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I have 17 years Equine experience, I
first started horse riding at the age of 7, every spare
second was spent at the stables. I then had my first horse
at the age of 12 and since then I have always owned horses.
I have worked at riding schools, race
yards and competition yards. It was only when my own horse
Ben started to suffer with back issues that I started to
become more interested in the science aspect of horses.
I then completed a level 3 diploma in equine science through
Oxford College ODL and went on to complete the Merishia
Equine and Canine massage course privately taught by Nikki
Routledge.
About Massage Therapy
Massage
therapy is the manipulation of soft body tissues (muscle,
connective tissue, tendons, and ligaments) to enhance health
and well-being.
Massage is a form of therapy that has been around for years,
massage therapy offers the same benefits to animals as it
does to humans and why wouldn’t it?
When a muscle is tight or in spasm it can be very sore and
uncomfortable (I’m sure at some point we have all
experienced this discomfort)! By the use of massage therapy
we are able to free these tight muscles and increase comfort
for our furry friends.
Massage relaxes muscle tissue, which reduces painful
contractions and spasms. Massage can also reduce nerve
compression. To understand this, consider that when muscles
are contracted, they sometimes compress the nerves around
them. When these muscles are relaxed, the nerves are no
longer compressed, and, in theory, can get proper nutrients
and operate more efficiently. The nerves can assume their
normal work of transmitting messages to and from the brain,
which improves functioning of the muscles and organs.
BENEFITS OF MASSAGE THERAPY FOR ANIMALS
-
relieves
aches and pains
-
releases
cramp and muscle spasms
-
enhances
mobility and flexibility, by improving circulation
-
increases range of motion
-
reduces
risk of injury
-
speeds
recovery rate from injury
-
strengthens muscles after illness or injury
-
improves
coat condition
-
relieves
stress
-
helps
with long standing problems like arthritis
-
improves
suppleness in old age
-
encourages social contact with people
Benefits of massage for Horses
So often I
see people shouting, hitting and being unfair to their horse
when they are bucking, refusing jumps etc......but why don’t
people ever stop and think ‘maybe my horse is in pain’? More
than 60% of the horses’ body weight is muscle.
As it is not natural for horses to carry humans it’s not
really surprising they suffer with physical problems. We
then ask them to jump great heights, gallop as fast as
possible and perform extremely challenging dressage moves.
Ill fitting saddles are also a source of back pain.
Trauma or injury can be a cause of muscle problems; although
the injury may have healed it doesn’t mean to say the horse
isn’t still uncomfortable through its musculature due to a
compensatory movement whilst it was injured.
Easy to spot signs that your horse may need a treatment –
-
Stiff on
one rein
-
Behavioural changes e.g. bucking, rearing, biting etc
-
Hollowing through the back during transitions
-
Dislike
to being saddled
-
Deterioration in usual performance
-
Uneven
wear of shoes
-
Tail
carriage to one side
-
Refusing
to change canter lead or striking off on incorrect
canter lead
-
Short
choppy strides and breaking from canter to trot
constantly
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