Equine massage
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Equine massage is a topic of increasing importance as a natural approach to horse care. Professional and recreational horse owners use it to improve performance, increase mobility and range of motion, and free up the horse's poll, neck, shoulders and back to improve jumping, bending, turning, and stopping. It is used in treatment of specific maladies such as Equine Exertional Rhabdomyolysis.
Massage causes the muscles to fill with rich oxygenated blood flow and increases circulation; which hastens the elimination of wastes and toxic buildup from fatigued muscles. Alleviation of muscle tension and spasms can naturally increase the horse's efficiency. Removing harmful toxins from muscles and joints increases the flexibility, muscle tone, range of motion and enhances competitive performance. By using a consistent massage therapy regime, you can improve your horse's performance, confidence and over all quality of life. There are several mechanical high quality products designed and tailored specifically to the horse industry which provide beneficial massage through non-invasive deep tissue response ancillary therapy.
Not only does massage improve its performance and health it can also be used to help the horse relax. If a horse is very stressed out or jumpy, massage normally will help relax the stressed horse and it helps improve the confidence of a jumpy one. Massage can help the horse and handler bond.
Massaging a horse before competition can result in as much as 20% increase in the animal's efficiency.
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[edit] Massage practices
Equine massage practitioners should first check the horses health, by checking vital signs, and checking for injuries.
- Hydrotherapy - Basic water treatments which helps to relieve pain that is either acute or chronic, and also in inflammatory disorders in both humans and animals
- When using Cold - This helps to stop bleeding when used right after the trauma has happened. You can also use this method when there is inflammation in the legs or you could apply to an old injury that’s acting up. When using cold, it first chills the skin, which makes the blood vessels constrict. This also helps to reduce swelling and helps by decreasing pain by numbing the sensory nerve endings.
- Using Heat - Heat is used at every level in medical practice, so it is used with heat lamps, ultrasound, lasers etc.… When using heat it helps to sooth the sensory nerve endings. With this it dilates the blood vessels and helps by bringing in more oxygen and nutrients to the tissues. Using heat helps to loosen muscle fibers, tendons, and ligaments. This helps to dislodge toxins that have built up and helps prepare the muscle for the massaging. It also helps with the relaxation and with it, it lowers blood pressure, while it raises the bodies temperature, and increases metabolism.
- Kinesiology is basically the study of how different structures are able to move. Kinesiology is important to understanding how the muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, and the joints all work together. As everyone should know the front legs move totally different from the hind legs.
[edit] Regulation
In the United States, The legal requirements vary by state and are determined by each state's veterinary board. Presently, some states require vetrinary supervision while others do not. Many schools offer certification programs in the areas of animal and companion massage. Some of these schools are approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB).[1] The International Association of Animal Massage & Bodywork (IAAMB)[2] is working towards creating a Nationally accepted job description and uniform scope of practice.
