I'm passionate about horses & fully believe massage will benefit your horse; be it for relaxation or overcoming an injury. We all get muscle aches, tightness, stiffness & knots, so does your horse. Why not prolong your horse’s ridden career by keeping them in top condition. We all enjoy a massage, your horse will too!
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MASSAGE?
INCREASED FLEXIBILITY
Massage can reduce muscle fatigue, inflammation or tightness. Through stretching and massage techniques it will improve the elasticity of the muscles. As a result the flexibility of your horse improves.
AIDS MUSCLE RECOVERY
Massage will free the body from fatigue and cramp, as well as improving the access of oxygen to rich blood cells to help replenish the depleted stores and help repair fibres. Massage is an effective method to encourage muscle repair, swelling and fluid reduction. It warms the muscles and helps encourage blood flow through the body, which is speed up recovery.
MASSAGE CAN IDENTIFY ISSUES
With hands on, an Equine Bodyworker can feel areas of tension and muscle adhesion that are previously unknown to the owner or vet. They can then put to work their skill to relieve it.
IMPROVED SUPPLENESS
Suppleness is an unrestricted movement in muscles, tendons and joints. Combining massage and skeletal mobilisation to increase the range and motion in joints, then allows the horse to be more free-flowing in their movements.
DETOXIFICATION
Used in between techniques and at the end of massage, effleurage is the sweeping motion used to guide toxins towards the lymph nodes, where the body can expel them as natural waste. Removing toxins prevents cramping and fatigue, and promotes the hydration and suppleness of muscles.
Therapeutic Ultrasound
What is Therapeutic Ultrasound (TU)?
Ultrasound for your horse has two main effects; it gently warms up the tissues, improving blood flow and tissue flexibility, while creating a micro-massage effect that helps cells absorb nutrients better and promotes better circulation.
The benefits are:
- Promotes normal function
- Softens fibrous tissues
- Softens scar tissue
- Increases tissue extensibility
- Decreases inflammation
- Accelerates the inflammatory phase of wound healing
When manual massage may be too painful for a horse with active trigger points then TU is a great alternative.
HOW OFTEN?
HOW OFTEN SHOULD MY HORSE RECEIVE BODYWORK?
Your horse will feel great after a massage, unfortunately a one-off session isn't the most productive for most horses. Having regular bodywork is hugely beneficial for keeping your horse's muscles and other soft tissue in prime condition, so you are less likely to run into preventable injuries.
I recommend regular 6 weekly maintenance massage for horses that are in light work where no issues have been identified. If the horse has a heavy workload or is presenting with issues that need fixing then a more regular schedule will be advised.