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May 08, 2008

CLOUD 9

HORSE CARE AND EQUINE MASSAGE

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EQUINE MASSAGE

"A horse has an honest and eager heart.

Don't destroy it!"

Maureen P. Curry

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Equine Massage is most effective when used as a preventative measure before or after a horse show competition. Equine sports massage will prepare your equine athlete to perform his very best. This particular form of massage will keep your athlete flexible thereby preventing further injuries to his muscles. Taking good care of your horse should be your primary goal when competing. This is not something trainers want to hear. (I am assuming you take good care of your horse even when you are not competing.) A torn muscle is the result of overtraining or (overstraining, as they do in the field running around like a lunatic).

A horse is a huge investment of time and money, make sure you have both. I found out the hard way.

The one stroke that makes SPORTS massage distinct is compression.

The other strokes which are used to complement COMPRESSION are: Direct Pressure, Cross Fibre Friction, Percussion and Palpation.

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Because muscle injuries are built up over time the rider is not aware of an injury in progress. Equine sports equine massage is unique in that it focuses on the cause of muscle injury with the intent of relieving muscular pain and providing stimulation. Equine massage will help alleviate body misalignment due to a stressful training regime. Failure to detect the early signs of injury will often lead to more serious injuries as "referred" muscle pain will transmit throughout various parts of the horse's body. Back pain is likely caused from weak back muscles due to weak abdominal muscles. Walking and trotting up and down hills will help the all around conditioning of your horse.

So many horses are discarded needlessly because they are not given a chance to heal with a specific massage treatment or proper veterinary consultation.

Benefits of Equine Massage

Releases lactic acid build-up
Calms an anxiety-ridden/nervous horse.
Provides good blood and lymphatic circulation
Enhances muscle tone
Releases endorphins (the body's natural pain killer)
Increase in range of motion
Increases ability to heal the body and mind
Connective tissue becomes elongated and changes the nervous system and muscle system.

Pre-Event Massage

Stimulates and invigorates the body
Increases muscle flexibility
Helps loosen tight joints

Post-Event Massage

Assists in preventing muscle soreness
Helps to prevent cramping
Reduces post-event anxiety and stress
Assists the body to recover

Cloud 9 Horse Care and Equine Massage Therapy Services

Mt. Lehman Road

Abbotsford, BC

Cell # 778-908-9868

The first thing I do is focus and concentrate on your horse and keep myself in the horse's presence at all times.

CLOUD 9 HORSE CARE find's injuries while still new and restores them through a program of equine massage therapy to prevent an ongoing problem. Each horse will tell me what the problem is during the hands-on evaluation. The treatment given is altered throughout the massage according to the horse's needs. The treatment may be deep tissue work or just a relaxing body massage. It really depends on whether a horse has experienced a massage. I find that a horse is very suspicious of of a new person and new things so it takes a couple of times before they understand what it is I am trying to do. After a few massage treatments I am usually greeted with a yawn.

I take my time with each individual and I do a great massage. One hand is on your horse at all times and the other hand is used to do the massage sequence. The non-massage hand that is on the horse at all times will reassure the horse and help calm him. Plus it is a protection for myself as some horses nip or kick out.

During a massage the horse's body, like our own, will eventually release discomfort or pain. Massage therapy also has a profound affect on the horse's ability to learn (because the horse's mind is relaxed) and has an influence on the personality. The bonus is, your horse will start learning it is a good feeling when his head is positioned lower than his withers. Massage therapy is all about good feelings.

The massage therapy session would last about 2 hours on the first meeting as I need to have the case history of the horse I am working on. I will observe the horse's gait and movement, body language and eye expression. The massage therapy technique will depend on the injury and size of your horse. The technique I normally used is the Swedish Massage technique (stroking and petrissage).

I worked on a mare that was unable to tolerate more than 15 minutes of massage work. She was very jumpy and suspicious. Each horse has to be "handled" in a different way. What massage therapy works for one doesn't work for all horses and the massage therapist has to be flexible in her program to make a quick change if she sees it is not being accepted by the horse.

I certainly don't expect every horse to stand still for the entire massage therapy. This is where the owner can be a big help for her horse. She can learn a few massage sequences and do them herself. You will see a dramatic difference in your horse's attitude and attention. The follow up massage treatment will be that much easier for me and your horse.

After the massage I take your horse for a brisk 5 minute walk to prevent "after massage stiffness". Putting your horse out into the paddock to walk it out on their own is not effective. (Whenever I have gone for massage therapy I am very sore the next day and I have made the mistake of lying down for hours instead of going for a walk.)

When appropriate, I incorporate slow, passive stretch exercises working through the full range of motion or a partial or modified stretch. The combination of massage and stretching helps the horse to maintain and improve the nervous system and muscular system.

COLD MUSCLES ARE NEVER STRETCHED

There are 3 major horse keeping areas that need to be addressed in order for a

horse to perform at an optimum level: