Equine Massage Therapy

Massage therapy has been used to treat injury and illness for thousands of years. Ancient Greek and Roman physicians used massage therapy as far back as 2000 BCE, so it has a long and venerable history of healing.

Despite dramatic medical advances in the 21st century, health professionals still consider massage therapy to be a vital and respected form of healing. And it makes sense that if today’s Olympic athletes and armchair warriors find regular massage therapy to be beneficial, then the same truths also apply in the animal kingdom, with horses in particular.

That’s because horses are the world’s largest elite athletes, and they share similar anatomical characteristics to humans: The bones, muscles, musculotendinous attachments and locomotion all work in much the same manner. So it follows that if we feel general aches and pains after rigorous physical activity, then horses must, too. When you consider that horses are required to carry the additional weight of a saddle and rider, and they’re asked to perform unusual movements in tense settings, then it shouldn’t come as a surprise that equine athletes have many problems and injuries that can be eased with therapeutic equine massage.

It’s easy for a horse owner or rider to get aggravated when a horse balks or resists an activity it has performed easily in the past. But instead of losing your cool, it’s worthwhile to step back, and ask a few questions.

As we all know, horses have distinctive and fascinating personalities. When they balk, it could be because they’re having a bad day, or they just want to unseat their rider. But a more likely explanation is that your trusty companion is feeling some measure of pain or discomfort. Sometimes, the only way a horse can communicate is through dramatic actions that look and feel belligerent... until you dig a little deeper.

When a horse is lame, we know that it has a problem that needs to be addressed. But discomfort and serious pain lie on the same continuum, and recognizing the problem early can prevent a whole world of trouble down the road.

As a Registered Equine Massage Therapist, I can tell you that every horse has some level muscle pain that shouldn’t be casually dismissed. I have a trained eye, the mindset and skills to help you discover the root of the problem. Once we meet, it will be apparent that I have a profound love for horses. I feel that it’s important to allow each horse to reach its full potential in a comfortable and caring environment.

There is so much that can go wrong; the permutations and combinations are endless! It may be obvious, for example, that a horse is lame because of a simple stone bruise. You may decide that a little R&R will sort out the problem, with no further intervention. But compensatory issues are also at play. Until the horse heals, it is forced to carry itself differently, using muscle groups for activities other than which they were designed, and these secondary muscle groups become tense and taut, impeding the healing process and possibly exacerbating the problem, or creating new ones.

Most horse owners believe equine massage therapy is a luxury. I’m here to correct that misconception. Equine massage therapy can address a broad range of ailments, and should be in every equestrian’s toolkit. Massage therapy is every bit as important as veterinary medicine. It's not an unnecessary luxury and expense. It’s an investment in the health and contentment of your horse.

Horses are athletes. Everyone wins when we treat them accordingly.

Contact: Jessica McLoughlin, REMT
PO Box 8 • Chester Basin, NS • B0J 1K0
Home: (902) 624-0862 • Cell: (902) 275-7972
Email Jess; (jess@atlanticequinemassage.com)