Product Description

Shiatsu is a gentle, deeply effective holistic system of health care. It comes from Asia and has been developing for over 5,000 years. A sister therapy to acupuncture, it employs finger pressure to gently stimulate the body's natural healing ability. Touch is also an extremely important method of communication between individuals of one species and between species, and horses are particularly responsive to both the healing and the communication touch of shiatsu. Many of the techniques that Pamela Hannay demonstrates in this book are simple, can be learned quickly and are easy to apply. They are safe because they require only the application of the hands in a gentle and natural way. They treat physical problems and those of emotional pain and stress. The author emphasizes the importance of self-preparation for the practitioner and shows how meditation can help develop an understanding of how a horse thinks and feels. Among the many benefits of this therapy are: - Early recognition and treatment of problems before they escalate - Treatment and elimination of muscular-skeletal problems including stiffness and some forms of chronic lameness - Maintenance of suppleness thus reducing susceptibility to injury - Maximizing physical potential - Activating the immune system - Stimulating circulation, the nervous system and the release of hormones - Relaxing and energizing the horse and promoting a feeling of well-being - Establishing and deepening communication between horse and rider Pamela Hannay, who was one of the world's leading practitioners, guides the reader through the theory and practice of shiatsu by means of over 300 colour and black and white photographs, detailed colour meridian location charts and point location charts, and easy-to-follow instructions and explanations that will ensure everyone can be more in touch with his or her horse. The joy Pamela felt in this work is evident throughout the book. Shiatsu becomes a tool for creating a happier life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #574223 in Books
• Published on: 2002-07-31
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 292 pages

About the Author
Pamela Hannay was a certified instructor and practitioner of shiatsu with a human and equine clientele. She had been practising and teaching shiatsu since 1978, for horses since 1983, and was Senior Instructor of the Ohashi Institute in New York City and Europe until her death in 2001. She trained with Wataru Ohashi, Shizuto Masunaga, Oki, and Pauline Sasaki, and explored various health-giving modalities. She taught, for humans, all over Europe, and gave lectures, demonstrations and clinics for horse people in Britain, Germany, California and along the east coast of the United States. She lived in Flanders, New Jersey, with her husband and two cats. Pamela Hannay was the co-author of Touching Horses, the author of Shiatsu with Horses and Shiatsu for Dogs (both photographic guides) and produced an audio tape entitled Shiatsu Exercises for Horse & Rider: Three Part Harmony, all published by J.A. Allen.

Customer Reviews

An invaluable practical guide
Shiatsu works in a similar way to acupuncture, using the pressure of the hands and fingers rather than needles. In Japanese, it means literally, 'finger pressure'. It seeks to rebalance the body's energy by touching specific parts of the body. According to the principles of shiatsu, these parts are connected by channels, or meridiens, which correspond to the bodily functions, such as the heart, bladder etc.
The technique uses both hands: one hand supports, while the other works along the meridien, using a vertical pressure which alternately sinks in, releases, then sinks in again. Palm pressure or finger tip pressure can be used. It is not clear exactly how this works, but it clearly does work, since horses respond very positively to it, becoming more relaxed and easier to handle.
Shiatsu Therapy for Horses, by the late Pamela Hannay, provides a comprehensive and practical guide to shiatsu techniques. The excellent illustrations show exactly how each exercise is to be carried out, and the exercises themselves are explained in detail and with great clarity.
There is also a section on preparing oneself, through adjustments to lifestyle, for carrying out shiatsu work with horses, which mainly concentrates on physical exercises. I am not sure that all of these will be of value to the average horse owner, since in order to carry some of them out one would have to possess the kind of suppleness generally found only in gymnasts and ballet dancers. I was also not entirely convinced by some of the advice given in relation to diet. The author makes a number of statements which sound rather too much like pseudo-science for this reader's comfort. For example, she says, 'Make a list of anything you eat for one week. If there is anything that contains a list of ingredients, especially things you are unable to pronounce, it probably is not good for you.' - a statement which may or may not have any basis in fact, and which may unnecessarily deter certain people from eating perfectly good foods.
However, there are minor quibbles. This is an excellent and immensely practical guide to techniques which many people (the present writer included) have found invaluable. Recommended to anyone who wants to improve their horse's wellbeing.