Hills Equine

I have been a certified Equine Massage Therapist since 2010 One of the questions I'm frequently asked - How long does a session last?

CONTACT INFORMATION

Call Laurie @ 9209884156

Hills Equine

Hills Equine has changed the name from Hills Equine Integrative BodyWork Services

Laurie offers Sports Massage Therapy, Deep Tissue Massage, Full Body Light Massage, Myofascial Release, Trigger Point Release Therapy, PEMF -Magna Wave Therapy
Red Light Therapy is included in the bodywork sessions as needed! I have to say "As long

as the horse needs me" sometimes it's an hour - but more often it goes to 2 hours or more. If I'm there to heal your horse it will take a bit to release, especially if he's been compensating awhile. So please give us the time we need - I don't charge by the hour. MagnaWave is great for:
Equines
Humans
Pets

Certified Equine BodyWork Massage
Certified in Saddle Fitting
Certified in Thermography
Thermography Saddle Fit with Saddle Mapping

Red Light Therapy – Red Lights are used as Acupoint Therapy
Pads are used as muscle relief and Wound Healing. Kinesiology Taping available
Essential Oil Therapy used when needed

Package Prices-
All Inclusive Package
Assessment, Notes, Magna Wave Pemf, BodyWork Session, Thermography
________________________________________________

Call or text Laurie at 920-988-4156 today! If I don't answer please leave a detailed message! Laurie studied and received certifications through:
Therasage, EMC, in Wisconsin
NHA of Indiana (Midwest Healing for Animals)
Holistic Animals of Florida
and has certifications - Red Light Therapy, Kinesiology Taping,
and is a Certified Pain Point Practitioner. MagnaWave Certified for Humans, Horses, Pets, and Livestock!!! Call Laurie at 920-988-4156 or Facebook message
Hills Equine Integrative BodyWork Services, Hustisford, Wisconsin for more information and to book your appointment for evaluation and equine massage today! MagnaWave and Massage BodyWork Therapy is not a substitute for veterinary care. Call or text Laurie at 920-988-4156 today!

06/14/2025

The past two weeks were brutally busy for me – with having way more horses that needed bodywork than I normally take on. After having taken a couple continuing education classes over winter; I was personally amazed at the results I’ve been getting. I find that this tied in very well with my saddle fitting work as so many issues are created due to the withers and shoulders having high- low syndrome. With this new added therapy I’m able to start relieving the pain and unevenness caused by high – low.

I had a few saddle fitting sessions too. One wonderful gal had about 10 saddles to try for her big guy, with only one that fit him. That sounds frustrating, but I would rather folks keep searching and know what will fit their horses and not cause injuries along with increasing bad behavior.

Plus I reconnected with old friends of mine; who I met when my mare was hit by a car back in 2000. They heard about the accident and asked if they could come and red light her. I was totally in the dark with red light therapy and was amazed with how much easier she was moving when they finished up with her. She did have broken bones, she had fractured ribs and her tuber coxae was sheared off. We did bring her back with red light therapy and veterinary chiropractic care. That began my journey into healing therapy for horses.

Fast forward to this summer – I sent out a message to Donna Woods because someone was looking for a new source for red light therapy equipment. Donna and her husband, Bryan, started their own red light therapy business about 15 years ago, relocated to Florida, and have made a huge success with their product line. It has become quite popular and well-loved due to dependable equipment and the guarantee they have behind all their products. I decided it was time to try a new pad that they call the Magic Pad. It has a number of colors in the pad incorporating Nogier frequencies. I have been utilizing this into my bodywork and therapy sessions and I’m thrilled with what I’m seeing. I used it on a repeat client’s mare with known Kissing Spine; who doesn’t lift her back (during belly lifts) and will kick up when you try. She was anxious when we started out so I put the Magic Pad on her withers and did about half an hour with ALL the lights going. (Unfortunately I forgot to get pictures!!!) I kept an eye on her while I worked on a second mare while the 1st was using the pad. She settled in and when I got back to work with her she was so agreeable. After her session I was able to lift her withers, but she also lifted her spine when I did a belly lift! And she didn’t offer to bring her hind foot forward! What a WIN!
The Magic Pad can be found at https://photonichealth.com/
I will be adding another Magic Pad by fall!

Give me a shout for your bodywork needs! Serving Wisconsin and Northern Illinois.

920-988-4156

Laurie Leverich Hills

06/08/2025

https://fb.watch/A58txWm714/?

05/11/2025

There have been times I’ve been called out to do a saddle fitting and have informed the owner the horse needs rehab first before a saddle purchase, and we talk about the why’s. I think most times the owner takes that to heart and we go through the rehab process with many questions asked and many questions answered. And there have been a couple times the client goes silent. No followup text messages - no followup visits. No belief that something is not right with their horse. Those are the ones that will break me, if I don’t advocate for that horse - who will?

***Wise words by Kim Gates- Saddle Fitter***
It’s the morning after whats likely the biggest post to hit this page. If you follow the sport of eventing this isnt a new subject but it’s obviously a controversial one.

