Martine White

 

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                Frequent Questions & Answers

How long does a session last?

Anywhere between one or two hours. I charge by the session, to avoid “clockwatching”.

Does my horse have to be clean before you can work on him?

No, just remove any mud, make sure he is dry and please, do not use any coat polishes…

When will I notice an improvement?

Sometimes immediately. Sometimes it takes a few sessions. Unless there is a direct trauma or accident, most soft tissue issues are cumulative: they didn’t happen overnight so they can take some time to improve.

My horse is off. Can I have you look at him without veterinary approval?

No. Your vet needs to clear your horse for bodywork. He/she might be in the process of testing your horse’s response to a drug or treatment: outside influences could alter the findings. Other times it is important to allow the tissues time to first heal before attempting massage or other modalities. It is always important that your veterinarian rules out underlying pathologies and diseases.

How often should a horse be massaged?

That depends on the horse’s level of work, his conformation, health, the extent of an injury, the footing, tack fit etc. At top-level competition, it can start with 3 sessions a week.  If a horse has a solid workload a massage every 2 weeks is probably in line. The normal working horse should be done at least once a month as a maintenance program to monitor your training’s impact and to prevent issues.

How long do I have to wait until I can ride my horse after a session?

Actually, follow up exercise is an essential component. Healthy, sound horses can be ridden after a session. It is best to keep it nice and easy. Large figures or trail rides are best immediately after. If you don’t have time to ride, you need to arrange a 15 minutes hand walk or jog within a few hours after the session.

I’m showing my horse this weekend; the scheduled massage will be his first one, is that okay?

Once a horse is on a regular massage routine, this would be okay. However, if this is your horse’s first session, he needs to get used to his new way of moving and there is a chance he could be slightly sensitive afterwards. Horses adapt movement for a number of reasons. His increased range of motion may also make you feel slightly out of sync the first time.

My horse seems sore after his first massage. Why is that?

Muscle fibres that were hyper contracted or sticking together for a long time are now receiving the proper blood flow and returning to their normal condition. The increased blood flow also speeds up the elimination of toxins in the body; while these work their way out of the body, your horse can be feeling a little off and even break out in hives. Just make sure he has access to lots of fresh water to speed up this flushing, and he will be back to normal within 24 hours.  

Do you offer sports massage for humans?

If you are interested in deep tissue massage therapy for yourself, please contact Lou Nucci at the Kingwest Wellness Center on 905-773 2225 or directly on 416-565 3449. Lou is a very knowledgeable massage therapist (for humans), and experienced in sports massage. He has been trained in a variety of therapies and has been teaching massage therapy for several years at Toronto's leading schools. Because the posture of the rider has such an impact on the horse, I do recommend that riders get a deep tissue massage at least once a month.

As from June 2003, I will be offering TuiNa and Shiatsu for riders. These healing therapies focus on the meridians and acupoints following Traditional Chinese Medicine, with the aim of bringing the body back into balance so it can heal itself. It is a very different approach from sports massage where the focus lies on the physical muscles and their condition.

For those of you that may be interested, I also teach yoga. The stretching and strengthening effect of yoga practice can make a significant difference in your posture and balance while riding.

How do I chose between TuiNa, Shiatsu and massage?

If the problem is purely muscular, the choice is a matter of personal preference. The oriental bodywork therapies can however, on top of dealing with muscular problems, help with health issues such as lower back pain, headaches, indigestion, insomnia etc..

For more information on TuiNa, Shiatsu and yoga sessions, contact me directly on ebw@horsetherapies.com.