CJH Equine Massage Therapy

16/02/2022

The importance of massage and its benefits to our horses 🐴

04/12/2021

❄️ Equine thermoregulation ☀️

Winter is here, the wind is blowing away our sun and warmth and replace it with cold and painful fingers 🥶

But for our equine friend life isn’t so hard!
You see, while evolution has made us capable of creating tools to improve our comfort of life, such as cloth to fight the cold, our dear horses have their entire body to regulate their temperature. Due to out cloth, we can thermoregulate our body within a range of 5 degrees, between 20 to 25 degrees. Over 25 we usually feel to warm, and under 20 we start to feel chilly! But remember, when you were a child, unless you suffer from a blood pressure condition, you never felt as cold as you feel now!
Our beloved horses are almost the same, but they have a much greater range of thermodynamics. They can easily thermoregulate themselves between 5degrees up to 25degrees. And horses who are trained to live in harsher conditions can train their body to resist down to -20 degrees without feeling the cold. Because their body produce enough energy to keep them warm. However, horses suffer more often of hyperthermia (being to hot) than hypothermia (being to cold).

In a study of Alan et al., 1998, the equine thermoregulation is explained and the risk of hyperthermia.
Despite extreme variations in metabolic rate and environmental condition, horses have the ability to regulate their homeostasis, the well-functioning of their body by themselves.
Some environmental factors have also an important role to play in the equine thermoregulation, such as the sun, the ambient temperature and even the wind!

When exercising, sweat is an important mechanism for heat loss. When a horse expend 80% of their energy, they release heat. The heat release is then relative to their work intensity. This is where risk of hyperthermia is in the game, by over exercising an unfit horse, they will struggle to sweat correctly to produce their heat loss mechanism.
However, to much heat loss by sweating mechanism can lead to severe dehydration!

This is also why youngsters have also a lot less issue to regulate themselves. Being full of energy, if they feel chilly they usually can expel some of their energy to warm up really easily, and their well-functioning is usually at their best due to their young age! But not only youngster can regulate easily their body temperature.

Older horses as well as any horses have a body mechanism called shivering, which activates the all muscles and connective tissue attached to the skin and start to tremble. This is not because they are in the verge of collapsing, it is just to keep them warm.
To be able to shiver, horses needs a lot of energy! Probably as much as working out. They use their fat pockets, break it down and transform it into energy source. That’s how you can manage your horse body weight! Don’t worry though, the cold won’t kill them if they are fat! They might feel a bit sore the day after, so give them a nice long groom, they will thank you!

However, if you’re horse has a severe condition, like Cushing, they might not be able to reach their homeostasis themselves and need your help to keep cool or keep warm.

Although, if you are still insure if you horse is cold or warm, you can check their back’s hair! If they are up, it’s called piloerection, it means they are using their hair to trap the air and create a pocket of warmth around them due to not be able to thermoregulate themselves from shivering alone.

If you are unsure weather you should rug your horse this winter you can try those check points:

✅ Is it called today 0 degree or minus 0
✅ Is my horse to old or in poor condition and can’t create a proper coat to keep them warm? 🥶
✅ Does my horse seem to be called with hair up on their back? 🥶
✅ Is my horse clipped? (Then absolutely yes, you need to rug, they can’t thermoregulate themselves without their coat!) 🥶
✅ Is my horse young enough and full of beans? Then maybe not, you don’t want to risk hyperthermia 🥵
✅ Does my horse have sever mild or minor arthritis? Depending on the stage, keeping the joints warmer can help with the pain management.
✅ you’re not sure, call you vet and ask what they think about your horse condition, they will be able to guide you!
Don’t forget, each horses are individuals with individual needs, however, over rugging can create more complications than goods ❄️☀️

12/11/2021

01/05/2021

Why we should ride young horses forward and down...

It is a commonly accepted training principle that we should encourage young horses to have a low head carriage. But why is this?

The muscles of the horses back are still immature at 3,4 and even at 5 years old. This is a combination of being developmentally (age related), and physically immature, in the sense that they lack the muscle condition which comes from years of training-induced exercise. Of course the maturity of their muscles will come naturally with time, and as we work them through groundwork and under saddle. But how can we get to this point, while protecting these fundamentally weak muscles and avoiding musculoskeletal injuries further down the line?

By utilising the passive ligament mechanism, we can allow the horse to support the back and carry the weight of the rider with very little muscular effort. This allows the epaxial muscles of the back to be free to perform their primary functions in movement, rather than acting as weight lifters.

The passive ligament system of the back is primarily composed of, well ligaments, the nuchal and supraspinous ligament to be exact.

