Equine Massage: A Practical Guide (50 page)

If your palpation over the horse’s back has shown some abnormality in the alignment of the spinous and transverse processes of the vertebrae, or of the ribs, consult an equine chiropractor.

Realigning the spine will greatly contribute to the overall recovery from a cold back.

Warning

When the back muscle inflammation can be traced to an ill-fitted saddle over the withers, be aware that it can cause the tissues to become bruised. This is serious as there is a
contusion,
meaning a
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trauma to the blood vessels of the skin and/or muscles attaching onto the withers, with extravasation (leaking) of blood into the tissues. It is characterized by some swelling, heat, and pain, in varying degrees of severity proportional to the damage. When in doubt, please check with your veterinarian. Remember, massage is contraindicated during the acute phase (first 24 hours).

However, cold hydrotherapy (ice cup massage technique, ice packs, or cold clay poultices; see chapter 4) is a very efficient way to reduce swelling and inflammation and permit blood clotting.

More rarely, an ill-fitted saddle over the withers can cause an inflammation of the bursa located on top of the backbone in the region of the withers. If untreated, this condition may develop into a more serious condition known as fistulous withers (swelling or abscesses at the withers). If a pustular infection is present, massage is contraindicated until cleared. See your veterinarian for a vaccination against brucellosis. Otherwise, first apply cold packs or use the ice cup massage technique to relieve the inflammation symptoms (see chapter 4).When in the subacute or chronic phase, follow with the massage swelling technique (see chapter 5) and lots of drainage to clear the excess fluid.

Understanding the importance of a good saddle helps you to take
better action in the prevention of, or clearing of, a sore back condition. Prevention is everything. A saddle should be re-flocked every
5 to 6 months on average.The quality of the wool used makes a
big difference.Talk to your saddle fitter.

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AREAS OF STRESS SPECIFIC

TO EACH DISCIPLINE

Not all horses have the same physical ability to do everything that is asked of them. Some types of conformation are structurally better suited to perform in certain disciplines, and some breeds are better suited as well. For example, the breeds listed below excel in specific sports or disciplines:

❖
Appaloosas and Paints:
endurance, eventing, western performance

❖
Arabians:
show under saddle, endurance

❖
Ponies:
hunter, jumper, driving, mounted games

❖
Quarter Horses:
western performance, hunter, jumper, racing

❖
Saddlebreds:
show under saddle, driving

❖
Thoroughbreds:
dressage, hunter, jumper, eventing, racing

❖
Warmbloods:
dressage, hunter, jumper, eventing Each discipline or sport demands the best of the horse’s physical capabilities, and of course, some classes demand more than others.The competitive nature of horse sports makes it necessary for the animal to use his entire body at once. Thus stress points (SP) can develop at any time and anywhere in the body. Specific activities definitely trigger the development of particular stress sites, particularly when the horse’s conformation is not ideal for the work undertaken. For example, a longer-backed horse may be prone to develop more stress points than a shorter-backed horse.

Similarly, a horse with a long cannon bone will tend to be more prone to tendon and ligament problems than a horse with a shorter cannon bone and proportionally shorter tendons and ligaments.

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Guidelines for Treatment

Follow these treatment guidelines when working a horse, regardless of sport or discipline.

Hydrotherapy:
Apply cold before and after treatment if acute inflammation is present. Use heat or vascular flush if there is chronic tension (see chapter 4).

Massage:
Use the stress point check-up routine to evaluate any potential stress points, and the stress point technique (see chapters 10 and 5, respectively) to treat and thoroughly drain them. The nature of the training will help you identify the stress points.

Apply any specific massage technique or routine you judge necessary (see chapters 5 and 6). In the case of exhaustion, use the recuperation routine to remove lactic acid buildup.

Always start with a light pressure and pay attention to your horse’s feedback signs. Progressively warm up the area you need to work on. Frequently drain the area with lots of effleurages (every 20 or 30 seconds) and always finish with soothing strokings.

