What Is Equine Massage
Like a human massage, equine massage manipulates soft tissues to encourage relaxation allowing drainage to occur or to stimulate while working muscle-related problems on the body called “trigger” or “stress”points.
Trigger points can occur as the result of hard work, stress, or injury. During a massage treatment, direct pressure is applied to these areas, encouraging the muscle to relax which aids in the release of lactic acid build up, relieves spasms, encourages blood flow, and improves the oxygen supply to the muscle.
Simply put, massage is a noninvasive technique to promote and maintain a horse’s optimal health and enhances performance and function efficiency. Equine massage is not always about pampering your horse but plays an important role in prevention and recovery not only physically but emotionally as well.
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When should your horse get a massage?
Your horse does not have to endure an existing problem or injury to benefit from massage therapy. Your horse can receive a massage any time; however, the frequency of a massage program depends on many factors, such as your horse's age, riding discipline, workload and overall health. Generally, horses benefit most from massage every 4 to 8 weeks. It is recommended to be proactive instead of reactive. We want to prevent an injury so we don’t have to work twice as hard to fix an injury.
Other considerations for when to book a massage for your horse:
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Before and after a show
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Before and after a long trailer haul
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Changing of the seasons - spring, fall, summer, winter
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In preparation for more intense training and showing season
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After an intense training and showing season.
