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Improve stamina  |
By increasing the range of motion, you'll find the horse is working again in an efficient manner, thus improving the stamina as well as the performance. Anytime the horse is working against himself he is using excessive energy to run his systems.
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Improve the disposition  |
A horse that is not comfortable has to be a saint if they never complain about it. Horses will present their objections by changing their behavior. Often, you'll look back in hindsight realizing that your four legged friend was trying to tell you something well before an injury took place. He wasn't just being a jerk, he was attempting communication. Remember when, out of the blue, he/she started pinning his/her ears when saddling him/her up? Or did he/she did not want to pick up the correct lead? Or refused that last jump? Could it be possible he/she was letting you know that they hurt somewhere?
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Provide comfort to muscles injuries  |
As part of the rehabilitation process following an orthopedic type problem or actual muscle injury. After the appropriate time for healing, you find massage, stretching and the proper exercise can help the process along by encouraging the scar tissue to lie down in a better pattern. Reducing any amount of scar tissue as it adheres to healthy tissue can help restore the muscle to better returning function.
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| Enhance the performance and gait quality |
By improving the stamina and the disposition, as well as the range of motion as we talked about above, the performance and gaits also reap the benefits.
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Increase the range of motion  |
A horse that moves better is more efficient in his stride. There is less wear and tear on the joints, ligaments and tendons equating to a longer performance life. Some disciplines rely on a big moving horse, so enhancing the stride improves the gaits. A longer and more efficient stride in a well conditioned sound race horse can make the difference in lengths at the finish line. The dressage horse that is flexible looks better and feels better. A jumper uses a major amount of muscle during his take off, flight and landing. If he is flexible and agile with the muscles synchronized properly, he'll do a better job.
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Improve the circulation  |
You've noticed that stocked up legs will go down after a little exercise or by applying friction. After a massage a horse actually looks like he's been working out in the gym. His veins are easy to see and the coat is glossy. When you've got the circulation going you're also helping to stimulate the elimination of waste products in the system. Exercise is actually the best way to increase the circulation; however, some horses are on a controlled exercise program while recovering from injury or illness. For these horses, massage is used to stimulate the circulation when necessary.
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Benefits of passive stretching  |
Allows for a greater range of movement
Reduces strain on tendons and ligaments
Maximizes tendon and muscle elasticity
Develops a longer stride as shoulders move with greater freedom
Improves the range of motion in hips and shoulders - easier lateral work
Improves flexibility in upper arms - reduces risk of injury during stressful demands
Reduces fatigue as muscles and joints are more flexible
Improves circulation to all tissues – less effort during warm-up is required and energy is conserved for athletic exertion
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| What does massage do for race horses |
A race horse is one of the ultimate candidates for massage. Each stride counts, and that stride may be worth thousands. They are asked for maximum exertion in the minimal amount of time. Massage is an essential element in the most successful training programs. A pre-event massage will help the muscle system to be in prime performance shape. Race horse clients do tend to come out their races with fewer problems, thereby enabling them to be more quickly prepared and strong for the next race
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
IT'S MY FIRST VISIT, WHAT TO EXPECT?
I discuss your horse's case history; I take some general details of both you and the horse and ask you to walk the horse so I can observe its movement from both sides, behind and front. The treatment itself takes about an 60-75 Minutes, depending if I find tight spots etc. I usually massage the whole horse first and then tend to get back to the tighter spots for extra attention to finish off. Finally I record all my findings and keep them on a file for future reference.
You probably know your horse better than anyone else, but as a general rule of thumb - they tend to love it. Often the first time I find they can be a bit wary of me the first 15 minutes or so - understandable since often a stranger handling them can make them feel uneasy - but they soon relax and start licking and chewing and nearly fall asleep. On subsequent visits they know who I am and relax and enjoy themselves. So far most owners have been surprised how quickly their horse accepts me and relaxes after I start the treatment.
Preferably I treat the horse before it's ridden. That way I can also detect the 'tight spots' more easily. You can ride your horse straight afterwards, since sports massage prepares the muscles to work. There is also scientific evidence that massage 1-3 hr after exercise will enhance horses long term performance.
This all depends on horses level of work, his conformation, his health and current/past problems and injuries, the way he is trained and ridden etc. But as a guideline...
I like to see the horse a few times in a row initially (e.g. 3 times within 5 weeks depending on case) to get to 'know' his body, how he benefits from massage and to initiate healing of long term tension spots. From then on wards it really depends on his level of work.
A competition horse in serious training and with a full show schedule benefits for a massage once a week. A typical horse ridden on average 5 times a week with small competition here and there should be massaged every 4 weeks or so. A retired or a pleasure horse should have a massage about every 5-6 weeks.
This way I can assess your horse's condition as you train, allowing the horse the normal benefits of a massage discussed before and also I can keep check on any sore and over trained muscles and point out any concerns before they become anything major
Since massage is applied to soft tissue, it does not directly work on the joints. However, the increase in circulation that comes with massage has a positive effect in the joints. There is growing evidence that massage helps with the production of synovial fluid, a valuable element in both joints and muscle
Muscle problems are cumulative. If your horse has an issue on his right front, he may be shifting more weight to his left front to compensate. Also, he may be rocking back on his haunches to take the weight off of his front. Then, even when the issue in the right front is resolved, he may still be body sore elsewhere.
Massage will help. By caring for the whole horse, these secondary problems can be averted
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Massage is used along with conventional and complementary health care as well as proper training techniques enabling the horse to perform at an optimum level. By itself, it does not attempt to cure anything.
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