LW Equine Sports Massage Therapy

21/10/2025

A great massage starts with anatomy!

To massage your horse well, you need to really understand what’s happening beneath your hands.

That’s why, in our Online Massage Course for Horse Owners, we dedicate a whole section to understanding equine anatomy, helping you see exactly what you’re working on (and how much pressure is safe to use).

Our unique traffic light system (like the one shown in the picture) makes it easy to know which areas can handle firmer pressure and which need a lighter touch.

When you understand your horse’s anatomy, you’ll know:
🦴 How close bones are to the surface (and how that affects pressure)
💪 Which muscles and tendons you’re working on
❔ What techniques are best for each area
🐎 Whether a lump or bump is normal or something to check
👊 The direction of muscle fibres for smoother strokes
❕ How hard an area has been working — and what needs attention most

Fancy learning the techniques to massage your own horse?

Comment Massage below and we’ll send you the details to get started!

02/04/2025

WE ARE NEARING THE CLOSING STAGES 🤓

‼️** 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗧 𝗦𝗨𝗥𝗩𝗘𝗬 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗨𝗞 𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗦𝗘 𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗦**‼️

𝗪𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝘁.

All horse owners are welcome to take part including those that have regular saddlery fit and those that have never had saddlery fit - this survey welcomes all horse owners.

All responses are 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬

To access this short survey please click the link below ⤵️

https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/uchartpury/understanding-how-horse-owners-manage-tack

Your contribution is invaluable and will advance our understanding on human behaviour on matters associated with saddlery fit.

26/09/2024

Today is National Animal Therapist Day
🐴🐶🫏🐘🐱🐰🐷🐮🦁🐧🦆🫏🦒🐄🐑🐕🐈

A day to celebrate and be thankful for the hard and passionate work of all animal therapists.

Massage therapists, physiotherapists, osteopaths and other specialist complimentary therapists work hard to keep our pets and working animals fit and healthy alongside owners and veterinarians – internationally. 🌍🌎🌏

How are you celebrating today? Tag us in your posts and use

26/09/2024

**𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗗 𝗜𝗡 𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗩𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗝𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗡𝗔𝗟**

𝗡𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲’𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘁

MacKechnie-Guire, R*, Williams, J.M., Nixon, J., Fisher, M., Fisher, D., Walker, V., Murray, R., Clayton, H.M

𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 (read without a subscription):
https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evj.14420

For the past four years, we have investigated the pressures beneath different nosebands when adjusted from 2.0 to 0.0 finger tightness (0.0 finger adjustment so that the noseband was touching but not compressing the skin).

Poor noseband adjustment could create high pressures that may risk pain or tissue damage. This study is a step forward in providing quantitative data relating to pressures associated with noseband type and fit when adjusted to various tightness’s.

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀:

🐴No significant difference between noseband pressures when the noseband was adjusted from 2.0 to 1.5 finger tightness.

🐴Noseband pressures were highest on the mandible vs. the lateral aspect of the nasal bones.

🐴No differences were found in noseband pressures between the cavesson, flash or Swedish (crank) noseband types at 2.0 to 0.5 finger tightness.

🐴The Drop noseband had the lowest absolute nasal pressures (mandible pressures not measured) and significantly lower values than the other nosebands. We need to be mindful of the position of the traditional drop. More work needed.

🐴Noseband pressures were lower when ridden in trot, compared with when chewing a treat.

🐴Noseband pressures were cyclical (rise and fall) and not continuous – changing during the stride and the chewing cycle of the horse.

As always, this is a team effort. Thank you to our research assistants, riders, owners and horses.. Thank you to our funders, World Horse Welfare, British Equestrian, Canadian Sport Horse Association, The Worshipful Company of Saddlers and Hartpury University.

NB image taken from pilot testing and was not included in the main study. All noseband types are described in detail in the manuscript.

17/07/2024

This is so true 👌

Try pressing a fingertip into one of your own muscles and just see how little pressure it takes to start feeling uncomfortable. Ouch!

