How reiki massage can help nervous or spooky horses and behavioural problems
Provides the opportunity for deep relaxation
Supports your horse to go from fight or flight state to deep relaxation.
Reiki and reiki massage is extremely relaxing, and most horses are able to fully relax into it, which is so beneficial if they spend most of their time usually in 'fight or flight'- which is not uncommon for a nervous or anxious horse. Some horses may have been tense for so long and therefore may take a few sessions to be able to get into a fully relaxed state, but when they do, it can help lower their heart rate and respiration, and help calm the nervous system, helping the 'whole horse' in a holistic way. Over time, this new sense of calmness and improved emotional health may then continue outside of the healing session.
Emotional healing and bringing balance
Supports your horse to release stored trauma/emotion held in their body to support overall physical and emotional wellbeing.
Horses, especially those with trauma, neglect, or past stressful experiences, are likely to have held emotional tension in their bodies.
Reiki can assist in gently releasing that stored emotional energy, and also with balancing the horse’s overall energic system. Adding massage can assist in removing deeper layers of stuck energy or tension.
This can lead to calmer behaviour, and less time spent in fight or flight or over threshold - it can support them to be more emotionally regulated.
Builds trust and connection
Supports your horse to feel safe enough to trust, and let go of unhelpful behaviour patterns
Reiki sessions involve gentle hands on or off connection—no invasive handling. The specific massage techniques are relaxing and guided by the horse - not forced upon them.
This approach, along with gentle massage techniques can help rebuild trust in anxious or fearful horses.
Reiki is sometimes used with horses that have behavioural problems that haven’t responded well to training or other therapies. By creating a space of calm and trust, Reiki may help the horse feel safer and more open to behavioural change.
It can help horses by reducing tension and anxiety.