Investing in massage is an investment in your animal's health and performance.
Massage helps to maintain healthy muscles, maximizes movement and flexibility, increases blood flow and oxygenation and improves mental health through the release of endorphins which are the body's natural painkillers. Massage helps athletes at any level in both preparation for workouts and events, and with recovery afterwards. Retired, young, and companion animals receive the same health benefits as athletes and deserve to be pampered every now and again!
Equine Maintenance Massage
Equine maintenance massages are designed to help your horse maintain at their current level of work (examples include lesson horses, weekend trail companions, healthy pleasure horses or work horses such as carriage horses, pony ride horses or police mounts), but are also great for the healthy geriatric horses or retirees (who may or may not still be in light work), helping them stay limber and loose.
Benefits of maintenance massage include the following:
- Reduced recovery time between workouts
- Decreased post workout discomfort and soreness
- Decreased chance of overuse or stress related injuries
- Increased immune function
- Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles.
Equine Performance Massage
Equine performance massages are designed for those horses being asked to increase their fitness and performance levels in training and/or competition, horses who are trying to regain a level of fitness they previously had, or those who work at a level that continuously challenges their physical limits. These sessions will help optimize your horse's current level of performance and assist in reaching the next level of proficiency and movement through increased proprioceptive skills (the ability for the brain to judge where each limb is at and how much energy and muscle engagement it needs), increased flexibility and improved efficiency and recovery.
Examples of good performance massage candidates include show horses preparing for and during competition, horses in training, young horses being started or those horses learning a new kind of work (such as an off the track racehorse learning jumping or dressage or a western pleasure horse beginning roping). This type of massage can also be beneficial for broodmares during pregnancy or lactation.
Benefits of performance massage include all the same benefits of maintenance massage in addition to the following:
- Repeatable and consistent performance
- Improved muscle memory and range of motion
- Improvements in posture and disruption of poor postural habits
- Greater gains in training with less interruptions
Equine Pre/Post Event Performance Massage
Equine pre/post event performance massages are designed to help currently competing horses optimize their performance during events or shows. These sessions are mini performance sessions scheduled before and after (sometimes during) an event or show to ensure your equine athlete feels their best and competes at their optimum level.
Benefits of pre/post event massage include all the same benefits of maintenance and performance massage.
Disclaimer: Massage is designed to reduce muscle fatigue and tension and is not a substitute for veterinary care. It is not intended treat lameness and may not be indicated under certain circumstances.
