Equine Sports Massage Therapy

09/20/2025

Finally I am onto the hind end, well dabbling in and out.
We often forget about muscles like the Gastrocnemius yet look where it merges to create part of the Calcaneous tendon 👀, we often look at how the foot lands as just as foot problem yet it can often be further up that is creating an instability, we look at a gluteal issue as a top end problem without looking at why a group of muscles are struggling to create a more even pattern
As someone who suffered a Gastrocnemius tear it literally stopped me in my tracks the pain was immediate and high on the scale of ouch 😃, and it took ages to heal as the tendon had been affected it was a fine line of always maybe doing to much but not knowing was how much
We always forget the middle 😊, looking at how the hocks are moving, looking at how the hocks orientate when stood still can say alot about how the horse is loading the whole hind end, and if the springboard cannot spiring then how can we ask for correct movement without something else compensating for the slack (or wobble)
Remember hocks only tell part of the story and why hip, stifle, hock, fetlock often mirror each other's issue
Try it yourself stand up rotate your hips Inwards and outwards and see how your legs move to accommodate the angle, try walking, then trotting 😉 how long is it before you become uncomfortable, what happens to your ass they either squeeze together or your lower back goes like a duck then what about the sacriolliac joints ??? How many horses stand with their tail stuck in their butt??? Could you run with your knickers doing a wedgy ?? How many horses when you pick up the hind limb over abduct or abduct what about all the other muscles that have to work as a team if one team member is down then the others have to pitch in and then maybe they become tired quicker while multitasking.
It's why I get a bit annoyed when people diss injections because sometimes horses need immediate pain relief and that sometimes comes in the form of an injection
And we havent even hit on any compensatory issues that maybe why the hocks were in trouble right from the start

09/15/2025

Lots of my drawings go in the
"I dont like it enough yet" bin
This is what takes such a long time its not putting it into a picture its the jiggling about to make it clearer and not to busy this is the 5th attempt😃 I then usually go watch some tele and come back to it and usually it then falls into place

It's a bit like working with horses if you try to hard you often miss the easier option, often if you stop, go away and then come back to it the puzzle does not seem so hard, maybe its because when learning we often think of giving our horses time to process the ask but we forget that often we need that time aswell so if you are struggling sometimes stopping, regrouping and trying again with a new mindset can make the difficult easy.

Off to do draft number 6 😄😄😄
Sometimes its not skill its the determination that keeps us going 😄

Not finished yet so dont reprimand me until i have finished 😀😀

09/07/2025

What is hyper focus look like?? erm this at 2.30 am in the morning
92 pages done so far !! and I have given up drinking coffee 😱

08/30/2025

08/25/2025

08/20/2025

08/19/2025

Radial nerve

Who ever said radial nerve injury in the previous post was correct ###

When this nerve gets injured it can be quite frightening for the owner, as often the horse will present by dragging the toe unable to extend the forelimb, stumbling or struggling to weightbare.

I will preface this to say it is quite rare for this type of injury to occur and similar to the Suprascapular nerve the tendency for both of these nerves to succumb to trauma is because both at some point sit closer to the surface, the superficial branch of the Radial nerve sits quite cutaneous on the lateral side exiting the lateral head of the Triceps (Triceps are the extensors of the elbow) while the deep branch innervates the extensors of the forelimb. others nerves are often protected deep beneath the surface.

I personally have only ever encountered one case in all the years I have been around horses (over 30 years), and it was a foal who we think mum had maybe stepped on it while in the stable and although it looked very dramatic it made a full recovery with some veterinary intervention and time for the body to heal

Trauma is the most likely cause, extreme abduction (out to the side) or protraction (stretching back) of the forelimb can attribute, so slips or falls, laying on the side for a lengthy amount of time (anaesthetised), and of course blunt force Trauma,

Sensation can be affected aswell as motor function, the radial nerve innervates all the extensors in the forelimb and the superficial branch of the nerve innervates the lateral cutaneous antebrachium

The lacertus fibrosus links the Biceps Brachii to the Extensor Carpi Radialis tendon, remember each tendon in the lower limb does attach to a muscle in the upper limb which then connects to the rest of the body, so if the horse is unable to use the stay apparatus then the horses may not be able to use the vital energy saving system to the muscles.

Veterinary intervention as early as possible is important for appropriate diagnosis and to determine the extent of damage as with all nerve injuries the outcome can vary depending on the severity of the damage to the nerve, guesswork could delay the appropriate treatment. Also the other forelimb will need careful watching or support as it will be taking an extra load onto it, and remember the rest of the body will also offload an injury site

But like I say it is quite rare but once you see it you never forget

08/13/2025

08/10/2025

Yes I know i am supposed to be doing the course but the doom phase is real 😃😃

We often hear the words "pain is in the brain" and while it is correct the brain does not feel pain because of the lack of nociceptors (specialised nerve endings), it is responsible for sending the signal of pain to the body in order to warn that area to down tools and limit activity, yet i find now we are so focused on the "nervous system" that we are beginning to lose sight that the areas of all the horse still need addressed and correct movement can only occur when the body is no longer on red alert

Muscles often lose out and are somewhat thought of as puppets besides structures like fascia but they are important in whole horse health and a severe muscle injury can takes months to heal
We must not forget every muscle will tell us a story what lies deeper so it is important that the health of these are

So if you horse has say done the spilts in the field we have to think, how much out of range did the muscles and joints go and how long would it take to heal and how quick we bring them back into work because there is no "lameness"

Has your horse scrambled over a gate?? Gone over a stable door with those hinds legs trailing mid air?? What about the illiopsoas or the groin muscles.

Often running your hands on the pectorals or hamstrings it may feel stringy like guitar strings and that can tell you a story of maybe the horses past incidents.

Rehab and recovery ? As I sit nursing a torn gastrocnemius i can tell you the pain is not there all the time but one wrong step and I dont know where to place my foot to alleviate the pain, my achilles tendon is affected, so what about the horse that stops dead, explodes we often miss muscle issues because we jump straight to a bone issue, yet the spasm from a sore muscle can be sporadic and intense.
Has your horse had surgery?? What about the muscle that was cut through ?? Is the area now weaker as scar tissue has taken over from healthy muscle tissue are we bringing the horse back to work to soon once the surgery sight has healed.

Rapid muscle loss or an injury must always be seen by a vet it is so important that the underlying issue is first diagnosed, recovery time can vary from a few days to months

Hope this helps xx

08/03/2025

The Benefits of Riding uphill

🔹 Walking and trotting uphill strengthens the back, hamstring and gluteal muscles that will then give more pushing power in your flatwork and jumping.

🔹 Trotting uphill opens the shoulders and is great preparation for medium and extended trot as well as improving straightness and symmetrical development of muscles.

🔹 Cantering uphill also has benefits. The thrust from both hindlegs created when you canter uphill develops jump and elastic recoil.

🔸To avoid placing to much strain on your horse’s body increase the frequency and steepness of the incline gradually. 🔸