Equine Massage

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freebird

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I'm in the US currently, and equine massage is relatively popular.

How is the outlook in the UK? How many of you get your horse's massaged?

I'm currently in school to become licensed for human massage, but would love to go through an equine massage program as well and do both!
 
Most people I know with horses use a physio, so very popular.

I'm my area there are about six people that offer this service at least, some of them offer a slightly different approach to treatment.
 
I'm rather of the opinion that equine massage is a bit of a waste of money, unless you're absolutely clear that is just a feel good thing for your horse. If a horse has an issue that is making it sore/tight, I'd rather get the cause identified and dealt with , than treat the symptom so I would use a veterinary chiropractor over a massage therapist.
 
I'm with Auslander I'm afraid... I use a chartered vet physio when we have an issue... I know one of mine would love massage as she's a very tactile horse but I wouldn't have the spare cash for it.
 
I've used a massage therapist. She's a very competent horsey person I knew who has gone to do an Equissage massage certificate.

http://www.equissage.com/

There's no doubt that the horses love it, and she's also very attuned to picking up something untoward which needs further investigation by a vet. Howver, it's £45 for an hour's massage cf £70 for an hour's treatment by a fully reg physio. If money was no object, I'd treat them to a massage every few weeks but it soon mounts up.
 
I use a vet Chiro, I use her to check that my horse is comfortable to ride and is not tight or in pain. Yes they enjoy it and it's very clear that they do and once they have been done a few times it's clear they understand what's going on. I don't do regular treatments as it's very expensive, I do a preemptive treatment in the early part of the year just before I up the riding. I have found that to be cheaper in the long run. I credit my arthritic horses longevity under saddle to my vet, Julia Ledger - Münich, I'm not sure I would value a less qualified persons imput as much as I do Julia's . I'm sure there are some charlatans out there but if you pick carefully and go for people who have the correct training then it's a very useful tool in your tool box.
 
Ours get a massage every 3 months, the lady is a qualified human masseuse too and horses really benefit from it, they are so relaxed afterwards and it helps to identify any potential issues before they arise. Obviously anything thats picked up is discussed with vet and if horse needs proper physio we get a vet physio out. Massage for the horses is definitely a luxury - i never get a bleddy massage!
 
Thanks for your input everyone!

Auslander said:
I'm rather of the opinion that equine massage is a bit of a waste of money, unless you're absolutely clear that is just a feel good thing for your horse. If a horse has an issue that is making it sore/tight, I'd rather get the cause identified and dealt with , than treat the symptom so I would use a veterinary chiropractor over a massage therapist.
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That's ok! Different people have different outlooks on things and I'm aware of that.

Equine massage, in my opinion (like human massage), can pair well with physio or chiropractic work. For example, manipulating the muscles to relax them in a massage can help the work of a chiropractor keep longer or become more effective. The skeletal and muscular system work in conjunction. This is only what I have found and what I believe- it certainly isn't life or death- and yes it absolutely is a luxury- but it can help from my experience.

That said I will NEVER claim that massage is as or more effective than chiropractic work... I have the upmost respect for equine chiropractic vets and for MAJOR issues, a horse needs to go there absolutely. Not for a massage. Also with equine massage, I think it is vital that a vet see them first as some massage therapy work is contraindicated for certain situations.

Everything should be looked at in a case by case manner, in my opinion. Some people swear that it helps, some people think its a waste of money, and that's ok too!

But for those who find it helpful, and because I enjoy working with horses as well as people, I would love to do equine massage on the side of being a human massage therapist.
 
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