Keeping your Dressage horse supple, flexible and moving freely - the power of equine massage
- benbpayne
- Aug 21
- 6 min read
We’ve all had those notes on our dressage test—needs more flexion, needs to relax into the movement, or needs more impulsion. Whether it's faster and looser, or collected and tense, it’s hard to get it right. Even those at the very top of their dressage game see these same comments. But what do the experts do to keep their horses loose, supple, flexible and moving with freedom and impulsion? Well, of course, it's hours of training, conditioning and strengthening, but there are lessons we can all learn that will help us improve our dressage test scores and keep our horses flexible and comfortable in their movements.
How Musculoskeletal Issues Impact Dressage Performance
Your horse has to work very hard and use their entire body to perform at the top of their dressage game, and it’s a tough workout for them, no matter what level they are at. Just to maintain a nice contact, or work in collection requires them to use almost every muscle group, working all of their topline muscles, their abdominals, their fore and hindlimb muscles. It’s no wonder that a problem in any one of those muscles will result in a drop in performance, or their ability to move correctly.
You might notice a loss of rhythm, straightness and engagement. Perhaps they're struggling with movements that need them to be super flexible, such as lateral work or flying changes. Maybe you’re struggling with collection. All of these issues can be caused by tension, pain or tightness in your horse's muscles, tendons or joints.
If you don’t pick up on these issues, they can lead to your horse compensating and causing secondary problems elsewhere in their body, even causing long-term lameness.
Consider how you feel after a hard day at the gym. You’ve worked those muscles hard, and they’re feeling sore. You know that if you work too hard on a sore muscle, you’re going to cause an injury, which means you can’t perform as well as before. It’s exactly the same for your dressage horse.
Common areas of stiffness in dressage horses and why they occur
Although to some, dressage seems like a sedate sport when compared to cross country or show jumping, it is asking horses to work very hard through their entire body to perform the movements we ask of them. Although catastrophic injury is uncommon, dressage horses often damage their suspensory ligaments, particularly in the hindlimb, due to the pressures of repetitive movements and continued work in collection.
But in order to keep our horses working comfortably, it’s important to know where they might be feeling stiff, so that we can support them with stretches, or work them in ways that allow them to relax these areas, maintain suppleness and flexibility.
Neck and Poll: The poll is very sensitive to overwork and can become uncomfortable for your horse. It can lead to head-shyness and a reluctance to move forward. Muscle issues can arise in your horse’s neck and poll during collection and through lateral flexion movements
Shoulders: Often caused by a tack fitting issue, shoulder tension will restrict your horse’s ability to stretch forward, and they’ll find medium and extended movements very difficult.
Back: Tension in a horse’s back is one of the most common problems across all ridden horses, no matter if they’re an elite dressage competitor or a happy hacker. Everything impacts your horse’s back, their saddle fit, rider position, and the amount of engagement being asked of them. And a sore back impacts everything; they’ll be reluctant to work forward, to engage, to work into a contact. They’ll feel stilted and uncomfortable…and it’s one of the most likely reasons for finding yourself unceremoniously dumped on the floor!
Hindquarters: Transitions, collection, and lateral work put a lot of pressure on the stifles and hocks, and this is one of the most common areas of injury in dressage horses. This tension can work up the limbs too, and tension in the gluteal muscles can be extremely uncomfortable for your horse as it’s the largest muscle group in the body and works to drive your horse forward.
5 ways to improve your horse’s flexibility and improve your dressage score
No matter what stage you are in your dressage journey, there are 5 key things that everyone can do to not only support your horse’s musculoskeletal system and keep them supple and comfortable, but as a result, also improve your dressage scores.
Progressive warm-up and cool-down
Do some dynamic and passive stretches from the ground before and after you ride. These are often referred to as carrot stretches. When warming up and cooling down, doing lots of long and low work encourages them to stretch and release tension. A proper cool down aids recovery and helps your horse to move lactic acid build up, reducing muscle soreness after work.
Strengthening exercises
There is plenty you can do to improve your horse’s strength and resilience to work. Here are a few ideas.
Pole work - improves your horse’s mobility and proprioception (knowing where their limbs are), which enables more defined movement, and improves core and back strength.
Lateral work - Movements like leg yielding and shoulder-in improve your horse’s flexibility and ability to reach their limbs in all directions.
Transitions - Yep, you’ve been told it since you first started riding, but there is no doubt that lots of nice transitions help to get your horse listening to you, but they also strengthen their core and help with hindlimb engagement.
Long and low work - Another stalwart of the training session. Long and low sessions help maintain topline elasticity and relaxation during training.
Saddle fit and rider position
A poorly fitting saddle causes instant tension through your horse’s back and shoulders, restricting their movement and making them super uncomfortable. Make sure you have your saddle (and bridle) fitted regularly, as horses naturally change shape throughout the year. Your position also impacts your horse’s ability to move freely. Try a session on a robotic horse to focus on your position without worrying about the horse.
Turnout and cross-training
Turning your horse out as much as possible is incredible for their joint health and muscle strength. Long periods of standing in a stable can cause muscle tension and stiffness, so time in the field will help them relax and loosen off.
The same goes for your ridden work. Get out of the school. Go hacking, power up some hills, and let them relax and stretch down into each gait. It’s not possible for everyone, but working in water is also incredible for your horse’s muscle strength. A splash through the waves or sploshing through a safe stream increases the effort required for movement, building muscle strength. And of course, lunging, but try not to use too many tools to build their muscles. Sometimes, a nice free schooling session is just what they need to relieve tension and loosen up.
Massage
Massage has been used in healing for thousands of years, and its use in equine health has grown rapidly over the past few decades. Now, almost all top competition horses, and many non-competitive horses, have regular massage treatments. It reduces inflammation, improves circulation and releases tension, helping your horse to feel more comfortable, and as a result, increases their flexibility and performance.
How Equissage can support your horse’s mobility and musculoskeletal health
Hands-on massage is incredible, but it can achieve only so much, as a horse’s muscles are so big. If you want to massage your horse regularly and use it both for warm-up and cool-down support, Equissage Massage Pads and handheld units are ideal.
Equissage utilises cycloidal vibration therapy, which is clinically proven to support your horse’s circulation. Equissage relieves tension, reduces inflammation, and can be used throughout your horse’s body on a daily basis.
In terms of the performance of dressage horses, clinical trials showed that massage with the Equissage Pulse increased stride length by 13% and increased joint range of motion, particularly in the poll, withers and back—all of which will help your horse to perform at their best and feel comfortable doing it. They’ll look loose and supple, and it will shine through in those dressage score comments!
Lewis Carrier and Equissage
“Top dressage horses are like Olympic-level sprinters. They need their energy and muscles to work for a short burst of time—the five or six minutes of a dressage test. Unlike other disciplines where the horses need endurance with dressage, the horses need their energy and their muscles to work hard for a short space of time. Dressage horses need a long time to warm up to make sure that they are at peak performance for that five or six minutes. The Equissage Pulse really helps them with that warm up.”
How do I get an Equissage Pulse massage pad for my dressage horse?
We would love to show you Equissage's impact on your horse. Before you invest, we want to ensure you learn about all of the benefits and all the ways it can work for your horses and their individual situations. Arthritis, no problem. Prone to abscesses, let’s show you how it can help. Want it for warm-ups, let’s learn the best way to use it.
Book your free demonstration and see the impact cycloidal vibration therapy has on your horses.
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