Equine Massage Therapist in Parkes, New South Wales | Veterinary surgeon

Equine Massage Therapist

Locality: Parkes, New South Wales

Phone: +61 428 294 727

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• Veterinary surgeon

24.01.2022 Helpful hint number 4: Buy yourself a bag of carrots in preparation for this tip - your horse is going to love it! (or whatever treat your horse really likes). This is an exercise to test how flexible your horse is and you can then detect a problem. Basically the first stretch is to see how far around to each side your horse can bend. Standing with your back to your horse's shoulder ask your horse to bend around you and up to their point of hip. Have your horse stand against... a solid fence or gate etc so they cannot move around while asking them to flex. Start small and then build up to the hip in about three to four stretches. Monitor the flexibility of each side as the horse should be the same on both reins. Another flex stretch is to try and get them to reach for the carrot between their legs - straight through their front legs, no side bending etc - they need to be reaching through their front legs to the carrot below their girth point. Another stretch is to get them to stretch up high in front. So standing in front of your horse (on a stool if you have one of those big ones - stand on a stool) and have your horse stretch up high to reach the carrot. Give them the carrot once they have returned to normal pose - ie you dont want them rushing to grab at the carrot, it has to be a nice steady fluid movement - same as humans. Many horses never have the chance for a good stretch and while it is a great way to keep muscles flexible, it is also a good tool for you to use to see if your horse needs a massage to release any tight or restricted muscle action. Have fun riding and playing with your ponies. Sally :) See more

20.01.2022 Reposting this one: New year resolution (bit early but get into the practise now) - check your horse everytime you ride them and i mean all over!! Feel your horse's muscles; along their neck, pectorals (between their legs), along their back, belly, top of tail, rump, hamstrings - know how they feel every day and then when there is a change, heat, etc - you will know something is wrong BEFORE they injure themselves. Your hands are free and it is a nice time to bond with your h...orse. Every horse is so different and if you know what is normal you will then know what is not normal!! This should only take two minutes to gently feel them with the flats of your hands. If you feel any heat you can give them an ice massage with a frozen stirofoam cup with the bottom ripped out and you can use the solid cup (keep the stirofoam on the sides so you have something to hold onto without freezing your hands) to gently use rotations all over the area that is affected - keep it moving - don't just hold the ice in one spot. Hope this is helpful!! Happy riding Sally :) See more

16.01.2022 Another helpful hint re pectoral muscles in ridden horses - please don't pull your horse's legs out to the front after girthing up. This sudden jerking pull can actually do a lot more harm than good for our four-legged friends. To help reduce pinching etc when girthing up, do it in stages and let the horse have a walk around in between each girthing up. At first only do the girth up so it is just tight, and then the saddle will fall into the best position for that horse while... walking out, then begin to tighten the girth slowly - one hole at a time!! Another thing that can help horses that get sore pectoral muscles can be a girth with elastic at each end. It always important to have your girth tight enough so it is safe, but not so tight that the horse cannot breath properly or inhibits its way of going. Happy Riding :) And remember to 'feel' your horse often - notice changes BEFORE they become issues. See more

14.01.2022 I also wanted to post how important it is to have your horse looked at by a qualified equine massage therapist as soon as you suspect a problem. The sooner a problem is treated, the sooner it is rectified - same as people. So make sure you dont ignore the horse that suddenly wants to buck, that tries to bite your arm off when girthing up, that just wont take that canter lead, doesnt like to extend or medium anymore and so on. Any changes in their behaviour or movement while r...iding is important to note and have checked out. Other things that massage is great for include: Building confidence in young horses Checking recently broken in horses for soreness - you dont want them to associate riding with pain Horses that are 'stiff' when being ridden Horses that have had an injury and now just wont use themselves as they did before the injury And many more that i will post each week..... Massage is a great way to reward your special friend and also a lovely treat for a golden oldie. Happy riding, Sally :) See more

02.01.2022 Sore pectoral muscles - something to look out for in every horse - but especially those youngsters starting work for the first time. If your horse has become girthy, won't take the lead easily in canter, doesn't like to canter one way, the trot doesn't seem forward and engaged anymore and your horse just will not stride out in the walk..... SORE PECTORAL MUSCLES are often the culprit!! Feel between your horse's front legs - be careful as if they are sore you might have a quic...k bite reaction from your horse!! - and if there is any negative reaction from your horse - you've found the issue! To try and alleviate this at home (while making a booking with a equine massage therapist!!) - rub gently using the flats of your hand between their legs and on the front of their chest at a pressure your horse doesn't object to. Try doing this until the muscle feels warm to touch and bit more pliable. Gently increase the pressure to a firm - not hard- pressure and rub and gently knead the whole area from the front of their chest to between their legs. Do this at least once a week with your horse - even if there are no signs of soreness- and you will not have any issues with these muscles. Remember prevention is better than cure - especially when we are talking muscles!! Happy riding, Sally :) See more