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26.2 for Equine Dreams
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Time is running out!
Make your donations NOW!
On October 12th I will run the Chicago Marathon to raise money for Equine Dreams Therapeutic Riding Center. I hope you will join in my support of this very special organization.
Many thanks to all of you who have already donated. It's amazing what a few people can do when they put their minds to it!
You can make your checks payable to Equine Dreams, and mail your donation to: Equine Dreams, PO Box 372, Sandwich, IL 60548 Please put my name, Robyn Drake, in the memo area of your check.
You can also make a donation by handing me a check, or through links on my website.
Remember, all donations are fully tax deductible!
Does your company offer matching funds for charitable contributions?
I will be turning in the collected donations on September 26th - but you can make a donation at www.equinedreams.org at any time.
Thanks for making this such a great experience for everyone!
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Greetings!
This is Newsletter number two for Drake Equine Massage, and I'd love your feedback. If you have any suggestions for articles or features, please let me know. If you'd like to contribute a story about natural health for horses, or a personal story about your horse, please pop me an email, and I'll work with you.
I've added a book review in this issue, and would love recommendations. If you'd like to author a review, I'd be thrilled to include it in an upcoming issue.
Thanks!
Robyn |
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Equine Acupressure - WOW!
The six-day hands-on Acupressure Course from Tallgrass Institute was absolutely fascinating. I'm already incorporating acupressure points into nearly every massage I perform, and I'm seeing terrific results.
The course covered the Beginning and Intermediate training, and prepared me to perform complete acupressure sessions. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is complicated and multifaceted. You could spend the rest of your life learning and plumbing the depths of its philosophies and never run out of new directions and associations.
What I find so amazing is that Acupressure can treat acute and chronic behavior issues. For example, I treated a horse with an oral fixation, and the horse stopped the behavior for the remainder of the massage session. The horse will probably resume the behavior -- it's been a life-long habit-- but I showed the owner which points to work in between my regular sessions with the horse.
That's a win/win in my book!
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Book Review
Straightening the Crooked Horse
by Gabriele Rachen-Schoneich and Klaus Schoneich
This is a DEM (Drake Equine Massage) MUST READ for all disciplines.
This is a thin book, and a quick read though the anatomical language might be daunting for the layman. The exercises in this book are absolutely biomechanically correct, and are quite simple when you boil it down to its basics.
The authors have painstakingly described a series of physical therapy exercises on the lunge line which will straighten the horse, and with proper application, diligence, and time will change your horse's posture to a more correct way of going.
I implemented the lunge line exercises with my own horse and saw immediate results which translated seamlessly to under-saddle work.
The authors describe eliminating lamenesses with these exercises. The types of lamenesses that they are describing are attributed to asymetrical over-loading of a limb; rein lameness would be an example -- not a torn suspensory or other tissue injury.
I think nearly every sound horse could benefit from this work. Care needs to be taken with horses who have a history of injuries or issues that would prevent them from working on small circles even for limited periods. If your horse has a history of lower limb issues, please consult your veterinarian before proceding.
There is also a companion video available which demonstrates the exercises described in this book, and it is very helpful.
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I had a couple of articles published in September for my charity run; in the Sentinel and the IDCTA Scribe. I had such a great time writing them that I'm planning a series of muscle therapy articles to write over the fall and winter, so watch for them in our local periodicals.
I'm also scheduling Massage for Horse Owners clinics for 2009. If you'd like to host one, please let me know.
I look forward to your input for upcoming issues of the newsletter.
Sincerely,
Robyn Drake
Drake Equine Massage
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