Freedom is a thin-skinned horse who is very sensitive to touch. Basically, he’d prefer you didn’t touch him at all some days. He will tolerate grooming, but just can’t tolerate the stimulation of a bare hand — it’s too much energy transfer for him. He benefits greatly from massage, but of course that generally means that you have to touch him.
He does better when I supplement with magnesium (more on that later) but I also came across a video where Jim Masterson (the Masterson Method) speaks specifically about horses like this. His advice is to step way back from the horse and use your hand to direct your horse’s attention to different spots on his body. It’s a bit like Reiki — a form of energy healing.
Here are two videos that I’ve found helpful. One shows hands on techniques for getting your horse to accept treatment; one includes suggestions for horses like Freedom who sometimes need to be treated without physical touch.
