Why does my Horse need a massage?

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Horses are known for their power- power comes from muscles. When muscles are overused, learning a new task, or not used enough, they can become strained. This leads to decreased blood flow, creating a spasm in the muscle. When spasms happen, they can be very painful, leading to decrease ability to turn the neck, extend the back, or flex the hamstrings, for example. When you're in pain, do you want to exercise? Of course not- neither does your horse! Most owners also do not stretch their horses enough, but then ask their horse to be as flexible as a 2 year old. Well, just like us humans, horses needs to keep up their stretching to maintain flexibility- if not, then muscle strains and soreness happen.

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Why is saddle fitting important?

When the saddle does not have correct angles to match the horse and rider, it can create permanent damage to a horses' spine, skin, nerves, blood circulation, and decrease their ability to move. An ill-fitted saddle is the number 1 reason why horses need a massage. Imagine you are carrying a backpack with a heavy object and it is hitting your shoulder blade whenever you go to move your arm-this is how a horse feels when a saddle is not fitted correctly. Saddle fitting should be done at least 2x/year as the horse may lose or gain weight with weather changes in winter and summer.

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