Magique Hands

If you are interested in cryotherapy for your horse then do give Sadie a message! This is fairly new technology and I've had some incredible results with a lot of my clients using it! From tendons,soft tissue damage and arthritis, to integrating it into a regular bodywork session to maximise performance and comfort! It's such a versatile bit of kit and I am so keen to have another therapist in my area to work alongside and get cryotherapy to every horse we can! 🥰

Taking a moment is exactly what I'm doing right now! ☺️

It's been a whirlwind wind start to 2024, and I have had the opportunity to do some super cool things, including my first international trip to Bavaria, showcasing the Kaasen Equine to some incredible rehabilitation yards in Normandy 🇫🇷, went to a whole horse dissection weekend with Henderson Equine Massage , and did my fist collaborative workshop with Naomi Turner from Mill View Stables.

I haven't been able to keep up with posting on my socials recently because I don't know where to start with the content, as I have just so much amazing stuff to show you all! Then today I had a session with this gorgeous hunk of a guy, Jackson.🐴

It was the most peaceful setting, in an open sided stable with so much room for movement! This horse has a blooming nice bedroom! I couldn't find his head collar so decided to do the session naked ( him not me just to clarify 😂), and let him decide where he wanted to begin.

Jackson was just such a joy to work with! He came over straight away, had a good inspection of the equipment, and then let me know he was ready to go! He didn't even bat an eyelid at the cryo machine, just soaked it all up!

It was such a reset moment for me, and by the looks of his gooey face and rolling eyes, I think Jackson would say the same too!

I really needed this today! 🩷

Send a message to learn more

It's been a sleepy floppy head kinda couple of weeks 😴

If you really wanna know how to keep your bodyworker happy, then capture these kinds of moments on camera! I never get to fully appreciate how gooey and sleepy the horses are when I am holding their heads. I adore seeing their wobbly lips and relaxed expressions ❤️

Did you know horses bear 60% of their body weight through their front limbs?

The shoulder is an extremely important part of the horse and connects the limbs to the trunk and provides support for the front half of the body. It's essential to the horse's biomechanics, that a healthy shoulder is maintained.

Tension in the shoulders can often manifest itself in various ways, such as becoming heavy in the contact, shortened stride length, reluctance or refusal when jumping, issues striking off and maintaining canter, and in some more chronic cases, it can even lead to issues with further down the limbs and into the feet.

I've been quite on it recently with getting some good before and after shots of some tight shoulders I've worked on, and although these examples are low grade restrictions, you can still visibly see the tension, and the way in which the shoulder would be affected in its movement.

The good news is, this type of tension can be easily remedied with bodywork. Using gentle pressure point techniques, skin rolling and mobilising exercises, we can unwind the restrictions and free the shoulders structures. Regaining blood flow and function to the soft tissues. Making for a far more comfortable and happy horse!

Job well done in these two scenarios I would say 👌🏼

Proud to sponsor such a wonderful event for some even more wonderful people!

We would absolutely love for as many spectators to come along and support as possible, so if you are free and love some footy then please join us!

All the proceeds are going towards a really important cause and of course equally as important there will be cake! 🍰❤️

Tyler's Fundraising for Prostate Cancer UK Help Tyler Williams raise money to support PROSTATE CANCER UK

A whistle stop trip to Normandy, to meet Victoria from Westhead Sellerie who very kindly organised some fantastic yards to demo the cryotherapy at.

I have met some incredible horses and humans today, and have also been to some absolutely epic yards! One of them offered a very different type of cryotherapy in the form of pens in the river, where they are able to control the flow and height for the horses via a water mill, it was just incredible.

