The healing touch: Equine Massage
Photo Credit: Egor Shapovalov
The healing touch: Equine Massage
From Rein, September 2010»
An Equine Massage Therapist provides a hand-on technique that manipulates the soft tissues of the body, including skin, tendons, ligaments, facia and joints with an end result of increased circulation, suppleness of muscles and other soft tissues and most importantly to the owner ~ a smoother gait. Massage therapy provides an increase in both lymphatic and blood circulation. The positive effects of increased fluid circulation are: better tissue oxygenation, improved metabolic function, removal of carbon dioxide and lowered blood pressure. The mechanical pressure of specific massage routines helps to stretch and soften the tissues, which in turn helps to relieve muscle tension, trigger points, stress points and spasms and the breaking down scar tissue. A massage can greatly reduce stress and anxiety in a horse. Some behaviour in horses may be seen as “bad” but a refusal could be an indicator of pain and not poor discipline. (more below...)
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Rein Magazine asked massage therapist and owner of Loving Touch
Equine Massage, Kelly Katrynuk, to explain the process.
Rein: Which horses would benefit from massage therapy?
Kelly: All horses benefit from massage therapy from your backyard
best friend to your high performance horse. Equine massage therapy plays
a very important role in prevention therapy, long term pain management
and recovering from injuries.
Rein: What’s a sign a horse is in need of massage?
Kelly: Muscle tissue can be overused, overstretched and
overloaded resulting in pain and restricted motion. Causes can come
from: poor saddle fit, unbalanced rider, uneven training and eventing,
injuries, a fall.... the list goes on and on. Symptoms can range from
sore backs, sore necks, refusals, uneven gait, head bobbing, playing
with the bit, poor quality in both work and attitude, and most
dangerously for the rider - bucking.
Rein: How long will each appointment usually last?
Kelly: I like to take at least 1 ˝- hours for all of my sessions
with the horses. Any less time in a session would not give ample to
either the issue itself or any compensatory issues that may have arisen
due to injury.
Rein: On average, how many appointments does a horse need?
Kelly: I have seen a difference in as little as one appointment,
but it is dependant on the severity of the injury or the condition being
addressed. Minor or recent injuries will respond much more quickly than
chronic injuries.
Rein: Should the owner be there?
Kelly: Personally, I like the owner to be present but not in the
stall while I work unless I ask for assistance during the treatment –
like helping me flex the neck or lift a limb for me so I can work on the
area with the tissues at a better angle for me to access. I like to see
how the horse is moving at the beginning of the session and sometimes, I
may ask for the owner to ride the horse afterwards so I can see the
improvement in the stride while under saddle.
Rein: Will the owner be given exercises to help in between
appointments?
Kelly: Yes. I will ask them to perform specific exercises
according to the treatment rendered. For example, one specific horse
that I treated had her ribs appearing to be protruding to the one side.
I had the rider perform an exercise that would mimic what I was doing
during the massage and help release the tension in the area. To this
day, her rib cage is even and she is still standing square.
Rein: What’s a sign that a horse is responding during the
massage?
Kelly: There are many signs that a horse gives to tell me that
he/she is responding to the massage. It ranges from licking and chewing,
passing long slow quiet gas, leaning into pressure, looking at me while
I work, sighing, stretching during the massage, and of course a lowered
head and sleepy eyes. As the horse begins to understand what I am doing
I may see the horse “point” to problem areas or position me to an area
that he/she wants me to work on. I also look for signs that the horse is
responding to areas of small spasms with widened eyes, and I look for
areas of coolness of body temperature which represents lack of
circulation.
Rein: Do some horses dislike massage?
Kelly: There are times when I just have to listen to what the
horse is telling me and how the horse the horse is feeling. If it’s too
hot outside, buggy, or during different times of the day, it may not be
right for the horse to have a massage. For instance, during feeding time
or during turnout, it would not be a good time to schedule a massage
because your horse would not stay focused and then it would not be
beneficial for the horse. Also there are many factors with health that
also have to be taken into consideration. Always remember that massage
therapy is not a replacement for veterinary care. It is an adjunctive to
the care. It helps speed up recovery and makes the horse more
comfortable.
Rein: Can you help a horse that stocks up?
Kelly: Yes. Swelling in the lower limbs is very common due to
lack of circulation. Get this horse out and moving! Stall rest and long
trailer trips are the most common reasons for stocking up. A horse
should be outside and moving so the fluids are in constant circulation.
If this is not possible, massage therapy is one of the most effective
way we have to help the horse naturally as it flushes toxins and
circulates fluids.
Rein: What types of work can be rough on a horse?
Kelly: Really, all work is rough on a horse. Just like all work
is physically rough on us! From playing outside with friends to working
and performing hard in our tasks, it’s all hard on the joints, muscles,
tendons and ligaments. For example, one thing I see often is the rider
mounting from the same side. This creates a muscular unbalance that the
rider may be unaware is building in the horse which will diminish
strength and balance of the horse. Such a simple fix, but the rider just
automatically mounts from the same side every time.
Rein: What improvements have you seen in horses?
Kelly: The one that most stands out in my mind is a horse that
could not stand square for the longest time and her stride was very
choppy and both the horse and rider were clearly uncomfortable. Her
pelvis was off and this was clear from just looking at her while she was
standing still. Her hip was rotated due to the tension and spasms in the
musculature. I did two treatments with this horse. After the first
treatment her stride was back to normal and she was standing square
again. After the second treatment, she was galloping out in the field!
She was still standing square, the hips were even and her stride was
still normal. This horse had been recommended by a veterinarian to have
a massage. Massage therapists can work together with veterinarians as
our goals are the same – the improvement of the horse’s health and
quality of life!
~Susan Pennell-Sebekos
