Extend Equine Massage currently services within one hour of Nashua, New Hampshire and within one hour of Boston, Massachusetts. There is no travel fee within this area! However, any appointments outside of these ranges may be subject to a travel fee or require multiple appointments to be scheduled together on the same day. 

Please have your horse ready at the scheduled start time of your session in a clean, quiet place. All coats must be clean and dry, and blankets and tack removed. Caitlin will work with your horse wherever they are the most comfortable: inside of a stall, on crossties, or ground tied. To encourage a relaxing atmosphere, it is recommended to avoid busy aisles, feeding times, or loud areas. If this is your initial appointment, we request that owners be present to discuss any medical history, workload, and current concerns during the first evaluation.

Yes! Horses can be exercised before the appointment. It is preferrable to have the muscle tissues warmed up prior to a massage, which can easily be achieved by turnout or a quick hand walk. However, please be sure to avoid bathing, excessive sweating and slippery sprays that decrease traction on the coat. These make it difficult to grip the muscles to manipulate them during bodywork. 

Here at Extend Equine Massage, we typically recommend hand walking or turnout after a bodywork session to encourage correct movement after biomechanical restrictions are eliminated. Normal exercise and riding can be resumed 24 hours after the session, giving time for the tissues to recover and toxins to drain. An incredibly tight horse may need more time to recover than a horse with more robust muscle function. 

Here at Extend Equine Massage, we typically recommend scheduling any deep tissue bodywork appointments 5 to 7 days prior to a competition or show. This will allow time for the tissues to recover fully after the session and toxins to drain, allowing for peak performance at the show. If you are confident in your horse's reaction to deeper massage techniques, considerations can be made. However, we do offer special sport massage sessions during weeklong shows to provide your hard working show partner with some relaxation and restoration while they are giving you their best! 

All of horses can benefit from bodywork! Small to large sizes, any breed, each age, and every single discipline regardless of competition level. Massage can help support: 

• Young horses who are growing and developing their musculoskeletal system

• Lesson horses who kindly compensate for riders learning to balance

• Horses completing training that are experiencing tension from repetitive or laborious work

• Athletic horses in their competitive prime to keep them in top physical condition

• Leisurely trail horses that require help utilizing their body correctly to navigate terrain

• Anxious companion horses who would benefit from relaxation

• Recovering horses undergoing rehabilitation from a long term or acute injury

• Retired horses who need relief from stiffness and to prevent muscle atrophy caused by aging

• The list goes on! 

Each horse is different, and requires a unique schedule of bodywork depending on their needs. If a horse has a strenuous workload, is competing frequently, or has extremely tense "problem areas"; they may benefit from bodywork sessions every three to four weeks. Horses living out a more typical or regular lifestyle can stretch the time between sessions from six to eight weeks. Caitlin will discuss her findings with you at your appointment and customize a personalized schedule for your horse. 

Many horses will happily stand on the TheraPlate platform, which only sits a few inches above the ground. Once horses realize how relaxed it makes them feel, they act like seasoned professionals! If a horse is incredibly unsure about the platform, Caitlin will work with them to ensure a positive and productive session is completed. 

Red light therapy sessions utilize a flexible pad that contains both red and infrared lights. This pad can easily be wrapped around any area of the body that is experiencing extra tension such as: hooves, legs, the poll, withers, and all large muscle groups across the body. Laser therapy sessions utilize a handheld module that looks similar to a flashlight but emits infared light. This can be applied to tense muscle tissues by pressing the face of the module against the skin.