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Massage or other bodywork can be adapted to horses for the
purpose of enhancing performance and preventing injuries.
This field has recently been developed and shows signs of
gaining rapidly in popularity, as breeders are interested
in any techniques that can give them a competitive edge.
According to Jack Meagher, author of Beating Muscle Injuries
for Horses, the practitioner applies techniques of human
massage, especially sports massage, to horses.
A pioneer in
the fields of sports massage and equine sports massage,
Jack Meagher turned to working with horses as a way of proving
the value of sports massage techniques for athletes. By
using the techniques on horses and achieving demonstrable
results, he was able to rebut the contention that results
with humans were due to psychological factors. can by performing
equine massage. Equine Sports Massage Therapy is designed
for any horse at any age. It is a vigorous type of massage
that gets the blood and lymph moving in the body and assists
is relaxing the muscles as well. The horse feels looser
and more energetic after a session. Its performance, whether
in the ring or just a pleasure ride, is greatly enhanced.
Benefits/Contraindications
Benefits of Equine
Sports Massage are: Alleviate discomfort, help prevent lameness,
assist in correcting behavioral problems, enhances muscle
tone and increases range of motion, assists in balancing
the body by treating the body as a whole, rather than each
individual part, reduces inflammation and swelling in the
joints, thereby alleviating pain, promotes healing by increasing
the flow of nutrients to the muscles, and carrying away
excessive fluids and toxins, creates a positive effect on
the contractual and release process of the muscles. When
tension is released, muscles relax. Stimulates circulation
by "defrosting frozen muscles", thereby releasing
ENDORPHINS – natural pain killers. Improved circulation
also increases the excretion of toxins through the skin.
Helps maintain the WHOLE body in better physical condition.
Training/Licensing
See IAATH website
for practitioners.
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