When should you get your horse massaged?
For maintaining healthy, stress free muscles:
Maintenance massage
Booking regular massages for your horse to prevent muscle injury
and imbalance is called 'maintenance massage'. On a regular basis
your horses' muscles will have less aches and pains, be looser
and more flexible reducing the chance of muscle injury and improving
performance. This is especially important when your horse is
in a training and competition schedule.
Aim for one massage every 2 to 4 weeks - you can increase
and decrease the frequency depending on your horse's schedule.
For muscle injuries:
Recovery massage
If your horse has a muscle injury, massage can help speed recovery.
If you suspect a muscle injury seek veterinary advice first especially
if the area has excessive heat, is swollen and very tender. Once
your horse has been vetted a massage session can help the injured
muscles and surrounding tissues recover faster and retain flexibilty
by increasing circulation and reducing scar tissue. There may
also be other areas in your horses' body that work harder (compensation)
to take the load off the injured side/limb. Massage therapy can
keep these areas from reaching high tension levels during the
recovery time.
Massage therapy is also beneficial when used in conjunction with
Chiropractic adjustments.
For an edge on the day of
competition:
Sports massage
Sports massage is carried out on the day of competition. Sports
massage has a quick tempo and utilises specific strokes that
aim to warm-up your horses' muscles before an event so your horses'
engine is primed and 'ready to go' so all energies can be focused
on the event as soon as you start. Sports massage is also beneficial
when applied in the hours after an event to help reduce 'post-exercise'
muscle stiffness.
Sports massage can be included in any discipline.