About Equine Therapy
 Horses
can suffer from a variety of physical injuries.
Sporting horses, geriatric horses, and overweight horses are
all at higher risk. There are many forms of
physiotherapy that are encourage healing when strains arise
from muscle exertion and strains.
The equine body has an amazing musculoskeletal system.
It allows them to function in a way that is highly developed
as a prey animal in the wild. This works for us humans
in that we have domesticated the horse to perform a wide
variety of jobs for us. Unfortunately, their bodies
are not made to always handle the work load we give them and
just as with humans, the harder we work or play, the more
prone to injury.
The muscles and tendons attach to the body at specific
sites. Each muscle is assigned a specialized job.
Everything in the horses body is geared towards balance.
In the muscles there are protractors (associated with
forward motion), and retractors (keep muscles in proper
alignment and prepare for the next thrust in motion).
Each muscle has the potential for flexation (contraction),
and extension (relaxation). These qualities keep the body
functioning in a fluid like motion. But for every
action there is a reaction. If our saddle fits
improperly and causes stiffness in the horses back this will
soon effect performance as the horse compensates for the
sore area, which then puts strain on other areas of the
body.
Physiotherapy can be beneficial to horses in many
different situations. Performance horses such as race
horses and barrel racers having a massage before the race is
as important as post race. Massage relaxes the muscles
and encourages them to be flexible, which in some cases can
mean a fraction of a second more per stride, or first place.
 Massage,
besides relaxing muscle tension tells the brain to relax.
This will calm the nerves and help the horse focus on the
task at hand. Massage increases the circulation of blood
throughout the body. Blood carries oxygen, so in turn
massage also helps the body have an abundance of oxygen to
use when they need it the most.
Here is a list of benefits:
- Improve stamina
- Improve the disposition
- Provide comfort to muscles injuries
- Enhance the performance and gait quality
- Increase the range of motion
- Improve the circulation
- Assess the physical condition
Massage is used with conventional and complementary
health care as well as proper training techniques, enabling
the horse to perform at an optimum level. It does not
replace veterinarian care and certified therapists can not
make any diagnosis.
There are many modalities to relieve physical and
emotional stresses for horses. One of the methods used at
Green Haven is Applied Kinesiology. Through hands on therapy
we are able to use the bodies natural electromagnetic field
to encourage the horse's body to find balance.
We combine modalities for optimum care. Using the
soothing motions of massage we relax the horse. Then,
through acupressure we encourage the muscle to release
tension and we can also apply the energy work along with
massage to promote the hardened lymph to circulate through
the body.
These methods are also applied to canine companions,
for more information...
Canine Therapy
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