November 2005
Massage For The Older Horse
by Jaymi Trimble and Jacquie Becker

Horses are very sensitive to touch. Think about it…your horse can feel a fly land on his back and will swish his tail or twitch his skin to shoo the fly away. Because your horse is so sensitive to touch, especially when in pain, he responds well to equine massage. This is especially so for the older horse that suffers from the aches and pains of arthritis and other age related ailments.

Horses have a language all their own and tell us they are hurting in many different ways. You may pick up on subtle differences in temperament, your horse’s coat may lack luster, he may be cranky, have a dull look in his eyes, or walk with a limp. Your horse may also tell you something is not right by expressing discomfort when saddled, or by dragging his feet when walking.

Horses don’t have to be athletes to come up lame. The backyard horse can easily pull a muscle galloping in a muddy pasture, or sustain injury when kicked by another horse. When a horse is hurt by a strain, fall, or kick muscles tighten around the injured area. The horse will then suffer decreased range of motion, becoming stiff and sore. When injured, horses are often put into stalls to recover. Without the ability to move around horses on necessary stall rest will become stiff, causing more discomfort.

When a horse has pain in one part of the body that is left unattended, it can lead to pain in other areas. Here’s how it works: when a horse is injured, muscles in other areas of the body have to work overtime to compensate for the pain and loss of motion in the injured area. When this occurs the horse ends up being off on the opposite side, usually across the diagonal. For instance, if the horse has suffered trauma to his right hindquarter he will more than likely be off in the left front shoulder too.

Whether standing in a stall or show jumping, horses can benefit from equine massage because pushing and prodding certain acupressure points releases muscle tension (undoing painful knots) and improves circulation, which aids healing. Massage also releases endorphins which provide natural pain relief to soothe the hurting horse. Older horses may also get stiff between rides. Equine massage is helpful in giving your horse relief from his aches and pains.

SIDEBAR
Ways Your Horse May Be Telling You He Hurts
• General stiffness and unwillingness to flex left or right.
• A sore back.
• Doesn’t want to pick up the canter, or bucks during transitions.
• Moves with choppy or irregular strides.
• Trips or stumbles.

Now, more than ever before, horse owners are willing to look beyond conventional veterinary medicine when seeking treatment for their horses. Massage is a very effective form of treatment for muscle injuries and also aids in better overall health of the horse. However, it should not be relied upon solely to treat your ailing horse. A better plan would be to enlist the help of several specialists in different fields of equine medicine: veterinarian, physical therapist, massage therapist, and dentist. All equine medical disciplines should be willing to work together, given that treating the horse is much more effective when the veterinarian, physical therapist, massage therapist and dentist pool their expertise.

For more serious injuries acupressure alone is not a substitute for necessary veterinary care. There are times when the veterinarian should be called immediately after your horse suffers a muscle injury. A call to the veterinarian is necessary if the soreness your horse has is accompanied by heat and swelling, or if the injury is marked by a weight bearing lameness.

Acupressure offers benefits for both horse and owner by allowing the horse owner to participate in the process of healing their horses. Giving massage to your horse also allows you to become more familiar with your horses body—providing you an edge in identifying things out of the ordinary with your horse. Massage is a non-invasive way of helping your horse to heal and it can be done between visits of the veterinarian or physical therapist to further aid the healing process. Massage is simple to use and available to you as a remedy day or night, wherever and whenever you may need it. Equine massage also has the added benefit of giving the owner a workout—keeping both horse and rider conditioned and supple.

Used as an enhancement to traditional veterinary medicine, massage is beneficial because it increases circulation throughout the horse’s body stimulating the release endorphins and encouraging muscles to release built-up toxins which can then be eliminated from the body, helping the horse feel better and heal. Look after your ponies!


Jacquie Becker, owner of International Pony Rubs, travels to the Mainland U.S. from Hawaii frequently performing equine massage and stretch therapy on horses. In addition to making   the horse feel better, Becker teaches horse owners techniques to help maintain their horse’s physical health.

Jaymi Trimble is a freelance writer who has been crazy about horses since she was a little girl. Trimble spends half the year on Maui and the other half on her farm in Washington State.

For more information on acupressure or massage visit www.hawaiianponyrubs.com.