Massaging and stretching your horse offer many benefits. Equine Massage is used along with conventional and complementary health care, proper assessment, and proper training techniques, to allow your horse to perform at its optimum level. Equine Stretching is part of the equine massage and is incorporated during the massage routine.
Massage and stretching increases your horse’s range of motion allowing it to improve its performance and stamina. The better the stamina, the better the balance, resulting in better executed exercises no matter what discipline. Assisting with massage on existing cases under veterinary care or as part of a rehabilitation program can increase the rate of the healing process. Horse massage and stretching coupled with the proper exercise will help the process along. Scar tissue will lay down in a better pattern and reducing it as it adheres onto healthy tissue can help restore muscle to a better returning function.
Horse massage gets your horse’s circulation going, which helps to eliminate waste products in its system. Exercise is generally the best way to increase circulation, but some horses while recovering from injury or illness need help to stimulate the circulation with massage and stretching exercises.
A short proper horse massage and stretching before exercise can help your horse to be more efficient in his stride; hence, increase its range of motion. The better the horse can move, the less wear and tear it will have on joints, ligaments, and tendons.
The horse massage and stretching program is specifically tailored to your horse and based on initial assessment. Some horses need more massaging and stretching while others only need basic maintenance. Before we begin to work on your horse we perform an initial assessment, this first session can take from 1 hour to 2 hours depending on the individual case. The average length for massage and stretching session is generally 1 hour.
Massage and Stretching is not a substitute for proper veterinary medical care, but rather serves as a complement. Always contact your qualified veterinary practitioner for all diagnosis and/or treatment of serious injuries or ailments.