I subscribe to Tami Elkayam's mantra: "Always stay under the brace threshold."
What does that mean? You won't usually see a lot of yawning and licking and chewing in my sessions.
Why do I prefer this? Yawning, licking and chewing have various meanings. Perhaps the horse is coming down from a bout with the sympathetic (or fight, flight, freeze, fawn) nervous system. Licking and chewing are a way to release tension as they let go of it. Or if they're anxious they will communicate by licking and chewing as "calming" signals to tell us they are not a threat to us. If something we're doing causes pain or fear of pain, they will brace and their heart rate will rise, which may lead to licking and chewing. The key is to mimimize putting the horse into tension so he won't need to send out calming signals or to come back down from stress.
What about yawning? If you've ever had a relaxing massage at a spa, you might have felt wonderful, extremely relaxed, maybe even falling asleep. While this relaxing experience can be wonderful, if doesn't necessarily fix underlying issues in and of itself, so a horse who is yawning a lot may be sending calming signals, or may be coming down from stress and releasing anxiety, but also is not participating and may even be "stoned."
What will you see? I prefer a horse to participate and to integrate movement into the sessions, so I'll keep him untied, sometimes free in a stall, sometimes in an open space with the lead rein over my arm or on his back. My goal is to ask your horse to participate in the session while not putting her into her sympathetic nervous system, so I look for subtle signs of the horse processing, tiny whisker trembles, movement of the eyes and ears, breath shifts and body changes. If the horse braces or avoids touch, I might use energy instead, tapping into the horse's big energy field by encouraging him or her to release tension from a distance, sometimes just a few inches, sometimes from further away.
Why does it look like I'm just standing there sometimes? Because I'm letting the horse process. Sometimes the horse needs me to step back and give her a moment to feel her body, to pay attention to the new feelings in her muscles and fascia. If I move on too quickly, she won't be able to process and integrate the feeling and how it relates to movement.
What will you not see? You won't see me fighting with the horse. I won't force my touch if the horse isn't ready. Sometimes it takes a session or two for the horse to trust a bodyworker, and if the horse says "Nope!" I won't do it. You also won't see me "filling" the hour if the horse is done and needs a break.
What might happen instead? Sometimes I can accomplish a lot in a very short session and the horse will be ready to be left alone to process. If that happens I might suggest a return session for free or at a discount. And sometimes the horse wants me to continue, and if I have the time for it, I'll go over the allotted time. I always let the horse guide me.
Does the horse owner have to be there for every session? No, though it's usually good to have you there for the first one. If you're comfortable with me working with your beloved horse without you there, I'm happy to do so.
What happens after the session? I might provide some gentle ground exercises you can do to help your equine partner between sessions, if appropriate, and can provide typed notes if you request them.