equine massage therapists, work the entire horse, touching up to 30
muscles on each side of the animal. They also do pre-show and post-show massages.
Caine and Rivers said massage can improve circulation, shorten healing time, eliminate toxins from the
body and promote the flow of nutrients to muscles. Massage can make a horse’s muscles more limber,
supple and flexible.
Given the stress of horse shows, the exaggerated motions required, horses often suffer from stiffness
and sore muscles.
In the equestrian community, Connecticut Equine Massage has been welcomed. Caine and Rivers have
been invited to speak at Equine Affaire, a horse exposition held in West Springfield, Mass., Nov. 11-14.
They will give instruction on basic horse massage techniques.
A horse in need of a good massage may show it by favoring one side or moving stiffly.
Horses can’t explain they feel pain, Blue said. "Horses are secretive. They have their own language and
you have to watch them," she said.
While massage can ease stiffness, it cannot cure sick horses. Caine and Rivers stress that a
veterinarian is required to treat illness.
Maria Garriga, Register Staff
06/10/2004
NORTH BRANFORD — In a shady barn at Lanes Pond Farm, Wendy Rivers works her fingers into a
quarter horse’s glossy coat.
She works her way down the horse, from the arched crest of its neck to the sturdy flanks.
The horse nuzzles Rivers in gratitude.
"Sometimes you can feel a knot, just like you can in your own back," said Rivers, a partner in
Connecticut Equine Massage of Guilford.
Susan Blue, a horse trainer and owner of Lanes Pond Farm, a horse boarding facility, watched the
massage Wednesday. Blue has been riding for 40 years, taken part in many equestrian shows and now
trains others in the sport.
"Show horses and race horses are equine athletes," Blue said.
Massage benefits these equine athletes just as it does human athletes.
Blue called in Connecticut Equine Massage when Zips Classy Countess, the quarter horse, started
showing stiffness.
"The first massage really helped out. She gave me more extension," Blue said. "In (equestrian shows)
it’s important to be fluid."
Rivers, 30, of Wallingford, and Halide Caine, 51, of Guilford, started Connecticut Equine Massage in
January, and were stunned to see business take off at a gallop.
To date they have 45 clients throughout Central Connecticut, and they offer appointments whenever
necessary to encourage holistic treatment for horses.
"Trainers will do anything to improve their horse’s performance," Caine said. She noted there are at
least a couple of dozen horse massage specialists in Connecticut.
Caine and Rivers, both certified equine massage therapists, work the entire horse, touching up to 30
muscles on each side of the animal. They also do pre-show and post-show massages.
Caine and Rivers said massage can improve circulation, shorten healing time, eliminate toxins from the
body and promote the flow of nutrients to muscles. Massage can make a horse’s muscles more limber,
supple and flexible.
Given the stress of horse shows, the exaggerated motions required, horses often suffer from stiffness
and sore muscles.
In the equestrian community, Connecticut Equine Massage has been welcomed. Caine and Rivers have
been invited to speak at Equine Affaire, a horse exposition held in West Springfield, Mass., Nov. 11-14.
They will give instruction on basic horse massage techniques.
A horse in need of a good massage may show it by favoring one side or moving stiffly.
Horses can’t explain they feel pain, Blue said. "Horses are secretive. They have their own language and
you have to watch them," she said.
While massage can ease stiffness, it cannot cure sick horses. Caine and Rivers stress that a
veterinarian is required to treat illness.