We also had a special trip the Cirale, which is the equivalent of our RVC, but on a far larger scale, and they are globally recognised for their study of locomotor disorders and the causes of poor performance in sports and racing horses, as well as being a world leader in all things musculoskeletal. It was a massive privilege to be able to share with them the Cryotherapy and how it could benefit their residents, they seemed pretty impressed too, so think I did a good job 😅

We also visited a few local private yards, with a wide variety of horses that all thoroughly enjoyed a wee cryo session! And then to top it off, I treated a super cute french cow, who is currently suffering from a pretty sizable swelling on her lower leg and needed a helping hand to get on top of the inflammation, she was an absolute angel to treat!

I think if I ever get the chance again, I will absolutely be back to do more demos and maybe in the future look to do some clinics out here and include some bodywork too perhaps.

But for now I'm going to turn off my phone and laptop and rock to sleep aboard this very choppy ferry homeward bound 🏠

❤️

Can I slide into your Dm's?

We've recently changed a few things here when it comes to receiving your horses treatment reports.

I have recently taken on an extra pair of hands to help keep the business growing. It's no secret that my admin time keeping skills are utter pants, and as the business grows bigger, it's become an impossible task for me to spin all the plates that keep Magique Hands running behind the scenes on my own. Reports will now be received via email from a wonderful human, Gill, who has jumped feet first into the chaos that is session reports! 😅 She is a brave lady I know but she has been invaluable to me over the last 6 weeks!

We are still in the trial period of this change, but so far it's been going very well and I have received awesome feedback from owners!

If you've already messaged me your email address, then keep on scrolling, but if you haven't, then I would really appreciate a quick private message so I can add you to the mailing list! You can WhatsApp me on the business number 07822 013787 or send me direct message on insta or Facebook 😊

Thank you all so much for your continued support, and above all the sheer amount of patience you all have with waiting on the reports, you are all honestly incredible, but here is to no more delays! Wooo! ❤️

Oh lala, check this out!

Next week I'm off to France for a couple of days to do some cryotherapy demos for various equine professionals! I'm so excited to showcase the machine and what it can do, the benefits are endless!

I will be bringing you all along for the journey with me, including the ride over as this southern chick is going to be hitching a ride on the ferry and then driving the rest of the way ( terrified I'm going to go down a road the wrong way 😅😂)

What an exciting adventure to start 2024 with! I'm so bloody lucky that my job has opened doors to opportunities like this, and that I am able to share my work world wide! 😍❤️

Better get practicing my French!

My darling friend Lauren has started a new adventure! If you are in the Islip area and looking for a dog walker then give her a follow and a message! Both my dogs adore her and always have the best time going out on adventure walkies! She is safe, super knowledgeable and cares for every pup as if it's her own ♥️🐾

We are set up and ready to rock and roll over at the dressage side at DRESSAGE- Windsor Park Equestrian Club -

Please do come on over if you would like a free spray on yourself! Treatments are only a couple of mins long so nice and speedy! We are located next to the food truck!

Good luck to all competing!! 🥰

I saw an absolutely wonderful post by Vivienne Cruddace - Equine Massage Therapy the other day, and she had received the comments from the therapist of the year nominations from earlier in the year. Firstly I would like to say how lovely it was to see a fellow therapist so appreciated by her clients, and making such a positive impact within the bodywork community, Viv you are a cracking therapist, and truly lucky to have such a great gang around you, and thank you for helping me realise we could actually request to see our comments! 😅

So I thought I would take a leaf from Vivs book and share some of my favourite comments I received.

My job would not be possible without every single one of my clients, and I am forever grateful that you have all chosen me to be a part of your team, it's honestly such a pinch me moment daily!

I couldn't post all the comments because to my surprise there were actually quite a few! I've read all of them and I am so in my emotions right now at some of the kind and humbling words shared, you guys are the biggest hype squad out there, and my god I appreciate and love you all so much!

Although I didn't make it to the final cut for the award, this was just as good as winning and my god what an enormous boost of confidence I have just had.

♥️♥️THANK YOU ♥️♥️

I put Mikki's skills to the test recently and asked if she could help me make the C02 gas cannisters I use less fugly, and boy did she deliver!

