I'm Judith, and this is the Starline Equine Bodywork podcast. This is a podcast about all of the things that I've learned and continue to learn in my career with horses. For the better part of a decade, I've been a full time equine bodywork practitioner, educator, and author. My obsession how horses really work and how to get the most from our relationship with them in training and in sport. My passion helping horse owners and body workers and aspiring body workers get going. Unpack the latest science, research and experiences behind what we do with horses to support their potential and optimize their performance. Myofascial release is a hands on technique that targets the horse's fascia, which is a web like tissue that surrounds and supports muscles, bones, and organs in the horse's body. Fascia can become tight, tense, or taut, and restricted due to injury, stress, or repetitive movement, which leads to pain, reduced mobility, and generalized tension. Fascia is like a body wide network that connects with absolutely everything. When it's restricted, it can pull or tension on muscles and joints, which causes discomfort and limiting its movement. Releasing these restrictions restores flexibility and balance in our horses. But the key for true myofascial release is that you need to have relative tissue motion, and relative tissue motion is movement between the layers of tissue. So the skin, the fascia that sits just underneath the skin and the fascia that sits just over top of the muscle. This sliding or sort of shearing motion helps to break up any adhesions or stuck spots. I use that term lightly and restore normal function to that fascial web and without relative tissue motion you're just massaging. It is not a true myofascial release. So this is not a mechanical process. It's a physiological one to make it sort of a mechanical process for you to break up adhesions in fascia, you would have to use a thousands of pounds per square inch of force, which is what fascia can actually sustain, which would cause serious injury to the horse. Not that you could ever do it. You couldn't do it that hard, but you could cause injury to the horse. If you think of breaking up fascia so ergo, we can extrapolate that this is indeed a physiological response as opposed to an external mechanical force response. So we're not tearing or breaking something apart. The body is just, reorganizing itself. And so we are just a catalyst for that as practitioners of myofascial release. Now, there are, certain areas in the horse's body, certain reaction points that are specific areas where the horse's body will show increased signs of tension, of pain, of dysfunction. And this is often, in areas of fascial restrictions in, or over the muscles. These points, in the horse's body are like a map, and it can guide your myofascial work. And actually, we have a course that we are just about to release at the time of recording this that's going to teach you how to find those effectively and be able to use your myofascial release techniques effectively on those muscles. So I really want to talk about what practitioners feel. I hear so many people talking about Palpating fascia, and you can't actually palpate fascia through the horse's skin. The horse's skin is just too thick. You would not be able to feel such a thin and fine network. What what you will feel. So normal versus restrictive restricted fascia is basically the amount of movement that is allowed with that your hand over the skin. So healthy fascia is going to allow the skin to glide smoothly over that underlying layer of tissue. And when you run your hand over your horses body, the skin should feel loose, elastic and move easily in all directions a sign of a problem. Or if there is tension or sticky fascia there. If there is scar tissue forming there is that the skin is going to feel a little bit more glued down with little to no slide. And that is what's suggesting that there there are adhesions or restrictions. There. Another thing you might feel if there is unhealthy, fascia or fascial adhesions are hot or even cold spots. Areas of inflammation are hot spots and poor circulation. That's cold spots. And this can indicate that there is a fascial issue at this spot on the horse. The other thing you'll see is tense or kind of twitchy areas. The horse can flinch, twitch, pull away when you touch certain spots, which actually signals pain or tension in that fascia over those muscles. You'll actually pull paint off an uneven texture so the skin may feel bumpy or ropey just underneath it. There could be thickened areas there where the fascia is restricted, or where there is actual scar tissue because it is a collagen, a swab. Right. So that is essentially a facial adhesion is scar tissue underneath the skin. Fascia is made of collagen, as I said, and elastin. And it's sort of a gel like matrix. So when it's stressed or injured the fibers can stick together, reducing that glide between the tissue layers. And this creates that stuck feeling that can limit the horse's movement and cause actual discomfort in the horses. And recognizing these signs can help you pinpoint, problem areas in horses before they become bigger issues like lameness or even, poor performance. So reaction points on the horse are specific spots on the horse's body where you can see a reaction like twitching, pulling away, or tension that indicates an underlying facial or muscular issue. They act like, an assessment tool to help guide your body work sessions. So how you're going to test for reaction points. There is a specific map of common areas that they happen. But what you need to be doing when you're feeling over these areas is using very light pressure. So with your hands, I want you to gently palpate or feel the horse's body starting with broad areas like the neck or the back or the hind quarters, and you're