Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 25, 1994 TAG: 9404250095
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KEN DAVIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
But in the case of Lauren Giannini, a massage therapist who has been riding for more than 40 years, it will have to stay an equestrian's dream.
Go home and hit the Ben Gay, cowboys and cowgirls. These hands are for horses.
"I love horses," Giannini said. "I think they're the greatest blessings human beings could have. They ennoble us, and they have incredible capabilities for unconditional love."
Giannini, who owns Happy Horse Bodyworks in Loudoun County, traveled to the Virginia Tech campus Saturday to demonstrate her unique profession to a group of students and other horse enthusiasts.
The demonstration, called Equine Massage Clinic, was sponsored by the Tech Equestrian Club to promote the effects of massage therapy and other natural healing techniques on horses.
"This is to open the eyes of the Virginia Tech community," said Katie Troup, activities director for the club.
Troup said even though people are often skeptical of using massage therapy - especially on horses - seeing Giannini practice her craft will make a believer out of anyone.
"These horses will turn over backward for her," she said. "What more proof do you need than to see them turn to jelly?"
Within the large, covered arena by the Tech animal judging pavilion, the somewhat skeptical observers watched as Giannini went to work on one of her clients - a 2-year-old, golden-brown Arabian named Destiny.
She let her small hands work methodically and deliberately along Destiny's body, all the while citing the scientific names of the horse's anatomy like an attorney citing points of law.
"When I read a horse's body, it's as much a matter of feeling as it is seeing their reactions," she said. "It doesn't take the IQ of a rocket scientist to realize what feels good to a horse while you're grooming them. A positive massage is always a positive experience."
Destiny obviously agreed. Within minutes, he was lifting and kicking his hooves and burrowing his head into her hands in hopes of receiving more attention.
Once it was over and a newly relaxed Destiny went back to his stable, Giannini put her massage techniques to use on the members of her once-skeptical audience, demonstrating that what works on people will work on horses.
"It really felt great," said Jori Weerts, secretary for the Equestrian Club. "If I liked it, why shouldn't the horse like it? It's also good not to be asking the horse to do something for you, but instead, doing something for the horse."
Giannini, who makes "barn calls" all over Virginia and surrounding states, said her services usually involve an hour and a half of massaging the horse, followed by another hour demonstrating the same techniques on the horse's owner and explaining the effects of the therapy.
Services average about $50, depending on the type of horse and how much therapy is required. Giannini said it's a small price to pay to keep a horse happy and healthy, something massage therapy skeptics would realize if they just gave it a chance.
"People are always going to be skeptical," she said, her hands kneading the muscles of a 13-year-old dark-brown brood mare named Golden Statue. "What you have to remind them is, `Don't we all love a back rub?' "
by CNB