L i s te n to T h e A B M P Po d c a s t a t a b m p.co m /p o d c a s t s o r w h e reve r yo u a cce s s yo u r favo r i te p o d c a s t s 63
RESOURCES
Animal massage and animal fascial integration practices offer
a tremendous way for practitioners to diversify their practices.
Working on multiple species (I include the human species here)
can inform the way a practitioner works on any species. I learn
things from my horse clients that inform the work I do on their
riders and vice-versa. If your love of massage intersects with a love
for animals, consider expanding your skill set to include them in
your practice.
NWSAM offers courses in Animal Massage, Acupressure,
and Aromatic Sciences and is the exclusive provider of training
in Manual Ligament Therapy for Animals. To learn more, visit
NWSAM.com.
ADDITIONAL READING
• anatomytrains.com/product-category/books
• fasciacongress.org
• leonchaitow.com/2016/09/18/we-have-much-to-learn-from-
current-fascia-research
• equinemyofascialrelease.com/about-myofascial-release
• scholarpedia.org/article/Tensegrity
• fascialines.com/?lang=en
• nwsam.com/courses/equine-fascial-lines
the body by muscle, tendon, and ligament. As Thomas
Myers might say, those structures are merely filling in
the spaces formed by the continuous fascial web that
connects them like so many water balloons. As a result,
the range of motion available owes much of its grace
and agility to the "prestresses" created by the fascial
matrix.
Additionally, fascia forms a direct relationship
in the horse from the hyoid bone under the tongue
to the single digit of the hoof on which the horse
stands. Evidence of the tremendous counterbalance
achieved by this fascial relationship was revealed in a
necropsy study of thoroughbred racehorses, in which
the majority of horses studied who had sustained
injuries to the tendons or ligaments of the lower limb
also had evidence of fractures in the hyoid apparatus.
In recent years, two equine practitioners have
provided the anatomical evidence needed to confirm
what many equine bodyworkers and practitioners
have long known—that horses and other animals
possess anatomical trains or pathways of fascia that
directly connect muscle to muscle in dissection
that closely resemble the anatomy trains in humans
as defined by Thomas Myers. This knowledge
has led to new approaches to relieving tension
and restoring mobility for animals of all types.
As an example, in both dogs and horses, a
fascial line running along either side of the spine
and a fascial line connecting the muscles along the
belly intersect at two points: the hindfoot and the
temporomandibular joint. This loop helps define
movement along the axis and connects the hind end
of the animal to its balance point, the head and neck.
Many horses and dogs suffer from temporomandibular
pain and tension. Myofasical release techniques
applied to the joint, joint capsule, and surrounding
fascial tissues can serve to reduce pain, improve jaw
movements and respiration, and restore coordinated
movement forward and backward.
Notes
1. Leon Chaitow, "We Have Much to Learn From Current Fascia
Research," July 2015, www.leonchaitow.com/2016/09/18/
we-have-much-to-learn-from-current-fascia-research.
2. Donald E. Ingber and Misia Landau, "Tensegrity," Scholarpedia
7, no. 2 (2012): 8344, https://doi.org/10.4249/scholarpedia.8344.
Lola Michelin, LMT, LAMT, SAMT, founded the
Northwest School of Animal Massage in 2001. She has
practiced animal massage for over 30 years and massage
for people for 17 of those years. A graduate of the animal
science program at Michigan State University, she has
experience in both the veterinarian and zoological
fields. For more information, visit nwsam.com.
NWSAM Instructor Kim Bauer maps out a fascial line for students with
the help of Galahad, a retired upper-level dressage horse.
