When I tell people I do Equine Massage, the most common reply is, "Why would anyone massage a horse?".
Nowadays, we know a lot more about our horses. We have learned, from experience and with
the help of modern technology, better ways to treat and use our horses.
Sixty five percent of a horse's body weight consists of soft tissue structures (muscles, fascia,
tendons and ligaments). And yet, soft tissue is often overlooked as a cause of lameness.
Horses are athletes, and just like human athletes, horses can develop muscle problems. Just
like humans, horses' muscles get tight and sore and shorten. In horses, this can cause
lameness. It can also create behavioral issues in training, as the horse tries to communicate to
us that they are experiencing pain.
Using massage therapy, my work focuses on keeping horses sound, increasing their comfort
level and improving their performance.
A horse can develop muscle soreness several ways. The number one cause is the saddle,
especially a poor fitting saddle. The saddle is placed between the soft tissue of the horse's back
and the rider. The saddle is hard and static (non-moving), while both the horse and the rider are
dynamic (in motion). These three components do not always articulate well together.
The horse, in an effort to get away from the downward pressure created by the saddle and rider
on its' back, will hollow out its back to compensate for the discomfort resulting in distorted
posture, thus changing its' natural way of moving, and creating undesirable muscle memory.
The horse is not trying to be uncooperative, it's just responding to the saddle pressure.
In moving away from the pressure, the horse hollows out his back, overusing his back muscles,
causing his core muscles to go flaccid. As the back drops, the pelvis is locked in an anterior tilt,
pushing the hind legs farther behind its' body. With his hind legs out behind him, it's difficult for
the horse to come under himself in collection and engage his hind end. The hind end is the
engine of the horse. This is where the horse's propulsion comes from.
With his hind legs farther out behind him, he is unable to support the weight of his hind end, so
shifts the weight forward. This makes the horse heavy on his forehand and may cause him to
stumble or drag his front feet while in motion. The extra weight in front also allows the horse to
sink lower between his front legs, giving the horse a downhill look.
This is possible because the front legs of the horse do not have an osseous attachment to its'
body. In other words, there is no bony attachment, no joint joining the front legs to the body.
Instead, there is a sling of muscles between the front legs in which the body of the horse rests.
*The horse does not have a clavicle (collar bone). The horse does have a shoulder joint, but it's part of the leg, and not what joins the leg to the body*
Another area of the horse's body greatly impacted by poor saddle fit is the base of withers. This is where the front of the saddle sits. A poorly
fitting saddle can severely inhibit scapular movement. The horse's scapula has an incredible range of motion. If the front of the saddle is tight
at the base of the withers, it's impossible for the scapula to articulate correctly. The scapula will bump against the saddle as the horse takes a
stride with his front leg, compromising range of motion and reducing the horse's ability to extend his front leg.
The scapula hitting the saddle created another problem. The saddle will pivot with each stride, rubbing back and forth over the horses' spine. Painful!
And, if you horse has asymmetrical shoulders, the saddle will sit crooked on his back.
With a proper fitting saddle, you should be able to slide your hand between the saddle and the horse's scapula. If you can't fit your hand in easily,
your horse is being compromised.
Try putting your saddle on your horse without the pads. Don't even cinch it up. Now try to slide your hand in. You will get an idea of just how much
pressure your horse is experiencing, and this is without the weight of the rider or being girthed up.
I'm glad you mentioned the girth. The girth presents another problem. We need the girth because it's what holds the saddle on, but they are so tight,
they inhibit movement and create pain and soreness. Horses that are ridden regularly are usually sore in the girth area.
Also, the girth interferes with the horse's breathing. When taking a breath, the rib cage expands. During hard work or exercise, it's expanding to the max,
trying to deliver as much oxygen to the muscles as possible. A tightened girth inhibits the horse's ability to expand his ribs fully.
So imagine this. You put fifty pounds of weight on your back. Then you wrap a wide strap around your ribs. Then someone slaps your stomach, and quickly
tightens the strap before you can take a breath. Now go out and run and jump and perform athletic movements that aren't necessarily natural to your species.
After half an hour or an hour, let me know what your breathing is like. This is what we ask of horses.
Our individual, personal body patterns also affect the horse's body alignment. I can tell you from my experience massaging humans for 28 years, that noone
has symmetry of muscle tone, or bony alignment.
*When girthing up the horse it is important not to over tighten it. An over-tightened girth may pinch and bruise the muscles - in particular the pectorals,
trapezius, serratus ventralis muscles and latissimus dorsi. An over tightened girth may also cause bruising of the ribs and the intercostal muscles between
the ribs. It will also cause the saddle to put more pressure on the back muscles.*
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