Q and A

Q: How soon after a treatment will I see an improvement in my horse?

A: This depends upon your individual horse and the nature of your horse's issues. Some people report that their horse shows an immediate improvement. If the horse has required a lot of work to release muscle adhesions, you may find the horse actually appears a little worse the following day, and then gets gradually better. Most soft tissue injuries are accumulative and do not happen overnight. As such it is quite normal that it may take a few sessions before your horse shows major improvement.

Q: Do I have to ask my vet if its ok for my horse to have a treatment?

A: Current laws state that you must seek veterinary approval prior to anyone other than a vet working on your horse. It is often useful as well for a vet to be involved, as they may point out particular medication your horse is on that could be a contra-indication to massage.

Q: I have a competition coming up, can you massage my horse beforehand?

A: If your horse has regular massages it would generally be ok to massage only a few days before the competition. However, if your horse is new to massage or does not have regular treatment, it would be best to massage no sooner than ten days prior to any competition. This is due to the fact that while muscles are released during the massage the horse will then move in a slightly different way afterwards. The horse and rider will need to take time to adjust to this new way of going. An increase in your horses range of motion may effect his usual striding into fences, for example.

Q: How soon can I ride my horse after a massage?

A: Follow up exercise is a very important component of massage. If your horse is healthy and sound he can be ridden after a massage session. However, it is best to keep things easy, with a hack or just basic light schooling (no pirouettes!). It is actually important that the horse at least gets a fifteen minute walk in hand after massage, if you are not able to ride. This is because during the massage the release of toxins will have been stimulated. Keeping the horse moving after the massage will help your horse to rid these toxins more quickly and will ease any swelling or stiffness that could occur the following day.

Q: How often should I get my horse massaged?

A: This is very much dependant upon the type of horse, his workload, injuries and other factors. A horse in hard work, such as a racehorse or other competition horse, would ideally be massaged once a fortnight. For the horse in moderate to light work, once a month is sufficient to keep abreast of any changes in the horses musculature.