{"id":28110,"date":"2014-07-27T06:59:14","date_gmt":"2014-07-27T11:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=28110"},"modified":"2014-07-27T06:59:14","modified_gmt":"2014-07-27T11:59:14","slug":"hearing-impaired-man-communicates-with-horses-through-massage-louisiana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2014\/07\/27\/hearing-impaired-man-communicates-with-horses-through-massage-louisiana\/","title":{"rendered":"Hearing-impaired man communicates with horses through massage – Louisiana"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hearing-impaired man communicates with horses through massage<\/strong><\/p>\n

RYAN BROUSSARD<\/span><\/p>\n

rybroussard@theadvocate.com
\nJuly 06, 2014<\/p>\n

ERWINVILLE \u2014 Joseph Lockwood dragged his thumb and forefinger in the shape of a U across the back of his patient, trying to find tension spots on the 16-year-old rambunctious horse named Champ.<\/p>\n

He moved from the back to the spasming<\/span><\/span> shoulder muscles, where he jammed his elbow and drove his fists in counter-clockwise rotations before heading down the thick legs.<\/p>\n

After finishing the front legs, he turned his attention to the back of Champ, who seemed at ease as Lockwood worked every major muscle group and pressure point, trying to find his painful tension spots.<\/p>\n

Passing cars and big rigs on U.S. 190, as well as the sounds from Champ\u2019s stable mate Magic, a 21-year-old brown horse with a blonde mane, caught Champ\u2019s attention, but the sounds never bothered the 20-year-old massage therapist because he couldn\u2019t hear them. Lockwood has been deaf since he was 2 years old.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just think that because he doesn\u2019t have all the distractions that he\u2019s able to focus,\u201d Lockwood\u2019s mother and interpreter Carol Montgomery said.<\/p>\n

Working with horses like Champ is something Lockwood has wanted to do since he was a child, his mother said.<\/p>\n

As a 2-year-old living in Hungary, Lockwood had meningitis, the disease that took his hearing. Several months later, Montgomery, who owned a rehab center for hearing-impaired and visually impaired people, adopted Lockwood<\/p>\n

His love of horses was evident early, and when the toy horses she bought failed to appease him, she enrolled him in riding lessons.<\/p>\n

Three months after beginning the lessons, Lockwood, 12 years old at the time, captured a state title in a competition in Folsom, and his love of horses strengthened.<\/p>\n

He researched on the Internet ways he could work with horses and landed on equine therapy for special needs children, Montgomery said. As enjoyable as that was, Lockwood wanted a more interactive, faster-paced occupation with horses and stumbled upon a website for an equine massage class in Virginia run by equine massage pioneer Mary Schreiber.<\/p>\n

Lockwood studied the anatomy of horses for weeks before flying out to Virginia in March for the intensive weeklong<\/span><\/span> course that culminated in a comprehensive, eight-hour, hands-on final.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really wanted a profession working with horses,\u201d Lockwood said through his mother, who interpreted for him. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter than I\u2019m deaf. I don\u2019t care that I\u2019m deaf.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now he is a certified equine sports massage therapist and has a growing business, Hands for Horses, that features more than 20 clients and so much work that he hasn\u2019t had time to work with his horse, Breeze, who also is deaf.<\/p>\n

Montgomery said every client has been amazed with the work Lockwood has done with the horses, so much so that all of his business so far has been by word of mouth.<\/p>\n

That is how he ended up in Erwinville on Monday working with Champ.<\/p>\n

Champ\u2019s owner, Denise White, said a friend, Rusta Sexton, of<\/span><\/span> Ethel, called Lockwood to see if he could heal the balky<\/span><\/span> shoulder of her former barrel racing horse, Freckles, who had been having trouble moving. When Lockwood was done, Freckles ran around and wanted to play.<\/p>\n

When White heard of the work Lockwood did on Freckles\u2019 shoulder, she thought he might be able to work his magic on Champ.<\/p>\n

White wants to ride Champ, but he\u2019s never cooperated since she bought him six years ago, often bucking and standing almost straight up with her on his back when she has tried.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he knew he could intimidate me,\u201d White said.<\/p>\n

Champ was skittish at first, not cooperating with Lockwood, but he eventually calmed down and began licking Lockwood\u2019s hand and playfully nibbling on his blue scrubs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like the animals sense that he has this ability to heal or connect,\u201d Montgomery remarked.<\/p>\n

Lockwood kept his focus on his patient and, besides the occasional peeks over at his mother to see if White had any questions about the therapy, he worked diligently for about 45 minutes, massaging each major muscle group while White looked on<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n

As the session wound down, Lockwood focused on the spasms in Champ\u2019s neck and told White that the left side of Champ\u2019s neck<\/span><\/span> is sore and causing him some discomfort. Lockwood said he would like to return in about four weeks to do another session.<\/p>\n

As soon as Champ was released, he bent all four legs and slowly lowered himself to the ground, rolled over on his back and started rolling around in the dirt.<\/p>\n

From the wild horse before the session, Champ visibly became calmer.<\/p>\n

\u201cMassage work is a challenge, but I love challenges,\u201d Lockwood said.<\/p>\n

SOURCE:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.theadvocate.com\/home\/9606689-125\/hearing-impaired-man-communicates-with-horses<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hearing-impaired man communicates with horses through massage RYAN BROUSSARD rybroussard@theadvocate.com July 06, 2014 ERWINVILLE \u2014 Joseph Lockwood dragged his thumb and forefinger in the shape of a U across the back of his patient, trying to find tension spots on…<\/p>\n

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