Equine Massage

Why Massage Your Horse?

Equine Massage is a topic of increasing importance in horse care and has become very popular in most barns. Professional and recreational horse owners use it to improve performance, increase mobility and range of motion, and free up the horse’s poll, neck, shoulders, hindquarters, and back to improve jumping, bending, turning, and stopping.

Owners who learn equine massage can also learn how to use touch, and the horse’s response to touch, to open a new avenue of communication with the horse. Equine massage is a small investment in the horse’s health. Massage causes the muscles to fill with rich oxygenated blood flow and increases circulation. Alleviation of muscle tension and spasms can naturally increase the horse’s efficiency. 

Massaging the Horse

Removing harmful toxins from muscles and joints increases joint flexibility, muscle tone, range of motion, and enhances performance. By using exercises and therapy, you can improve your horse’s performance and confidence. It helps horses relax. Massage can be helpful for a horse that:

• Nips, kicks, puts his ears back when saddled up
• Moves away when you approach with a saddle
• Refuses to stand still or dips his back when being mounted
• Stumbles, exhibits stiffness or lack of bend
• Has short, choppy, or uneven strides
• Keeps changing leads in the canter
• Bucks or rears uncharacteristically

Equine massage will also improve the following:

• Constantly have to push your horse to walk out more
• Having difficulty getting your horse to engage and work in an outline

Identifying imbalances early is crucial to successfully treat a problem before more serious problems occur. If you suspect your horse’s abnormal hoof growth may be due to an imbalance in the body, consult with your equine healthcare team (veterinarian, farrier, and dentist) along with the equine massage therapist to help identify the problem and develop a treatment program.