Equine Massage

Known as the manual manipulation of soft tissues such as muscle, ligaments, tendons, connective tissue and fascia. The horse’s body weight is made of up to 60% in muscle and even the smallest muscle injury can take up to 90 days to present itself.

The muscular system heavily relies on the skeletal system and vice versa. When joints and bones are out of line they can nip nerves and cause muscle spasms. When muscles are tight and tense they can pull joints and vertebrae out of line.

The benefits of massage:

• Injury prevention.
• Relieves pain, stress and tension.
• Improves well-being and mental state.
• Improve posture and muscle tone.
• Improves immune system support and response.
• Improves and increases circulation.
• Improves and increases flexibility and balance.
• Improves and increases range of movements and length of stride.
• Reduces swelling and fluid.
• Improves the connection and relationship between the owner and horse with the set exercises from the massage therapist.

Signs when a type of massage is needed:

• Change in attitude, mood and personality traits.
• Bad posture, muscle atrophy and tone, lack of movement and length of stride.
• Reluctant to want to be exercised.
• Visual muscle spasms and flinching.
• Tail swishing, ears back, biting/nipping, moving away when rugs or tack is fitted.
• Unwilling to work over the back and in an outline.
• Knocking poles and not able to do sharp turns in jump offs.
• Signs of depression.
• Signs of distress.
• Extreme signs – bucking, rearing, bolting.
• Anxiety, weaving, box walking.