Shade Tree Horse Massage:
Easy Massage Techniques for the Horse Owner
By Christina Bequette
Certified Equine Bodyworker
ISSA Certified Personal Fitness Trainer
There are many excellent books on the market to teach horse massage. Most of these delve into and concentrate on the formal anatomical muscle nomenclature and give in-depth explanations of the why and wherefore of every aspect of equine massage. These are wonderful and necessary books and many of them I use myself for reference. The purpose for this Shade Tree Horse Massage book (and upcoming DVD and CD) is to bring an easy-to-read and quick-to-understand how-to equine massage lesson to the horse person or the competitor who wishes to apply massage to his or her own sport or pleasure horse.
THIS BOOK IS NOT INTENDED TO TEACH EQUINE MASSAGE AS A PREREQUISITE FOR BECOMING AN EQUINE MASSAGE PROFESSIONAL
THE IMPORTANCE OF MASSAGE FOR HORSES
Horses are more than our vehicles to take us from place to place, or our carriers in athletic competitions. They are our friends, our companions and to many, our livelihood. We ask so much of them and they give so much to us. They deserve the best care, and massage is just that. Massage is therapeutic care that we give to help relieve our horse’s stress or injury or to assist in prevention of the injury or stress. Massage is a great big “Thank You” for all that our horses do for us.
For hundreds of years we have asked our horses to perform amazing tasks. We run up behind them and do over-the-rear mounts. We task them on lengthy and perilous endurance races. We ask them to spin on a dime in a reining event or quickly cut cattle from a herd, or run a fast cloverleaf pattern in a barrel race. They jump, they dance and if we could make them, they would even fly for us! All of these accomplishments they do, because they love and they trust us. All the while, we are putting uncountable stresses on their backs, legs, hindquarters and necks.
It is my belief that when we apply massage to our own animals, we establish a closer bond with our animal. Each of us (horse and human) holds within our beings huge amounts of energy and emotion. As we massage our horse, our positive energies go through us to them and from them to us. I always feel better after administering an equine massage, no matter how physically demanding the session may have been for me. Massaging your own horse is also an excellent way to keep track of any physical manifestation of injury or illness that may be lurking within your horse. As you move your hands over your horse, you can feel cold or hot spots indicating old or new injuries. You feel bumps or swelling you may have previously been unaware of.
