Shay.Tactile.Therapy

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Shay.Tactile.Therapy Equine Myotherapy & Human Massage
Restoring movement & enhancing performance šŸ«§šŸŒæ
ā€¢ Equine | Mobile
ā€¢ Human | Kilsyth Clinic
Message me or book below ā†“

01/09/2026

From reactive to relaxed āœØ

A beautiful response while releasing tension through the brachiocephalicus, followed by a much more comfortable reassessment

31/08/2026

INTRODUCING SHAYā€™S HELPING HANDS šŸ“šŸ¤

Iā€™m starting a new ongoing initiative to make equine massage more accessible for horse owners who genuinely want to support their horseā€™s wellbeing but may be struggling to afford my treatments at the full price.

Each month, Iā€™ll select a number of horses to receive a Myotherapy session at half price.

I understand that finances can sometimes make it difficult to give our horses everything we would like to, so this is simply my way of giving back and offering a helping hand where I can.

For now, if you feel this could help you and your horse, please send me a private message!

A permanent application link for Shayā€™s Helping Hands will soon be available through my page, allowing horse owners to apply for themselves or nominate somebody they know at any time.

This will be an ongoing part of Shay Tactile Therapy, with a limited number of half price appointments offered each month šŸ¤

27/08/2026

Slow doesnā€™t always mean gentler.

For some horses, slow and sustained pressure can feel more intense because it gives them more time to focus on and guard against the sensation. Faster, rhythmic techniques can provide clearer, more predictable input that their body finds easier to accept.

What stood out here wasnā€™t only the visible response, it was how deeply he stayed within it. For almost five minutes, he remained soft and absorbed in processing the treatment rather than quickly returning to alertness.

Every horse receives touch differently. The skill isnā€™t simply knowing which techniques to use, itā€™s recognising when the horse is asking you to change themšŸ„°

24/08/2026

Too often, support only becomes important once theyā€™re sore, resistant or no longer performing the way we want.

Massage isnā€™t the only part of caring for an equine athlete, but recovery should never be an afterthought.

You expect an athlete. Start caring for one.

20/08/2026

Tired of feeling limited by lower back pain?

You donā€™t have to simply live with it.

Sometimes, where you feel the pain isnā€™t where the problem begins.

Let me helpšŸ¤

18/08/2026

Iā€™ll never get over the feeling of starting with a nervous system on high alert, then watching their whole demeanour change as I find the little spots where theyā€™ve been holding tensionšŸ„¹

18/08/2026

āœØFREE PERSONALISED EXERCISE SHEETāœØ

Not sure what exercises could help your horse?

Message me what youā€™re currently working on or struggling with, whether thatā€™s strength, balance, straightness, engagement, mobility or something else and Iā€™ll put together a free personalised exercise sheet for your horse, which may include pole work, groundwork and other targeted exercises.

Youā€™ll also go in the running for a FREE myotherapy treatment & consultation, where I can get hands on, feel whatā€™s happening through your horseā€™s muscles and give you even more targeted direction.

Message me to get your personalised exercise sheet šŸ“

17/08/2026

If you feel as though youā€™re doing everything right but your horseā€™s progression has stalled, this may be for you.

If youā€™re lacking purpose or direction in your training, massage may be the missing piece of the puzzle.

During treatment, areas may be found that are tight, sore, overloaded or compensating. Massage can help relieve this accumulated tension, while the findings provide valuable information about what your horseā€™s body may need next.

Muscles donā€™t work in isolation.

If one area lacks strength, stability or mobility, another may begin working harder to compensate. Over time, that muscle can become tight, fatigued or overloaded, limiting its ability to move through its full range and function effectively.

This means the tightest area isnā€™t always the source of the pattern, it may be working overtime because another area needs greater support.

These findings can bring more direction to your training by helping you ask:

Does this area need greater mobility?
Is another area lacking strength or stability?
Does my horse need improved balance or straightness?
Would core engagement or hind-end strengthening help support this pattern?

Having a clearer understanding of how your horseā€™s muscles are functioning together allows you to select exercises, such as pole work, transitions or lateral work with greater intention.

Massage is more than just a reward.

When used as a genuine training tool, myotherapy can help you better understand your horseā€™s body, monitor how it adapts over time and train with greater purpose. Supporting progression, performance and long-term wellbeing. šŸ’›

13/08/2026

Trigger pointing is so much more than simply finding a sore spot and pressing on it.

A trigger point is a hypersensitive area within a muscle. When I apply pressure to that area, it can initially increase discomfort and create a strong sensory input to the nervous system.

But I donā€™t keep increasing the pressure. I hold.

With sustained, tolerable pressure, the sensation can begin to change and the sensitivity beneath my fingers can decrease. This is what Iā€™m waiting and feeling for before releasing the trigger point.

And the horse is communicating with me throughout that entire process.

In this video, you can see her turn and look back at me as she feels that initial discomfort. Sheā€™s letting me know that she can feel what Iā€™m doing, but she isnā€™t moving away from the pressure or showing me that it has become too much.

So I stay. We wait there together.

Once I feel that change, I release the pressure and return to my slow, broad ā€œsorry strokesā€ šŸ˜‚ taking the input from something very focused and intense back to something gentle and calming.

And this is when we begin to see a change in the whole horse.

Her head lowers. She licks and chews. Her blinking slows. Her posture begins to soften.

I donā€™t take any one of these behaviours on its own as proof of exactly what sheā€™s feeling. What interests me is the contrast in the whole horse before, during and after the technique.

This is one of the horses Iā€™ve had the privilege of treating and I think this little moment captures something I absolutely love about working with animals.

They canā€™t tell me in words what theyā€™re feeling, so our conversation looks different.

I feel. They respond. I listen. I adapt.

Treatment isnā€™t something I simply do to a horse. Itā€™s a conversation I have with them through touchšŸ¤

12/08/2026

Why incorporate kinesiology taping for a horse with kissing spine?

For this horse, direct pressure through the affected area produces a significant pain response. Because of this, treatment isnā€™t about applying deeper pressure directly over the spine, instead, I work with the surrounding musculature and use gentler techniques through the sensitive areas.

This is where kinesiology taping can be a really useful addition.

Rather than relying on direct pressure, the tape provides ongoing sensory input through the skin. As the horse moves, this cutaneous stimulation provides continuous sensory information to the nervous system, which may help influence pain perception, proprioceptive awareness and muscular response.

In this application, the longitudinal strips provide sensory input along the thoracolumbar region and surrounding musculature, while the crossing strips create more localised sensory input around the area of concern.

For a horse where hands on treatment through the back needs to remain gentle, taping gives me another way to provide input to the area without adding further manual pressure.

Itā€™s not about physically correcting the kissing spine, itā€™s another supportive tool within a much bigger treatment and rehabilitation picture

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Melbourne, VIC
3137

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