I am hoping to share ongoing knowledge and continue to train these hands to benefit our horses! I wanted to learn equine massage after I saw the immense benefits it gave my horse after she was worked on. Not only her performance, but her pain management, her demeanor, and her ability to relax. Massage therapy has many benefits to a horse’s overall health including:
• Reduced recovery time for fatigued muscles
• Increase in muscle efficiency and muscle tone
• Decrease in muscle spasms
• Restoration of extensibility and deformation of muscle with the manipulation of adhesions or scarring
• Increase in range of motion
• Increased circulation
• Relaxation of the nervous system and stimulation of muscle fibers
• Assists in lymphatic flow
When doing the initial massage for your horse, I will assess the horse’s confirmation and general well-being. This will include getting some preliminary information about the horse including age, workload, breed and past injuries or issues. I will then do a hands on assessment to gain a feel for where work may be required. Massages usually last anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour in length. Follow up massage will be recommended based on what is found during the session.