After thinking about it for a while I felt the canisters just looked beaten up and not very appealing when I rolled onto a yard. There wasn't much in the market for beautifying these bad boys, so I bought a scuba tank cover and sent it over to Mikki at Spotty Stitches who then had creative control!

The final product is awesome! The logo is on both sides of the canister and also doubles up as a bit of sound proofing when rattling around in the car!

There are no ends to this ladies talent! I will absolutely be ordering some more of these so all my bottles have cute lil outfits to show off 😂

Thanks so much again Mikki, you are a legend!!

Look at me getting all arty farty 😂😅

Thought I would design a nice easy and quick guide to bodywork and Cryotherapy and what your horse or pony can get out of it!

I've been doing a tonne of super interesting cases recently, from check ligament tears, pain relief for laminitic cases, muscle tears, bruised soles, and also one cracking oedema from a field accident. It prompted me to get a bit of social media out there, to increase awareness about just how versatile Cryotherapy is and how much good shizz it can bring to your horse's life!

As always my comments and inbox are always open to questions! 🥰

A little photo dump of all my favourite bits from June 😍 The fact I get to call this work is just insane!

Another absolutely awesome shot of Cryotherapy doing its thing, this time with intercostals.

I found this horse was very reactive to touch through their ribs, so opted for some cryo to relieve pain and allow me to work on them with minimal discomfort, and to mainly increase blood flow to this area to help relax and support the tissues, with a x4 increase in oxygenated and nutrient rich blood.

The intercostals function is to aid in breathing, but restrictions here can cause quite a few knock on effects. Tension can be caused here through a number of reasons, the main ones being:

-Weakness through the barrel of the body and so they habitually hold their ribs to one side.

- Poorly fitting tack i.e a saddle that slips to one side

- Excessive over use of leg aids, or over use of spurs

- Coughing for a prolonged period of time ( more common in summer months with hay and dust allergies)

- Trauma for an injury such as a kick, or a bang on the edge of stable door or gate

How does this affect the horses overall way of going?
Well, we have to look at the bigger picture and think about how the horse will compensate to alleviate pain from the restrictions. Their ability to move their back laterally becomes diminished, and they will begin to over compensate with other areas of their body. A common symptom to see or feel when riding is falling out through the shoulder or pushing more into one leg than the other.

With restricted movement of the back the horses are unable to lift through the spine, engage their hind end and abdominals and step under. Some will compensate with their forelimbs and become more 'front wheel drive' and so the shoulders then pull forward and down as opposed to lifting up and out.

With shoulder tension usually comes hyoid and poll tension. This is because the fascial chains linking the forelimb to the skull are now being over-utilised, and the horses attempt to stabilize their movement now relies on their neck and head.

You can start to appreciate just how every part of the horse's body is so interlinked!

This post has really gotten me right in my feels 🥹

I've never really thought of myself as an inspiration for others, it gives me the ick to say that out loud, as I just see myself as a super nerdy horse girl who enjoys poking horses and helping them emotionally as well as physically. All I want is for everyone to share in the knowledge that's been passed onto me by my own personal inspirations within the industry, and so when I met Jacqui and realised she was just as enthusiastic about it all, I knew this chick was going to be a great success! And well here she is, starting her very own bodywork business and absolutely smashing it!

Jacqui you are a total gem of a human and thank you so much for writing such a wonderful post, I'm so pleased you are on a path to success doing something you are so passionate about and also very good at too! Cannot wait to watch your business go from strength to strength!

Please do give her page a follow, and support her as she starts out!

Hands On Horse Therapy

Here's to another esteemed horsewoman taking the therapy industry by storm ♥️ you go girl!!

