Reiki is an ancient healing therapy which is believed to have originated in India (later surfacing in Japan under its present name). Reiki was only introduced to the western world in the mid 1970’s. Reiki is not a belief system, religion or cult, it’s a natural therapy. The word Reiki is pronounced “ray-key” and means “universal life energy”.

Since the 1970’s the use of Reiki has spread world-wide. Reiki therapy is now included in the services provided by a growing number of hospitals, medical clinics as it accelerates the body’s natural healing processes.

While originally used for healing people, Reiki is also beneficial for animals.

Reiki is a non-manipulative healing technique that involves the laying on of hands. If the horse does not want to be touched Reiki can be given at a distance, in fact many Reiki practitioners work this way. Ideally I lay my hands on the withers, chest, along the spine the legs and the head. This takes about 30 minutes, longer if needed, generally the horse will indicate when it has received enough. During a treatment your horse may yawn, lick, chew, sigh, paw the ground and in some cases sleep.

Reiki works by balancing the horse’s subtle energy field; it is gentle and deeply relaxing. Reiki clears, straightens and heals the energy pathways, thus allowing the life force to flow in a healthy and natural way.

Reiki can be beneficial to your horse in the following ways:

• Helps speed up recovery from injury, illness and surgery
• Provides pain relief
• Reduces stress and anxiety, your horse becomes calmer and more settled
• Helps maintain your horse’s health and wellbeing

By working at the energy level Reiki has the potential to address any of yours horse’s health issues.

Reiki is complementary and safe to use with veterinary treatment.

Frances practices and teaches Reiki from her clinic located in the heart of the South Island’s High Country. The clinic was first established in Christchurch in 2003, and then moved to the High Country in 2005.

After seeing the effects of Reiki on her own and friends horses, Frances incorporated Reiki Horse Therapy into her practice and teaching.

Frances sees illness, pain and disease as an imbalance in the body’s energy system. Every cell in our body is programmed to survive; to be healthy is our natural state. Reiki accelerates the natural healing process and gently helps us return to health.

Frances holds a bachelors degree in Psychology and is a Reiki Master/Teacher.

My experience with horses began while growing up in a horse racing area just out of Christchurch NZ I spent every spare moment riding, training and looking after horses. After a break of some years I have returned to riding and find Reiki to be very effective in relieving pain and calming nervous horses.

One pony I treated was so afflicted with laminitis she was holding one leg up at a time or lying down, after a 20 minute treatment once a day for five days she was able to join her paddock mates moving freely. Reiki helped speed up the pony’s immune system to deal with the toxicity caused by the laminitis.

Ben a 22 year old Cleveland Bay had been a magnificent horse in his day, he was suffering from acute pain centered over his hind quarters the suspected cause was a cancerous growth he had variable swelling in the hind legs, the vet also suspected he had a growth on the brain as he had fluctuating swelling over his forehead. When I treated Ben he would not allow his head to be touched his behaviour had become erratic and unpredictable. After the first treatment Ben allowed his head to be touched and became more of his old self. Ben recovered to the point where he was safe to handle and could enjoy a trot around the paddock. The Reiki helped relieve Ben’s symptoms and improved his quality of life for his last summer. Due to the advanced cancer Ben was put to sleep before the onset of the winter.

Chester a Thoroughbred gelding was suffering from acute anxiety when being handled. He was an ex race horse and his owners could only guess as to his previous experiences. He had sustained an injury to his back for which he had had chiropractic treatment, he moved freely with plenty of energy. He would however not allow a saddle on his back. Once Chester trusted me to touch him he became much calmer and more settled and after a couple of treatments he allowed his owner to put a saddle on him. It is very likely that Chester had had pain in his back hence not wanting a saddle on (at all), however it is a guessing game as to whether (at the time of treatment) Chester still had physical pain or if he was fearful due to previous pain. His owners suspected he was suffering from some kind of post traumatic stress either way the Reiki helped him become more trusting and easier to handle.

Frances Barker
Twizel Reiki Clinic
03 435 0778
027 232 7613