going to be watching for the horse's reaction. You're going to look for subtle signs like skin twitching, tail swishing, ear pinning, even the horse blinking, changing the depth or the speed of their breath, or things like the horse stepping away. These can suggest sensitivity or restriction in an area. And then you're going to go back and check for tissue changes. I want you to refill for areas where the skin doesn't glide, where it feels tight, or has a different texture, that ropey or hard texture where it won't necessarily have it on the other side of the horse. And you're going to map these points. So note where you find restrictions, because these can help target where you're going to use your myofascial release. And like I said, I do teach a course on reaction points, which is going to teach horse owners and practitioners how to systematically use these points, in a step by step method. So we cover in that course how to interpret the horse's responses and how to guide your body work session making techniques like myofascial release or like bone work more effective because these reaction points often correspond to areas of fascial restriction or nerve sensitivity. When fascia is tight, taut, and tense, it can compress nerves or blood vessels, causing pain or discomfort that the horse expresses. Through these physical reactions, and by identifying these points, you are targeting the root of. Sometimes the most subtle, responses. Are these massive root causes of issues. So it teaches you how to do that. Now in order to address areas with myofascial release techniques, we need to look at a bunch of different styles of using myofascial release techniques. I'm going to explain, a few of them, how to perform them, the science behind them, and how it creates that relative tissue motion that is actually required to achieve a true myofascial release. To achieve that physiological response. When those two layers of fascia glide over one another. I want to emphasize that these techniques need to be done gently, and if you are unsure, please do them under the guidance of a properly trained professional to ensure you avoid harming your horse. Okay, so the first thing we can do is a technique called skin circling. What you're going to do is place your hands lightly on your horses skin just over a reaction point, and you're gently going to move the skin in small, very slow circles, keeping the underlying muscle still. That's what I want you to think. Move the skin layer over the muscle, and you're going to use just enough pressure to engage that skin. And of course, the super official fascia without pressing in on the actual muscle layer below it. So this circling is what's creating that shearing force between the skin and the deeper tissues, which is going to help, create that physiological response that breaks up these minor adhesions in that superficial layer of fascia as it relates to the deeper layer, the fascia profunda layer that goes over the muscles, it's going to stimulate, mechanoreceptors. So sensory nerves in the skin, which can reduce pain signals and actually improve tissue elasticity in your horse, that circling motion is going to move the skin independently of the muscle, which is going to help to restore glide between the layers. And it's great for warming up an area or addressing very mild restrictions. Reaction points. Now, another way you can use myofascial release techniques at home is a mile fascial hold. You're going to place one or both hands, depending on where it is on a reaction point, and apply very, very gentle, sustained pressure like a hug for 30 to 90s. And this is going to allow the horses body up to guide the release of the fascia. There's no forcing in this now. The sustained pressure, the sustained pressure activates the body's parasympathetic nervous system, which is going to promote relaxation in the horse. It's also going to encourage that fascist, gel like matrix to soften and allow those stuck fibers to begin to release. Now, when fascia becomes more fluid, it does that under gentle pressure. So the hold creates a subtle stretching between the tissue layers as the fascia softens and realigns. And then you can use it in areas that are very tense or very sensitive reaction points where the horse needs to react or to relax its reactions before we do any deeper work, like those skin circles. So it's a great way to sort of primed the horse's body at that fascial layer, at that, in that context, before you have any deeper work that you do, another form of myofascial release you can try on your own horses is a lateral myofascial release. So you're going to place your hands, on the side of a reaction point and gently pull the skin in the opposite direction laterally, creating a slight stretch in that horse's skin. You're going to hold it there with that light pressure for a few seconds, and then you're going to move your hand back to its original or starting point, which creates a release. And you will repeat that. So this lateral stretching elongates those collagen fibers in the fascia, which helps to move it over the fascial layer beneath and sends those signals to the body to break up those adhesions and improve tissue flexibility. Also increases blood flow to the area, which of course can aid healing. Those opposing pulls creates that shear between the skin and the deeper fascia, which is what, in essence, is what causes that freeing up of restrictions. It's effective for really tense and taut areas along the back or the hind quarters where that fascia, and skin relationship feels a little bit stuck, where you're not getting a lot of movement. Now, a technique I really love is, called myofascial decompression. And what you're going to do when you try myofascial decompression on your horse is you're going to gently lift the horse's skin. And of course, the superficial