MULE CROSSING: Massage History & Contemporary Equine Use
By Joanne Lang & Meredith Hodges
Massage History
Historically, massage is both ancient and worldwide. Native and folk cultures all over the world use massage for health and healing. There are highly developed forms of massage found in the writings of such primitive civilizations as Sumer, China, India, Greece and Rome. Arabic peoples in Turkey and the near east preserved the classical Greco-Roman culture during the Middle Ages and brought it back to Europe during the Renaissance. Greek gymnasia and Roman baths evolved into the Turkish bath, which includes a form of massage. Health clubs, workout facilities, swimming pools, steam rooms, whirlpools and massage rooms are all part of this legacy.
Pehr Henrich Ling (1776-1839) and Johann Mezger (1838-1909) were very instrumental in the development of today’s classical Western massage. Active and passive movements to treat medical conditions, commonly called Swedish Movement Cure, was developed by Ling in 19th-century 
United States. Familiar French terms to describe four broad categories of massage (effleurage, petrissage, tapotement and frictions) were made popular by Johann Mezger. In the 20th century, their work was developed further by their students, and eventually found its way into regular medicine and the alternatives of health and healing. Swedish massage is a popular genre of classic Western massage. It includes Swedish movements, several forms of hydrotherapy, heat lamps, diathermy and colonic irrigation. Swedish massage is still offered at health clubs, some YMCAs, resorts and private clinics, although its heyday was between the 1920s and the 1940s.
Because of its use as a cover for prostitution in the 1950s, massage declined in popularity as a health practice for the more conservative general public. It also lost credibility as a therapeutic source within the medical profession at that time.
The 1960s brought about a revival of massage as a valuable health and healing method. The benefits of massage as a holistic health practice were revitalized by the counterculture and human potential movement. It is now used more often as an alternative or complementary healing process toward health and fitness.
Massage for Equines
Has your equine ever had any of the following problems? Sensitivity to the girth; restricted movement; continual scuffing of the hind legs; avoidance of leads; problems bending; lameness; inability to lock the knees; recurrent colic; loss of power or coordination; breeding difficulties when mounting or being mounted; constant tail swishing or an uneven top line? Has your equine ever had surgery, direct trauma or
resistance to training? Do you push your equine to the limit? If you answered yes to any of these, your animal will benefit from equine massage, a non-invasive type of therapy that, when administered properly, can address all of these problems and more.
When we ride our animals daily and ask them for repeated movements in Jumping, Reining or Dressage, we demand a lot of their muscular and skeletal systems. This can shorten muscle fibers, restricting range of motion and putting undue stress on muscles and joints. Unforeseen problems can result such as lameness, arthritis, disk degeneration, or worse—a ruptured disk. These crippling dysfunctions do not always wait for the animal to age before they appear. Simple massage can prevent various injuries throughout your animal’s lifetime. Don’t wait for obvious injury to occur—preventive massage increases the length of the muscle fibers, taking pressure off the joints.
When the muscles are allowed to contract and expand to their full length, they are able to absorb important nutrients that reduce fatigue. Massage also increases blood flow, which helps the body flush harmful toxins, such as lactic acid, that build up from normal use. Massage aids in reprogramming the nervous system to break patterns that can cause atrophy or knotted tissue. The following information is an introduction to some of the basic techniques of massage, which will enable you to identify areas of discomfort in your equine. It is not intended to replace the care of a licensed massage therapist or veterinarian. If you are unsure as to the severity of an injury, consult your vet!
Have you ever had a massage? Remember how good it felt? An increasing number of people in the United States and abroad are recognizing that animals also benefit from massage. At Lucky Three Ranch, I have found that therapeutic equine massage promotes relaxation and reduces stress. It also stimulates healing after an injury and provides significant relief from pain. Your equine may experience soreness when you ask him for some of the advanced moves in his training program. Massage can reduce muscle spasms, and greater joint flexibility and range of motion can be achieved through massage and stretching—resulting in increased ease and efficiency of movement.
Palpate along the neck, beginning behind the ears and working your way back to the shoulder. Be sure to check the entire neck from poll to shoulder. Is one side more sensitive than the other? Ribs are a very sensitive area. Check each rib and between the ribs. If your donkey is nippy while being cinched or refuses to change leads, it could be from soreness in this area.
