Top 20 Principles of Equine Massage

Do evaluate the horse's health by checking vital signs; do work in a large space, free from obstacles; do keep small pets away; do maintain a soothing atmosphere; do have somebody hold the horse by the halter or lead rope; do secure your horse between cross-ties if noone else is around; do clean your horse before starting a massage; do massage with a very light pressure and progress to deeper strokes; do keep fingernails short; do avoid wearing jewelry; do talk to the animal throughout the treatment; do pay attention to feedback signs from the ears, eyes, feet, tail, etc; do keep records of your observations of the treatment.

How you approach your horse is most important. Be calm, be aware of his personality and so on. Fully understand your subject to ensure good mental and physical contact during a massage treatment.

Wear large size clothes to give yourself freedom of movement; wear strong boots; in cold weather wear leather riding gloves.

Head up, chin in, look forward; Back straight, not stiff, breathing relaxed; Neck relaxed, shoulders loose, elbows flexed; Knees slightly flexed, feet apart at shoulder width; Moving and flowing from the pelvis.

A good touch provides a soothing and comforting feeling during treatment. The palms of your hands and fingertips will give you accurate feedback on the physiological state of the various parts you are working on. Learning to trust your hands is not easy, however. Concentrate so as to detect sutble changes in the body on which you are working.

The normal temperature of a horse is 99 - 100 fahrenheit. An area that is abnoramlly cool to the touch may indicate such problems as muscle contraction or deep chronic tension. An area that is hot to the touch indicates the presence of inflammation and is a sure sign of underlying problem such as microspasm, stress points, trigger points or traumas.

By texture, it means the density and elasticity of the skin and muscular fibers. By practicing on healthy animals., you will quickly develop a sense for what normal, healthy tissues feel like. Tissues that appear too soft or puffy indicate presence of swelling (edema), congestion or underlying infllamation.

If a horse is highly sensitive, it is a sure sign of an underlying problem (nerve ends are irritated or perhaps damaged). The horse's reaction to your touch is proportional to how severe and how stressful the condition is.

Your fingers should be used as probes, quickly feeling and assessing what they touch, knowing almost instinvely how to adjust the pressure and to use the right massage move.

Do not massage when the horse's temperature is over 102 fahrenheit. Massage will render the situation worse by increasing blood circulation, which is already rampant due to fever. Cover your horse with a blanket to keep him warm and avoid a chill. Avoid open or broken skin or healing wounds anywhere on the body when massaging. When there is acute trauma or severe forms of functional nervous disease are present, do not massage. Only use a light stroking on the abdomen when colitis, diarrhea, pregnancy or hernias are present. Often acute rheumatism and arthritis are too painful to permit massage. Calcifications around joints or within soft tissues should not be massaged. Inflammatory conditions, such as phlebitis, can be worsened by direct massage.