I am curious about horse massage therapists. Did you have one come out for your horse and how often? For what reasons? What was the result?
How did you find your MT? What did you look for?
The barn I am at is having a clinic on massage therapist training and I am just interesting in learning more about it.
If you are a massage therapist, I would love if you could PM so I could ask some more questions.
My trainer has a massage therapist come every two weeks for her Grand Prix horses. I have done it once or twice for my third level gilding. He loved it but I didn’t see much difference in his performance afterwards my trainer, I believe, does it as a health maintenance issue
I use one, once a month. Actually, my horse is getting done today, which will be only his second time (We just started doing them). She came recommended by my trainer, and so far I am very impressed with her and the results. Feel free to check out my blog, where I talked about my horse’s first session. I’ll update again after today about how it went as well!
http://hunkyhanoverian.com/allthingshorse/rio-gets-spa-day/
p.s. She travels all around the country, I’m in Texas and I think she lives in Georgia.
My horse and I both love our MTs.
I massage my horse as often as I can and he immediately starts to relax and expresses how much he enjoys it. He makes it very obvious when his muscles are hurting and when he feels better. Even if I didn’t see a performance improvement, I know my horse enjoys having a massage.
I have had both massage and a bodyworker who incorporates chiro work on my horse as needed. At $100 a session I dont do it every month if there’s no problem.
I did take a daylong clinic from a good equine massage person but it turns out I don’t really have the stamina to really do a good job!
As a DIY technique to have its a great idea and you will learn about musculature.
As an income earner I wouldn’t count on it. Our local market is flooded with young women coming out of small basically unaccredited short training programs and I can’t imagine they are getting much business.
Massage has always worked really well on me, better than chiro for my back, so I am generally a believer.
Thank you! That is exactly what I wanted to know.
My horse has a standing monthly appointment with his massage therapist. I have used the same MT for over 10 years (she took over a retiring MT’s practice) and have never had anything but a positive outcome from her work. I consider her my first line of defense for patterns of unusual soreness that I might not notice. She will also give me a heads up if she feels chiropractic work would be beneficial. Whenever she arrives at the barn, all the horses in her care nicker. Need I say more?
I started using a massage therapist for my horse about a year and a half ago. A friend of mine used this MT for her horse. I watched her work and loved her calm energy and the way she really took her cues from the horse. She doesn’t come into an appointment with a set plan of what she wants to do - she starts at the nose and works her way back, stopping and starting based on the reaction of the horse. She sometimes is more concentrated in certain areas, and spends less time in others, but she’s very skilled at reading his reactions and letting that guide her work.
Almost immediately I noticed a tremendous difference. He’s 18 years old and was starting to get a little stiff. The MT worked on loosening him up from nose to tail. That first ride after the MT session was amazing. He was moving so much more freely, and seemed relaxed and loose. He was bending better, stretching down through his neck and lifting his back more. She also left me with some stretches and exercises to work on in between appointments. I try to get an appointment in every eight weeks or so. If he’s in heavy work, showing a lot, or seems off, I sometimes have her come out more frequently.
She’s very informative and great with questions, so I’d be happy to PM you her information if you want it!
I’ve been using the same MT for my horse for nearly 10 years. She came highly recommended by the BO who I respected. She was/is known for finding the cause of “issues” that vets have been unable to pinpoint. I have her come roughly every other month unless my horse is showing specific issues. If I notice uncharacteristic behavior she can tell me if it is soft tissue, other physical issue, or training. She is also great for giving tips on muscle development or identifying deficiencies in our training (e.g. focus on this kind of exercise because she could use more muscle/strength in this area, or the muscles are even between left and right so work on a certain exercise for the weaker side). If there are no significant issues during a “maintenance visit”, that is confirmation that the work we are doing is in the right direction and there is typically only minimal improvement in performance. If there are issues, there is often significant improvement in performance after the session. In contrast, I have had much less positive experience with chiropractic work as I felt they didn’t not address the “whole horse”, but focuses on the skeleton rather than the connection between the soft tissue and the underlying skeleton.
