Human athletes use massage and stretching exercises to prepare and recover from training and competing, so equine massage therapy is becoming more and more popular for our supreme athlete – the horse! As like us, horses can suffer from muscular pain too. Danielle Jones is based in Cardiff and covers the South of Wales. Danielle uses a unique blend of Equinology techniques and sports massage to help your horse move as freely and comfortably as possible, whether they are a happy hacker or a competition horse. This approach uses a combination of massage, stretching and other hands on techniques to relieve tension and muscle spasms. Equine massage therapy may help with these signs of pain and discomfort:
Unexplianed resistance i.e. Bucking, napping, rearing
Deterioation in behaviour or performance
Carrying tail or head to one side
Refusing to jump
Disuniting and reluctance to canter on one lead
Biting or kicking when girthed, groomed or rugged
Uneven shoe wear
Shortened or uneven stride length
Lateral stiffness
Hollow back and high head carriage
Head shaking or tilting
Common causes of muscle soreness and back pain:
Poorly fitting tack
Falls, Trips, Slips
Unbalanced rider
Problems with teeth or shoeing
Becoming cast in the stable
Increase in work load
