For a city girl, I sure do love the sounds and smell of a barn.

On a cool, sunny summer morning in the airy barn at Paul and Cheryl Maye’s farm near Lexington, I filled my lungs with the clean fragrance of fresh hay and damp soil.

The place was bustling with activity. Four merry Boston terriers weaved their way down the aisles between the stalls, shadowing trainers and riders and barely noticing the cackling chickens, the lazy sheep and a Shetland pony named Pistol Pete — all pets that wander freely around the barn.

And quietly in his stall, Markus, a German riding pony, chomped on some hay while his equine massage therapist, Marcie Saunders, rubbed his tired muscles.

Saunders explained her technique as she ran her outstretched palms over the stallion’s shoulders. Markus appeared content, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly as Saunders applied firm pressure with her fingers.

There were times when he dropped his head and appeared to almost drift off for a snooze, a state Saunders calls “the drunk pony look.”

But then Markus seemed to wince. He leaned toward his therapist and then stepped away from her.

“When you hit a sore spot, they push into you,” Saunders explained. She said if any part of her massage is uncomfortable for him, Markus likely won’t keep it to himself.

“Horses are more honest in their reactions than people,” Saunders said.

A performance booster

The 29-year-old is trained in both equine and human massage. She has been working with horses and ponies for almost four years, and for the last two years she also massages people in an office in Vinton she shares with Tammy Smith, a certified massage therapist, and one other practitioner.

Saunders said she works with anywhere from eight to 15 equine clients per week, along with her work on her two-legged clients.

She said owners of both competitive and companion horses use massage to improve the mental and physical health of their animals.

“With massage you get much better movement, much better blood flow, and it helps with attitude,” she said.

Not all horse owners and trainers are convinced that massage will benefit their animals, Saunders said. The practice is not licensed in Virginia, but it should be performed with the knowledge and consent of a veterinarian.

Paul Maye, who said he has spent his lifetime working with and training horses, believes that equine massage can make a real difference in how a horse performs. At Maye Show Ponies at Boston Run in Fairfield, he and his wife Cheryl own 10 ponies and train as many as 20 others for clients for riding and driving events at horse shows.

Maye said Saunders, who has been massaging ponies at his stable for more than a year, will watch him work with an animal and has a good eye for what to do to help a hurting pony.

“She can look at a horse and see what the problems are.”

Saunders is one of only a handful of equine massage therapists in Southwest Virginia and gets most of her clients through referrals from horse owners and trainers. She performs massages almost every weekend at shows at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington.

Therapy for the therapist

During the morning I spent with her, she worked on two show ponies at the Maye’s stable, Markus and Rett, a chestnut red gelding. Both animals are trained by the Mayes and compete in driving and riding events.

Saunders put each pony through what looked like yoga poses, holding their fetlocks — the ankle above the hoof — while gently stretching their front legs.

“Any working horse, their shoulders and hips are always going,” Saunders said as she gently pounded on Rett’s right hindquarter, carefully avoiding the pony’s kidney. “Pushing off the ground puts pressure on their hips.”

As she rubbed Rett’s neck, the pony’s head rested on Saunders’ shoulder. His chocolate brown eyes glazed over and his lips pursed slightly. I think if Rett could have vocalized his feelings, he would have sighed “ahhhhh” at that moment.

As relaxed and willing as Rett and Markus seemed that day, Saunders said occasionally her hooved clients aren’t too keen on what she’s doing.

Massaging an animal that weighs anywhere from 800 to 1,200 pounds can be dangerous.

Saunders said she suffered a bruised lung and kidney from being on the wrong end of a cranky client. But she takes negative attitude, and bumps and bruises, from horses in stride.

“It’s not from meanness,” she said. “It’s just from pain.”

She said she decided to pursue a career in massage therapy after seeing the relief it gave to her mother, Jean Saunders of Roanoke, who has rheumatoid arthritis.

Helping a horse, pony or person improve range of motion and feel better overall makes Saunders as happy as the client, she said.

After leaving a job in insurance — “eight hours a day, five days a week of getting screamed at” — she feels she makes a difference in the lives of animals and people.

“It’s nice to have something you can do and not dread it,” she said. “I found something I really enjoy and it’s helpful.”