The nuchal ligament is a strong, collagenous structure, originating at the extensor process of the occiput (the back of the skull), forming attachments to the cervical vertebrae, before inserting on the spinous process of the fourth thoracic vertebrae. Here the nuchal ligament broadens in the region of the withers, before continuing as the supraspinous ligament running along the top of the spinous processes of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae and terminating in the sacral region of the spine.

This creates an inverse relationship between the position of the head and neck and the balance between flexion and extension of the spine.

Generally speaking, lowering the head induces flexion in the thoracic region (the back is lifted) and conversely, raising the head creates extension in the thoracic region (the back hollows/drops). This is because the elongation of the strong and elastic nuchal ligament created when the head is lowered, creates a forward traction on the high spinous processes of the withers, and travels through the supraspinous ligament to lift the thoracic region of the spine. Comparatively, shortening of the ligament raises the head.

This system has provided an evolutionary advantage to the horse, as while they are grazing, the weight of the thorax and abdomen is supported passively by the ligament with very little muscular effort over long periods of time (up to the 16-19 hours per day they can spend grazing in the wild). Equally, because of the stored elastic potential energy in the liagement when it is stretched for the head to be at ground level, the horse can quickly raise its head to gallop away at the first sign of a predator.

Furthermore, lowering of the head and neck, stretching downwards and forwards, straightens out the natural S curve of the horse's spine. This lifts the bottom of the S curve, the cervico-thoracic junction and the ribcage, which creates lightness in the forequarters when the horse is moving. Further back, flexion in the thoracic region, increases the spacing between the dorsal spinous processes as the most dorsal aspect of the spine is stretched out. This posture is particularly therapeutic for horses with kissing spines.

In fact, the degree of flexion of the back is most marked between the 5th and 9th thoracic vertebrae, but is also significant between the 9th and 14th. Consequently, the arching and lifting of the back takes place directly under the saddle and therefore works to support the rider.

This is particularly useful in young horses; it allows the young horse, whose muscles are not mature enough to carry the rider, the chance to support its back and lift the weight of the rider by moving the head-neck axis rather than using active muscle contraction.

This means that the horse can use its muscles solely for movement; creating a loose, swinging back, free of tension, and suppleness in the gait.

Here we have the opportunity for us to slowly develop and condition the epaxial musculature of the young horse. Which will create a foundation of strength and suppleness of the back and the core to support more advanced movements later in their career.

Comparatively, if this system is not used, and the young horse is pulled into a shortened outline, it is the Longissimus Dorsi muscle which takes up the role of supporting the weight of the rider. But theLongissimus Dorsi is not designed for weight carrying, it is primarily a movement muscle.

Muscles act in the direction through which their fibres flow; the Longissimus Dorsi works in the horizontal plane, originating in the sacral and lumbar region of the spine and inserting through the lumbar, thoracic and ending in the cervical region. The Longissimus Dorsi primarily acts to extend and stabilise the entire spine, while also acting unilaterally to induce lateral flexion of the back. You can see the Longissimus Dorsi in action when watching a horse moving from above; the large muscle contracts alternately on each side of the back in the rhythm of the gait to stabilise the movement.

Once the Longissimus Dorsi is required to lift the weight of the rider, the muscle becomes blocked and stiff. Muscles are designed to work through a process of contraction and relaxation; held too long in contraction (to carry the weight of a rider, or support a shortened outline) and the Longissimus Dorsi will fatigue. This will lead to muscle spasm and pain within the muscle. Not only will the horse lose the strength to carry the rider, but they will also lose the natural elasticity of the back which will reduce the fluidity of their gaits.

Over time with greater overuse and fatigue, the Longissimus Dorsi muscle will atrophy, requiring the recruitment of other muscles, such as the Iliocostalis, to take up the role of stabilising the back and supporting the weight of the rider. Other muscles which are equally not designed for weight lifting. And so the cycle continues and the performance of the horse suffers.

With this knowledge in mind, we can understand why it is so essential to make use of the passive ligament system, by striving for that forward and down head carriage. Furthermore, that we also allow our young horses regular breaks, working on a loose rein to allow our horse to come out of the outline, stretch out, and reduce the risk of fatigue.

I always marvel at the intricately designed systems of energy conservation to create efficiency in the horse's way of going. It is our role as a rider to have an awareness of and make use of these systems; to allow our horses to go in the most efficient and beneficial way for them possible, upholding their standard of welfare.

