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When people are under stress and become tense or develop sore muscles, one obvious solution is to get a massage. It is only natural to apply this concept to horses, who surely need relaxation and stress release almost as much as we do.
The word “massage” comes from two origins: the Greek term massein means “to knead”, and the Arabic verb mass means “to touch”. Massage therapy involves the use of the hands and/or body to gently massage soft tissues. It is thought that the basis for using massage as a healing mechanism lies in the automatic action of rubbing the site of an injury. It is an ancient remedy that was described in Chinese literature at least 3,000 years ago.
There are two basic approaches to massage therapy, including Western and Eastern. Western techniques such as Swedish massage focus on the musculoskeletal system. Eastern massage is based on the theory that injuries and tension cause the normal energy flow throughout the body to be blocked. A combination of the two approaches can be found in sports massage, which uses the strokes of Swedish massage combined with Eastern ideas to focus on certain muscles or muscle groups. This is the type of therapy often used on horses.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) offers the following guidelines for massage therapy: “Massage therapy on nonhuman animals should be performed by a licensed veterinarian with education in massage therapy or, where in accordance with state veterinary practice acts, by a graduate of an accredited massage school who has been educated in nonhuman animal massage therapy. When performed by a nonveterinarian, massage therapy should be performed under the supervision of, or referral by, a licensed veterinarian who is providing concurrent care.”
When working on horses, massage therapists are alert for problems that can be indicated by body temperature, texture of the skin and muscle fibers, tenderness of certain areas and tension.
One of the basic sports massage techniques used on horses is stroking, which is intended to affect the central nervous system to soothe, relax and calm. Other techniques include direct pressure in varying intensity to relieve a spasm, shaking to increase circulation, and vibration to get to the deeper muscle structures and joints. Nerve manipulation such as stretching and pressure is used for nerve maintenance and therapy, and friction helps to break down scar tissue over muscle fibers.
Kneading, compression and muscle squeezing, the foundation movements of massage, are known as petrissage. Other massage terms include effleurage, a gliding movement toward the heart to encourage draining and proper circulation; and tapotement, which involves a series of rhythmical soft blows to the body to energize and increase circulation.
Besides sports massage, another type of massage therapy used on horses is rolfing. This involves a much deeper massage using pressure and manipulation of the soft tissues. Another method is tragering, which involves gentle rocking motions of a body part to help establish neuromuscular control. Connective tissue massage is common in Europe, and involves stroking the layers of connective tissue to stimulate nerve endings.
Friction massage is also used on horses. This method involves small circular movements with the tips of the fingers or heel of the hand. It is helpful for problems like tendonitis.
Horses which may particularly benefit from massage therapy include school horses that train people to ride, pleasure horses that may follow erratic riding schedules, and horses involved in competitions such as jumping, dressage, eventing and endurance.
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