Equine massage is the practice of

massage Massage is the manipulation of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pain. In E ...

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million ...

s. Beginning in the early 1990s, it has been a growing field of equine therapy, used for both day-to-day riding and post-trauma rehabilitation. Proponents list a number of positive effects, including the improvement of movement and the reduction of pain and stress responses.

Practice

Hands-on therapies, including massage,

acupressure Acupressure is an alternative medicine technique often used in conjunction with acupuncture or reflexology. It is based on the concept of life energy, which flows through "meridians" in the body. In treatment, physical pressure is applied to ac ...

, and

joint mobilization Joint mobilization is a manual therapy intervention, a type of straight-lined, passive movement of a skeletal joint that addresses arthrokinematic joint motion (joint gliding) rather than osteokinematic joint motion. It is usually aimed at a 'ta ...

, were some of the fastest growing equine therapy categories in the early 1990s. Equine massage uses the hands, fingers, and elbows of the therapist, and other tools, including

tennis ball A tennis ball is a ball designed for the sport of tennis. Tennis balls are fluorescent yellow in organised competitions, but in recreational play can be virtually any color. Tennis balls are covered in a fibrous felt which modifies their aerody ...

s and vibrating tools. During the massage, the

soft tissue Soft tissue is all the tissue in the body that is not hardened by the processes of ossification or calcification such as bones and teeth. Soft tissue connects, surrounds or supports internal organs and bones, and includes muscle, tendons, liga ...

is manipulated with the goal of loosening tight muscles, joints, tendons,

scar tissue Scar tissue may refer to: Medicine * Scar, an area of fibrous tissue that replaces normal skin after injury * Granulation tissue, a product of healing in major wounds Film and television * ''Scar Tissue'' (1975 film), or ''Wanted: Babysitter'' ...

, and

edema Edema, also spelled oedema, and also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may include skin which feels tight, the area ma ...

; increasing blood flow and

lymphatic Lymph (from Latin, , meaning "water") is the fluid that flows through the lymphatic system, a system composed of lymph vessels (channels) and intervening lymph nodes whose function, like the venous system, is to return fluid from the tissues t ...

activity; and reducing stress. Equine massage is used in exercise warm-up and after injury or for surgery rehabilitation.

Scientific study

Massage in horses uses many techniques first used for human massage, and it is becoming more common in both competitive equestrian disciplines and

pleasure riding Pleasure riding is a form of equestrianism that encompasses many forms of recreational riding for personal enjoyment, absent elements of competition. In horse show competition, a wide variety of classes are labeled pleasure classes with judging s ...

. Proponents say that equine massage improves movement and reduces pain and stress responses. Massage affects the

muscular system The muscular system is an organ (anatomy), organ system consisting of skeletal muscle, skeletal, smooth muscle, smooth, and cardiac muscle, cardiac muscle. It permits movement of the body, maintains posture, and circulates blood throughout the bo ...

at the

cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery w ...

ular and

fascial A fascia (; plural fasciae or fascias; adjective fascial; from Latin: "band") is a band or sheet of connective tissue, primarily collagen, beneath the skin that attaches to, stabilizes, encloses, and separates muscles and other internal organs ...

levels, as well as

physiologic Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

systems. Preliminary research demonstrates possible benefits in exercise recovery, but additional rigorous research is needed to further examine these possibilities. A 2013 study of 20 riding horses examined the differences in equine behavior among horses resting, receiving a massage, and receiving a treatment of Tellington TTouch method created by Linda Tellington-Jones. The study determined that the horses receiving TTouch had the highest levels of relaxed and positive behaviors, while the resting horses showed signs of boredom and the horses receiving massage therapy tended to move around more and behave in a less relaxed manner.

Regulation, training, and associations

In the United States, the legal requirements vary by state and are determined by each state's veterinary board. Presently, some states require veterinary supervision, while others do not. Many schools offer certification programs in the areas of animal and companion massage. Some of these schools are approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. The International Association of Animal Massage and Bodywork is an association of animal massage and bodywork practitioners, including equine massage therapists.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Equine Massage Horse health Massage