How important is "touch" to you and your horse?

[Bogie]

I'm curious to find out how often people incorporate basic bodywork/massage into their horse care routine. I read an article recently on the importance of touch and it resonated with me.

After a hard workout (such as foxhunting) I often give my horse the next day off from riding but spend 45 minutes to an hour on massage and stretching. I also try to spend at least a few minutes every day "laying hands" on the areas where I know my horse holds tension (poll, hamstrings).

What about you?

[goodhors]

A good grooming, done well, is almost as nice as a massage. Such a grooming is not done in a few minutes, should leave the groom almost as tired as the worked horse.

I am not a massage person, but working the various brushes into the body is work as you deep groom them over the horse.

Lots of folks could save a ton of money, doing proper grooming before and after using their horses. Same folks do not do a proper warm up before asking horse to start working either. Horse suffers for both "shortcuts" in speeding up his work sessions.

Sorry, I am grooming1 to 4 horses after each outing, so adding the extra time for massage after grooming, means I would not be done by midnight.

We have found the correctly ridden or driven horse, worked in both directions, is using all his parts equally, tension is "worked thru" not allowed to remain in him. If he is tense, then do another exercise to relieve him of it. We want him working with self-carriage, not stiffness in any body parts.

I am sure horses enjoy the massage stuff, but I just run out of daylight. Unless horse displayed a real problem, I would not have the massage person come visit.

[JB]

I use my regular grooming as a massage of sorts. Both my horses love good deep work with the Grooma groomer, so I can use that on the bigger muscles to determine each time if there is any soreness issue. Very useful. I don't spend a lot of time doing that, unless I find something (then I go to other massage techniques), but I do use it to give me some gauge of what I might expect to start the ride off

[FlashGordon]

I love grooming... in fact will spend more time grooming than riding, sadly! While I don't know any specific massage techniques, I think a long through grooming with lots of attention to the various muscle groups, and a good going-over of legs and feet, can keep a owner apprise of any potential issues.

Now if only I could convince my gelding that grooming is nice.... he'd prefer to stay a mudball and loathes grooming of any kind!

[texang73]

I voted that I give my give guys a periodic massage myself (I am a certified, though non-practicing, Equine Sports Massage Therapist)... One guy (the retiree whom I have known for 20 yrs), is all about "touch me, feel me, yeah, that spot right there" kinda horse, I can pretty much do anything to him with med. to hard pressure and he loves it... But I know what he needs and where (back and butt work). Whereas the younger guy (whom I've only had for 2 yrs) is more sensitive to touch, so I have to be much more sensitive to pressure and area... But he does enjoy it.

And if they have a good itch that needs scratching when I groom, I use that as a massage opportunity. Or if I feel a knot when grooming, I use alittle acupressure to help (Jack Meagher's book is great), but keep in mind what I felt when grooming for when I am riding (i.e. he was stiff in the left neck) so I might spend more time in the problem areas warming up and strecthing etc. Massage can be a great tool used properly.

[Tif_Ann]

I'm not sure any of the choices fit. I use massage as needed, especially in the neck and poll area. I also know how to "crack" my QH's poll because he carries his tension there. I have been taught some basic massage techniques to use on my horses by my farrier who is an equine massage therapist as well.

That said - when my basic stuff isn't working, I ask my farrier to do some work on them. So they get a pretty decent full massage by a pro probably twice a year.

Finally ... I have had my QH see a chiropractor as well. Both of my boys have a lot of physical and neurological issues, so this was part of his rehab. I'm actually planning on having both of my boys see the chiropractor probably early spring. My QH needs the touch up again, and my mustang has changed his muscles and how he carries himself so strongly that I think a chiropractor will be good for him.

Recently - when Pi was being sedated for surgery - he was really resisting it and not going under. To the point that the anesthesiologist left to consult with her superiors for advice. Because I know how to work with him and his muscles, I finally just stepped up and rubbed his nose while working the muscle just behind his pole to release the tension and help him relax. That worked!

[oharabear]

I am quite spoiled- er, I should say that my horses are! One of my good friends is working on his EMT (Equine Massage Therapist) certification and, since he doesn't have his own horses, comes out fairly regularly to work on mine for free, since he uses them as practice. They LOVE it when Uncle Jason comes to the barn!

But otherwise, i don't think I'd spring for a masseuse to come out. I have learned enough from working with my friend to know a few of the basics, and I rarely use them. Aside from a good grooming, I will occasionally "roll" my horses' crests and will do "carrot stretches" if we have done a lot of work in collection that day. If we're just hacking, though, i don't bother.

[Rhyadawn]

My filly gets massaged regularly (as well as any horses I'm training) but thats because massage is what I do (massage therapist). It just makes sense for me to incorporate it regularly.