Massaging

[NZhorserider]

I ride a horse who gets sore muscles and I was wondering if anyone has done any massaging on their horses? I've tried looking it up on the internet, but there's not much on how to do it

[galadriel]

No experience with it, but TTouch is supposed to be good.

[Mehitabel]

we did a lot with petal when she had severe muscle wastage after a bad accident. much the same as you'd do it on a person really - get a book and find out where the main muscle groups are, and then just see what the patient likes. start off gently and see how they like being touched, be aware that they can't say ouch, so might nip to let you know you're hurting a sore spot.

[virtuallyhorses]

Yes, I frequently massage Imp. I was shown various techniques by his physio for specific muscles, stretching exercises and also do a general massage as part of his grooming routine to help check for potential problems i.e. if you hit a sore spot, he won't be happy.

There are also books on equine massage - the saddlery warehouse sell a picture guide.

More importantly you need to examine why the sore muscles are occuring. Incorrect trimming or shoeing (long toes in particular) will cause soreness in the shoulders and back (front feet), saddle fit wil cause soreness and of course riding too long\hard for the horse's level of fitness.

If you can try to get a physio out for at least one visit to check the horse over, look for big problems and give you some guidance on what sort of exercises (stretches) might be good and how to go about massaging.

[NZhorserider]

Thanks for your help guys. It isn't easy because I don't own the horse and the owner always says there's nothing wrong with her! She has a special thing for under her saddle, but when the owner rides her, she never uses it. I'm also using this mixture of witch hazel and cider vinegar along with stuff like all black n blue etc. and I rub this in. It is so frustrating sometimes.

[Ipsa]

The NZ Horse & Pony magazine also sell books and a video called Hands On that cover massage.

[virtuallyhorses]

Umm why are you using witchhazel and cider vinegar? These are astringents but if your horse is suffering from sore muscles they will have little or no effect. The witchhazel will be very cooling as it evaporates off the skin (this can be a good or bad thing but rapid cooling of stiff\sore areas is more often bad then good.)

For bruising (soreness) you would be better with aloe vera, comfrey, emu oil or arnica (or even a mix) and since these are available as gels and oils you can use them as part of your massage routine. If you are looking for something to add into his feed Devils Claw and White Willow are excellent for movement recovery and anti-inflammatory.

[NZhorserider]

I use cider vinegar and witch hazel because it was recommended by a walking horse encyclopaedia who I trust aka Kathleen Rae-Reynolds. She is an instructor from the West Coast and is simply the best ! She explained why to use them when she was out last holidays, but I've forgotten already :rolleyes:

I rode this horse today and gave her a long massage, but the owner seems to be undoing all my efforts. This morning, I only had to rub her shoulder and she flattened her ears right back and threatened to rear! I told her that even if she is in pain, if she threatens me, I'll threaten her! I use a thing under her saddle to take the pressure off her back and I asked the owner to ensure it's used whenever she's ridden but apparantley it is for my peace of mind!!

Maybe I should start a new thread on People who ride other people's horses and their owners from hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ideas?

[virtuallyhorses]

Sounds like the saddle may not fit properly. If its tight around the shoulders then putting another pad underneath will be doing more harm than good.

This doesn't sound like a happy relationship between yourself and the owner - I don't know what the financial or responsibility arrangements are but if this horse is constantly sore then you need to find the root cause rather than trying to solve it with a little massage. Are you able to pay for a good saddle fitter to come out? If the saddle needs repacking will you be able to get this done or will you need to arrange this with the owner? To me, that sounds like the place to start.

It sounds like you are saying that the current owner would not be happy to investigate this. I'm not very helpful in the human-human relationship stuff I'm sorry, I have the empathy levels of a squid when it comes to my fellow humans :rolleyes:

Witchhazel is often used for the relief of inflamed muscles esp where damaged or broken capilliaries are involved because of its cooling effect and it is more of a 'toner' if you like, than a deep relief for bruises or muscle damage. You will find witchhazel most commonly in your chemists\supermarkets as a facial toner, (or for haemarroids but that's no help here :) ) so you could try some yourself and then decide whether it is sufficient for the purpose you are using it for :)

[NZhorserider]

Well, the saddle has actually just been leveled etc. and it is a good Bates saddle. The problem with her back was discovered last holidays due to a bad Kreiger saddle and since then all the saddles have been either replaced or fixed. Her back was still recovering when the owner took her on an 80 km endurance ride! The only thing I could do was cry. The owner then sharply told me she wasn't worth crying over and that she was faking it to get out of work!

The owner has a stud/riding school with about 30 horses and doesn't keep up with their individual problems. She just says they're lazy and hate working!

I have a riding course coming up with her and a great instructor is coming and she'll know what to do.