If we don’t educate and address these issues openly then we will loose our horse sports. The cats already out of the bag…..we can’t just try and stuff it back in.
This horses and others horses body condition on parade is the problem. Not those pointing it out. Eventing is an extreme sport and it involves an animal. If we don’t put horse welfare first and instead choose to bury our heads in the sand we will loose our horse sports.
Let’s review the hurdles the horse industry has recently had to make. The Walking Horse Industry. Reining and the FEI. Requiring helmets. Removal of roads and tracks. Safe Sport. Vests. Race horses breaking legs. Abuse at the hands of more than one upper level trainer. Electric spurs?
Everyone of these issues got two responses and we have all seen both of them on this post. If you did not read the post I encourage you to do so.
In my opinion the base of the problem is a lack of education. If a rider was educated they would not accept the sponsorship that gives them free saddles that don’t fit. They would not give the paid for praises on social media while their horses back is horrible.
Right now the problem is lack of education on the subject. But if we continue down the road of trying to silence those who are speaking up, then it’s willful negligence.
The first step is to learn what a healthy back looks like and what an unhealthy back looks like. As someone once told me on this page years ago, “ once you see it you can’t unsee it!” So true.

☘️🐎SF

04/23/2025

Here we have classic symptoms of Thoracic Sling Disorder.

Client presents this lovely POA 4 year old mare. This mare has a history of being shown all over the country, prior to this lady purchasing her about 2 years ago.

Barn owner sees the knees are showing synovial fluid bulges at the knees and strongly recommended resting the little gal so the knees hopefully heal. With rest and ongoing care the knees are much better, but the mare presents with severe pigeon toe stance, along with a twisted barrel.

I’m extremely pleased that my ongoing education has given me the skills to help this pretty lady on her path to recovery, plus give the owner homework to keep this going.
This will be an ongoing rehab for this little gal - to keep her on the path to healing and feeling better.

Dd we make a change? You decide.

Laurie Leverich Hills

04/17/2025

I was asked to see a horse that I had worked on before, but it’s been close to two years. Owner says he has an attitude when he is ridden.

From the owner****
****He is currently unwilling to be ridden at all, and I've tried chiropractic, acupuncture, and osteopathic treatment. I'm hoping maybe the thermal imaging could shed some light on the issue. Otherwise if it doesn't find anything I'll begin to wonder if it is behavioral instead of physical! ****

I chatted with the owner to see what changes had occurred since I saw him last, and the main one was he had a Lymes infection last fall and was treated. We talked a bit about his diet and supplements he’s on – I suggested a couple changes.

I ended up not using the thermography camera on this guy, instead I used Body Feedback and rebalance on him during his massage session. He was extremely sore on his right side and objected whenever I was putting hands on him on his right side.

He got a full body massage and a few release techniques and I feel we made a difference. Owner now has homework to do for her guy too.

Here are his before and after pictures. The first two show facing different directions because I didn't feel the first one showed enough detail, but the high/low in the withers didn't change after he moved.

Did we make a change? You decide.

Laurie Leverich Hills

04/07/2025

I was asked to return to work on a horse that I worked on last summer. This guy is up there in years, but you sure can’t tell by looking at him.
Owner says he is really off in his shoulders and the saddle is causing discomfort.

I was finally able to go see him today and wow – he is in a bit of full on anxiety mode. A bit of head tossing thrown in with his bodywork session and I knew he was letting me know his what for.

I put my large red light wrap on his shoulders and withers, just to start calming the agitated tissues and took a few pictures.

You can see he has high-low in his withers, but his feet appear to be decently balanced. (You all know I study the feet first) So I got a few pictures from the butt towards his withers and I could see he’s huge on his right side. And his barrel is twisted. So I show the owner how his left hip is forward, the left ischium bone in his butt is higher on the left, and a few other things. I was able to do a number of release techniques to start rebalancing his hips, his barrel, his scapula, plus the shoulders. These techniques went on my owners list of homework to do.

Did we make a change today? You decide.

Laurie Leverich Hills
920-988-4156
serving SouthEast Wisconsin

03/17/2025

This pony belongs to a longtime client of mine. Owner says he hasn’t been right since she attended a driving show with him last summer. The show was held at a location that has a lot of uneven terrain and she felt the terrain may have caused issues for the pony, who wasn’t/isn’t conditioned for hillside slopes.

He has started to paw with his right front to the point of wearing down his toe quite a bit. (But she has never seen him do it)

This past week she had the chiropractor Vet out, and he worked on a number of things in the front. The vet did a few adjustments on the leg and there was an audible pop in the right pastern. Then a few days later the farrier came out and they decided to rebuild the front of the foot to bring the foot back to where he should be.

I was there shortly after the farrier came out, and we decided to do thermography first before any bodywork was done.

As you look at the thermography pictures you can see a compensation pattern.
Equine compensation refers to the behavioral, biomechanical, and neurophysiologic adjustments a horse makes to compensate for pain, injury, or imbalances in their musculoskeletal system, often manifesting as changes in posture, gait, and behavior. Horses and ponies with lameness issues often adapt their movement to ease discomfort, which can produce compensatory movement asymmetries. The squared off toe is a sign of that.