As you massage your equine, keep in mind how getting a massage should feel. Keep the pressure light over bony areas like the ribs, back and poll, whereas heavily muscled areas such as the neck and hips can endure more pressure. Always be aware of your animal’s reaction to pressure and respond accordingly. Watch his eyes and ears. As you work look for signs of sensitivity toward the affected area such as biting, raising and lowering the head, moving into or away from pressure, contraction of muscles from your pressure, tossing his head, swishing his tail, picking up his feet, changes in his breathing or wrinkles around his mouth. If there is sensitivity in the neck, the shoulders and upper back may also be involved. If there is soreness in the hips, the ribs and lower back may be involved.
The neck is a good place to begin your massage, making small circles with your fingertips. Imagine your circles as eyes, searching out lumps and bumps under the skin that are knots in the muscle fibers. Start behind the ears and work your way back to the shoulders. If your animal is heavy in the bridle, if he tips his head to one side, or if he has difficulty bending through the neck, he is exhibiting stiffness in this area.
Next, massage the shoulders and between the front legs. Compare the two sides of the chest muscles. Is one side larger than the other? The shoulders work as shock absorbers and need their strength to pick up the front quarters when jumping. If there is soreness in these areas, your animal will have difficulty performing certain athletic movements.
Ribs are a very sensitive area and can refer pain in many directions. Make sure to check each rib and the area in between them. Keep in mind that they span from the back to the belly; this is a large area of sensitivity due to the lack of muscle cover. Include the back when working on the ribs, using your fingertips to feel each vertebra and compare each side for symmetry. If you keep this area relaxed and flexible, your equine will bend more easily throughout his body.
Because muscling is thick in the hip area, you might want to use your fist to exert more pressure there. Using your fist, knead the muscles as if you were kneading dough. The animal will push into 
your hand to let you know that it feels good. If he moves away, he is telling you that you are exerting more pressure than he can comfortably endure, and you should go back to using your fingertips. When massaging the hips, the lower back and the last few ribs should be included. Soreness in this area can result from athletic movements like jumping, collection, sliding stops and rollbacks.
Passive range-of-motion exercises involve moving limbs and joints as they were naturally intended to move. Forcing motion can cause tearing of the muscles and a breakdown of the trust you are trying to achieve, so keep your movements gentle and easy. If you encounter resistance, just stop and try again. In order for you to do passive range-of-motion exercises, your animal must be able to trust you and “let go,” allowing you to manipulate his limbs without resistance. If you have an animal that resists, do only as much as he will allow. Over time, he may loosen up and allow you more control. If he doesn’t let go, don’t force the movements—it will foster more harm than good. Some animals are just intolerant.
When moving the limbs and joints, be sure to stay within your animal’s comfort zone. Be aware of the point at which your animal begins to resist and do not reach that point. As your equine begins to trust and understand, and as his muscles and joints loosen, he will afford you a wider range of motion.
A raised head and perked ears may indicate sensitivity. He is asking for lighter pressure, so learn to pay attention to the things your animal tells you about his body. This animal is still concerned about the pressure. Sometimes you will assume that your pressure is so light it can do nothing, but less is best.
Now he is happy with the pressure. He has dropped his head and has taken a deep breath. This area can be very sensitive if you are doing rollbacks, sliding stops or collection.
The front legs are a good place to begin your passive range-of-motion exercises. Be prepared to let go and get out of your animal’s way. Shake the limb under the animal and then move the limb forward and back, always being aware of his limitations. Each time you work with your animal, his range will increase.
Small circles are another technique for passive range of motion. The movement re-programs the nervous system, while building trust between you and your animal.
This is an advanced movement, and will take some practice and time to achieve the desired result. Passive range of motion should be done only within the animal’s tolerance, but time will increase his degree of tolerance.
Massage therapy should never be harmful. For the sake of safety and comfort, do not attempt massage therapy for rashes, boils, open wounds, severe pain, high fevers, cancers, blood clots, severe rheumatoid arthritis, swollen glands, broken bones, direct trauma or if there is any chance of spreading a lymph or circulatory disease, such as blood poisoning. Avoid direct pressure on the trachea.
It is easiest to find sore spots and muscles when your animal is warmed up, so after a ride is a good time to do massage therapy and passive range-of-motion exercises. When performing massage therapy and passive range-of-motion exercises, you will also aid your equine in ridding his body of toxins that build up in muscle tissues and eventually cause stiffness, but you do not need to massage your animal’s entire body every time after you work. For example, if he is having difficulty with leads, you may want to massage only the ribs and mid-back.
Each time you ride, take the time to quickly go over your animal and assess his sensitive areas: check his range of motion to detect stiffness in the joints. Paying this kind of attention to his body will enhance his athletic performance and provide him with a wonderfully relaxing reward. Stretching the front leg forward is a great movement to make sure that the girth is not pinching your equine after he is saddled. Give your equine the preventive care that he deserves to make your way to a mutually satisfying relationship.