Most People Get This Wrong! ❌
One of the most common misunderstandings in equine massage is the belief that deep pressure is necessary to be effective.

Deep tissue massage targets deeper muscles and soft tissues, often beneath superficial muscles, but it doesn’t always require heavy pressure. Sometimes, the gentlest touch can have the best impact on the deepest muscles.

Impressive techniques aren't always necessary; when working with empathy and skill, it can be the location and technique, not the pressure, that makes the difference.

🐴✨

Visit us on www.woldsequinemassage.co.uk

07/07/2024

So pleased to be able to support Samsama as a permanent resident of Prince Fluffy Kareem. This charity do such a fantastic job - please support them if you can 🙏

🇬🇧
Samsama arrived 29th October 2020

PFK DOB 29/10/2016 🎉

⭐️ She would love 4 more sponsors ⭐️

Thank you so much to the following lovely people who have all set up regular payments which help cover Samsama’s care! Team Samsama! ❤️

Lisa Forestgate
Lynne White of LW Equine Sports Massage Therapy
Carole Gardner
Judith (A nonimouse 🐁)
Rachael Wilcox
Claire Bowman

will pull up all her posts and you can find and see her story album here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?&set=a.3805574322821682&type=3

How to join SAMSAMA's Sponsor Team ❤️

🟢Step 1 - Please set up a recurring donation via paypal or UK bank or WISE

💜via Paypal - here's her personal SAMSAMA Paypal Donate link!
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=KVHZYL24R8J5J
⭐️Please make your donation for £10 or more and ⭐️tick ✅MAKE THIS A MONTHLY DONATION⭐️

💜via BANK 🇬🇧UK or WISE- please set up a standing order for £10 or more and please put SAMSAMA SPONSOR as the reference 🙏
All Bank details can be found here: https://linktr.ee/Princefluffykareem

🟢Step 2
If you’d like to be published on Facebook as one of her Team Sponsors

⭐ Due to Data Protection⭐
Please follow up your monthly donation with an email to
Princefluffykareem@hotmail.co.uk with HORSE SPONSORSHIP in the subject - just tell us, how you donate (in case it’s via the banks) that you’re ok with us putting your name on social media (how you’d like it to appear) and if we need to contact you (about her) we can by email 😊 Until we have that you'll appear as simply your first name only and (a noni 🐭)

05/07/2024

This is great advice, not just within the realms of equine massage but any one starting up a new business. It is relatively quick and easy to do too 👍

17/05/2024

Love this exercise. Do it each time you ride as part of your warm up and you will soon be able to see and feel improvement.

Tuesday tip - Stretching the neck muscles 🐎

This is a great exercise to use as part of your schooling warm up or try it when you're out hacking.

Ask your horse for lateral flexion in his neck to one side, then ride straight, then ask for lateral flexion to the other side, then straight.

Pick a number of steps for each, for example, 10 steps with left lateral flexion - 10 steps straight - 10 steps with right lateral flexion.

As you ask for the bend it’s important that your horse maintains his rhythm, balance, and impulsion. If he struggles reduce the number of steps you ask for.

Try this exercise in walk first once you’re both happy and confident you can try it in trot and even canter.

Lateral flexion in the neck is good for:

✅ Core stability and balance

✅ Coordination and proprioception

✅ Developing straightness and symmetry

✅ Forelimb movement and expression

✅ Reducing tension and restriction in the neck muscles

✅ Muscular strength, control and suppleness

✅ Neck joint flexibility

16/05/2024

💸💸15% OFF ALL PRODUCTS 💸💸

Our Heat Pads 🔥 are back in stock! 🎉 to celebrate we are offering a 15% discount on all products! 🤩

👉🏻CODE: BACKINSTOCK15 👈🏻

*excludes product bundles*

⏰Ends 19/5/24 ⏰

📍Link to buy 👉🏻 https://rb.gy/b4thmq

15/03/2024

26/01/2024