The amazing effects of horse massages

22.10.19 1 Comment Posted by Alice Colli

Massage helps the horse to make the most of his athletic potential. It improves it both physically and mentally, making it more collaborative with the rider and therefore more competitive in races.

The muscular system is responsible for the movement and in the horse corresponds to 60% of its body weight. Whenever excessive muscular effort is required, there is the risk of running into problems related to movement, the risk obviously increases during competitions, especially if good warm-up has not been performed. There are also numerous other causes of muscle problems, among which I will mention a few: accidents, wrong shoeing, poor nutrition, inadequate harnesses and wrong work.

To every form of pain the muscle reacts by contracting, because of this the part opposite to the area in which the problem originated is fatigued, triggering a dysfunctional chain that is reflected on the whole body of the horse, thus determining the rigidity of the movements until arriving in lameness or even inability to move.

Thanks to manual therapy, flexibility and mobility are restored to the damaged muscles.

The massage should not only be done with horses with problems but also with animals in excellent condition, in fact it keeps the horse's body in a better physical condition, helps it to prevent rigidity of the musculoskeletal system and increases the potential and efficiency of the whole body.

The horse (even if he does not always take part in competitive competitions) is to all effects an athlete, just like a swimmer or a footballer, and for this reason his muscles must be kept elastic and loose to allow him not to struggle and to prevent the onset of muscle problems. Athletes should be followed by a masseur, just like human athletes.

In particular, during the competition the horse should have the most elastic and loose muscles in order to better respond to stresses. So to get a better performance of the horse in the race, it would be ideal to do a massage before the race, also because a snappy body will better withstand fatigue.

However it is important to do the horse massage even after the competition as it will help him to cool down and prevent subsequent problems from arising.

For now I only talked about when you can massage the horse, but in practice, what happens to the horse's body during the massage?

The massage is done on the whole body of the horse with the hands of the therapist without other equipment or machinery, and consists of a series of movements that act directly on the muscle fibers, tendons and ligaments. Through these movements the fibers are separated allowing a greater flow of blood and consequently a greater supply of oxygen and nutrients and a greater elimination of toxins such as lactic acid. Furthermore, the connective tissue of the tendons and ligaments is stretched allowing them to remain elastic.

Joint massage improves circulation and their nourishment, helps to reduce localized inflammation and swelling so as to relieve pain and increase the production of synovial fluid.

It also relieves nervous tension by stimulating endorphin production.

Like people, even horses love to be massaged and prove it! During the massage, in fact, they tend to lower the head, relax the nose and lips, yawn and move the jaws rhythmically as if to chew. Even horses that usually do not appreciate contact or even the proximity of strangers, relax after a first defense reaction.

Usually after the massage, stretching is done (I will discuss it in depth in another article) and the horse is made to walk for about ten minutes to facilitate the disposal of toxins drained during the treatment.

The horse after the session can follow his normal daily routine and also support and successfully complete a race.

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