Main Types of Equine Massage
Depending on the horse’s needs, there are 3 main ‘types’ of equine massage that help a practitioner assess what techniques to use and what program to employ, although methods found in each may be used in a single session to benefit the horse.
Maintenance Massage
Maintenance massage is just what it sounds like- to maintain your horse’s current level of performance. Often horses that perform the same activities will experience a decline in performance due to the stress that certain areas exhibit because of these repetitive actions. This is similar to a human getting a massage on a regular basis because they work on a computer and as a result experience soreness in their shoulders and lower back. Stress patterns in the body often result, and this is about the time when the horse lets us know something is wrong- such as halting before a jump it has done several times before. Excellent examples of horses that benefit from maintenance massage include lesson horses, work horses, trail-riding horses, senior horses, and horses that are rarely turned out. The relaxing effects are also beneficial for abused or traumatized horses. The goal of maintenance massage is to prevent the harmful development of stress patterns, reduce tension, promote relaxation, social interaction, and to greatly reduce the chance of future injury. One massage a month is often recommended, although more are certainly appreciated!
Performance Massage
Is your horse an athlete? Would you like to improve your horse’s level of performance? This is precisely what performance massage is for- it improves your horse’s breathing capacity, cardiovascular system, muscle tone, joint flexibility, speed, and overall athletic ability. It is ideal for horses that show in disciplines such as dressage, eventing, hunting, jumping, and racing, or for a horse transitioning from one discipline to another. It is important to have your horse massaged while it is being conditioned as well as during the event season itself. A once a week pre and post-event massage schedule is highly recommended. While pre-event massage focuses on warming the horse up by increasing circulation, reducing muscular tension, improving flexibility, delivering nutrients to the blood, and helping the horse remain focused, post-event massage seeks to flush waste products that build up during an event, increase lymphatic and fluid circulation, reduce inflammation, stabilize vital statistics, and provide feedback regarding any trauma that may have occurred during the event. Pre-event massage should be scheduled up to 24 hours prior to an event, and post-event massage should take place 0-24 hours after the event. This type of massage is fundamental to increasing your horse’s athletic performance as well as preventing injuries that can occur during an event.
Rehabilitation Massage
Rehabilitation massage aids in the recovery of injuries, traumas to the body, and illnesses. It supports the immune system, increases circulation and blood flow, reduces swelling and inflammation, eases pain and tension, restores range of motion, encourages lymphatic flow, promotes proper formation of scar tissue, and removes toxins. Ill or injured horses are often confined to a stall and rehabilitation massage can provide much needed social interaction and comfort, as well as physical stimulation and exercise- even at the metabolic and cellular level. Rehabilitation massage also increases our awareness as to how the horse’s recovery is coming along by monitoring the horse’s vital signs, body, and mood, as well as the specific injury or illness itself. Techniques used are excellent to incorporate in other programs, as your horse does not necessarily need to be injured to benefit from lymphatic drainage, for instance. Rehabilitation schedules vary from once a day to once a week depending on the situation. If a vet is involved I ALWAYS develop a massage program in accordance with the vet’s treatment program in order to successfully treat a horse holistically.
Maintenance Massage
Maintenance massage is just what it sounds like- to maintain your horse’s current level of performance. Often horses that perform the same activities will experience a decline in performance due to the stress that certain areas exhibit because of these repetitive actions. This is similar to a human getting a massage on a regular basis because they work on a computer and as a result experience soreness in their shoulders and lower back. Stress patterns in the body often result, and this is about the time when the horse lets us know something is wrong- such as halting before a jump it has done several times before. Excellent examples of horses that benefit from maintenance massage include lesson horses, work horses, trail-riding horses, senior horses, and horses that are rarely turned out. The relaxing effects are also beneficial for abused or traumatized horses. The goal of maintenance massage is to prevent the harmful development of stress patterns, reduce tension, promote relaxation, social interaction, and to greatly reduce the chance of future injury. One massage a month is often recommended, although more are certainly appreciated!
Performance Massage
Is your horse an athlete? Would you like to improve your horse’s level of performance? This is precisely what performance massage is for- it improves your horse’s breathing capacity, cardiovascular system, muscle tone, joint flexibility, speed, and overall athletic ability. It is ideal for horses that show in disciplines such as dressage, eventing, hunting, jumping, and racing, or for a horse transitioning from one discipline to another. It is important to have your horse massaged while it is being conditioned as well as during the event season itself. A once a week pre and post-event massage schedule is highly recommended. While pre-event massage focuses on warming the horse up by increasing circulation, reducing muscular tension, improving flexibility, delivering nutrients to the blood, and helping the horse remain focused, post-event massage seeks to flush waste products that build up during an event, increase lymphatic and fluid circulation, reduce inflammation, stabilize vital statistics, and provide feedback regarding any trauma that may have occurred during the event. Pre-event massage should be scheduled up to 24 hours prior to an event, and post-event massage should take place 0-24 hours after the event. This type of massage is fundamental to increasing your horse’s athletic performance as well as preventing injuries that can occur during an event.
Rehabilitation Massage
Rehabilitation massage aids in the recovery of injuries, traumas to the body, and illnesses. It supports the immune system, increases circulation and blood flow, reduces swelling and inflammation, eases pain and tension, restores range of motion, encourages lymphatic flow, promotes proper formation of scar tissue, and removes toxins. Ill or injured horses are often confined to a stall and rehabilitation massage can provide much needed social interaction and comfort, as well as physical stimulation and exercise- even at the metabolic and cellular level. Rehabilitation massage also increases our awareness as to how the horse’s recovery is coming along by monitoring the horse’s vital signs, body, and mood, as well as the specific injury or illness itself. Techniques used are excellent to incorporate in other programs, as your horse does not necessarily need to be injured to benefit from lymphatic drainage, for instance. Rehabilitation schedules vary from once a day to once a week depending on the situation. If a vet is involved I ALWAYS develop a massage program in accordance with the vet’s treatment program in order to successfully treat a horse holistically.
***PLEASE NOTE: Massage practitioners DO NOT DIAGNOSE, and massage should not be used to treat illness or injury in place of veterinary care. If illness or injury does occur contact your vet immediately and take note of your horse’s vital signs. I often work through vet referral with horses on rehabilitation programs, and am happy to speak with your vet for any reason. When appropriate, vets often recognize massage as an important part of a horse’s rehabilitation process and by working together vets and massage practitioners can ensure that the best care is provided for your horse while on the road to recovery.