Woman takes massage skills to horses

By JOSEPH A. GARCIA
Scripps Howard News Service
Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Aleta McCormick's clients have bitten her, kicked her and shoved her into walls, but she still loves her job.

Her only defenses are her hands, curry combs and being attentive to clients, who have their own way of letting her know when they've had enough.

As a horse massage therapist, the Caliente woman works on horses at stables and at private residences around Moorpark, Santa Rosa Valley and Hidden Valley. "I address the issue of fixing and preventing injuries," said McCormick.

McCormick uses a deep-tissue massage technique called structural integration, which she developed over the past 30 years in a career she began as a certified human massage therapist. It keeps her busy here in Southern California and has brought her out-of-state clients.

"It's not massage work. It's more like overall body work," says Ashley Mahaffey, a customer in Rancho Palos Verdes. Mahaffey said the massages have helped her four horses' temperament and muscle structure. "I absolutely love it," she said. "It's made an improvement in their overall ability."

McCormick massaged one of Mahaffey's horses, Peanut, a 14-year-old, on a recent morning. Peanut put his head over McCormick's shoulder in a hug, signaling that the massage was going well. Horses often nuzzle her, she said.

McCormick worked over his neck, shoulders, back, hindquarters and legs three times. "The third time you get to make sure you have all the little areas," she said.

They let her know with a physical gesture when they've had enough.

Horses communicate through touch, she said. Such communication might include rocking back and forth to encourage McCormick to work more on a specific area, or licking their lips and pinning their ears back to indicate they've had enough work on a particular spot.

McCormick has plenty of competition from other horse-massage therapists. She remains confident and devoted to the horses, whether they've been used in competitions, are injured or old.

"I haven't changed my prices in 15 years," McCormick said. She said she wants the horse to benefit from her massage.

"The payoff is when the horses improve and their owners call me and are happy."

To learn more about Aleta McCormick and her Omni Equus Research Center, visit her Web site at www.omni-equus.org.