One of my favourite quotes is this one from Monica Dickens:

" If a car passes me when I'm on a horse, I always think: if I were in that car and saw me, I would wish I was me. Wistful children's faces, staring out of the back window, agree."

One of those wistful faces was mine.  

I am Elaine Mariani and I work as a massage therapist for horses. I was trained by Mary Bromiley FCSP, SRP, RPT (USA) - a practicing Chartered Physiotherapist for over 35 years and world renowned for her outstanding knowledge in this field as well as being founder of the Equine Sports Massage Association. I work primarily in the East Sussex area, as well as parts of West Sussex, Surrey and Kent.

Background

I spent a lot of my childhood hanging around yards hoping for the chance to lead a horse or muck out or just be near them. I received lessons as birthday or Christmas presents and in between I rode on the banister of the staircase using potato mashing tools as stirrups and read every book about horses I could lay my hands on. 

I was an adult when I bought my first horse and have never forgotten the anticipation of waiting for her to arrive at the yard she was to be liveried at. It was the most magical day of my life. I was fit to burst by the time the trailer with her in it arrived.  

The photo to the right is Muffin - my first horse arriving in her new home.  

At that time I worked in an office - first in computing and then personnel/training before taking time out to study to enhance my career. While on that break I took a job at a riding school to fill in time and that was the last an office saw of me. I was well and truly hooked.

I went on to take BHS exams gaining the BHS PTT certificate and worked as a freelance groom for 10 years, while steadily accumulating a variety of horses to come live with me and be my raison d'être.

My Training

My horses and I have benefited hugely from complementary therapies and therapists over the years and gradually I was led along the path of wanting to be able to help horses in this way.

My first foray into learning a 'healing' therapy was to study Reiki. I had a great teacher, Louise Heseltine,  and after completing Reiki 2 I went on to do a Deepening Course - which is somewhere between 2 and Master, as it is designed for those who want to go deeper into Reiki but not necessarily teach it..

I love the energy work and I have found a great deal of peace in practicing it on myself and others. I find it useful to 'tune in' to what I think of as a Reiki frame of mind when on my way to massage horses. It puts me in the right zone mentally and helps to shut out the every day thoughts which can intrude on concentration.  

When a friend mentioned that she was thinking of taking up equine massage I knew in an instant what it was I had always wanted to do ... 

Working with Mary Bromiley

I knew I wanted to train with Mary Bromiley and as she requires her students to first study human massage, that is what I did. I obtained the I.T.E.C diploma in Holistic Massage for humans and surprised myself by how much I enjoyed the experience.

I was thrilled to be accepted onto Mary's equine sports massage course and though it felt like a baptism of fire at times, I loved every moment of the course. Obtaining the I.T.E.C. diploma in Equine Sports Massage Therapy comes a close second to buying my first horse in the 'highlights of my life' stakes.

What a  privilege it is to work with these amazing creatures. They have given my life so much meaning and I love being able to give something back.

My Life 

I share my life with my very understanding husband, my horse Harry - a Hanoverian x TB, 2 Shetland ponies - Hector and Muffin, and 2 dogs, Dusty and Busby. Harry and I embarked on a classical dressage journey a few years back and that is my other passion when not massaging horses.

I bought a new horse in September 2009, the rather lovely Walibi, a 16.3hh KWPN 6 year old gelding.

                                                  ~~~~~~~~ Walibi (Liebi) ~~~~~~~~  

                                                         ~~~~~~ Harry, Hector and Muffin ~~~~~~ 

I thank all my horses for the path they have guided me along and for the life changing lessons they have taught me ... and I thought I was just going to learn how to ride.