January 11, 2007

By: Sandra Geldart
Website: http://www.happy-horse-saddles.com

Saddle Fitting Damage ~ Equine Message Therapy

Many people believe that a saddle is a saddle, unfortunately that could not be further from the truth. A poorly fitting saddle not only make a horse uncomfortable and fractious, it can also cause damage that can still be apparent as long as 20 years after. Although there are many equine medical "cures" for the problem, the best move is to prevent it in the first place.

Lets go over what it is about a poorly fitting saddle that cause the problems. Probably the most damaging is "pressure" points. Pressure points cause a lack of oxygen to the tissue, and a poorly fitting saddle can cause tissue death in that area in as little as 20 minutes.Without the blood circulation the tissues the muscle is unable to heal itself and will eventually turn to scar tissue.As the damage builds the scar tissue will finally turn to muscle wasting away, creating a high wither with big hollows behind the horses shoulders.Now that we have discussed the damage, lets go over what can be done to correct the problems.

Probably your best option at this point is an Equine Message Therapist. A Equine Message Therapist specializes in just that, Equine Message. Treatments by this professional can help greatly and they can teach you how to do treatments yourself between visits. Depending on the amount of damage, scar tissue may have developed making deep tissue message necessary.Deep tissue message therapy is uncomfortable for the horse but may be necessary to break up the scar tissue and promote healing.

Also see; horse saddles.

About The Author:

Sandra Geldart is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.happy-horse-saddles.com.  With a degree in Equine Science Technology, Sandra brings you 27 years experience working with horses including showing horses and barrel racing.