Equine Massage Therapy

Performance horses work hard to reach top results. Training and conditioning your four legged athlete has a possibility to result in soreness, stiffness, and sometimes injury and pain.  Working with you and your horse we can achieve the right combination of massage therapy and stretches to maximize training by keeping muscles flexible and stress-free. Massage therapy has been credited with increased performance level, competitiveness, and endurance in horses.  It can also assist in preventing injuries to the muscles and in speeding up injury recovery time.  Last but not least, massage therapy leads us to a better relationship with our horses resulting in better care for our furry athletes!

About the certified massage therapist:

Sarah Kytonen took a 12 week course on equine massage therapy while attending college at Meredith Manor. In order to receive certification, she not only had to pass numerous weekly tests on muscles and how they work, but had to have 100 hours of hands on massage time logged and signed off by instructors.  She worked with horses of different disciplines and breeds learning a variety of techniques and routines that work. Since graduating with high honors and three different certifications, Sarah has joined us at Wildfire Farms to continue her learning and season her experience in the horse industry.  

While learning massage techniques and how the muscles work, Sarah became intrigued by the differences she witnessed in the horses she massaged. This led her to want to increase her knowledge further and to accept an internship with a certified vet tech and well respected certified massage therapist.  

Now onto you and your horse:

When it comes to creating a routine massage therapy schedule, we need to look at whats going on with your horse!  A short evaluation will look into your horses:

• Muscle movement
  - In and out of trot
  - To and from walk
• Muscle health
  - Dehydration
  - Muscle strain
  - Swelling
  - Excessive heat
  - Flexibility
• Suppleness
  - Willingness to bend
  - Willingness to flex
• Overall horse health 

Also going through your horses past and present jobs, lamenesses and injuries will help create the best therapy program for you and your equine partner.

** Always consult your veterinarian about issues with your horse; keeping a relationship with your vet will help the massage therapy work at its best. **