The Cross Fiber grooming technique was developed in 1997 out love and devotion for my horses Buckaroo and Trocaireac.
That year Northeastern Pennsylvania experienced a severe winter with snow, ice, rain, and more ice from February through the beginning of April. Many barns and horses were literally “iced-in”.
My horses were boarded close to me at a beautiful old stone barn that had 10×10 stalls, no indoor, and relatively no place to hand-walk a horse in the barn. . My two horses regularly groomed each other when out in the field together yet due to the dangerous weather conditions, they were separated from each other and confined to their stalls. I wanted to figure out a way to keep a “bit of fitness on them” and to maintain and monitor their health on a daily basis. Grooming was a part of the program, yet I felt that the time and attention I shared with my horses when grooming could be more effective. It truly became my responsibility to provide them with the pleasure and companionship of regular, social grooming as well as to try and keep their bodies healthy with the lack of regular movement and exercise.
My Chiropractic training and philosophy was founded on the concept that good posture starts from the feet up. To treat the patient as a whole, evaluating muscular development and symmetry to support proper alignment to support and protect the nervous system. Like a computer, keeping the hardware connected well, allows the software to function more effectively.
I based investigation on my knowledge of the importance of myofascial systems of the body. I reviewed my human techniques and procedures and came up with the idea to groom my horses with emphasis on transverse friction, aka “cross fiber massage” protocols. This worked like a charm, and that Spring my horses came back into work with good posture and supple, flexible musculature, ready to begin a fitness program.
Since then, I have routinely taught my Cross Fiber Grooming technique to friends and clients. The benefits have been consistent and reproducible when one is willing to put out a little extra time and attention when grooming their horses. It is a pre-ride warm-up and evaluation of their overall well-being and physical comfort.
Your grooming time will become a pre-ride massage and warm-up. Providing you with information to evaluate you horses status as you learn to recognize changes in your horses posture, muscle tone an overall comfort and sense of well-being.
Cross Fiber grooming and massage improves posture by improving elasticity of the muscles, fascia and other connective tissue that may be restricting the horse’s alignment and range of motion by:
• Stimulating circulation, lymphatic drainage and acupuncture points.
• Releasing adhesions, scar tissue and trigger points in muscles.
• Improving performance and decreasing incidence of injury.
Preparation is the foundation for success. POSTURE PREP CROSS FIBER GROOMER for horses was released in 2010.