Most people have heard about Reiki, but are not sure what it means or how it works, especially when it comes to horses.

The concept of "Reiki", or working with the flow of "universal energy", is an ancient ­eastern art that works with spiritual laws, but is not associated with a specific religious group. The system known as Reiki today, was brought from Japan to the West in the late 1930s by Mr H Takana, although today many different forms of Reiki exists.

Tim Glyphis is a practicing Usui Reiki ­master based in Randburg, who treats ­horses and other animals with a ­combination of ­holistic treatments, including Reiki. ­According to Tim, every living being has a life force ­energy, and when that energy is blocked, it becomes stagnant and causes problems.

A Reiki practitioner channels life force energy through the meridians of the animal's body, to clear blockages and ensure a free flow of energy once more.

"There are two basic ways of treating ­horses with Reiki, one is the 'hands-on' method, ­during which I transfer energy ­directly through my hands into the animal's body. But I don't need to be in direct contact with the horse. Reiki can be practiced ­long-distance too, in which case I have no direct contact with the animal."

Tim continues to say that the nature of ­energy in the body is disrupted by ­mental ­trauma, illness or accidents, and that via "hands-on" or distance healing, she acts as a conduit to correct the flow of energy through the animal's body.

SA Horseman also spoke to Colleen ­Mulrooney, a Johannesburg based TTouch practitioner, who has been a Reiki practitioner for over ten years.

Colleen believes that using Reiki ­deepened her relationship with her horse, developed her intuition and connection with horses in ­general and allowed her to see and ­understand energy much clearer. She ­likens Reiki energy to an electric ­current: It is ­invisible but has a definite effect on ­objects. "Just because you cannot see it does not mean it is not there!"

What can Reiki do for your horse?

Tim and Colleen both use Reiki to treat physical, mental and behavioural ­problems, making the horse more comfortable with his body and reducing the chance of ­injury. Both emphasise, however, that Reiki is not a ­replacement for adequate veterinary care. It is considered a complimentary ­therapy, ­forming part of a holistic health care ­approach, aiming to balance the horse's body for it to function optimally.

Reiki can form part of a recovery ­programme after an illness, to speed up healing and alleviate pain, and targets the cause of the problem. For maximum effect, Colleen suggests that a series of regular Reiki treatments would be more beneficial, not just a once-off consultation. She uses the ­example of a colic-prone horse: If the cause of the colic is a habitually tense state of mind, the cumulative effect of regular Reiki sessions will help calm him down and lessen the chances of colic.

In her book Practicing Reiki, author ­Jennie Austin reminds us that Reiki and ­orthodox cures work in different ways. Reiki heals starting with the cause, whereas quite often orthodox medicine will start by getting rid of the symptoms, often leaving it at that. Reiki works at a gentle pace, easing the body through the change from disease to balance, which is why it seems to sometimes work slowly compared to orthodox medicine.

Another factor to keep in mind when using Reiki as a treatment, is the horse's connection with his owner.

"I love animals, not only horses, and I find that they tend to take on their owner's 'issues'. Since animals are more in tune with nature than we are, they tend to react to their owner's moods and pick up their handler's energy, which is ­often to their detriment," explains Tim.

"Part of successful holistic treatment for your horse, would be to have your energy flow checked too!"

Colleen Mulrooney can be contacted on 083 340 4240, and Tim Glyphis at 082 265 1494.