01/09/2021
Came across this essay I wrote just before I went to college in 2017 and thought I would share it with you all.
Both horses and people struggle with tense muscles. This can cause a decrease in blood circulation, restricted movement, nerve irritation, stiffness and pain. Blood needs to freely circulate to all parts of the horse's body, nerves must have sufficient room around them to fulfill their function as messengers to the brain, and joints need to move without restriction throughout their range of motion. At the same time, the muscles can also clamp down on the surrounding nerves, causing potentially severe pain and a lack of communication with the brain. The most common areas of tension are the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), the first and second ribs, the atlas and axis, the scapula, lumber veranda, and more. These areas need to be addressed so your horse can happily carry out the tasks you ask of them. Horses do not have a voice to tell you when something hurts and since they love to please they may keep working through the pain until it gets unbearable. A massage therapist is there to be your horse's voice and make sure it does not get that far. Massage physically breaks down the knots and contracted muscle fibers that cannot do their job efficiently. This leads to better muscle quality and more comprehensive and balanced muscle action. The tack and quality of shoeing/trimming should also be inspected. For example, a long toe and low heel combination usually leads to a strain on the structures on the back of the leg as well as muscular restriction higher up the leg. Massage therapists will know a little about saddle fitting and hoof care but they can only find the problem. You would need to get your farrier and saddle fitter to come out and fix the problems.
Equine bodywork can greatly improve performance, well-being and movement of your horse. It helps relieve and eliminate them of muscle pain, stiffness and tension in muscles and connective tissues. About 60% of a horse’s body weight is muscle and there are over 700 different skeletal muscles in the horse. Muscles control every aspect of movement, both internal and external, and horses use just about every muscle in their body with every step. If one of these does not work effectively, others will compensate and take up the extra workload which will lead to more problems. This is why it is important to assess the entire body and not just focus on the area that appears to be sore or injured. Each muscle attaches to two or more bones and crosses one joint or more. Muscles free from tension, with agility and movement, will carry out the function of keeping joints aligned. This allows joint fluid to flow evenly within the joint, and this reduces unnatural wear and tear of joints. Each muscle is attached to bone by tendons. Muscles should take up 90% of workload and tendons the other 10%. If the muscle isn’t functioning properly then the tendons will take on more of the work load. This is obviously very important in horses as ultimately it can lead to bowed tendons.
Equine bodywork will: Relax and relief spasms, increases drainage of lymph which helps reduce limb swelling, increases drainage of lactic acid which is the prominent cause of fatigue, improves joint mobility, increases circulation which can help equines that have laminitis, improves flexibility and suppleness, decreases recovery time in injuries, reduces toxic build up, increases tissue elasticity which allows for greater extension, increases range of motion, promotes movement of the gut which may aid in preventing colic, reduces adhesions/scar tissue and restores extensibility of muscle fibers, assists in respiration, digestion and elimination, and can improve mental attitude, as pain is dramatically reduced. Bodywork can help with so many things and that’s not even all of them. With bodywork, you and your horse can achieve your goals without pain.