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.
Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE and EQUUS REVISITED at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.
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Before most of us learn anything about horses, mules and donkeys, we tend to initially perceive them as large, strong and durable animals that can safely carry us anywhere we want to go and can participate in any number of equine events. This is essentially true. However, there can be a number of pitfalls along the way if you do not educate yourself and practice good maintenance, feeding and training practices.
Let’s take this one step at a time. First, make sure that your equine is stabled in a place where he has adequate shelter from the elements, plenty of room to exercise himself when you are not there, clean water and a good feeding schedule. When an equine is nervous or high strung, it can usually be attributed to this very elemental beginning. Many show horses are kept in 12-foot by 12-foot stalls with limited turnout during the day, usually only an hour or two. Think about this for a minute. The equine is a grazing animal and his natural health is enhanced by what he eats and the fact that he is moving with his head down most of every day of his life. The only time his head is truly raised is when he is on alert.
Muscles in the equine’s body, like our own, are structured in distinctive layers and are supported by ligaments and tendons. These muscles need to be strengthened in a specific order for optimum performance. Whether he is a foal or an older animal, his athletic conditioning needs this taken into consideration. The first exercises should be passive and easy to facilitate the strengthening of the core muscles closest to the bone. This is done with exercises on the lead line. It is not as important that he learns to negotiate obstacles on the lead line as it is how he negotiates the obstacles on the lead line.
For instance, when approaching a bridge, walk with your equine’s head at your shoulder as if you were in a showmanship class. Stop at the foot of the bridge and encourage your equine to stretch his nose down and investigate the bridge in order to allay any fears he might have. When your animal has indicated he is not afraid by once again raising his head level with his withers, you can proceed. Face the bridge straight on, looking straight ahead and, while keeping his head at your shoulder, take the first step straight forward and onto the bridge, making sure he follows and places one front foot on the bridge itself. Next, ask him to place the other front foot onto the bridge, stop, square up his four feet (as in Showmanship) and reward. Continue forward in a straight line. Once all four of his feet are on the bridge, stop, square up and give him a reward. Then continue across the bridge maintaining your own good posture, hesitate at the last step, and then step off carefully, in good balance and with a coordinated effort. Ask him to place his two front feet on the ground while leaving the back feet on the bridge, stop, square up and reward. Your equine will learn to follow your lead and execute the task in the same balanced and coordinated manner and will be able to halt on command at any location.
Halters that are too loose allow too much lag time between the time you ask by giving a tug and the time the equine receives the message. This usually results in an over-reaction from your equine and then an over-reaction from you as you try to correct the mistake. A halter that is too tight can be a distraction because it can create sore spots—the equivalent to a headache and no one likes to perform with a headache! The lead line typically should be a length that you can easily handle and that will give your equine some room to move away, but that can be reorganized easily, usually about six to eight feet long.
This is when it can be beneficial to know the basics of equine massage therapy. There is a lot that you, as your equine’s trainer, can do without a professional equine masseuse, but you should always consult with a professional for lessons on how you can do your part. Make sure that the equine masseuse you decide to use is a person who knows equines and has at least 500 hours experience with equine massage therapy. Once you learn some massage techniques, you can often alleviate minor soreness exhibited by your equine. When your equine senses that your goal is to make him comfortable as well as successful in his work, he will be much more willing and able to comply.
The ideal mule should have a head that is slightly longer than that of a horse, but proportionate to the size of the mule’s body. The features should be prominent and give an overall pleasant appearance. The ears should have length and be nicely shaped, and the eyes should be large, soft and kind, reflecting the mule’s health and intelligence. The forehead should be broad, tapering to a small and delicate muzzle, with a shallow mouth and well-aligned teeth, and the nostrils should be wide to allow for adequate respiration while working. Both the mare and the jack are responsible for the shaping of these characteristics, but the jack has primary responsibility where the length of the ear and the mass of bone are concerned. A jack with a longer ear will, more often than not, throw a longer ear to the mule, while the shape of the ear is determined primarily by the mare. The attractive or unattractive head of the jack can emerge in the resulting mule, so be sure to carefully consider the head on the jack to be used for breeding to produce an attractive head on your mule offspring. Standard-sized jacks and Large Standard jacks most often have a more refined head, while the head of a Mammoth jack may be less refined and possess 
thicker bone, particularly around the eyes and jaw line. In the case of saddle mule production, massive bone on an otherwise attractive head can be very unattractive, so using the smaller jacks would be better for a more refined look in your saddle mule (which is also true for the rest of the mule’s body).
