What is Tellington TTouch?
Tellington TTouch is a gentle form of body work. It consists of various circular TTouches, as well as slides and lifts done with the hands and fingertips all over the body of the horse. TTouch reminds the body of its potential for perfect functioning.
What are Essential Oils?
They are natural aromatic compounds distilled from a variety of plants. They have the ability to work on a cellular level.
Why use them together?
Using Tellington TTouch and Essential oils together is a wonderful way to affect the entire horse on a cellular level. By combining these modalities the positive effects of both methods complement each other. The addition of the essential oils to the TTouches brings another dimension to this work, adding aromas that deeply affect your horse’s senses and the limbic system of the brain. The intent of this method is to activate and enhance the function of the cells, awaken cellular intelligence and strengthen the ability of the body to heal itself.
What results can you expert?
This method gives you a great tool to bring your horses learning ability to a higher level. Balance and coordination improve, which affects your horse’s ability to perform in any discipline and fosters true cooperation. TTouches help to build a trusting relationship.
Whatever you do with your horse will be easier on the basis of understanding, a spirit of cooperation and a heart connection.
Practical Benefits Include
Standing well for daily hoof care and the farrier
Trailering with ease and confidence
Increased balance physically and mentally under saddle
Faster recovery from stressful events or illnesses
Focused and calm before event, horse show or ride
The Basic Circle
How to: Imagine the face of a clock on your animal’s body, about the size of a quarter, 12 o’clock upward. Put a couple of drops of oil on your fingertips and spread evenly over the tips and pads of your fingers. Place your hand lightly on your horse’s body and have your second hand a little distance away for balancing and connection. Your lightly curved fingers start at 6 o’clock and gently push the skin around the face of the imaginary clock for one and a quarter circles. Make sure that you are not sliding over your horse’s skin, but just have enough contact to actually move the skin. Have your wrist straight and don’t rest your palm on the horse for this basic TTouch circle. Allow your fingers to be soft, bending at each finger joint completing the circle. Either pause and lift your fingers off the horse to the next circle or slide fingers softly over. You can do these circles all over your horse’s body, wherever there is a need for the application of the oil. It is important to breathe evenly as you do the TTouches!
Ear TTouches
How to: Apply the oil to your fingers and stand in front of your horse with her head lowered. Lightly balance your horses head with one hand one side of the halter, while you gently apply the oil with tiny circles around the base of the ear. This will positively affect your horse’s digestive, respiratory and reproductive systems. Then gently stroke the ear from the base of the ear to the tip of the ear. Alternate sides and keep your fingers out of the horse’s ear since oils should never be applied in the ear canal itself.
Python Lift
How to: Add the oil to your whole hand, just a couple of drops and then place your hands around the leg of your horse with full contact of the whole hand. Gently lift the skin in an upward motion. Have enough contact to prevent your hand from sliding over the skin. Hold and pause a few seconds and slowly let the skin down, allowing it to return to the starting point.
Move your hands down the leg doing the lifts every few inches. You can add small circles around the coronary band to this
TTouch for extra grounding and awareness all the way into the hoof. Python Lifts can also be done on the back, neck and belly to relieve tension and increase awareness and mobility.
Your horse will tell you which TTouches/oils he likes. Let your horse smell the oils from your hand or bottle, making sure the bottle is secure inside your hand to prevent your horse biting it.
Solutions
Mild occasional abdominal upset: Ear TTouches and Python Lifts on abdomen and over flanks with Digest Zen or Fennel, Ginger, Spearmint or Peppermint. Use a calming oil for yourself while you are waiting for the vet.
Wounds, bleeding and pain: Use tiny circles to work around a wound and lightly over bumps and bruises with Helicrysum, Lavender, Frankincense or Melaluca. Dilute with Aloe Vera gel.
Overtired and exhausted: Ear TTouch with Motivate, Peppermint, Rosemary or Wild Orange.
Nervous, fearful horse: Ear TTouch, circles in connected, parallel lines all over the body and behind the poll with Lavender, Serenity, Peace or Vetiver, Bergamot, Basil, Balance.
Shock or fright: Ear TTouch with focus on shock point on the tip of the ear with Roman Chamomile, Breathe, Peppermint, Helicrysum.
Tension: Ear TTouch, Python Lifts, circles from poll all along the side of the spine with Peace, Lavender, Serenity, Ylang Ylang
Unbalanced, lack of coordination: Python Lifts with Balance, Frankincense, In Tune.
Emotional and mental stability and focus: Connected circles in long parallel lines all over the horses body, Python Lifts with In Tune, Siberian Fir, Cedarwood, Lavender, Breathe, Lemon.
Moody Mare: Python Lifts and small circles along poll, back, sides and over flanks, apply on nose band of halter: Clarycalm, Lavender, Whisper, Geranium.
Shut down, withdrawn horses: Tiny circles in face with Lavender (avoid eyes and nostrils) circles along poll and neck, Python Lifts on legs and back with Marjoram, Wild Orange or Lime.
Diffusing Halter
Add the benefits of Essential oils to a grooming or groundwork session or while your horse is being trailered by applying a few drops of oil to the nose band of your halter.
Ask yourself which behavior or feeling you want to foster and pick your oil accordingly.
Make sure your horse likes the oil you picked. I recommend applying the oil to the halter before you put it on to avoid accidentally spilling oil over your horse’s nostrils or mouth.
Caution: Never leave your horse unattended wearing a halter!