As you can see with this guy his right shoulder is higher in temps than his left
His spine is pretty lit up – but not showing the typical kissing spine type details. My background training in equine bodywork is telling me that his core strength is limited, and he needs topline rehab. Yes – even driving ponies need their topline strength.
Then we get to his rear and I’m seeing his left glutes are really lit up with strain going down the hamstrings and into his hocks.

This is a true example of compensation pain. At this point I’m in belief that he started the discomfort in his rear and the right foot is actually uneven wear from being so “off”. But his bodywork will be much like peeling back the layers.

Give me a shout for your bodywork needs!

Laurie Leverich Hills

03/01/2025

I worked on this 5 year old last evening. Dusted off the trusty thermography camera again. This time we were able to take the time to do BEFORE and AFTER pictures.

The gelding is a 5 year old OTTB with intermittent lameness on his front right hoof. Because his ligaments were so lit up he got red light pads around both pasterns. I did the full body thermography scan before his bodywork session – where he was given Deep Tissue Massage, Myofascial Release Work, Trigger Point Therapy, Red Light Therapy, and followed up with Magnawave. I did a bit of acupressure work on his hocks using the Magnawave, addressing BL60. He also got acupressure work incorporated into the trigger point work he received behind his withers. Plus he got his Pain Point Releases that I’ll typically do when pain presents in the ways he was showing them. Left Hip was also forward; which is likely the reason his hamstrings and hocks are so lit up in the pictures.

Owner asks me to take AFTER thermography pictures to see what kind of changes we had. With what I saw during processing I really wish I had taken more of the entire bodyscan for the after pictures. But I did do the critical areas and they validate the changes and relaxation we were able to get.

Give me a shout for your bodywork needs!

Laurie Leverich Hills

02/19/2025

I was recently asked to work on this lovely mare, due to unidentified lameness. They’ve had xrays done along with ultrasound trying to locate the source of the lameness. The vet was saying it’s most likely soft tissue injury and suggested stall rest with hand walking. They have not had bodywork done for the mare previous to my visit.
When I got there I could definitely see hind end lameness with short striding and hips are not even. There were other red flags that I spoke with the owner about, and some were gone by the time I finished up with a number of releases.
We went inside after the initial assessment and took thermography pictures. As I’m doing the pictures the lady is following and watching the screen, while hubby holds the mare, and she says “OMG!!! I had an animal communicator do a reading on this mare and she says the there’s pain in the far back and down the right hip!” That was quite validated with the camera.
The pictures show mostly compensation discomfort and you can see that yes the hips and right side of her back is showing the lighter colors, such as red and whites which is where the heat is.
The mare received a full BodyWork Session along with Fascia Work, Red Light Therapy, and MagnaWave. Plus homework to help the mare recover quicker with her recovery journey.
I am returning in a few days for a follow-up visit and can’t wait to see the changes with my last visit, their homework, and my next session!
Laurie Leverich Hills

Give me a shout for your Equine BodyWork needs at Hills Equine.
920-988-4156

01/09/2025

I recently received a call from a client asking me to come in and do thermography on their horse to help identify why the horse is showing stiffness and short striding in the front.

I have certifications with Teletherm, which is a division of Flir; and ongoing training and certs with Vet IR.
Please note - I won’t identify the owner nor the horse to protect the privacy of the owner and the horse.

Horse has a known history of suspensory ligament issues which appeared to have healed to the point of returning to work and recently had shoes pulled and trimmed. The horse ended up lame on both front feet, but not showing signs of laminitis. This had the owner baffled so I was asked to come in. Because of the nature of the areas showing heat, we could see the right hind is compensating and correlates with the opposite shoulder.

With the full body scan, we could see the majority of the heat was actually in the front. The shoulders were throwing unusual heat, knees, and ligaments surrounding the fetlock area. Owner picked up the left front hoof to clean it out, and that’s when we noticed the hoof was not trimmed very balanced. The collateral groove of the frog was warmer on the outside (Lateral) . The same situation was seen on the right hoof, collateral groove warmer on the inside (Medial). With the trim being what it was, it affected the suspensory ligaments surrounding the fetlocks. This in turn caused compensation further up. (Unfortunately I couldn’t get regular camera pictures as we had the barn in near darkness for accurate Thermography pictures.)

Sometimes that mystery lameness can be easier to detect using tools outside the norm. In this case I suspect there will be a huge improvement with a different view on farrier care. My goal here is not to place blame – but to show another view of why accurate hoof care is so critical in the overall care of the horse.

Laurie Leverich Hills

12/31/2024

If anyone is wanting a Hills Saddle Mapping Tool and just can’t swing the funds - I will work out a payment plan with you. Give me a shout!

12/23/2024

Quite easy to see how movement in one area affects the other areas. I’m picturing how much a saddle moves and can shift around between the horse and rider. Good reason to have saddle fittings done or rechecks. Just because your saddle fit 6 months ago - doesn’t guarantee the fit is good now; due to ongoing changes in building muscle or weight gains or losses.

Give me a shout for bodywork or saddle fittings.

Address

Hustisford
Hustisford, WI

Website

https://www.hillsequineservices.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Hills Equine posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Hills Equine: