"This week some of my work has been at polo, massaging polo ponies in the lines before they play.

Polo is a sport in which both horse and rider can really benefit from Sports Massage. The skill and speed involved in the game require tremendous balance and agility and also strength from both polo pony and polo player. The sudden acceleration and deceleration, twists and turns and the ride-offs, all whilst carrying a rider who is focusing predominantly on the game, can create trauma within the muscles, and a build up of muscular tension.

Sports Massage using effleurage and compression techniques, and tapotement (a muscle stimulating massage technique) prior to a game can help prepare the polo pony with supple muscles and aid in the warm-up, so that he can demonstrate an athletic and agile performance. Stretching can increase the flexibility and range of movement, preparing the muscles for their task ahead.

I find the neck musculature generally very tight in polo ponies, as they tend to hold their heads high during the game, which can cause the horse’s back flexors and neck extensors to work against each other. Having warmed up these areas with massage and ensured that the tissues are ready for stretching I perform appropriate stretches. I do lateral neck stretches, to stretch the neck flexors and extensors unilaterally. I also stretch the hind limbs having massaged them to improve the ability of the horse to use his hind legs for propulsion and increase the suppleness for sudden deceleration.

Sports Massage, warming up and stretching are also really important for the polo players themselves, to prepare them appropriately for the game. So often if the rider is holding tension anywhere in his body, the horse will have to compensate for this as he carries the weight of the rider, and consequently this can change the horse’s way of going. Until the rider’s body is supple, the horse will continue to suffer the consequences and it is a vicious cycle - which needs treating from the cause of the problem - so massage for the horse and rider combination is vital for ultimate performance.

I also massaged Bandit again (see my previous blog) this week who is getting on well. His owner has been doing some lateral neck stretches every day after he has been worked, and these really appear to be increasing his suppleness. I will be seeing him again in a couple of weeks."