Stretching:
Stretching exercises (see chapter 8) should be used as appropriate to assist the relaxation of the muscle groups.

The typical activities and disciplines described below will give you an idea of the nature of the stress encountered by a horse taking part in them. Since all muscles work simultaneously to produce smooth and coordinated action, you will rarely find just one stress point. Most likely, you will find several points in various parts of the body due to compensation.

School Horses

School horses can be any breed; they are usually calm and reliable with strong endurance qualities. Often they are older horses with lots of character and plenty of miles on their legs! These horses are used to teach any number of people how to ride. School horses spend hours each day moving in circles at all gaits (mostly walk/trot) with fairly inexperienced riders on their backs. New riders tend to ride with a heavy hand, which may cause the horse to become tense in the neck. Until beginner riders learn to balance on a moving horse, they tend to bounce around in the saddle, causing tenderness and perhaps inflammation in the horse’s back muscles.

Areas of Stress Specific to Each Discipline

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Problem Areas:
Due to the nature of their activity, school horses will most often show neck and back problems in response to stress caused by inexperienced riders.The muscles along the spine (iliocostalis dorsi and longissimus dorsi) show tension, stress points and, occasionally, inflammation. Use the stress point massage techniques and check stress points (SP) 20 and 21. Use lots of drainage. Sometimes SP 27 will also be sore because of stress in the neck area caused by constant pulling on the reins by the beginner riders. Check the jaw area and SP 1 to 8.

Shoulder and hindquarter stress points need to be checked when the horse is involved in jumping or is frequently used for lessons. Often you will find that older school horses show arthritic pain; gentle massage around the arthritic joint will help them feel better. Check adjacent muscle groups for compensation stress.

Pleasure Horses

Because pleasure horses are ridden by several members of a family, they will experience problems similar to those faced by school horses. Sometimes an irregular schedule can cause extra stress: for example, little riding in winter, a lot of riding in spring, little training during the week, a lot of exercise on the weekend. Since family members are often involved in a variety of activities, a pleasure horse may be expected to participate in jumping or western performance.

Even though pleasure horses are versatile, they will develop areas of tenderness as a result of the demands made on them during “fair weather” months, or as a consequence of irregular training schedules and the number of people riding them. A variety of breeds are used for pleasure riding, but those with versatility and a good nature tend to be favored.

Problem Areas:
The problems of pleasure horses are very much like those of school horses. Depending on the horse’s discipline, breed, conformation, and level of training, other stresses might occur.

Sometimes an irregular training schedule, such as several lazy days followed by a sudden burst of exercise, will cause a horse to tie up.When this happens, exhaustion is the result.The recuperation routine (see chapter 6) is the best course of treatment in this situation. Otherwise, follow the regular treatment guidelines.

Hunters

Hunters can be of any breed so long as they are sound and ener-getic.They need to be agile, smooth, and have a lot of strength and
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stamina. Of paramount importance is that hunters have good manners around hounds and other horses. The most prized and renowned hunters are those bred in Ireland from Irish draft and Thoroughbred stock. In show competition, riders tend to favor warmbloods,Thoroughbreds, and warmblood crosses.

Problem Areas:
Running across uneven, sometimes rough terrain puts stress on the legs of the horse; check SP 12 to 19.

Jumping puts stress on the chest, forelimbs, and the entire back during landing; check SP 5 to 8, 15 to 17, 20, and 21. During the takeoff for a jump, the hindquarters are under a tremendous amount of stress; check SP 28, 29, 34, and 35. The level of stress may vary depending on how the hunter is used. For example, in hunting, in which endurance is a factor, fatigue may cause compensation and other stress points to develop. In the show ring, the class a hunter is shown in and the difficulty of the course will be significant factors.

Jumpers

Show or stadium jumping tests a horse’s ability to jump a chal-lenging course, usually within the shortest time possible and with the fewest faults.To participate in this very competitive discipline, a horse needs agility, balance, control, and power. To clear the heights and the spread of the obstacles, a horse calls on extraordi-nary strength from his muscles and ligaments. Jumpers can be of any breed, but Thoroughbreds and warmbloods dominate.

