History of Equine Hanna Somatics

Equine Hanna Somatics (EHS) is an adaptation of Hanna Somatics for horses.
Thomas Hanna, PhD (1928-1990) coined the word “Somatics” in the late 1970’s to define the approaches to mind-body integration.

The word soma is Greek for the living body. Hanna redefined its meaning as the body experienced from within, where humans and horses alike experience mind-body integration. Eleanor Criswell Hanna, Ed.D is responsible for adapting the Hanna Somatic techniques with horses.

What is Equine Hanna Somatics?

Like humans, horses experience stress (physical/emotional) and develop chronically contracted muscles. These muscles can cause pain and fatigue from constant use, affect circulation, increase lactic acid, press on nerves, and reduce oxygen and blood supply to vital areas of the body.
These muscular contractions become so deeply unconscious, that eventually horses no longer remember how to move about freely. This is what we term “Sensory Motor Amnesia” (SMA).
SMA happens gradually and can begin at any stage in life. Horses habitually begin to hold themselves tightly in reaction to pain, injury or emotional stress.

EHS is a hands-on procedure for teaching horses, horse riders, and horse handlers the voluntary and conscious control of the neuromuscular systems of horses suffering muscular disorders of an involuntary and unconscious nature.

Horses are prey animals, hard wired for the primitive startle response. When a horse is startled, a brain-stem reflex occurs, which causes muscles to contract, adrenaline to rise, and heart rate to increase. This is what’s known as the “Fight or Flight” response, which is frequently initiated from birth on wards and for horses it is a survival mechanism.

Since the domestication of horses, humans have somewhat taken away a horse’s ability to flee the scene and have therefore contributed to the levels of stress they experience.

When horses are stressed, their muscles contract propelling them to move or run. Some of the muscles become stretched; the stretch reflex is triggered and the muscles are re-contracted. Over a period of time, horses become more and more chronically contracted.

Like humans, horses develop characteristic postures, movements and behaviours. These characteristics can arise from stresses such as injury, surgery, being forcefully ridden, poorly fitted saddles and girths, led from one side, inactivity, ill-fitting shoes and so on. Often they develop pain, discomfort and a restricted range of movement as a result. We believe SMA plays a huge roll in all of the above conditions, because of this the horse is left with an inability to relax specific muscle groups.

EHS is a natural, gentle and safe way to end chronic pain, relax contracted muscle groups, manage stress and restore freedom of movement. Horses find the work very relaxing and can gain numerous benefits.