Horse Massage

Massaging your horse has many benefits. Physically it helps him relax his muscles and increases his over all well-being, it helps you become aware of any possible tense areas and it boosts the blood and lymph circulation. In short, the blood and lymph transports oxygen and nutrients to the muscles and organs, and transports waste products away.
Psychologically it strenghtens the bond between you and him, and it´s a very nice and relaxing way to spend some time together.

All horses are sensitive, they will notice even the smallest insect landing on their body, but they are also different due to breed, type, temperament and exsperience. Some horses will enjoy being massaged and will stand still for a long time, others may be very sensitive, or have sensitive areas or may just be very impatient. These are all things the masseur must keep in mind and massage accordingly.

The main purpose of massage is to find possible tension or knots in the horses muscles and it is therefor always a good idea to massage the whole body. Although there can be areas that need special attention. Try to keep at least one hand on the horse the whole massage, moving slowly from area to area. Start with the head and move on to the rest of the body, remembering not to apply pressure on tendons and bones.

A horses body-maintenance-massage takes about 20-30 minutes and the pressure applied is from 1 to 6 kilos (approximately), but the amount of time used and the amount of pressure applied, is aways depending on the reaction of the horse. Any sign of discomfort should make the masseur change tecnique or stop.

Note: this massage is maintenance massage, it is not meant as any form of treatment other than relaxing the muscles of an otherwise healthy horse. Unless you are a licensed masseur, you should never massage an injured horse before consulting a vet. A massage is always done at the performing masseurs own risk and responsibility.

Start by stroking the whole horse from head to tail. Put your whole hand flat on the horse and stroke in the direction of the hairs. Extra pressure is not applied, it is just like grooming the horse without a brush. This has a relaxing effect on the horse and you will be able to feel if there are any tense areas or knots in the muscles.

Go back to the head and start stroking the cheeks and the bridge of the nose. On the cheeks you stroke with your fingers in circles and slowly apply pressure up to about one kilo. Relieve pressure and move on to press the muscles at the base of the ears and the poll, then stroke between the eyes in circles. Stroke the inside of the ears (if your horse allows you to, some horses don´t like having their ears touched).

On the neck you use long strokes. On the big muscles on both sides of the neck you apply pressure, but the bottom of the neck is stroked without pressure. Put both hands next to eachother on top of the crest of the neck and squeeze it between your fingers and the base of your hand. Squeeze for a few seconds and relieve. Start just behind the ears and move downward to the withers.

Start on the shoulders and chest by stroking. Then start squeezing the muscles on that area between your fingers (thumb-kneading). After thumb-kneading the whole area, stroke again moving down to the front leg.

Put both hands around the front leg at the top. Squeeze your fingers and twist you hands in opposite directions. Squeeze, twist, relieve moving downward. Do not twist the knee! The knee is a joint and you should never twist while having one hand above the knee and the other below the knee! Stroke the leg upward and repeat twice, remembering both front legs.

All over the back and barrel you start with stroking, followed by circular movements with direct pressure using your three middle fingers or your thumb. You can put one hand on top of the other for support. Moving over the barrel you apply pressure between the ribs, not on them. End with stroking.

Massage the croup and hindquarters the same way as the back and barrel. You can apply more pressure on the big muscles by using your elbow, but remember not to apply pressure on the bones.

Grip around the hind knee and apply pressure with your fingers in circular movements. Do the same with the hamstrings and move down to the hock. Below the hock stroke upward like on the front legs. End with stroking.

Take a hold of the tail just below the dock and make circular movements, without using force. If your horse doesn´t like this, just make very small circles and you can try to make the circles a little bigger each time you massage. Circle in both directions and end with pulling the tail from behind to stretch the muscles of the back.

Stroke your horse all over to conclude.