Image credit: Tug of War, Gerd Heuschmann

29/04/2021

🔅Benefits of Equine Massage Therapy🔅

🔅1999 - 2021🔅

🔆Trust the Experience 🔆

19/04/2021

13/04/2021

I have shared this post with you all before so a reminder to some or for those that havent seen it. This explains the importance of not over tightening your horses girth 🐴🐎🐴

When girthing up the horse it is important not to over tighten it. An over-tightened girth may pinch and bruise the muscles - in particular the pectorals. trapezius, serratus ventralis muscles and latissimus dorsi (see red areas in diagram bleow). An over tightened girth may also cause bruising of the ribs and the intercostal muscles between the ribs. It will also cause the saddle to put more pressure on the back muscles.

04/04/2021

Happy Easter everyone. Hope you are all enjoying your weekend. Thank you to all my clients for your support and helping me grow my business. I am available for bookings so please get in touch, whether this being a nice pamper for you horse, routine check up, or a issue you are concerned about. Prices on my fb page 🐣🐰 xx

Here are my two lovely horses enjoying the sun

21/03/2021

Yesterday I visited the lovely foxy for the first time for a full body massage which she loved. I was called to see her as she has recently had difficulty with her trot and canter work but she also has kissing spine in two places which has been medicated aswell as her sacroilac joint and hocks. She really showed clear signs of tension release and relaxation which I always love to see. Below are a few pictures taken during her massage and a couple of stretches that I did with her after.

If anyone would like a treatment for your horse then please get in touch.

£40 for full body massage which also includes Static (stood still) and Dynamic (walk and trot) assessment of the horse - Duration 1-1/2 hrs
B14 and surrounding areas.

25/12/2020

Merry Christmas everyone 🎄🥂🎁

07/12/2020

21/09/2020

09/08/2020

MUSCLE DEVELOPMENT 💪🏻

Are you able to confidently review and reflect on the global picture of your horses muscles? It’s a really good idea to train your eye for picking out incorrect muscle development. This gives key information as to how your horse is using himself, and for how well he is progressing through your training programme. It should be done regularly (I suggest monthly), along side self checking your saddle fit/ set up.

Picking up on localised areas of weakness and hypertrophy (over-development) early and addressing the balance may reduce your horses risk of chronic strain and/ or pain and lameness issues. Equally, the muscle imbalances can also give really useful early indication of pain problems brewing that your horse may be compensating for. This is obviously a massive topic, but this is just a very broad generalised guide to help get you started in training your eye, sometimes its easier to do from a photo, and comparing side shots from different points in time can be really useful.

In the diagram I have focused on the most common muscle imbalance issues, and you may be able to pick out some of these in your horse (horses can show any single, combination or even all of these imbalances).

▫️The upper neck - the topline should run smoothly convex from behind the ears to the middle of the neck and down to the wither. Commonly we see this visual of an acute angle in the upper part of the neck (1a), sometimes called a ‘broken neck’. Obviously the neck is not actually broken, but what we have is a dysfunction between the 2nd and 3rd cervical joints. This can range from weakness and mild tension imbalance between the local flexors and extensors of the upper neck, to chronic flexion overload and severe damage to the supporting soft tissue (myofascia/ ligaments) that should give support between these upper neck joints.

▫️The shoulder - the shoulder should be set back at an angle without an overdeveloped tricep, and the underside of the neck should run smoothly concave from the throat into the shoulder. It is very common for horses to overuse the shoulder for propulsion, there are lots of reason such as poor saddle fit, incorrect training and hindlimb problems. You will see a shoulder blade that is rotated forwards (2b) (will look more upright), a bulky appearance of the tricep (2c), and a convex underside of the neck (2b).

▫️Thoracic sling - the wither should look ‘lifted’, a smooth flow from the middle of the topline of the neck, over the wither and into the mid back (no dips or acute angles), and a full chest. A weak thoracic sling is very common, the thorax (the thoracic spine and its rib cage) slumps between the shoulder blades, creating a dip in front of the wither (3a), the shoulder blades often dissociated from the thorax creating a pocket behind the shoulder (3b), and an angular chest, sometimes with a protruding sternum (3c).

▫️4/5. Hindquarters - the loin should be smooth and soft, the rump full and evenly convex from the loin into the dock, the hamstrings not bulging, and the thigh (flank) full without tension lines. It is very common (especially in showjumpers/ allrounders/ ex-racehorses) for the hindquarter to develop out of balance as emphasis is put on the power of the forward motion and not enough time training the control and coordination of the hindlimb. This causes overdevelopment of the large gluteus medius (5a) and hamstrings (5c) which create the power, but lack of development of the biceps femoris (5b) and quadriceps which are essential for the fine control of the hip and stifle. The stifle really relies on the effectiveness of this muscular sling to keep it tracking well and safe from injury. Lack of development of the quadriceps (4b) puts overload on the muscles under the lumbar (low back) to take up the slack flexing the hip and we see roaching of lumbar (4a).