The shoulders of the mule should be at a nearly 45-degree angle, with a broad collar surface. Most mares will have this angle, but donkeys have a tendency toward short, steep shoulders, so, to insure that the mule has good shoulders and hips, consider a jack with good length and a lower angle through the shoulders and hips.
The chest of the mule should be deep and prominent, broad and well developed (it should resemble a turkey’s breast), with little or no line of separation (as is seen in a horse’s chest). Since jacks are generally narrower through the chest than are mares, the mare chosen for breeding should exhibit much width and depth through the chest to compensate for the lack of it in the jack.
If a stockier mule is desired (as in the case of breeding for pack or draft mules), a stockier mare bred to a Mammoth jack will produce the desired thickness of bone in the legs of the mule. If a more refined Thoroughbred appearance is desired, the mare should be bred to a Standard or Large Standard jack in order to reduce the mass of the bone in the legs of the mule and retain refinement throughout the body. This does not affect the height of the mule, as the mare is primarily responsible for the mule’s height, while the jack is primarily responsible for the mule’s bone thickness. The forearm and stifle in the mule should be well developed and thickly covered with smooth muscle that tapers to the knee and hock in regular, well-defined lines. Again, these muscles should be thick and smooth, but not bulging, as in horses. The mare will compensate for the limited bulk muscling in the donkey jack, and the jack will contribute and maintain the smoothness of that additional bulk muscle in the mule.
The coat and hair of the mule should be soft and shiny, covering pliable skin. The coat should be soft to the touch, denoting good skin health. Length and thickness of the coat are contributed by both jack and mare. Since donkeys have a typically thick coat of hair, a mare with a thinner coat will balance this thick hair coat in the mule, making him look sleeker and more horse-like than his donkey sire.
Desensitization should be humane and considerate—never abusive. When we say we want to desensitize an animal, it simply means that we want him to become accustomed to touch and handling all over his body, particularly in areas such as his head, legs and rear quarters, where he is apt to be the most sensitive. An animal that has not been politely desensitized will tend to react more violently to touch. When properly teaching your mule to become desensitized, your touch should be presented in a pleasurable way, so that your mule not only learns to tolerate it, but to actually enjoy it and look forward to it. An old-time method such as “sacking out” is a somewhat crude technique that is used to desensitize an animal by tying the mule in a corner where he cannot flee, and then flinging a tarp or large canvas all over his body, including the head. Often times, it creates more problems than it can solve because it is rarely done politely. A mule that has been “sacked” about the head can actually become more sensitive because this inconsiderate approach teaches him that humans cannot be trusted. He perceives that they will fling things over his head, blinding him and causing him anxiety for no apparent reason. The mule will stand still only because he cannot move, but if he is given the opportunity to flee or fight back, he will more than likely do so. Thus, the old “obstinate mule” myths are actually most often the result of some fault of the trainer, and not the mule. Sacking out more politely will eliminate these kinds of potential bad habits.
When his nose is finally up to the rail, run your lead around the post and come through the noseband on his halter and around the post again. Then tie him off snugly, so that his nose is tied as closely as possible to the hitch rail, making sure there is no slack. Now begin softly stroking your mule’s nose, using gentle yet firm strokes. Next, work your way up his forehead, and finally toward his ears. NOTE: Remember to use soft, gentle yet firm strokes, going with the grain of the hair and never against it. Do not “pat” your mule—it’s too threatening.
When he will tolerate this, you can then cradle the ear in your fingers and with your thumb, begin to gently rub upward on the inside of the edge of his ear. Do not go too deep into the ear at first. After he is calm with this, you can begin rubbing downward into the ear with your fingers, while cradling the ear in your opposite hand, being very careful not to go too deep. Watch his eyes and allow him to “tell” you how deep to go. If it feels good, his eyebrows will raise and flicker. If he doesn’t like it, he will simply jerk his head away and that is your cue to lighten up. Most mules love to have the insides of their ears rubbed, so find the areas inside your mule’s ear that actually give him pleasure. Each individual mule will be different.
In the next step, you will be in the same position, but you will close your hand around your mule’s ear and hold it with just enough pressure that he cannot jerk your hand loose. Do not hold too tight, grab or pull the ear—just maintain a quiet, gentle hold on the ear and go with his movement. If he pulls away, just slightly tighten your grip on the ear until he stops pulling and then lighten your grip again. Tighten only when he pulls away, and then immediately release when he stops resisting—tighten and loosen your grip as needed, and be sure to follow his movement. He will soon learn that if he doesn’t fight it, there is no discomfort. Never tightly grip his ear and do not tighten your grip any more than you need to in order to hold onto the ear—you never want to induce pain. Once your mule is tolerant of you holding his ear in this fashion, you can introduce the clippers, should you desire, using the same guidelines of tightening gently yet firmly when he pulls and releasing when he submits. However, introduce the clippers only after he has completely accepted you holding his ears.
