after owning my retiree (who is un rideable) for several years, i just purchased a really nice horse to show in the local hunters in my area
curious what and how often everyone gets what treatments done, for maintenance. it seems there are so many more options nowadays - massage, chiro, PEMF/magnawave (vs bemer?) … what else? how often?
i used to give my girl chiro and massage monthly, and now she will get every now and then
obviously a discussion i will have w my trainer/vet as well
Congratulations!
Personally I think it depends on the horse. I let them kind of tell me what they need. My current horse has never been very crazy about PEMF. And he has two specific body workers that he has chosen to be the ones to work on him. One Chiropractor and one Rolfing practitioner. He has had different people work on him but he makes it clear that he prefers two certain people. Same with his farrier though! Lol.
He’s never naughty really but he will relax into the chiropractor and Rolfer instantly where with others it takes him half the session to really give in to them and relax.
thank you! what is Rolf?
My priority goes farrier, Vetrinary care, “extras”. Currently, I’m prioritizing some fancy shoes, x rays, and injections. If things get nice and stabilized again my next priority is monthly massage. I’ve been very underwhelmed by chiro and PEMF but have done chiro if my massage therapist thought something was super weird. After that, my next priority is acupuncture.
Assuming that the horse is starting from the basics: appropriate nutrition, the best farrier care I can afford, as much turnout as is prudent and available for the horse’s needs, and a fitness plan that is reasonable for the horse’s capabilities and supportive of the goals…
Then I’m probably not paying for a lot of extra care, but I let the horse tell me what he needs. I’ve tended to prioritize joint and skeletal health as a way of avoiding compensatory patterns- so Legend, Adequan, and joint injections as needed. Then chiropractic, if my vet thinks it will help, or massage therapy if the soft tissue feels hard or tense. Bemer was not available while my horse was competing. I’ve had it done myself and found it relaxing; I’d look at this for muscle tension as well. I don’t know, man, for “improving circulation” I’m inclined to put the horse out in a big ol’ field with some friends and put the extra hay on one side and the trough on the other.
I look at it like physical therapy in an active athlete. Probably everybody has a little niggle. Most of it has its root cause in conformation and biomechanics. You can’t change the conformation but you can influence the posture with farriery and appropriate fitness to develop musculature and mobility, which also addresses the movement patterns. So good farrier, good vet, good lessons with a trainer who understands how to teach you to teach the horse how to use their body. Do whatever those three people recommend to set the horse up for physical success. Beyond that, anything else you do is gravy.
Except carrots, which are necessary to the horse’s welfare, and must be applied regularly and profusely. Says my horse.
I have an excellent farrier and sports medicine/rehab vet. We get the feet, turnout, and diet sorted then we slowly start building fitness. My horses walk 30-40 minutes outside the arena every time they’re ridden and go on hour-plus trail rides at the walk at least once weekly.
Once that’s all accounted for, the horses in full work get a massage every 4-6 weeks (more if they’re building a lot of muscle, working hard, or have a problem I’ve noticed while grooming or riding), and chiro/acupuncture (same person for both, who is also a vet) also every 4-6 weeks. Some horses need chiro/acupuncture more often as well, but it, too, depends on the horse. One of mine has a crooked pelvis we’re working out, the other sometimes has her ribs or sternum out. Some rehab clients start with an every 2 week chiro/acupuncture schedule to get everything on track, then move to once a month. I also have a laser that helps with mild to moderate muscle soreness/tension that doesn’t need a body worker. I have never used PEMF or bemer.
Provided your horse (congrats!) is sound, fit, and generally healthy, I think 4-6 weeks for each is a good place to start, and you can adjust up or down depending on how comfortable your horse stays and on the feedback from the person working on him.
thank you all!!! 🩷
Bemers are great if you own one and can use it a couple times a week. If you’re going to pay someone to do PEMF on your horse every couple weeks then choose someone with a high powered machine.
Here is blurb I found online:
“Rolfing Structural Integration is a form of bodywork that reorganizes the connective tissues, called fascia, that permeate the entire body.”
To me it just looks like deeper massage and a focus on how the body is working together. Honestly I just use her because that’s what my horse said he enjoyed more. I tried a more traditional message therapist and she said she had a hard time getting really “into my horse’s muscles” and he seemed more uncomfortable we with her.
The Rolfer, he is like rocking back and forth into the pressure, obviously loving it.
For me personally I liked the other lady better but his opinion matters more than mine!
It really depends on the horse. My WB loved massage and that was the only bodywork he got on a regular basis.
