Andrea Drake - Emmett Practitioner - Horses & Humans

Another car park EMMETT success story.

It is truly a great joy to be able to help people so easily using EMMETT.

My friend shared that she woke up in pain and feeling very uncomfortable, stiff in neck, headaches and hip sore. I asked if I could give her a move or two.

Standing behind her car in a muddy car park at the paddock, I did three simple moves, without her even taking her raincoat off!

Half an hour later I received this…

“I don't know what you did, but everything just clicked and cracked and I feel so much better thank you…After your express treatment
My back cracked and the tension in my left hip release and dropped my leg and I felt like I could actually walk again…I woke up soooo uncomfortable in my body today”.

I’ve not wasted my time learning this 🥰 chuffed to help my friends so easily sometimes x

Short course/workshop coming up beginning of august

I am an Emmett Technique Practitioner (Horses and Humans) and Tutor for Horses. I am running a workshop next Saturday in Moorooduc. Emmett Technique is a gentle muscle release therapy using light pressure at specific points. This gentle and safe muscle release technique may increase movement and improve balance for your animal. In this workshop you will learn four horse moves and two human moves. What I love about this technique is that there is no prior learning required, and it is easy to make positive changes for your animal.
Please contact me if you would like to attend.

Nice explanation of the EMMETT soft touch.

“So what is it exactly that you’re touching?”

This question comes up a lot so let’s talk about it. When you see me honing in on an area, measuring up precisely and placing my fingers in exact locations, it’s for a reason. Underneath my finger is a mechanoreceptor.

A mechano-what?!!

The scientific description for a mechano receptor is a specialized sensory neuron that detects physical forces and distortions, such as touch, pressure, vibration, and stretch, converting them into electrical signals the brain can interpret. They allow you to feel textures, grip objects, and maintain balance.

So basically I’m touching a tiny little nerve ending that is then relaying that touch back to the brain through the nervous system. Emmett is a neuromuscular therapy and uses particular mechano receptors to send signals to the brain to bring certain parts of the body into its focus and encourage healing.

When a part of the body is under stress say from a physical injury or mechanical overuse the brain will signal to the fascia (connective tissue) in that area to tighten to protect the soft tissue from further damage. When the stress resolves the signal should come through the sympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system to let that fascia return to its original state. These signals don’t always get connected correctly especially if the stress has been over a longer term and the area stays tight, restricting lymphatic drainage, blood flow and the soft tissue itself. This compounds over time with a build up of toxic substances, a lack of oxygen, water and nutrients getting to the area and dehydration of the fascia causing adhesions leaving the horse tight, sore and restricted.

When we touch the correct mechano receptors they send a signal to the brain effectively bringing this area back “online”. The brain is able to recognise the tight fascia and muscles and send the correct signals for these to release. This eases much of the tension instantly while also allowing for the movement of blood and lymph into/out of the area improving tissue health in the minutes to days to follow.

If you’re interested in learning EMMETT for Horses, here’s a course starting in Macclesfield .

A new horse course starting on the 3rd and 4th of October in Macclesfield, Victoria. Please contact me for information or browse the EMMETT Technique Australia website for details on the technique and courses offered.

On the course you will learn:
🐴About The EMMETT Technique and Ross Emmett
🐴Understanding light touch and its effect on the body
🐴Observation and assessment skills
🐴Foundational EMMETT moves for horses (and humans!)
🐴Practical hands-on experience throughout the weekend

The course is perfect for those new to equine soft tissue therapy. while also providing valuable knowledge for experienced equine professionals.

A great share of Ross using his EMMETT technique to help a farrier.

Farrier Action and Moves Er is nu ook een workshop beschikbaar voor zadelpassers én hoefsmed...

Today we're putting the spotlight on Julie Scanlon, an EMMETT Technique Practitioner based in Western Australia who operates Bodywork on Bushby. For the past two years Julie has been sharing her passion for bodywork, helping clients and students experience the rapid resets of this unique modality.

Originally from North Yorkshire, Julie’s path to bodywork was paved by a global teaching career as an ESL teacher and trainer across Africa and South East Asia. Settling in Australia sparked a deep interest in holistic, traditional, and complementary health - leading her to study Qigong and Reiki before discovering the EMMETT Technique. Reaching practitioner level inspired her to establish her business, where she now seamlessly integrates EMMETT with Reiki and McLoughlin Scar Tissue Release (MSTR) ✨

In her clinic, the outcomes speak for themselves:
🔵 Subtle, progressive shifts - changes that unfold quietly over a few days, leading clients to note unexpected improvements in their overall physical comfort.
🟡 Immediate breakthroughs - profound moments of structural release, including a client's husband instantly raising his arm above shoulder height for the first time in eight years.
🔵 Holistic impact - shifts that go beyond the physical, helping to clear emotional and cognitive blocks to restore true balance.

Bodywork on Bushby

My inspirational horse EMMETT Instructor, Rebecca Cooper ❤️

It's easy to label horses as lazy or naughty. But behaviour is communication, and sometimes that communication begins with the body's nervous system.

One nerve that deserves more attention is the accessory nerve.

What is the Accessory Nerve?

The accessory nerve (cranial nerve XI) supplies two important muscles: the trapezius and the brachiocephalicus.

These muscles help the horse move and stabilise the neck, shoulders and forehand. They also play an important role in posture and balance, particularly when carrying a rider.

If the muscles supplied by the accessory nerve become uncomfortable or restricted, a horse may find it difficult to lift through the withers, reach freely through the shoulder, or maintain a soft, elastic connection with the rider.

In some horses, even the anticipation of movement may be enough to create protective tension.

Perhaps this shouldn't surprise us. The withers are more than just a point beneath the saddle. In the wild, they are a region of great significance. A stallion grips the mare at the withers to help stabilise and keep her still during mating. Predators instinctively target the same area, using it to gain control over their prey.

Is it possible that the horse's nervous system still regards this region as one deserving special protection? If discomfort is present in the muscles influenced by the accessory nerve, could the horse respond by guarding the area, limiting movement, or expressing behaviours that are often interpreted as resistance? While research is still evolving, these questions invite us to look beyond the obvious and consider the horse's responses through a different lens.

Before we ask, "Why won't they?" perhaps we should ask, "What are they protecting?"