How Often Do Horses Need Jin Shin Jyutsu Therapy?
I hear this exact question from potential clients quite often:
“How often will you need to work on my horse?”
Owners are looking for solutions to their horse’s physical or emotional projects and want a timeline. They may have an outcome they are looking for; jumping without stopping or knocking down rails, walking with a strong shoulder and gait at a horse sale, or recovery from a serious surgery or accident. There’s no clear answer, as each horse’s experience is unique and depends on the condition.
I can generalize the number of treatments based on my past experience that will begin to harmonize the energy. I can’t promise a specific outcome. Neither can a veterinarian, acupuncturist, or massage therapist. We know what we’ve studied, practiced, and experienced. We can make projections based on our experience and learning. We also know that each horse is different. In my work, how many treatments in general depends on what is happening with the horse, how long the “project” has been experienced, and what the horse wants and needs. I can give some general ideas, but the results and outcome are unique to every being, human or animal. If the owner is looking for a specific change, I suggest that we plan on a series of treatments, then review to see how their horse is responding.
Using Jin Shin Jyutsu To Solve New Issues In Your Horse
In general, if a physical or emotional issue is new it may be moved through and harmonized more quickly. The project hasn’t settled into the body yet into a long-standing pattern. Think of how much easier it would be to change the pathway of a stream vs. the Colorado River flowing through a rocky canyon.
The river pathway through a canyon has worn itself for thousands of years through the rock into its winding way. A stream might be diverted and straightened with a backhoe. Yes, it may try to return to its previous banks at first, but ultimately it gives way and follows the new path.
In Jin Shin Jyutsu we don’t force anything. Our hands work as “jumper cables” to spark the being’s energy system. Changes that occur are in the horse’s unique timing.
That said, we do know where to put our hands along particular pathways of energy that may be involved. By knowing the story of the horse, observing its body structure, watching the body language, and connecting with my intuition, I work in a concert with the horse, listening to the energy of the body harmonizing under my fingertips.
Do Jin Shin Jyutsu treatments last?
I’m going to compare Jin Shin Jyutsu treatments to caring for your horse’s hooves. The hoof is constantly growing and depending on the horse and the season, the farrier will need to trim the hoof every six to twelve weeks. No matter how many times you trim the horse, the hoof is going to grow. It’s continuous need.
Jin Shin Jyutsu when working with any being is not a lifetime need, though anyone, human or animal could certainly benefit from regular treatments. We call the descriptives of what a horse is experiencing a “project” rather than a “prognosis”. A project tends to have a start and an end. How long it takes to finish the project varies. Some projects need follow up.
I’ve found that horses that I work with because of emotional trauma, abuse or neglect, improve with treatment and it lasts. They can become more trusting with humans, feel safe and less vigilant. This is wonderful news for horses that end up in adoption centers. With Jin Shin Jyutsu treatments, they can recover from trauma and become more adoptable. They also seem to be adopted by more balanced, loving owners. Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioners who work in animal rescues find this to be true with dogs and cats as well. Trauma and abuse disrupts energy. Jin Shin Jyutsu harmonizes and brings the animal back into a more balanced emotional state.
Horses with physical issues can find long term improvement as well. It may take a series of treatments for the owner to see a shift, but sometimes it can happen immediately. During covid, an owner called me from her barn. Her horse was showing serious signs of colic. She’d called the vet but wanted me to come as well. I directed her to do a simple Jin Shin Jyutsu hold until I could get to the stable. Fifteen minutes later I arrived at the barn and continued the treatment. By the time the vet arrived, the horse had pulled his owner to the grassy area and was grazing. The vet questioned that the horse had been experiencing colic, but the owner was an experienced horsewoman and described the symptoms. I suggested that the owner use the hold I taught her whenever she was grooming her horse. She felt that this really helped her horse’s gut which had been a constant concern.
If a horse has a tendency towards a symptom like colic and receives a series of Jin Shin Jyutsu treatments, I’ve found that it happen less frequently, and when it does, it is less severe. When Jin Shin Jyutsu is resumed, the symptoms often also improves. When we begin, it may take a series of treatments for the owner to see a shift. It does happen that changes are immediate, but not always.
How Many Weeks Of Therapy Are Needed
If the horse has a traumatic physical or emotional injury or has had surgery, I like to treat them more than once each week to begin. For example with a dog that has had an amputation, I will treat it daily until it is clear they are healing and feeling better, maybe for four or five days. Then the treatments will be spread out to twice each week or weekly until it’s clear that the amputation has healed and the dog is clearly feeling better.
It’s the same with horses. When a horse has had a physical accident or had surgery, the energy has been disrupted by the impact of the accident and again by the surgeon’s knife. Using Jin Shin Jyutsu at this point can help “repair” the energy flow so healing can be accelerated. My experience is that animals I treat recover from accidents and surgeries much more quickly. I hear the same from the owners who recount their vet’s surprise at how well their horse, dog, or cat is healing. I’m trained to know where to put my hands to help spark the process.
The Role Of Emotions In Timing
Emotional issues also vary in timing. One day, I was at the thoroughbred yearling sales here in Kentucky to work with a yearling being sold to help keep it relaxed. Sales can be especially stressful for young horses who’ve had little experience outside of their farm homes. I’d worked with this yearling weekly for five weeks up to the sale, which helped him stretch out from the shoulder and improved his gait and balance.
While I was there, a yearling in the stall across the breezeway was weaving horribly. It was clear he was in intense distress. The staff let me know that this was a new condition for this horse. He’d not done this at his home farm. I was able to work with him from outside his stall for forty minutes and resolved the situation.
After that, the horse stopped weaving and was considerably calmer. He could have benefitted from further treatment, but there wasn’t an opportunity. He may return to weaving in response to intense stress, but hopefully it won’t be as severe. Weaving can be an emotional relief habit that is difficult to change, like cribbing. I wish I’d been able to work with him more.
I’ll be writing more about weaving and cribbing in future blogs.
Final Thoughts
So back to how often. It all depends on the horse, the symptoms or experience, and how long they’ve been in place. It also depends on the horse’s timing and if the condition is an emergency or serious surgery. If the owner is game—depending on the need—we may begin with treatments closer together and see where we go.
Talk with Jennifer
If you’re interested in learning more about Jin Shin Jyutsu services for equestrian partners, feel free to send me a message. I’m passionate about the horse industry and creating better outcomes for our friends.