Airmid Equine Bodyworks

Airmid Equine Bodyworks Equine massage therapy and vertebral realignment services, including kinesiology taping, specializing With Equine Massage Therapy I have found such a way.

I whispered to the horse: trust no man in whose eye you don't see yourself reflected as an equal." - Don Vincenzo Giobbe (circa 1700)
I have been seriously involved with horses for over 40 years and an avid endurance rider for over 25. As such, it has become apparent that the aches and pains I encounter as a rider are likely also felt by my horses. I have constantly been looking for techniques to

improve my horse's health, strength, mobility, and endurance without resorting to excessively expensive and potentially harmful pharmaceuticals. We often forget that our horses are athletes. As with human athletes, our equine friends perform more efficiently when they are well-balanced; contributing to enhanced strength, speed, and agility without increased joint arthritis and physical breakdown. Regardless of whether your horse is a competitive athlete or a backyard companion, massage therapy will increase their quality of life.

05/26/2025

Lots of insightful moments at the Linda Clarke clinic this past weekend. Lindaclarke@wvea

05/12/2025

Heading on the road again Friday. If you would like bodywork for your horse in the Harvey area before then, please let me know .

05/06/2025

A huge thank you to all my clients and their gorgeous horses. I look forward to seeing you on my next trip.

04/29/2025

Looking forward to seeing all my NE NB and Gaspesie friends this weekend.

04/24/2025

Due to scheduling issues I have had to reschedule my Gaspesie -norther NB trip. Following are the appointments. Please, please, please tell me they work for everyone.
Friday May 2
noon Bonaventure Spirit, Gypsy,Azryal.
16:30 Grande Riviere
Joly
17:45 ferme du Monde
Saturday May 3
Ferme du Monde
Sunday May 4
Finish Ferme équestre du bout du monde
2:00 Bathurst Monique
3:45 Bas Caraquet
Audree 4 horses
7 pm Paquettville Sock and Cdn Spirit

03/27/2025

Airmid spring trip to Gaspesie and Bathurst/Caraquet will be mid April this year as we are expecting our first grandchild in the next week or two. Please message me if you are interested in having bodywork done. I will be setting up the schedule as soon as things settle

Rachel Landry, you might find this interesting.
03/15/2025

Rachel Landry, you might find this interesting.

I did this post before and want to add in extras

Its only grass glands

Were you brought up to believe that the swelling of the parotid (grass) gland is normal, its why it adopted the name of grass glands because years ago we would only come across this as we turned our horses out full time in the springtime if I had a penny for every time I heard oh its only grass glands I would not be writing this post I would be sat on a beach and be mega rich lol

And again, we often hear the word metabolic and go straight to Cushing's or some other extreme but metabolic simply refers to metabolism and how the body utilizes the content we put into the energy it gives us and how the intake of nutrition may affect us. Basically, is the horse taking in a substance which may help or hinder it

So if we start omitting the word grass and replace it with the correct word parotid and add itis we may get an inkling as to why a gland is swollen, I mean we all know why ours swell it usually means we have eaten something which we may not have an allergy to but we may be a little intolerant to and remember it's not just what is eaten, environment can have a huge effect on how our bodies are coping

Glands swell for a reason and it's usually the bodies response to something which it is trying to combat, it often can coincide with shedding season and we know that is a hormonal response so is there a link there somewhere? Remember just because it's common does not means it's normal

And at least as humans we only have to cope with environment or food, horses sometimes have to cope with the riders' hands placing the horse in such a position that the swelling will occur because of how they have to hold their heads the saliva glands are innervated by the glossopharyngeal nerve (cranial nerve nine) which is a mixed nerve so aids with swallowing and tongue movement (again rider influence can have a major affect so freedom of the mouth is so important we often only focus on a relaxed jaw but we need a jaw to be able to move) so we must strive to give as much chewing time for horses that we can and often when anyone hears the word metabolic the horse is placed in an area where less chewing time can occur and less chewing time can change the saliva composition to could lead to more dental issues

Saliva production is an autonomic response to chewing the longer a horse chews the more saliva will be produced

We often not only see horses with swelling in their jawline but also underneath the jaw and the nasal area and you can see by the picture that there are more than one salivary gland and if one is affected then all are affected, I have also included cutaneous areas as these areas go hand in hand and can become over sensitive (most people will be either familiar with the horse being irritated and twitchy either at the girth area, or the horse shaking its head when you touch the base of the shoulder) so this tells you it’s a more global problem rather than a singular gland

So, if we visually see it, we must also look at how internally is the horse being affected (omitting the rider part for now) if your horse is also super sensitive with the fly twitch muscle (cutaneous) if your horse is bloated, if your horse is lethargic, if your horse is showing out of the norm behavioural signs then often I try to explain it to owners like having a food intolerance we may be able to keep eating it but we are going to not just have swollen glands we are going to feel pretty crap also but if your horse just has a swollen parotid gland with no other issues then you may have to look at your hands, your bit or the riding style and we can't forget environment you could be the best rider, feed the best quality feed and fibre but look at the surrounding fields as the content of them could be the culprit in your horses intolerance's and allergies

So no its not just a grass gland swelling there as always is much more than just one part

Does stress play a factor, if your horse is uncomfortable then is their nervous system under fire we all know how stress can have an adverse affect on the body as it tries to regulate itself and combat the internal struggle

Whatever the factor swollen glands are in the most basic terms uncomfortable, sensitive and will restrict movement and remember just because something is common does not mean it is normal

What would you recommend to waterproof rain sheets? Mine are soaking through and nothing I have tried has worked.
03/07/2025

What would you recommend to waterproof rain sheets? Mine are soaking through and nothing I have tried has worked.

Just as we would not be able to eat with rotting teeth, horses need their teeth maintained.
01/05/2025

Just as we would not be able to eat with rotting teeth, horses need their teeth maintained.

Just as we would not be able eat if our teeth were rotting, horses need their teeth maintained.
01/05/2025

Just as we would not be able eat if our teeth were rotting, horses need their teeth maintained.

With Holistic Equine – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉
01/04/2025

With Holistic Equine – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

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Route 605
Nackawic, NB
E6G2C7

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I whispered to the horse: trust no man in whose eye you don't see yourself reflected as an equal." - Don Vincenzo Giobbe (circa 1700)

I have been seriously involved with horses for over 40 years and an avid endurance rider for nearly 20. As such, it has become apparent that the aches and pains I encounter as a rider are likely also felt by my horses. I have constantly been looking for techniques to improve my horse's health, strength, mobility, and endurance without resorting to excessively expensive and potentially harmful pharmaceuticals. With Equine Massage Therapy I have found such a way. We often forget that our horses are athletes. As with human athletes, our equine friends perform more efficiently when they are well-balanced; contributing to enhanced strength, speed, and agility without increased joint arthritis and physical breakdown. Regardless of whether your horse is a competitive athlete or a backyard companion, massage therapy will increase their quality of life.

Since I was certified in spring of 2012 I have increased the scope of my business to include Kinesiology taping on horses and dogs, on occasion. I find the taping helps to “hold” an area that may be prone to re-injury or that is particularly “stubborn” to supple up.

I encourage all my clients to do carrot stretches with their horses and practice “Horse Yoga” to help with relaxation and mobility.