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Why Use Equine
Bodywork?
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Because
your horse needs it!
Human
athletes deal with concerns
about performance or injury by using some
or
all variations
of therapy available to them.
Horses
are incredible and sensitive athletes, and suffer from
muscle soreness, tension and restricted
movement just
as we do. But
because they are unable
to communicate this
verbally, horses are frequently misunderstood...
Equine
sport is also becoming increasingly
intense, making it essential to have a solid
preventative
and maintenance health program. It should be designed to create
and maintain a movement
that is natural, free and rewarding for both rider and horse.
Bodywork therapies are vital parts of any such program.
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Fred
gets relaxed seeing his therapist arrive...
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The
physical reasons:
Muscles
are bundles of long, one-cell fibers that contract/shorten on demand
and release/lengthen back on their own. A muscle's response to any
form
of stress, is to tighten. That tightness
will quickly develop into a spasm and feel like a hard knot (bundles of
fibres still in a contracted state, unable to secure
their own release).
Over
time other fibres will stick to the initial spasm, increasing the size
of the trauma; the resulting pressure will lead to discomfort and pain. The horse
may respond by resisting, refusing or by going off in certain movements.
These are some of the warning
signs that something is wrong. They should be not be ignored.
Muscles
also work in pairs of opposites, one contracts and another lengthens: if any
muscle or part of it is not working for the horse it is working against the horse!
Some
common
approaches to muscular problems are heat, contractile currents, magnets and
muscle relaxants. Although they each have value in relaxing muscles and
help with reducing inflammation, they cannot get to nor break up the spasms. Only
accurate hands-on work will.
Contrary
to popular belief, muscles do not take care of themselves!
Releasing
tension while getting
gentle
craniosacral treatment
on
his hinds.
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Some
other facts & findings:
A
horse's
body weight is made up of 60% muscles; that is almost double
that of the average human.
The muscular system is responsible for motion;
any malfunction of that system is consequently the predominate
cause for motion problems. Failure to recognize this often
results in inadequate treatment.
Tight, built-up muscles are shortened muscles that
have lost flexibility; this makes them more prone to fatigue
and injury.
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Once a muscle is in spasm, even a normal, safe movement
becomes unsafe and can result in a tear, pull or massive spasm
(like a Charley horse).
Muscular
problems tend to be cumulative in nature and do not stay in one
isolated area. As the first set of muscles tighten, the next group
in line must pick up the slack and is put under stress. Then this
group too tightens and passes along even more stress onto the next
group of muscles… What started as an unnoticed tightness in the
shoulder ends up as troubled flexors and tendons down the leg.
It
is, therefore, not always the last thing you horse did that caused the problem!
The body is a unit and should be treated as such. The moving
parts of the body were designed to move through a specified range
of motion freely, easily and completely. If they are unable to do
so, there will be a problem.
Word
of caution:
Muscles
can be the entire cause of a problem or reflect a deeper
cause! It is important to have the
possibility of any deeper issues eliminated by your veterinarian:
what constitutes proper therapy for
a muscle problem could be entirely improper for a deeper cause!
Bodywork
therapies are no substitute for proper veterinary care.
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Hands
on healing releases energy blockages.
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