massage techniques for horses back

[helenandroger]

before anyone asks the obvious - i have a v gd saddler who i trust - owned horse for 3 mths and the saddler came and reflocked the gp saddle he came with and was awaiting my call for a return visit. but i have been slow on the uptake, and now my horse has a sore back. the saddle has been sitting too low at the back. saddle not going anywhere near him and am lunging and he's clicking the long low outline, but am keen to try some massage. any techniques out there, or web pages that don't require u to buy the bk - just yet

 

[Ani]

it's difficult to explain techniques in a forum, but any hands on work could help, have a look on the web for pictures of the superficial muscles like the longissimus dorsi, trapizious, Gluteals, and concetrate on the area of one particular muscle at a time, look at the direction of the muscle fibres and work with them, Example: trapizius is a triangle shaped muscle which runs from about half way up neck to half way down the shoulder blade and from ther to about half way along the back, think of it as a fan shape work from the point on the shoulder blade with both hands one going out to the point on the neck and back and one to the point on the back and back, work back and forth till the hands meet at the whither. what ever you do remember horses generally prefer less pressure than humans when being massaged, start softly with even pressure and see if you can increase the pressure. the horse will tell you if it is too much by and ear flick or tightening or backing off, if they are enjoying it the will lean in to the pressure. try using the flat of your hand first just slowly rubbing, then try pushing the hand away but cupping it just to move the skin and repeat all the way back to the start point. repeat each movement 3 or 4 times. always run your hands over the horse slowly andin a firm stroking motion before massaging as this will introduce the horse and you may also pick up any abnormalities, muscle knots or tension. This is all abit garbled but i hope it helps.

 

[helenandroger]

certainly does, thks for taking the time.

 

[chestnut cob]

If he's got a sore back then get a proper physio. Might be expensive but unless you're a physio, osteo or sports therapist yourself, I think you could end up doing more harm than good.

 

[TPO]

Incase of underlying issues I'd get a qualified physio/chiro/body worker to have a look at the horse (with vets permission). Not only will they be able to assess your horse but they can show you stretches and massages that you can do at home by yourself.

 

[spaniel]

Agreed. It really isnt sensible to do this yourself without some instruction and certainly not from reading something over the internet!

 

[Ani]

Helenandroger, everyone is right it is always better to get the professionals to check your horse over, but i took from your post you didn't want to pay out too much, sometimes doing an initail massage yourself can help you give the proffessional important information. You are unlikely to do any harm with a massage, especially if you remember horses usually prefer less pressure than humans and start with very little pressure, doing stretches wrong can do more harm then a poor massage, if nothing else a massage will relax your horse and increase your bond with them.

 

[helenandroger]

thks for your responses. you seem to get v v good advice on this forum. infact i called a physio out when i first had him as he was so tense and overbent when ridden and i felt he deserved a look over. The £60 was fine but i did gulp when she said 2 more visits needed! she found him v stiff in the back, and came out the nxt mth when she said he was much improved. then the saddler, who will come out again - before it goes anywhere near him. so i am aiming to do the right thing . my instructor (who recommended the physio), did point out last wk that physio due back end of june, but i think we all let it pass as things were going so well - no more jogging, or overbent. you're all right - will org more physio appointments. meanwhile, the massage tech are an excellent way to bond - and i downloaded a bk over internet as well, which has been useful. just hoping it is the saddle - it sort of adds up. but then again, as we've progressed and started to ask for more collection, that's when probis started, but will see what develops over the next mth.