« Keeping Fit Both Mind And Body | Fingertips Home | Client Feedback »

October 4, 2007

Accepts Nuzzles In Leau of Tips

If I had clients who had bitten me, kicked me or shoved me into walls, I'd call the police on assault charges. But for Aleta McCormick it's all just in a day's work. For the past 30 years she has been a massage therapist, mostly for humans, but has appropriated structural integration for use on horses.

Her clients let her know when the work she is doing is to their liking by nuzzling her. They also communicate when they've had enough work in particular area. The trick is to learn to read their body language.

Horses communicate through touch, she said. Such communication might include rocking back and forth to encourage McCormick to work more on a specific area, or licking their lips and pinning their ears back to indicate they've had enough work on a particular spot.

One client named Peanut even said "thank you" by giving McCormick a shoulder hug with his neck.

tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health equine massage

Posted by linda at October 4, 2007 8:11 AM