Janice Monk Equine Myofunctional therapist

There are many horses which display signs of muscle soreness or trauma, a lot that go unnoticed.
Be aware of your horse/pony trying to talk to you.
Here are some of the tell tail signs which is the communication between you and your horse.
:-Bucking
:-Stumbling
:-Tossing the head
:-Kicking
:-Refusal to pick up correct lead or canter
:-tension in neck or head area
:-Difficulity with lateral movement
:-Hind leg shuffling
:-Hip or shoulder lameness
:-Preferring one rein
:-High headed
:-Lack of poll flexion and bend
:-Unnatural behavior displayed
Many horses benefit from massage treatment as it aids in releasing muscle tension and soreness.
Equine massage works by relaxing your horse and stimulating the muscle and nervous systems.
Increased blood and lymphatic circulation promotes the release of toxins and metabolic waste.
Once toxins are released from the blood, nutrients and oxygen can be delivered more freely into the muscle tissue, this means the nutrition from your feed will get delivered quicker into the system.l
Massage treatment aids in promoting your horse to breath deeply, allowing oxygen to increase stimulation of muscle release and increase digestion.
You will begin to see a general well being in your horse, and its performance enhance. You will increasingly see signs of improved posture and increase range of motion.
Massage enhances, incease of mobility, flexibility and pliability of muscle tissue and should be used as a preventative health and fitness measure.
Massage is also used to aid healing on injured horses although best getting veterinary advice before booking a treatment.

Remember massage is not a one off quick fix, you will need a few treatments before you start seeing results.
Like all athletics your horse will need regular treatment to keep proforming to the best of their ability.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Once you contact me to schedule a massage session, I will either email you a health history form or interview you over the phone. You will be telling me of the concerns, your horse work habits, past injuries, etc.
After meeting you and your horse, I will usually work on your horse for about 1 hours. I then discuss with you what I discovered during the massage. The session often ends with a demonstration of appropriate stretches or massage strokes you can incorporate into our horse’s routine. (Stretches are not usually done on the first massage so the horse has time to adjust properly to the treatment)

Most horses truly enjoy a massage and how you might tell (during the session) is:
Lowered head
Soft eye
Licking and chewing
Cocked hind leg
Deep sighs
Leaning into the masseur
They even fall asleep