My TB on the other hand… gets regular chiro and PEMF every 4-6 weeks. He has some conformational challenges that make keeping him comfortable a bit difficult. We’ve chased down hoof issues, ulcers, and rehabbed his topline to be much stronger. He also plays like an absolute hooligan in turnout so sometimes we’re fighting an uphill battle. 
He’s a very expressive guy though, and visibly seems to appreciate his bodywork. It’s also a chance for my helicopter horse parent self to keep tabs on how he’s feeling and try to catch little things before they become bigger issues.
Though I am a chiropractic skeptic, I have the vet out regularly to do this for my horses. My main reason is just so the vet sees my horses regularly, gets to know them, and may spot something while doing the treatments that I may have overlooked. Latest was a localized skin problem I didn’t pick up.
And it helps a lot when the rare emergency or urgency comes up to have this relationship.
I have a great massage therapist. She focuses on the fascia, so it looks like she’s not doing much, but both of my horses’ backs are higher when she leaves compared to when she arrives. And both are usually not very expressive, so the yawning and droopy eyes tell me it’s very much working.
Agree with others that you have to start with a healthy horse with properly trimmed/shod feet and who are ridden correctly over their backs. Without those any other modality will just be a bandaid.
I am too, but the only adjustments that have actually helped have been the ones performed by my vet chiropractor. I’m now doing every other month Chiro and every other month massage due to my guys neck and tight hind. Agree, keeping tighter tabs on the horse like this helps to identify and ward off bigger issues.
It depends on the horse, but I think regular bodywork is good for any athlete. I bought a MangaWave machine when my horse broke his scapula, and he loves it. He’s also very clear about what he does and doesn’t like, so if he wasn’t into it, he’d tell me! Usually, I treat him loose in the stall, and he takes a nap. He can get pissy about massage when he’s sore, but he tolerates the MagnaWave well at those times.
I tend to do chiro/acupuncture/light massage around every 1-2 months, sometimes more often if we have more shows and events, to help with recovery during the more intense schedule. Or if I’m dealing with some compensation following a lameness or injury. With my one horse in particular, keeping him on a regular schedule seems to help ward off the more expensive vet “maintenance” type things for his issues.
Lots of good answers here. My two cents as a budget-restricted ammie – vet, farrier, routine maintenance, and balanced nutrition are top priorities and I absolutely do not cut corners here. The extra therapies can be a rabbit hole for $$$ and can wreak havoc with personal guilt for not providing everything possible under the sun for your horse’s comfort. For me, I figured out (through trial and error) what therapies truly made a difference and then made sure my horse was on a regular schedule for that. Having the same body worker consistently work on my horse provides me with valid information on how he’s doing and if there’s a need for additional therapies or if there’s a particular area I need to start keeping an eye on.
If farrier care counts, I prioritize that and lots of warm up and cool down work. I’m proactive about vet care and saddle fit.
He gets a massage every other week. Part of the benefit is simply having someone go over most of my horse’s body and identifying anything uncharacteristically sore. I like to know if something new comes up. My horse dislikes PEMF, but likes vibration pads, so we do that all the time.
For me, this is the crux of the chiropractor controversy. So many people advertising themselves as chiropractors are not vets. I would happily let my vet, if he/she was trained in chiro, do that sort of work to see if it helped.
Yep. And my vet is acutely aware of where my horse has issues, what is imaging looks like and what he’s had injected and why. I feel she’s not only better trained but generally knows the horse better as a patient.
My horse is neglected. I just haven’t had the time for ‘extras’ while doing elder care. My barn time was severely limited. That said…she didn’t get ridden much either.
Mom passed way last week so I am going to get the name of the body worker that comes to our barn. Kyra had to have her hocks injected recently so I know she must have some compensations to being sore. I have noticed a knot under the top of her left scapula. She has been working OK but knots usually aren’t good. The body worker I was using before Mom care started has retired. I do use a posture prep on her and get her on her Surefoot pads when we can’t work due to weather (no indoor) or just no time for a ride. That is about all I can handle right now. I don’t have access to the fancy things (Bemer, Magna Wave and the like). I even trim her myself to keep my costs down (and I can’t find a farrier worth beans 
).
Her hocks were injected about a month ago and she is feeling much better under saddle. Due to our hot temperatures and horrid air quality due to wild fire smoke, we have done mostly walk sessions and I think that is great for them. Just a nice marching forward walk with lots of suppling.
Susan
@Kyrabee I am so sorry to hear about the loss of you mom. Sending hugs. This is a great time to pour that extra love into your horse 
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