Carrie Gilmore Mundlin Horsing Around with Massage

 

June 5, 2019

Carrie Gilmore Mundlin, owner and manager of Massage Euphoria, a massage service in Chinook, promotes a healthy state of well-being by offering a variety of massage styles tailored to a client's specific needs. Those clients are about to expand into the equine realm, now that Mundlin has earned an endorsement as a Certified Equine Massage Practitioner (CEMP) from the Western Montana School of Horse Massage.

After receiving requests from a variety of people on the Hi-Line seeking someone qualified in equine massage, Mundlin decided to explore what it would take to expand her business to include horse massage. "I have been a practitioner of human massage for fifteen years, and I kind of wanted to see if I could mix my two passions. I have been around horses all my life and I know the benefits of massage, so I thought, why not?" Mundlin said.

Intrigued by the notion of horse massage and for giving these large animals some relief after bearing a load, Mundlin began exploring options and courses. Although she found several, most of them required thousands of dollars and out-of-state relocation for several months or even years. That is until she came across Coreen Kelly and the Western Montana School of Horse Massage (WMSHM) in Hamilton, Montana.

Mundlin enrolled in Kelly's course, Level I-Horse Massage, and worked from May 18-24, taking private classes. According to Mundlin, the first two days of the course involved profession specific in-hand horsemanship, learning how to help the horse to stand quietly while being massaged. She spent the remainder of the week studying horse anatomy and the physiology of 27 primary muscles and their functions, the massage sequence, and business practices with horsemanship as a secondary focus.

When asked about any challenges or surprises in the course and horse massage process, Mundlin said she was surprised how much of the horse's muscle structure is the same as that of a human's. She also described a technique called rhythmic muscle pulsing that took some time to achieve.

"Until you've worked with a horse as a massage patient, you don't realize how big they really are! And it takes some coordination to rock them during the muscle pulsing process. That technique demanded a little more coordination than my abilities initially allowed," she laughed.

The final day of the week, Mundlin took two written exams and two practical exams. She earned 100% on her practical anatomy and physiology exam. In the second practical exam, she successfully massaged a full horse on her own, demonstrating and applying her understanding of the material as presented by her instructor. She chose to perform her practical horse massage exam on a Missouri Foxtrotter named Mo Man.

"On the very first day, I got the attention of all the horses since I was the only student in this session. I also had the undivided attention of Coreen, the instructor. Although I worked with all of the horses a little, Mo Man captured my heart. He has such a peaceful and enduring soul and a loving eye. I just knew he had to be my partner for the final exam," Mundlin reflected.

Established in 1999, the WMSHM has trained people in the alternative therapy community of horses for two decades, training and certifying over 3,500 students in both Western and Traditional Chinese massage methodology. According to Kelly, the school's owner, founder, and primary instructor, the teaching philosophy of the WMSHM is based on Quantum Physics and Metaphysics. Kelly is originally from Washington State but relocated to Montana in 1980. She has been a training instructor for more than four decades.

After being diagnosed with a degenerative untreatable retinal disorder, she has lived most of her adult life with less than ten degrees peripheral vision and is legally blind. With the loss of her sight, Kelly capitalized on her sense of touch. She is a licensed human massage therapist in Montana and has a human massage practice of twenty years, in addition to teaching horse massage through her school. Furthermore, she is an active horsewoman and studies Natural Horsemanship in the Vaquero Tradition.

Although limited research studies have examined the benefits of equine massage, this noninvasive therapy continues to grow in popularity among horse owners, competitors, and rehabilitation facility owners for several reasons. Just as massage therapy reduces and relieves muscle tension and provides pain relief in humans, it can do the same for horses. Massage and stretching can also help restore a horse's mobility after an injury. By loosening tightened connective tissue and reducing tension as collagen fibers heal and realign themselves following a trauma, massage helps improve a horse's overall locomotor function.

"To see the relief in the horses and to work with them and with Coreen was amazing," Mundlin reported.

Studies also reveal that the compression and release pattern of equine massage further promotes blood and lymph circulation in the superficial areas of the limbs. It's particularly useful for stall-bound horses that develop lower leg edema.

Several horse owners have shared anecdotal evidence regarding the relaxing benefits of massage. For example, a study performed on 72 racehorses measured the heart rate and variability of horses during race season as evidence of the horses' emotional state. Each group trained six days per week, and the experimental group also received massages three days per week. Changes in heart rate in the experimental group suggested that "massage may be effectively used to make the racehorses more relaxed and calm."

Given all of these benefits and interest from horse owners, Mundlin will likely find herself horsing around with a new form of massage-although she will continue to serve her human clients from her shop on Indiana Street in Chinook, as well. Because she doesn't currently have a location for owners to bring their horses to her, she will initially work as a travelling specialist of horse massage. "Eventually, I would like to open a facility, but that's down the trail," she stated.

 
 

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