If I was looking for a new MT or bodyworker, I would watch them work and see if they can explain what they are doing/feeling and what it means (not necessarily scientifically, but on a practical level). I want to see my horse react generally positively to them at the beginning and show signs of relaxation or general happiness after the work (it’s fine if there are areas that are clearly sore, so the work is initially uncomfortable, but the end result should be an improvement). If the horse has a known issue, I want them to find it without me telling them about it. If they don’t find anything, I will ask about the issue and see if they can explain why they didn’t find something.
I have had good luck with the Masterson Method. Found a local practitioner who does a great job in conjunction with my chiro.
I’ve done this off n on with several of my horses and it really seems to help - IF - you get somebody competent. I had one gal my horse (and I) hated on sight.
Since it works so well for myself, it’s easy to believe it can work on my horse too. And it has helped getting them to let go and stretch, even on their own.
My daughter is a massage therapist who is also working on her Masterson Method certification. These are complementary therapies that work as other posters have explained.
As a horse owner, it’s important for you to make sure that the MT you engage has had training in a rigorous program. Some states have no established standards, and there are online programs that purport to turn out massage therapists in two or three weeks. A good, first-level program takes at least six months to complete, and even then graduates are only minimally qualified.
BTW, Scribbler, I suppose it’s possible that a one-day DIY workshop could provide owners with a few basic techniques, the kind that would do no harm even if applied incorrectly. But no one should get the idea that afterwards they can do what a real MT can do.
The suggestions above are all excellent–to rely on referrals from a trusted source, to observe a session in progress, and to take note of what the horses have to say about their sessions–heads dropping, deep sighs, licking and chewing, etc.
Sometimes the results of good massage work can be quite dramatic: At a show last season my daughter worked on a mare who had, until recently, been a stellar jumper. In her first class, however, she was backing off and even stopping. It turned out she had a large adhesion in a gluteal muscle, which my daughter was able to work out. The mare then went out and jumped like a dream, winning her 1.20 class. That’s an exceptional result, of course, but many horses are less stiff, freer in the shoulders, etc. after a good massage.
And yes, horses do nicker at an MT who’s done good work with them!
@phippsie. I totally agree that you will not be a qualified Mt after a one day clinic. The clinic I went to, the rmt stressed we were only learning “relaxation” techniques and we didn’t get into therapeutic stuff.
But it was still interesting and rewarding and an insight into how physically hard it is to do it right.
I wanted OP to feel free to pursue it as a DIY technique but not to get inflated hopes about this as a potential income source, since I don’t know how this clinic is being promoted.
I know OP said in a previous post she was helping at a rescue and it would be very cool if all the volunteers were being offered a course on basic massage to help with the rescue horses.
Scribbler: I’m totally on board with that! I can’t imagine a better way to calm and reassure horses who might come in to rescue with some trauma as well as physical problems…
My horse, when in full work, gets a massage once a month (would do more if I had the cash) and also has a massage pad that we use on a near daily basis. He can be a tense little horse, and holds a lot of tension through his back and haunches. And, because he’s an athlete and athletes use their muscles and get sore sometimes, it helps break up soreness or stiffness from doing his job (his MT can usually tell if he’s been doing a lot of jumping, galloping, or dressage work depending on where he is reactive). It also helps keep him limber, aids in warm up and cool down, and just generally makes him feel and go better. Massage has been, by far, the most beneficial thing I have found for him and his temperamental back (well, a new saddle helped a lot, too). Chiro was meh, and the expensive medical treatments my vet wanted to do were outrageously costly for the limited outcome. Keeping him regularly massaged by a pro, and supplementing with his pad have VASTLY improved his back.
I really was not thinking that I could be qualified in one all day training, but it did peak my interest. I am thinking of a career change, but I am not spring chicken so just knowing that it takes a lot of stamina, which I guess I should have known, would probably mean that it is a no go for me.
Sounds like a class I took in farrier training. It was really interesting, I enjoyed what I learned, but I called it farrier appreciation class, because dang, it was hard. I really enjoyed working with the hot forage though.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
