Holly Kemp - Equine Body Worker

Equine Body Work is a unique blend of sports massage, soft tissue release and point therapy all rolled into one to provide the best overall outcome.

What is Equine Body Work? A unique blend of sports massage, soft tissue release and point therapy all rolled into one to provide the best overall outcomes. Massage has great benefits for all types of horses and ponies from Sports horses to retired oldies. It can help to release muscle spasm and tension and enhances muscle tone. Massage is recognised for helping to increase circulation and range of motion as well as improving the horses stamina, performance and overall wellbeing.
Massage is a great way to prevent injuries from overuse, overstretching and overloading of muscles, which can cause lesions, restrict motion and create pain.

About me…
After a very successful start on ponies, injury seemed to follow my poor horses round like a bad smell! Subsequently I have my made it my mission to become an expert in understanding and preventing injuries and improving the horses overall wellbeing.
To start this journey I made 2016 the first of many years to come, of intensive learning. I started by training with Equinenergy and passing my Equine body worker certification course. Hungry for more I promptly enrolled on their Advanced equine soft tissue techniques, introduction to spinal mobilisation and clinical reasoning course. I have recently finished this course and now patiently waiting for it to be marked, so fingers crossed I pass!
I also completed a Red Light therapy Level 2 course with photonic health, which is fascinating and extremely helpful to use alongside the massage.
In 2017 I am hoping to complete a couple of courses including; Equine myofacial release and a Lameness, gait abnormalities and biomechanics course.

Finally I have personally always found it very important to make sure that if I want my horse to be straight and prevent injuries I also need to make sure that I am straight, relaxed and pain free and not contributing to any asymmetries when riding my horse. Therefore in 2016 I also started an ITEC Human Sports massage course, at St Marys University in Twickenham. I love this course and have my exam on February 15th so full steam ahead! Until then, whilst I am massaging your lovely horses, if you would also like a massage for yourself please let me know, as human massages are free until I pass and I can’t have too much practice!

Meanwhile having a little break from competing has allowed me the time to try and work out what it is that has caused the issues that i have been having with my horses.
Bear finished competing in 2015 after inconsistent lameness in front. The vet suspected arthritis somewhere in his forelimbs but since he isn’t insured he hasn’t been x rayed. So I have been going through trial and error in order to try and find what the issue is and prevent it. Since I took his shoes off at the end of 2015 summer we haven’t had any lameness issues return but I then needed to learn how to successfully keep a horse barefoot which has been a whole new journey in itself! As many of you will already know I am super competitive and I never thought I would see the day where I kept horses and not compete, but Bear has reminded me of what it means to own a horse and most importantly how to have fun again. He has reminded me of how amazing it feels to hop on without a care in the world, bareback, no bridle and just go and have fun. No targets or pressure to know I have to do this amount of work with him today and the frustration of when he’s showing signs that he isn’t all that happy but I cant listen because we have an event coming up and he needs to be fit enough. He reminds me of being 10 again at pony club bombing round without a care in the world just having fun with my pony that looks after me, whilst still having that all important character that makes sure I haven’t forgotten my Velcro bottomed jodhpurs! I’m sure he’s just my first pony toffee, reincarnated, to remind me what its all meant to be about. He certainly looks the same, just bigger!