Treat your horse to some TLC while also boosting their health and wellbeing. We guide you through the options when it comes to selecting a massage product.
Each time you groom your horse, you’re essentially giving them a massage. You may already have a professional massage therapist visit your horse on a regular basis to ensure that they’re comfortable. Massage therapy can be used to treat a specific problem or injury, or to maintain the health of soft tissues to prevent future problems by keeping your horse’s body balanced and supple.
Massage can help to:
- Relieve pain, muscle tension and post-exercise soreness.
- Improve performance and increase the range of movement.
- Depending on the type of massage, relax or stimulate the muscles.
- Aid the removal of waste products via the lymphatic system.
- Increase blood flow, and the delivery of nutrients and oxygen, via the circulatory system.
Massage is also a great way to help your horse relax and to build trust. There are courses on which you can learn basic massage techniques to use on your own horse.
It can also be extremely beneficial to get into the habit of feeling your horse’s back and neck – in fact, every part of their body. Getting hands on and learning what’s normal for them will help you to learn what their normal feels like. Developing this sort of inbuilt knowledge through feel will help you to detect changes and take any necessary action quickly.
As well as regular visits from your professional therapist, there are a growing number of massage products that you can use regularly to help keep your horse’s muscles healthy. These are great to use before or after exercise, and there’s something available to suit all budgets.
Hands on
There are brushes available that give your horse a relaxing massage, and are easy to incorporate into your daily grooming routine – plus they are good value. Alternatively, you can use mitts and other manual massage machines. Using these means that you spend time with your horse, which is great for bonding and building a relationship with them. Mitts and massage machines mean that you really are hands-on, and will soon learn to recognise if your horse is in discomfort in certain areas of their body, at which point you can call in your therapist for further investigation.
Pads and rugs
Massage pads and rugs may cost a little more money, but you can leave them on your horse and they’ll run through a set programme, meaning that you can get on with the mucking out while your horse is having a pre- or post-exercise massage. This type of massage product usually offers a variety of programmes, so you can choose one that is suitable for your horse’s needs.
Shop for massage products
EquiRelease Equine Fascia Massage Gun
RRP £225
EquiRelease brings you a powerful and practical equine fascia massage gun that’s safe to use and gives your horse a deep tissue massage on a regular basis, in between professional treatments. Using percussive therapy, the massage gun significantly reduces muscle tension, aids relaxation and increases oxygen circulation to tired, sore, or tight muscles. It has 30 adjustable power settings and six interchangeable heads for precise treatment of different areas of the body. A fully charged battery gives six hours of use.
Equilibrium Massage Pad
RRP from £310
Colour: Grey
Sizes: Pony (14.1hh and under), standard (14.2hh – 16.1hh), XL (16.2hh and over)
Release your horse’s potential with this clinically tested massage pad which increases flexibility and promotes relaxation. It is battery operated and lightweight, and the control panel allows the selection of low, medium or high settings, allowing the intensity of the programme to be suited to your horse. Each programme cycles through pulse, vibrate and stroke massage types, to ensure that all muscles are worked in various ways.
The Massage Ball
RRP £19.95
Designed for both animals and people, this massage ball has a soft polymer handle and an easy-to-clean stainless steel ball. It uses innovative cold gel technology within its 360° rotating stainless steel ball to help reduce inflammation, reduce stress and alleviate pain. The cold gel within the roller ball holds a temperature, hot or cold, for up to 40 minutes.
Sports-vibe ZX Horse Rug Wireless Massage Rug
RRP £611.95
Sizes: Small (5ft 3in – 5ft 9in), medium (6ft – 6ft 6in), large (6ft 9in, 7ft 3in)
This lightweight net rug features 15 panel pockets. Four treatment panels come with the rug, with the option to buy more. The rug uses the latest wireless technology and boasts three frequency settings: gentle, moderate and gentle/ moderate.
Roma Massage Rubber Mitt
RRP £4.70
Available from local stockists
This massage mitt is a perfect addition to any grooming kit. The rubber mitt has massaging roller balls on one side and a rubber curry comb on the reverse. Easy to use, it simply slips on to your hand for use over the muscular parts of your horse, giving him a relaxing massage that they will love.
Le Mieux Flexi Massage Comb
RRP £9.95
The soft rubber nodules on this massage comb can stimulate circulation while also getting rid of loose hair and dirt from your horse’s coat. The ergonomic shape of the Le Mieux Flexi Massage Comb ensures that it fits your hand comfortably, while the flexible shape allows it to follow the contours of your horse’s body.
