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Muscle Maintenance for the Equine Athlete
By Holly Barnett REMT, CSFT
Considering massage therapy? Here is some food for thought. Think about the lifestyles and daily routines of successful athletes. They are extremely conscious about their diet, exercise, equipment, and health. Our horses are athletes. In order for them to be successful, we also have to be proactive in these aspects. As a horse owner, you are probably already overwhelmed with the number of ‘alternative therapy’ choices. We want what is best for our horses, but we can only afford so much, and as you know, these critters are expensive! My advice to you is to do your homework. Word of mouth is great, but it may lack validity at times. Use it to your advantage and when you hear of a therapy you are interested in, start researching it. Once you’ve researched it you will feel more confident including it in your horse’s healthcare. At that point you already know someone who has a good reputation, and will have a solid understanding of the therapy.
One therapy of utmost value is the equine massage. In human medicine, massage therapy is an age old proven modality that is well researched and highly respected by healthcare professionals around the world.
Applications range from injury recovery, pre and post event, musculo-skeletal disorders and muscle maintenance (to name a few!).
In order to choose an appropriate therapy, first clearly establish which benefits you are trying to achieve. Enhancing performance,early detection of injury and rehabilitation, conditioning and maintaining healthy muscle tissue, all fall well within the scope of massage therapy.
Early detection of injury alone is a reason to consider massage therapy. As an animal of prey, the horse is a very stoic creature. By nature, they generally do not exhibit signs of pain until it begins to become unbearable (i.e. at a point where the injury is at an advanced or chronic stage). The longer an injury (musculo-skeletal
disorder) persists, the longer the rehabilitation period will be. Relatively speaking, an injury detected early will require less treatment and time off.
A massage therapist goes over the horse with a ‘fine toothed comb’ noting areas of tension and tenderness. The response of the tissues to the massage gives information on the injury, how long it has been present, and possible cause. Once a musculo-skeletal disorder has been detected, massage therapy hasseveral modalities in order to restore the body to original form and function. Applications range through acute, sub-acute and chronic stages. Whether the injury is a sudden overload, or overuse over time in nature, the role of massage therapy is vital for recovery.
The list of benefits from the cellular level, circulatory and other equine body systems, to bones, muscles and ligaments is endless. Massage therapy should be considered a complementary therapy and never take place of veterinary care. Always seek veterinary approval prior to hiring a therapist, especially when dealing with an acute injury. It is very important to research your therapist’s credentials.
In human medicine (in Canada) one must graduate from a two year (2200 hrs) intensive program followed by board examination in order to practice. Currently there are no regulations in the equine industry controlling people from practicing with very little education. It is up to you to look into their background. Anyone with proper education will gladly share it will you. The term ‘registered’ indicates extensive training whereas the term ‘certified’ varies. For more information regarding therapists go to www.ifremt.org.
Massage Therapy can be a vital tool in keeping your horse conditioned and healthy. We invest so much in tack, board, farrier and veterinary care. Preventing injury is far more cost effective than treating it. We ask our horses to do many things they weren’t originally designed to do, so keeping them healthy and comfortable will ensure they continue giving us their peak performance.