PEMF vs Chiro vs Massages vs Acupuncture vs Body Work vs ? for a tense horse

[abbylee]

So I recently bought a new horse who has somewhat consistently struggled with tightness issues over his back in dressage. He is doing a LOT better just from settling in and me focusing on really riding him to stay aligned better, but he also has had issues with kicking out when jumping which leads me to think that there may be some back pain involved.

He did not kick out on the several times when I tried him and when I asked his old owner if she had issues with kicking out, she said no. Obviously, I am aware that people lie, but I am familiar with the owner and in my experience, she is pretty honest and straightforward. I bought him knowing about the tension issues in dressage, but the combination of this and the kicking out is what makes me think that pain may be part of the issue. I bought saddles with him that his owner had used, so I don’t think that it relates to saddle fit.

I am not entirely sure what the next step should be in trying to diagnose it. I’m planning on talking to my trainer and vet more about this, but I wanted to look for advice here as well. He also has only been back in work for about three months after living in a pasture for three years, so I think that it is definitely reasonable that coming back into work could have caused some tension or discomfort.

So what I want to know what people’s experiences have been with different types of equine bodywork treatments. With my previous horse I just did chiro since she was older, which seemed to make a difference, but there also seems to be a ton of different options out there in terms of treatment. I live in a pretty equestrian-dense area, so to speak, so finding someone who can do a certain service probably won’t be a major issue.

I know that there are a lot of different treatments available including PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy), chiropractor, massages, acupuncture, etc. If anyone has tried out different treatments that they have had luck with for a tense horse, please share what you did and if it made a difference! I’d really just like to make sure he’s comfortable before continuing to have him in serious work, so any help is greatly appreciated

[Palm_Beach]

You can not spend any money and do desensitizing and ground work to get him completely relaxed and then see if he still kicks out.

[Magicboy]

I would try an anti inflammatory supplement and massage to begin and figure out some stretching exercises, too. I’ve used Chiropractic and acupuncture together to treat a shoulder muscle pull lameness. My Vet lies an herbal supplement called ButteLess and I’ve got my horse on it now. Tenseness was not his problem but I would begin with treating muscle soreness first

[Scribbler]

Also have an honest look at your own riding, with a pair of experienced and honest eyes on the ground. You could be landing too hard on his back, catching him the face, gripping with your calves, etc.

[mydogs]

I’ve done all of those for a tense horse. Here is how I typically approach it.

I did massage, chiro, and acupuncture all in the same day. Massage first, then chiro, then acupuncture.
My chiro did the acupuncture when she was done. I’ve spoken with both the massage therapist and chiropractor and they said that doing both either the same day or within one day of each other has helped.

My massage therapist said her job was easier after a horse had been chiro’ed.
My chiropractor said her job was easier after a horse was massaged.
So I think it just depends on the horse and what they prefer to be done first.

I’ve also done PEMF but I prefer to do that after chiro. I found that when my horse was extremely tight, he was not able to relax to get the most out of the PEMF session.

I also do stretches before and after rides, use a red light therapy pad, and a heating pad (in the winter, on super low) to help warm up the back muscles. My horse really enjoys the heating pad, but I also make sure to check it often to make sure it doesn’t over heat.

I found my horse really enjoys and benefits from a quick back massage before I ride. At least 5-10 minutes, longer if I have time. I either use CetylM joint/muscle cream or a magnesium cream during the massage.

[MissAriel]

@abbylee

… I bought saddles with him that his owner had used, so I don’t think that it relates to saddle fit.

I am not entirely sure what the next step should be in trying to diagnose it. I’m planning on talking to my trainer and vet more about this, but I wanted to look for advice here as well. He also has only been back in work for about three months after living in a pasture for three years, so I think that it is definitely reasonable that coming back into work could have caused some tension or discomfort.

My best guess is that after three years in pasture, being brought back into work could very easily cause muscle or joint pain. Imagine how you feel starting up a new workout program - lots of soreness, right? Be sure you are going slowly and giving the muscles time to recover between tougher workouts. If you can, mix lots of long marching walks and up and down hills into the routine.

I know you bought his saddles, but given that he has been in a pasture for 3 years, I would have the fit reevaluated, and checked for how it fits you. It may not fit him that well any more, it may need some additional flocking or shims to compensate, and it may not fit you very well, putting you in a position that aggravates his back.

WRT to your original question about therapies, each of these modalities is at best only as good as the practitioner. I have been pretty underwhelmed by the “evidence” to support any of these as treatments for either human or animals.

[ryansgirl]

Have you xrayd the back? That’s where I’d start. Rule out Kissing Spines first.

[Encourage]

I have to agree with what Miss Ariel said. I personally think you would get more positive results by scaling back how much you’re asking of the horse. If he was a pasture puff for 3 years and has only been back into work for 3 months, I doubt he would have developed the fitness for WTC and jumping in such a short amount of time. He may be protesting because he is just not fit enough to give you what you are asking for.

I know that wasn’t your question, so to your question, I have used all the therapies you listed, but for my own horses I saw most positive results with bodywork, chiro, and acupuncture in that order.

[leheath]

I’ve used PEMF and have found it helpful in “diagnosing” what might, or might not, hurt or be a problem area. I also think it helps a lot with tension and muscle soreness, but you have to keep the level pretty low if they are really tense (it is all about reading the horse’s reaction to the treatment). I’ve also used an excellent massage therapist for my horses for many years - she does a great job of identifying “issues” and has generally good ideas about the causes and suggestions for exercises to improve the problems she finds. I’ve used other massage therapists and have been less impressed - same goes for human massage therapist; you have to find the “right” one for you. I haven’t had as much success for general tension/sore muscles/diagnosis with chiropractic work (tired a few different practitioner, but maybe just haven’t found the “right” one) and I’m needle phobic so acupuncture is just not something I’ve tried for me or my horse!