Equine Massage

Nurture the Horse™ : 
On Site Equine Massage + Rehabilitation

Irene travels to your horse
Full health history considered
Health Check before proceeding
Hears owner's concerns + observations
Listens to the horse: yes they communicate with Irene
Collaborates with vet, trainer, ferrier, + breeder
Treatment plan designed for best outcomes

Newly located in the West Kootenays
Serving Slocan Valley, Nakusp, Nelson, Castlegar and areas
one barn per day, sanitization of equipment is done between appointments

Irene Rutherford, Certified Equine Myo-Massage Therapist, Human Massage +Aromatherapist, CranioSacral Therapist, Light Worker

Trained in the use of massage, stretching and hydrotherapy techniques to improve equine health and achievements, Irene is also naturally skilled + highly intuitive.

Two curly girls! Blossom is blissin'! 
Post session relaxation you can see in your horse's eyes. Irene feels amazing afterwards too. 


Equine Myo-Massage Therapy (myo refers to muscle) has these benefits: 

  • Improved flexibility + range of motion
  • Reduced muscle tension + soreness
  • Enhanced circulation + lymphatic drainage
  • Increased relaxation + stress relief
  • Faster recovery from injuries + strain

See how this next horse is responding? Yawning is a sign of significant release. This is Zeva getting help with her strained front left leg suspensory ligament. Scroll down to learn more about how Zeva told Irene what was causing her pain and irritation. 


Having grown up with horses, Irene saw that her human massage and CranioSacral Therapy skills could be translated to help horses feel better too. In the Spring of 2024, she became certified to offer equine services professionally. 

Horses get tight hamstrings too! Here Irene is addressing what sometimes results in a short forward hind-stride or even digestive issues. 

Irene's maternal grandfather Len Krebs aka 'Rawhide' was a well known horse whisperer in the Chilcotin and the East + West Kootenays. Further back than that, her great great maternal grandfather Rafael Valenzuela was a Mexican horse wrangler that brought the first cattle to the Chilcotin, in a cattle drive on horseback from Mexico, during the gold rush. To say that horsemanship is in Irene's blood is not an overstatement. It is with honour that she carries on a lineage of close relationship to horse power. 

Len always worked with the horse, never beating or brutalizing, and this is the gentle approach of Irene's equine massage work. An ability to communicate with animals is being fine tuned more and more as the years pass, to the point where it has become a duty to listen.

Zeva is telling Irene that her front left leg is sore from overuse on hard ground, before the deep frost had melted. Beware of early Spring hazards like this, a message directly from the horse's mouth! She wasn't limping but was overreacting to stimulus, a sure sign of pain. The vet confirmed what Irene heard from Zeva: her front left suspensory ligament was strained and the hind left stifle had some signs of inflammation (likely compensating for the front leg). She was given special shoes and put on rest for a few months to avoid long term damage. 

Let Irene listen to your horse(s) to nurture them to an improved quality of life. 

Starting at $220/session within 30 km of Winlaw BC
Sessions run about 1hour
Beyond 30km: $30/30km
Reduce travel costs with multiple horses at one location

One barn location per day, all equipment used is sanitized between appointments. 

Book your session now!
email nurture@iriesource.com...just go to our contact page to reach out
text 250-427-8007

Whiskey loves her Irene time, it's an honour to sit with a slumbering horse. 

NURTURE THE SOURCE™    NURTURE THE HORSE™

Educated by The School of Equine Massage + Rehabilitation Therapies, Foothills College of Massage Therapy + Hydrotherapy, West Coast Institute of Aromatherapy, Upledger Institute

Irene meets Gertie. "She has marble brains sometimes!" says the owner. 
What Gertie told me first is that her name was all wrong. She hated it. Also that she had so much poll tension that the bridal made her squirrely. I could address the poll easily, but how do you tell someone to rename their horse? The owner took it well, but later those two parted ways. Maybe she got a new home and a new name that suited her better. 


Bareback is Irene's favourite ride. 

Little 'Renie' and Cassie, Irene's first 'patient'. She had been mauled by coyotes as a newborn, but Cassie had great tenacity. Irene learned wound dressing and was shown how nurturing care saves lives.