When you return with the difficult mule, tie him as before, stand directly in front of him (with the hitch rail between you) and gently remove the bridle with both hands lifting and sliding the crown piece over both of his ears simultaneously, so there is little pressure on his ears as it slides over them. If he still holds the bit in his mouth, hesitate for a minute when the bridle is off his ears and allow HIM to drop the bit. Removing the bridle this way will help to avoid chafing the ears and will avoid the bit hitting his teeth before you remove the bridle the rest of the way. Always removing the bridle in this fashion will encourage him to drop his head and will prevent bad habits such as pulling away or flinging his head.
When your mule gets used to having his ears handled and being bridled while snubbed and haltered, you can then begin dropping the halter and loosely tying him while he is being bridled. Sometimes it takes a couple of weeks before you can drop the halter—this will vary depending on the individual mule, so just be patient. Your quiet, gentle perseverance will eventually win out and your mule’s ears will be desensitized and quite manageable. After you have mastered his outer ear and inner ear, you may find that your mule actually enjoys having his inner ear stroked or scratched, and bridling becomes easy. Integrating washing his face and cleaning his nostrils and ears during the grooming process should further help him to accept having his ears handled. Handling your mule’s ears can actually become a truly pleasurable experience for your Longears.
Mules played an important role in our country during the Reconstruction Period: they patiently worked the fields, packed necessary artillery for the army, and served as a durable riding and driving animal in the westward movement. With the coming of the industrial age, their uses were minimized and they were faced with the possibility of extinction in the march of progress. Today, through the persistent determination of mule enthusiasts, mules are once again emerging as a conceivable asset to our economy and a unique form of athletic achievement and entertainment.
They will generally follow you around until you leave the field, begging for attention or simply observing you closely from a safe distance. Mules have a genuine desire to make friends with those other than their own species. Also, they are a very sensitive animal and can read your intentions through the tone of your voice and your body language.
Still, the most important thing to remember is to praise the mule with caressing and scratching when he does what you desire and back it up with the food reward. Mules love this kind of attention and will do their best to get it. If they are rewarded immediately when they are behaving as desired, the desired behavior will eventually become the norm. If bad behavior is ignored or gently reprimanded, it will fade to a minimum. The result is a pleasant, affectionate, and dependable animal.
Mules and donkeys are wonderful animals. They’re strong, intelligent and what a sense of humor! But training a mule or donkey is different from training a horse. They require love patience, understanding and a good reward system. Negative reinforcement should be used sparingly and only to define behavioral limits. The result is an animal that is relaxed, submissive, obedient, dependable and happy with his work.
long ago when there was virtually nothing published on this subject. Those of us who were training needed to use educational resources published on horse training and modify those techniques to better suit our Longears. This still left a lot of room for trial and error…and frustration for both the trainer and the animal.
increased interest has come an increase in the numbers of animals that need to be trained each year. The few trainers who are competent with Longears could not possibly train even most of the animals that need it, even if it were geographically possible
home and become a problem within as little as three months. It is important to take an active part in the training of your Longears. The more you can be a part of the training, the better for both you and your animal. Even if your mule or donkey is with a competent trainer, you need to plan on spending at least two days a week with your animal and the trainer so that your animal learns to trust you as well as the trainer. Being present and interactive with your animal at feeding time will solidify the trust he gains.
series proves that this was a great way to reach people and help them to reach new levels of communication with their animals. People who never before had the courage nor confidence to even attempt such a thing are discovering the self satisfaction and elation of training their own mules and donkeys. Most people tell me it is the best part of their day when they can work with their animals. They are quite surprised at how easy it is to establish a routine that fits with their other weekly activities…thanks to the intelligence and forgiveness of these wonderful animals.
At first, you might think there just isn’t enough time to spend with your animal to accomplish all this, but somehow we all manage to make time for these things when we have children. We learn to experience and grow with our children, as we can also do with our animals by being realistic with our expectations at each stage of growth and training. We give ourselves the time to do this without the pressure of being hurried. There are few times in this world when we are really able to “stop and smell the roses.” Longears can afford us this very special time if you only let them. Look upon the time with your donkey or mule as you would look upon the time you spend with your child. Some days will be for learning and some for just plain fun. When there are learning days, try to make them fun and stress-free. Someday you’ll find yourself saying: “I can’t believe he has turned out to be so good. I never really felt like I was ‘training’ him!”