of ArtCountry Corral
Sheila Merrill Belzil
at Bel-Merrill Farm
in Saint John, NB
Merrill Equine Solutions
Horse owners are realizing the benefits of massage for their horses now as well as for humans and have begun to incorporate this non-invasive therapy into their total horse health care.
If you own a horse, you owe it to your horse to get him or her massaged. Your horse works hard for you - and even if you just pleasure ride - your horse may be sore somewhere and you may not realize it. Many horses will try to work through the pain just to please their riders or drivers. Problems can be caused by improperly fitting equipment or poorly trimmed/shod feet - among many other things!
The Value of massage:
There are many proven benefits of massage. Some of them are:
* Increased performance, flexibility and range of motion - it has a positive effect on the flexion and extension of the muscles. Muscles relax when tension is released.
* Decreases recovery time from lameness - reduces pain by reducing inflammation and swelling in the joints.
* Decreases muscle stiffness and lactic acid buildup - it increases the flow of nutrients to the muscles and helps take away excessive fluids and toxins through the kidneys.
* Decreases stress points and inflammation by releasing endorphins, which are the body's natural painkillers. Toxins are also released through the skin from the improved circulation.
* Minimizes injury and helps prevent the development of problems - helps to maintain the entire body in better physical condition.
* Balances the body by treating it as a whole and not just as individual parts.
Massage is very useful in relieving pain and preventing injuries. When used before an event, it will help to loosen and warm the muscles, readying them for the event. It can also be used afterwards to help return the muscles to a normal state much faster than if they had not been massaged.
Massage does have some limitations, though. It cannot cure disease or structural damage such as navicular, pedal osteitis or arthritis. It will, however, assist in the healing process of torn ligaments or tendons by increasing circulation and the flow of nutrients and will also help arthritic conditions by reducing inflammation and swelling in the joints, alleviating pain.
Some conditions treatable by massage are:
As said above, massage can't cure everything, but it sure can help with:
* Tendon and ligament injuries
* Arthritis
* Cold back
* Overuse injuries
* Compensatory issues
Muscle problems are cumulative in nature. When muscles are stressed or injured, unnecessary stress is placed on opposing muscles and joints. As a result, gaits become uneven as the horse tries to compensate for the pain. Massage therapy restores the needed flexibility to tight muscles and joints. It's rare to find a horse that will not benefit from massage.
When not to massage:
There are a few conditions where massage should not be performed:
* Shock - massaging will lower the blood pressure and when in shock, the pressure is already low - and that would not be a good thing!
* Fever - massaging will speed up the body's metabolism and there could be a major healing crisis because fever is the body's way of fighting infection.
* Cancer - a condition that may have been isolated may spread because of speeding up the metabolism.
* Acute injury - massage should not be given directly on any heat or swelling.
Pain is what tells us that something is wrong. Massage is well suited to every day type aches and pains during particular movements. However, if there is a lot of constant internal pain, a veterinarian should be consulted right away. Massage is not a substitute for veterinary medicine - it should be used in conjunction with it.