fascia, which is very much attached away from the underlying muscle at a reaction point, creating a slight sort of suction effect. By cupping your hand, you're going to hold that for a few seconds and then release it by opening your hand and repeat until you feel that tissue soften beneath your hand. So lifting that skin decompresses that fascia, reducing pressure on nerves and blood vessels, and improve circulation, allowing the fascia to glide more freely. It also stimulates those mechanoreceptors to reduce any pain responses in the horse. The lifting action is going to separate the skin and the fascia from the deeper tissues, creating that relative tissue motion and restoring independent movement in that area. It's useful for areas with inflammation, tension, compression, and around joints, as well as on the pole and the lumbar of your horse. Another technique is called myofascial spreading. Essentially, you're going to place your hands flat over an area of tension or a reaction point, and slowly begin to move your hands apart, stretching that skin softly and slowly and thinking of bringing that fascia with you outward. And you're going to do it very gently and very slowly to avoid any discomfort in the horse. Now spreading stretches the fascia in multiple directions, which sends signals to the body to realign collagen fibers and improve elasticity. It's also going to enhance lymphatic drainage and reduce inflammation. In that region on the horse, the outward stretch is what creates that glide, that relative tissue motion between the skin in the fascia and the muscle layers. I love this technique. It's great for large areas on the back, the shoulder, or the neck, sometimes just where fascia feels tight and restricted. Now, a really cool technique that you guys can try at home is a myofascial torsion or a cross hand technique. You're going to place one hand on each side of a reaction point, and you're gently going to bring your hands towards one another and twist the skin in opposite directions. Not like wringing a towel. I don't want you to do it too hard, very slowly so you'll be drawing your hands around and closer to gether. And what this does is this creates, torsion or a rotational shear force. And this is going to help send those signals to the body to break up deep fascial adhesions. It's going to stimulate proprioceptive or sensors for the body's position, helping that horse, regain normal movement patterns in between that skin and fascial layer. The twisting motion itself is going to create that shear between the tissue layers, freeing up that stuck fascia. It's best for deep restrictions or areas where the horse shows really strong reactions. I like to use things like this in the hind quarters or, at the base of the horse's withers, either on the neck or, sort of just past the base of the, the withers in that sort of traps area, a technique I don't use often, but I think is worth mentioning is a technique called skin rolling. Essentially, what you would do is pinch the horse's skin where it is already loose, and lift it and roll out a reaction point between your fingers, keeping it sort of smooth and gentle and rolling. It works. In theory, because it lifts and stretches the skin and the superficial fascia, which allows those adhesions to begin to break up, improving circulation. It can also activate sensory nerves and in theory, reduce pain sensitivity. Obviously, that rolling action is that relative tissue motion. I, I, I don't use it often because I feel that that skin pull, can be painful and bruising if not done well. So I don't generally use it and generally trust it. But if I were to try it, I'm sure I would use it in sort of long linear areas where there's looser skin, like from where the neck meets the shoulder, or anywhere you feel ropey ness or tightness in that area. But the skin would already have to be a little bit loose in that area for me to feel truly comfortable doing that to the horse. So for myofascial release to be effective and it can be truly effective and life changing for a lot of horses, what we need is the ability of those tissue layers, the skin, the fascia and the fascia over the muscle to slide independently of one another. And when the fascia is restricted, these layers are what sort of sticking together, limiting movement, essentially causing pain and compression on compression, compression on nerves and blood vessels, and stopping lymphatic flow. It's important that true myofascial release has movement between these layers. To have these adhesions actually break up and restore normal function. Each of the techniques that I talked about, the circling, the holds, the lateral release, all of these, they achieve that relative tissue motion by applying specific forces. So shear or stretch or lift that actually helps to free up stuck tissues. Fascia is vaso elastic, which essentially means that it can stretch and deform under pressure, but returns back to its original shape. So gentle sustained forces like those in these techniques encourage that fascia to release without tearing, while also improving blood flow and nerve function for the horse. Always work slowly. Always watch for your horses reactions. Listen to them if they tense up or pull away. Reduce your pressure. The goal is to work with the body and not force it to have an outcome that you are dictating. You're really just there to guide and make suggestions to the body through that fascial layers. And if you want to have more information on those common reaction points where a fascia tends to get restricted, these are very common reaction points in horses. I'm going to drop the link to that Equine Reactions Online skill accelerator course in the show notes. Have a look at that and try these myofascial release techniques on the reaction points. I look forward to hearing what happens with your horse.