Equine Massage Therapy

Equine massage therapy is soft tissue manipulation through hands on massage to enhance and prepare a horse for exercise and to treat any sport related muscular issues.  Massage involves light and deep soothing techniques, and stretching, as well as hydrotherapy. Massage therapy can be very beneficial to horses since their bodies are 60% muscle. When their muscles contract and tighten, they can put pressure on the surrounding tissues and joints which only increases the discomfort. Massage helps to improve circulation throughout the horse’s body. It can also enhance muscle tone, increase range of motion, improve disposition, ease muscle spasms, reduce swelling & inflammation in the joints.

Massage can help improve performance and relieve stress in all horses regardless of job and age.  When massage therapy is used by a Certified Equine Sports Massage Therapist, it has enormous benefits as a warm-up or cool-down routine for performance horses. Warming up the muscle before performing will provide more flexibility which can help prevent injury. As a cool down routine massage can help aid in relaxation. However, massage therapy is not an alternative to licensed veterinary care.