A Guide to Basic Equine Stretching Course

One Day Course: 9:30am - 4:30pm (including lunch)

Tutor: Pam Bryan - E.A.A.F. - E.S.M.T

A comprehensive course of well defined principles & techniques for safely stretching your horses muscles. The exercises will enhance the performance of your horse & minimise the incidence of injury.

Course Outline:

• The importance of stretching
• When to stretch
• How to stretch
• Order of stretch
• Typical Equine problems
• How muscles work together in groups

Cost: £75

Prerequisite:
This course is suitable for all owners & trainers, be it beginners or advanced, who wish to contribute to the development of the horses they ride.

Please Note:
This class is open to everyone in good physical condition.

Please contact me for places on this course, booking form and any further information required.

www.pambryan.co.uk
Pamela is a fully qualified Equine Sports Massage Therapist working nationwide for individuals, as well as larger organisations

About Pam Bryan Equine Sports Massage Therapist

I have been riding since I was 5 years old and spent most weekends and summer evenings riding and caring for other peoples horses.

At the age of 16 years old, I left school to work and train towards my British Horse Society Exams with a Dutchman called Frans Koeman at his BHS approved riding school, which had liveries, breaking and schooling of young horses and a dressage stallion.

Once qualified, I left to work on a Hunt Yard to be in charge of 8 hunt horses, hunting every Wednesday and Saturday with the Brocklesby Hunt and point to pointing. I moved away from working with other peoples horses as wanted to buy and compete with my own. I bought my first horse, which I owned for 20 years, and I now own and compete 3 horses of my own and also have 2 youngsters.

I compete at local level in shows, hunter trials, one-day events and show jumping and I am a member of the North Lincs Riding Club, and member and Treasurer of the Holton Le Moor & District Riding Club.

After having a livery yard of my own for a few years, and having people come round to look at my horses with back problems that were not qualified, I decided to look into the area of horse therapy and becoming an equine chiropractor myself. After a lot of research I found that I had to qualify by working with humans first, before I could move onto equine therapy. I spent 2 years at North Lindsey College training for anatomy and physiology, body massage and sport massage. I then moved onto horses, training with Renee Castle from the Active Foundation in Ipsden, Wallingford, Nr. Henley & Windsor, training and working on the polo ponies in this area. This course took me another year to complete.

I qualified as an Equine Sports Massage Therapist in May 2001 and have been working on horses ever since, with either maintenance checks or injury problems. I am also now working for the BHS as a Welfare Representative.

www.pambryan.co.uk
Pamela is a fully qualified Equine Sports Massage Therapist working nationwide for individuals, as well as larger organisations

What is Equine Sports Massage?

What is a massage?
Massage is the manipulation of the soft tissues of the body to improve drainage, circulation, and relation, to stimulate muscles and to release muscle-related problems such as spasms.

When can it help?
Any problem from slight stiffness on one rein, difficulty with correct canter strike off or bucking every time the saddle is put on, can be improved by massage.

How does it work?
Massage enhances performance and prevents Injury, allowing the horse to work in comfort and so perform to his full potential by

• Releasing muscle spasm
• Increasing blood circulation, preventing stress build up
• Increasing flexibility and joint movement
• Improving co-ordination and stride length
• Increasing elasticity preventing muscle pulls
• Reducing post-exercise muscle soreness

What happens during the session?
The session commences with a full evaluation of the horse to determine how its confirmation might affect its work, as well as taking note of any muscular asymmetry and identifying all muscles or muscle fibres that are held in a contained contraction, causing hypersensitivity and a reduced range of motion.

A full case history is taken and the horse is assessed in hand at walk and trot.
During the session the horse is massaged from head to tail, from region to region, using various palpation and massage techniques. Passive stretches are applied once the muscle groups have been isolated and softened.

Where areas of sensitivity are noted Stress Point Therapy is applied - this is followed by a cross-fibre friction technique to take out points of muscle spasm.

At the end of the session the owner or handler of the horse will be introduced to safe stretching techniques and recommended follow-up exercises which, where appropriate, should be carried out on a daily basis. Where necessary it may be recommended that respective specialists check that the horse's saddle fits correctly, a teeth check and shoeing progress.

Injury prevention
A horse with no specific problems or with problems that have been corrected benefit from a monthly maintenance massage to keep the muscles supple, prevent injury and detect areas of tension before they become a problem.

www.pambryan.co.uk
Pamela is a fully qualified Equine Sports Massage Therapist working nationwide for individuals, as well as larger organisations