How does kinesiology tape work on horses?

You might be wondering “how does kinesiology tape work on horses”… let’s dive in,

Kinesiology tape works on horses by communicating with the nervous system to create long-term change in the tissue. 

Tape isn’t about the mechanical force it has over the tissue. No way. 

It’s about communicating with the brain and nervous system.

The brain and nervous system processes the tape like touch (spinothalmic tract in the spinal cord, and somatosensory cortex in the brain).

So it’s like a massage! Or like a manual therapist leaving their hands on the horse to continue working on them. 

The simplest explanation for how kinesiology tape works on horses

The simplest explanation is that the tape sticks to the hair and lifts the hair. 

That creates a lift of the dermal layer to decompress the underlying tissue and stimulate the nerves. 

Decompressing the blood and lymph vessels improves circulation and lymphatic movement to promote healing and recovery. 

If a horse is standing on a water hose, the water doesn’t flow well. 

Sometimes fascia restrictions squeeze the vessels that move blood and lymph. 

Decompressing those with tape is like asking the horse to move off of the hose. 

Bam!! Better flowing fluid. 

Decompressing the “nociceptors” (the receptors that tell the brain something hurts) improves pain. 

Decompressing the soft tissue improves soft tissue glide, ROM, and decreases fatigue. 

Decompressing the mechanoreceptors sends different messages depending on the type of receptors. 

Each hair sits in a sensory plexus that houses mechanoreceptors. 

The sensory plexus lets us communicate with the entire nervous system via the mechanoreceptors sending their specific messages. 

The tape also improves body awareness and positioning (proprioception). 

There are several ways to “say” what you want to say depending on how you apply the tape. 

Through communication with the mechanoreceptors, you can relax trigger points, decrease fatigue, increase circulation, support muscles, support joints, unwind fascial restrictions, improve body awareness, minimize edema, and promote nerve function. 

You can watch me teach on how kinesiology tape works on horses here.