When the Bodywork hits a little too good...😅

Think I need to reel these 'magique hands' in before they do some damage 😂

I always go on about how incredible cryotherapy is for increasing blood supply to areas that are restricted due to tension, but it was a grab the camera moment when I saw it all materialize in front of my eyes. Usually we don't quite get to see the veins this prominent as most horses I've worked on have thick skin, coats or I just completely miss the event due to chatting away 😅

I had identified that this horse had quite a deal of tension through his tricep, and it was causing him discomfort when being tacked up and sometimes when ridden he would feel stuffy and short in the trot.

Common symptoms of tricep tension include:

"Girthyness"
Sore back
Restricted forelimb movement
Refusing to jump
Stiffness
Lameness up front

This chap was reactive to touch in this area, and not too comfortable having even the gentlest of touch here. I gave this specific area a 1.5 min blast of the cryo, firstly to provide some localised pain relief that would allow me to work on this area without causing him too much discomfort, and also to increase blood supply to the tricep.

As a result of the thermal shock from the cold Co2 gas ( -85⁰c) , the tricep muscle entered a vasoconstriction reaction initially, and shortly after a huge surge in blood flow is redirected to this area, in order to warm the muscle up efficiently. As a result we then get a vasodilation reaction, where the blood vessels open up to x4 their original size and blood flow is dramatically increased. As a result of this the muscle then enters a relaxed state.

You can see in this photo that the blood flow is being directed entirely towards the tricep and the veins are popping out big style, but note how the tricep itself does not yet have any veins showing, it was at the time in the vasoconstriction stage.

Thought I would share this as it a great visual of what's going on under the skin, and you would be surprised just how much of a good imapct some super cold gas can do!🥶

TruCryo

Wow wow wow! What an absolutely epic day!!

My very first workshop for bodywork basics went down an utter treat!!

I firstly need to thank Clare Russell at the Light Cavalry HAC Stables for inviting me along and for teaming up to create such a wicked event. We both bounced our wealth of knowledge off each other and if I don't say so myself, provided a super duper demo and lecture!

My lil guest appearance of the Magique man himself was the cherry on top of the cake! Bringing my child to work was something I never thought I would do, but he is of course the inspo for my whole career so it would have been rude not to! He performed like a star and I could not have asked for a better model!

A huge thank you to everyone who came and participated, you were all incredible and it made my heart smile to see everyone enjoying seeing the horses relax, and release at the touch of their fingers. Bodywork is a truly powerful tool! ♥️

As always an even bigger thank you needs to go to my other main man in my life Erien Memmi for supporting me on all my crazy adventures and for helping me paint the somewhat questionable anatomy on mage. Note to self - practice that more! My hind leg bones were in quite an unconventional place, but worked well for the purpose of visual learning!

I will be collecting all the videos and photos and over the next few days will piece together a run down of the day for you all to enjoy, but for now please enjoy a few lil snaps I got of the horses lapping up every second of relaxation!

Who knows, this could be the start of the bodywork basics workshop going nationwide 😉

Much love to you all!

Jodie & Magique

A Saturday morning Cryotherapy session for Charlie chops! He was a little sore through his back from some overly enthusiastic jumping sessions recently, and he is due to go on his ceremonial military duties this Wednesday coming.

We gave him a really good blast of the cryo device by TruCryo, to provide some localised pain relief and help calm inflammation of his soft tissue structures through his back, core and thoracic sling. Combined with some super gentle fascia release and gentle mobilisation exercises, Charlie will hopefully be feeling right as rain over the next couple of days, just in time for the Sheriff's parade through London!

I've known Charlie for well over 7 years now, and I used to be his groom back when I worked for the Light Cavalry HAC Stables. It's an honour to be able to come full circle, and provide him with Bodywork treatments to ensure he can still perform the best he can at his job! I've added a picture of him in all his finery and a lil bonus pic of one of our many goofball moments we shared together from the years gone by😍

What a remarkable chap he is to be able to strut his stuff confidently through the crowds of London! Never ceases to amaze me! Joy Montgomery you have one very special boy! ♥️