Equine massage therapy is not an alternative to veterinary medicine. All work carried out is in accordance to the Veterinary Surgeons Act, 1966. This states that veterinary consent must be approved before working on any animal. It is therefore my duty to contact your vet and ensure I have permission to treat your horse. Thank you
How can Massage Benefit Your Horse?
Some aims for equine massage include:
- Reduce tension and alleviate any soreness or tightness in the soft tissue, including muscles and fascia. Some aims for equine massage include:
- Improve suppleness and joint range of motion.
- Improve muscle strength and tone.
- Improve joint range of motion.
- Reduce stress and anxiety and improve relaxation by releasing endorphins.
- By increasing circulation and lymphatic drainage, massage can reducing swelling and improve healing time.
- Improves body balance, posture and co-ordination.
- By improving these, the horse has a reduced risk of injury and an improved performance.
As a massage therapist, with most horses I see there will be an immediate improvement after their massage. During their treatment, horses will show signs of release including yawning, licking and chewing as well as showing relaxation. Although these signs show that massage is effective, this is anecdotal evidence. Hence, I wanted to share some papers and studies that show scientific proof that massage is beneficial to your horse.
These include:
Scott and Swenson (2009):
Reports that equine therapeutic massage increases range of motion and stride length as well as reduce activity of nociceptive pain receptors and thus reduce physiological stress responses.
Hill and Crook (2010):
Found that massage significantly increased passive and active limb protraction, therefore improving horses locomotor function and suppleness.
Soroko (2013):
Showed that in problem horses, massage effectively relieved any muscle tightness and therefore improved the horses performance and resolved many issues during riding.
Kowalik et al. (2016):
Found that relaxation massage effectively calmed down and relaxed race horses, this in turn improved their performance.
Musculoskeletal Assessment
Initial Consultation - £40Follow-up Treatments - £30
Clients must first have an initial assessment which may take up to 2 hours. This will consist of:
- Discussing the history of the horse and any current problems
- Static conformation assessment
- Dynamic gait assessment (in hand or under saddle)
- Musculoskeletal assessment to locate any muscle soreness/tension
Following these assessments, a relevant full body massage will then take place to relieve issues found in the musculoskeletal assessment. Passive and active stretches as well as dynamic mobilisation exercises will then be used to complement the treatment.
Further treatments may be advised depending on the severity of issues found.
As part of the consultation, an aftercare plan will be sent to you to help prevent injury and improve the health and performance of your horse.
Massage
Sports Massage - £25
Sports massage may be used as part of the musculoskeletal assessment or on the day of an event.
Sports massage has the following benefits:
- Warm up muscles and increase blood flow circulation prior to exercise to prevent injury.
- Cool down muscles after exercise, effectively reducing stiffness and removing lactic acid build up.
- Maintaining muscle strength and suppleness.
- Improve range of motion.
A sports massage will take 1-1.5 hours to complete.
Maintenence Massage - £20
Maintenance massage should be used regularly as part of your horse's management. A maintenance massage is recommended whenever there is change in your horse's level of work or fitness.
Benefits of maintenance massage include:
- Improve blood circulation
- Aid toxin and lactic acid removal
- Maintain muscle tone and health of soft tissues, thus in turn improving the well-being of the horse.
A maintenance massage will take around an hour to complete
Relaxation Massage - £15
A relaxation massage is used to lower energy levels and promote a relaxed state. This method of massage consists of mainly effleurage which stimulates the nervous system to bring about the parasympathetic nervous response and therefore relaxes the horse.
A relaxation massage will take half an hour to an hour to carry out.