Of course, these are very broad generalisations linking imbalances of a very large complex area of the horse, and a large number of pain problems can also lead to these areas of weakness seen. So its vital to assess the muscular development of your horse and explore whether you may have a pain or training issue.

What to do about these imbalances... work with a professional bodyworker (Osteo/ Physio etc), trainer (and in some cases a vet), to correct them through a combination of manual release work and corrective rehab exercises where appropriate, and then correcting movement though a considered training programme. Most of the time these imbalances develop where the horse hasn’t been allowed the time and space to find their own balance in the work that is asked of them. So be prepared to go back a few steps in your training to build a good foundation of movement before asking for the intensity of work.

🌟 Thank you to Lotta for the topic request, please do message me if you have a topic you would like me to address.

07/08/2020

The benefits of Massage

🐴 Increases range of movement
🐎 Improves Stamina
🐴 Improves Disposition
🐎 Provide comfort to muscle injuries
🐴 Enhance the performance and gait quality
🐎 Improves Circulation
🐴 Reduces tactile defence

Stretching is equally as important and the benefits of it include

🐴 Improves performance
🐎 Increases range of motion
🐴 Improves Circulation
🐎 Reduces tension and resistance in muscles, tendons, ligaments and joint capsules
🐴 Reduces warm up time conserving energy for exertion
🐎 Improves the strength of muscle contraction
🐴 Reduces muscle stiffness or soreness after a workout
🐎 Gently lengthens and stretches scar tissue in the tendons promoting realignment of the collagen fibres
🐴 Improves flexibility reducing risk of injury
🐎 Lateral movements are enhanced due to better range of movement

07/08/2020

One of my regular customers, the lovely Murphy having another massage treatment today. He loves it 😀. If you would like a treatment for your horse then get in touch. Appointments available now 🐴

16/07/2020

Muscle soreness and the effects it has on our horses

WHY IS MY HORSE SORE?

This is a question I get asked a lot, especially when there seems to be no particular or outstanding reason why. As a therapist I always look at a horse holistically and not just the affected area to try to uncover the issue or issues that could be causing the soreness.

I have found in most cases of muscle soreness unless it is a trauma, injury or paddock slip, bad saddle fit etc that has happened, that it is usually a combination of a few things that causes muscle soreness and not just one individual thing.

Like an onion with layers, one thing will build on another and it can sometimes be a process to strip everything back and get to the core again.

Every single horse will have the first issue I have listed below, then add another 2 or 3 of the other problems mentioned to the scenario or maybe even more and you start to get the picture that something in the body is going to get sore or uncomfortable eventually.

Some of these issues may only be very small or subtle or not much of problem if isolated on their own but start to add a few of these little things together and we start to create bigger problems unfortunately. We need to take all these into consideration when we are trying to determine why your horse is muscle sore with no glaringly obvious cause.

Every athlete will have some level of soreness but it is how we manage it and look at every other aspect mentioned below to make sure our horses are as comfortable, healthy and sound as possible to give them a long and happy riding life.

Have a read to see how many of the things could be affecting your horse if he is often sore or use this as a guide to help you if your horse becomes sore in the future.

1. Natural Asymmetry - every horse has this issue, full stop, no horse is balanced evenly over all 4 legs. Some are obviously more so than others but here is our very first base layer of things starting to happen in the body from day one creating tension and compensations. This will eventually start to show up at some stage in their life if not addressed with correct inhand and gymnastic/ridden training to supple and train the left and right sides of the body as evenly as possible.

2. Feet - unbalanced feet cause so many issues and strain through the body, please find yourself a good and knowledgeable farrier who is happy to discuss with you what is going on with your horses feet and give you a plan of how to get them back on track if things aren’t correct. Also find one who is happy to work with other equine professionals that care for your horse so everyone is on the same page and heading in the right direction for your horse.

I can’t stress enough how much your horses hooves affect it’s entire body and please get them done regularly!

Go out and really have a good look at your horses feet and find yourself a picture of a correctly aligned foot and compare, best thing you can do for yourself and your horse is to educate yourself on this subject.

3. Tack - ensure that every piece of gear or equipment you place on your horse fits it well, ill fitting saddles, bits, bridles, girths can do untold damage and stop your horses from performing correctly. Don’t use gadgets that hold and compress your horses head and neck in and make it hollow through the back and make the hind legs trail out behind. Get your saddles checked and fitted throughout the year and don’t assume one saddle fits all your horses, sadly they normally don’t.

