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Lorinda Doxey, age 45, is an Equine TPM specializing in Muscle Equine Therapy; including Myotherapy, Neuromuscular Therapy, Acupressure and massage. She lives in Suffolk, Virginia with her husband, two teenage daughters, 4 Arabian Horses and a pony. The day starts around 5:30 A.M. over a cup of coffee with her husband before he is off to start his day. Their girls are older now, 14 and 18, very self-sufficient and get themselves off to school each morning while Lorinda goes out to the stables to take care of the feeding and mucking out.
Lorinda is on the road around 8:00 A.M. for her first appointment at 9:00 A.M. "Typically, I will be working on horses all over the Tidewater area of Southeastern Virginia ranging from Gloucester to North Carolina."
Lorinda is not a typical equine massage therapist. She is a certified Equine Trigger Point Myotherapist, which means that she spends her days working as a bodyworker; doing muscle therapy on horses. "It’s not so much that bodyworking is a type of massage; rather that massage is a part, or one tool, of bodyworking." Lorinda has had additional training in acupressure, neuromuscular therapy, myofascial release, as well as other hands-on techniques, and bases her work in a sound knowledge of physiology, anatomy, conformation and biomechanics.
Lorinda has traveled all over the United States to obtain training from the best teachers she could find in both human and equine therapy. Lorinda candidly told me, "As far as I know, I am among just a few therapists who are applying the principles of Neuromuscular Therapy to horses. "
A vet check for the horse is mandatory before she begins her work. "Before I even touch a horse, I have studied the complete medical history of the animal." She does assessments, such as gait, conformation, and posture. She checks the horse’s hooves for balance, the saddle for proper fit, and investigates other aspects of the horse’s environment; looking for clues as to what might be causing the horse’s muscle problems.
During the therapy session, Lorinda uses her hands to release the tight, short muscles and wake-up the weak muscles. Then she stretches the horses, and leads the horse in a few in-hand corrective movements, to re-educate the neuromuscular system, restore correct muscle balance and posture. "With the type of therapy I do, I like to spend time educating the owners and not rushing the horses through their therapy, so I normally work on no more than five horses a day." The horses get the attention they deserve, the owners recieve their money's worth, and she does not become too tired. "I usually get very caught up in what I'm doing. Since, I am really into education, and the horses respond so well to the therapy, people generally gather around me to ask questions."
Lorinda has good intentions about remembering to drink lots of water and taking time to eat lunch, however, she usually becomes so involved with her therapy and the horses, she often forgets. Thank goodness her thoughtful clients take care of her, putting a cold drink or a snack in her hands.
"Before I leave, I always instruct the horse's owner regarding movements, stretches and riding exercises that they can do with their horse, to help the therapy along." As the horse progresses, the therapeutic stretching and exercises are expanded into a customized fitness program, designed to avoid set-backs and re-injuries. Owners report excellent results not to mention that the horses are very appreciative.
Some weekends you might find Lorinda flying to different parts of the country conducting clinics, or working on her favorite equine clients at competitions. Lornida's background in professional dance and endurance riding gives her a unique perspective on exercise physiology. "I enjoy massaging the horses before and after they compete, and stretching them between classes, to enhance their performance. It is so rewarding to have a rider come up to you at a show and tell you how relaxed their horse was; how well their horse warmed-up, and to thank you after they did exceptionally well in a class." Lorinda also makes an effort to donate her time to work on very deserving school horses and equine members of the mounted police units. "Those horses work so hard, usually get very little individual attention, and are very grateful for whatever relief they can get. Good things always come of what I call my Pro Bono work."
Lorinda feels that she is very fortunate to have a family that is so supportive of her work. "If I get home early enough to cook dinner, they think it's great! Sometimes, I am out until late in the evening, but my dinner is warm and waiting for me in the oven." Lorinda is at the computer, at the end of the day, composing articles for horse publications, working on the new book about equine anatomy and bodyworking techniques that she is co-writing with her partner, Barbara Chasteen.
Barbara lives and maintains a practice in equine therapy in Northern California. Barbara is an award-winning author who has written and illustrated several articles for the Whole Horse Journal. Lorinda has been a guest speaker for the Napa Valley and Davis Chapters of the California Dressage Society, the Holistic Veterinary Student Club at Davis, among others. She has written articles for the Vintage Arabian Horse Club, and the Southeastern Virginia Dressage Association newsletters.
They teach together, as a team, Equine Bodyworking; a continuing education course for therapists and other professionals. Courses are taught in Northern and Southern California. The first East Coast course is scheduled for September. The next West Coast course will be held in the San Diego mountains during the month of October.
You may contact Lorinda Doxey in Virginia by telephone (757) 986-2848 or by
e-mail
tim-lorinda@erols.com
and Barbara Chasteen may be contacted by telephone
(707) 829-0374 or by email equiline@sonic.net
Deborah Anderson
copywright 1999 HorseQuest.com