Massage of the withers

I prefer to begin my massage at the withers, because this is one of the most vulnerable areas in the ridden horse.  The withers can be affected by saddle fit, by the riders position, and by the horse's tendency to carry his weight on the front end.  In jumping horses this area is also affected by the concussion caused when landing over jumps.  The area of the withers is the beginning of the thoracic portion of the spinal column.  In addition there are many attachment points for the muscles of the shoulder and back along the spinal column in this area.  In my experience almost every horse will have some stiffness or soreness in the withers area due to one of the points mentioned above or just due to general stress and fatigue.  The area of the withers in the horse corresponds to the area where the neck and shoulders come together in humans.  Many people develop knots of tension and soreness in this area, just as the horse does.  It can not be stressed enough what a vital area this is for the horse. 

 When massaging the withers it is important to work with each vertebrae separately and release the tension in each muscle.  This is an area where energy flow from the hind end to the front end can easily be blocked when tightness develops.  It is very important to work slowly here and allow the horse to feel these areas release.  When working with the withers I also encourage the horse to lift his back thereby allowing the vertebrae to open and stretch the muscles over the back.