Quarter Horses and crossbreeds are also shown successfully.

Problem Areas:
During the takeoff stage of the jump a lot of strain (proportionate to the height and spread of the fence) is put on the flexors, extensor muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the hindquarters; check SP 27 to 29 and SP 34 to 40.

Landing puts a good deal of strain on the flexor muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the foreleg (SP 13, 14), the entire shoulder (SP 9 to 11), and the chest muscles (SP 15 to 17) as well as the entire back (SP 5, 20, 21).The impact of the landing causes neck tension (SP 3, 4). Pay attention to the tendons of the foreleg and pasterns, especially if they are long.

Depending on the rider’s style, the croup and the side muscles of the back (the spinalis dorsi, longissimus dorsi, and costarum muscles) may be very tense.

Footing is very important. Slippery ground may cause a tendon strain because the horse tenses up to avoid a fall. Ground that is very soft or deep makes it difficult for the horse to pick up his feet. As a result, a ligament sprain may occur in the foot structure
Areas of Stress Specific to Each Discipline

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because the joint is required to stretch beyond its regular range of motion. Correct shoeing can do much to compensate for less-than-ideal ground conditions.

Dressage Horses

Dressage horses are trained to perform with elegance and finesse of execution. To accomplish this they must demonstrate control, accuracy, and flexibility, and be extremely sensitive to the rider’s aids. Good conformation is essential because of the demands dressage makes on a horse’s body.The nature of the work involved in this discipline requires great muscle control and coordination on the part of the horse. Dressage horses at high levels are disciplined specialists whose muscle development and carriage are quite different from that of comparably advanced hunters, jumpers, or eventers.

Today, a high proportion of the horses seen in the dressage arena are German, Dutch, Swedish, and Danish warmbloods, and Andalusians from Spain. However, many Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, and a surprising number of Appaloosas do very well at dressage.

Problem Areas:
The entire body of the dressage horse has great demands placed up on it, especially the hindquarters. Thus stress may occur in the back, hips, stifles, and hocks. Check the back (SP

21, 22, 25) and the hindquarters (SP 28, 29, 34, 35), as well as the hocks and lower legs.

Lateral work (side passes and bending) contributes to stress buildup in the chest (SP 24), shoulders (SP 9, 10), back (SP 21 to 25), hips (SP 25, 36 to 38), and legs, including the inner legs (SP

15 to 17, 33). Shoulders should move freely; any restriction in the leg extension is unacceptable in dressage. Work the legs thoroughly (stretch when warmed up).

Collection can make the horse tense in the jaw area and develop stress points in the neck (SP 1, 2). Work the jaw, throatlatch, upper neck, and base of the neck.

Eventing Horses

Eventing comprises three tests over a period of three days: dressage, stadium jumping, and cross-country. Eventing is an extremely demanding equestrian activity, particularly since each phase’s requirements are very different.

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To succeed at eventing, or combined training, the horse is required to display courage, intelligence, decisiveness, power, endurance, skill, and obedience. Only a horse capable of using the thrust and shock-absorbing capacity of his hindquarters and forequarters correctly will be able to sufficiently reduce the strain on the tendons and muscles to cope with the demands of the three phases of competition. This discipline requires an extraordinarily high level of fitness and competence from both horse and rider.

But even those horses that are fit to compete may show signs of tying up or colic, which could be influenced by weather conditions or the stress of the competition itself. Thoroughbreds and warmbloods (Hanoverians, Trakehners, etc.) usually compete in eventing.

Problem Areas:
All muscle groups incur a good deal of stress; inflammations and contractures are common, especially in SP 2, 5, 11, 21, 27, 28, and 34. Proper conditioning is very important in building up the tendons, ligaments, and muscles to prevent sprains, strains, inflammations, and stress points.