4. Rider Skills and Imbalance - not every rider has the same skill set or level of knowledge which is totally fine, but please understand if you don’t have basic dressage training and are not schooling your horse to change these imbalances that you are riding a crooked and uneven horse and will not be showing it how to balance itself better so you will be increasing the chances of muscle soreness and possible strain or injury due to every horse having Issue number 1.

If you wish to help your horse become more balanced find a good dressage coach that is all about the horses wellbeing and has a methodical, step by step, building block approach to help you train your horse correctly.

We are also not symmetrical and have our own body issues and may lack core strength so our weight upon our horses back affects our horses way of going also, so try to be as fit as you can be and get yourself looked at every now and then too.

5. Diet - what a horse is or isn’t fed can affect their muscles, temperament and health. There are too many issues to discuss here, but things like grass affected horses, weight issues being over or under weight, lack of certain minerals or vitamins, can all affect our horses wellbeing and performance very much. Ensure your horse has a balanced diet with a good vitamin and mineral supplement, salt and good roughage available 24/7. Even foals need good nutrition from the day they are born, provide them a quality vitamin and mineral mix as they grow up to ensure healthy development and strong bones.

6. Conformation - some horses have various conformational issues that will affect their way of going and this will in turn affect their muscles, such a being croup high so the forehand is loaded even more than it should be putting extra strain through the front end muscles or a turned in hoof that puts strain on that side of the leg and shoulder more than the other.

7. Posture - some horses that are not ridden in a way that engages their core muscles can be slumped or hanging down between their scapula/shoulders and then will not use their back correctly. If your horses goes around with its head up in the air or flexed off this will become its normal way of going and bad posture creates sores muscles and loss of top line. Even if you are not inclined to do dressage training there are many exercises you can do from the ground to help improve posture and muscle soreness such a carrot stretches, tummy lifts and leg stretches to improve things for your horse.

8. Age - older horses can stiffen up more than younger horses and may need more time to warm up when ridden or may need to start on a joint supplement or injection to help them feel better and loosen them up. A stiff horse will restrict and contract it muscles creating soreness and become shorter striding or more shuffling in its movement.

9. Fitness Level - we can sometimes ask too much of our horses which contributes to causing sore muscles. If they have been out of work for a while we need to slowly build up muscle strength and cardio fitness again over a number of weeks. We can sometimes ride for a bit longer than we planned or teach new exercises or movements that use different muscle groups or over do the same thing. Young horses are also very weak and get muscle sore easily, riding on a softer surface than usual or on hilly terrain if they not used to it can all cause muscle soreness too.

10. Living Environment - conditions that horses live in can severely affect their muscles and general wellbeing. Your horse may be living on very uneven ground, or be on a steep slope or in muddy, slippery paddocks that will all have an bearing on his body and how it functions. Also if they are in a herd what is the pecking order, is he being bullied or a bully, again this can cause stress, tension and soreness. Are they a fence walker or running around a lot, these things can and do have an impact.

It is not always possible to move your horse or change things especially if you are agisted but do have empathy for how your horse is in his living quarters as that is where they spend the majority of their time and try to make it as stress free and comfortable as possible for them.

11. Regular bodywork - if you haven’t had your horse treated by a professional bodyworker of any modality then it is truly worthwhile to start as they can identify issues and help to release muscle soreness and give you advice and a program to follow between visits to assist with keeping your horse maintained. Find a good qualified bodyworker who is willing to work alongside your vet, farrier and other bodyworkers you may use to have your horses best interest as their top priority.

Look for someone who will tell you what they are doing as they treat your horse and explain what they are looking for or finding so you understand what is going on with your horse, don’t accept someone that turns up and just says “yep he’s out” and then only spend five minutes or so there and don’t even assess your horse properly, explain what was wrong or what they did, they are not doing either of you any favours.

12. Underlying issues - if you still have ongoing muscle soreness issues and have looked at each of the above mentioned topics and feel that they are not the main cause and that there could be more going on then please don’t hesitate to call your vet for an examination of your horse.

Things like ulcers, sacroiliac issues, arthritis, pssm and overdue teeth also cause muscle soreness in horses and no amount of bodywork, correct riding or training will be enough to ease the discomfort until it is addressed.

I hope this helps you to understand the many factors involved that could be causing muscle soreness and that it takes a team of committed professionals and owners to all work together to get your horse back to optimum performance and comfort. 🥰🐴👍

07/06/2020

07/06/2020

26/05/2020

One client very happy with her treatment