Kinesiology Tape for Horses: How does tape work?
Kinesiology tape (KT tape, equi tape) has many rehabilitative and wellness applications for horses. But you may be wondering how kinesiology tape works for horses. In this blog, we’ll talk about exactly how kinesiology tape works in a very understandable way.
Taping horses: How does KT Tape work?
If we want to keep it super simple, kinesiology tape communicates with the nervous system to create actual long-term changes in a horse’s brain! Once the change happens in the horse’s brain, it can then affect the tissue. Tape is not about the mechanical force it has over the tissue, it’s about communicating with the horse's brain and nervous system to create soft tissue changes.
Kinesiology tape has been used more readily because of the benefits it has. When you apply tape correctly (check out our equine taping courses to learn more), it can provide support and relief for horses dealing with various issues, such as pain, muscle soreness, joint instability, and more.
The best part is that a horse’s training and daily activities remain unaffected, as the tape has elastic properties that allow the horse to have support, without restricting movement. Using kinesiology tape can be especially helpful during training and competition because it allows a horse to continue performing and moving with a minimized risk for injury (and also relief from pain, improved performance, better range of motion, etc.)
One of the key benefits of kinesiology tape is its ability to promote circulation. The tape lifts the skin, creates a space between the skin and underlying tissue, and allows for better blood flow to the area. Better blood flow means more oxygen and nutrients will get delivered to the area, which means more healing for the horse’s muscles as well as reduced inflammation. Kinesiology tape’s elastic properties can also help support weak or fatigued muscles, which will help reduce muscle strain and prevent further injury. If you want to learn more about decreasing muscle fatigue with kinesiology tape, check out my blog about KT tape and muscle fatigue here.
Whether kinesiology tape is used for injury recovery, performance enhancement, or preventive care, tape offers a flexible and effective solution for equine health, recovery, and performance.
The step-by-step process of kinesiology tape for horses:
When we look at how KT Tape works, it’s important to know that there’s a very specific process by which the tape has an effect on the horse. The domino effect is illustrated below.
The tape sticks to the horse’s hair and lifts the hair.
Each hair sits in a sensory plexus that houses mechanoreceptors. Each mechanoreceptor has a specific role in the nervous system.
When the tape lifts the hair it stimulates the mechanoreceptors, a message is sent to the brain, and the brain responds with a message to the tissue.
The sensory plexus lets us communicate with the entire nervous system via the mechanoreceptors sending their specific messages.
There is also a lift of the dermal layer to decompress the underlying tissue.
Decompressing the blood and lymph vessels improves circulation and lymphatic movement to promote healing and recovery.
Decompressing the nociceptors improves pain.
Decompressing the soft tissue improves soft tissue glide, range of motion, and decreases fatigue.
Decompressing the mechanoreceptors sends different messages depending on the type of receptors.
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 to the horse.
The results you can expect after using kinesiology tape on a horse:
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 also learn more about what happens when you take the tape off here.
How to learn how to tape a horse
Sozo Equine offers equine taping courses for horse owners and horse professionals. Inside the courses, you’ll learn specific taping applications that can help improve equine health and performance and mitigate injury risk in horses.
You can check out the online and in-person equine courses here.
About the Author — Ciara Crawford
Hi! My name is Cara Crawford and I am the Owner and Founder of Sozo Equine, LLC. I am a registered and licensed Occupational Therapist where I practice in outpatient orthopedics and specialize in the upper extremities.
Additional certifications include:
Certified Equine Massage Therapist
Certified Myofascial Release Practitioner
Certified Craniosacral Therapist Certified Equine Kinesiology
Certified Taping Practitioner
Certified Equine Taping Instructor
I have a passion for educating and empowering people of all backgrounds to join my pursuit of a world where horses can move without pain.
