massage are not widely known in eventing, although it is likely to have the same impact as it does in other sports, where it helps warm the muscles prior to competition and reduce the likelihood of injury because there is increased blood flow to areas of high demand. It can also increase the speed at which muscle fibres are recruited (4). There are many different massage

techniques which are used to produce different responses in the athlete. Within eventing, the techniques should be specific to the dressage, show jumping and cross country phases of the competition (5) because each rider’s requirements will be influenced by many factors, from their personality, their position in the saddle, and how much time they have to wait (it could be 10 minutes or 2 hours) until they compete.

REQUIREMENTS OF AN EVENT RIDER All athletes should warm up, but a pre-event massage is not an adequate form of warm-up on its own. It should be combined with stretching and aerobic exercises, but these are often neglected by the rider. Warm-up for the horse is common to all three phases of eventing, but physical preparations for the rider are overlooked.

Dressage

Before the dressage test, it seems little or no warm-up is undertaken by individual riders as this phase is considered to be less physically demanding for the rider due to the lower ballistic movement completed by both horse and rider. The physical requirements of riders in the dressage test include a steady increase in oxygen consumption (2), suppleness, balance and coordination. Psychologically riders must be relaxed, focused and calm. This is why techniques that involve vibrations, stretching and superficial effleurage are best suited to this phase (6).

Cross country Event riders feel psychologically different in the lead up to a cross country round and this often becomes more intense the longer they have to wait (20 minutes to over 3 hours). They have physical needs that differ from those of dressage. The rider’s body works intensely, at levels equal to 75%

16 sportEX dynamics 2010;26(Oct):15-18

TABLE 1: EVENTING LEVELS LEVEL

BE 90 (formerly introductory) BE 100 (formerly pre-novice) Novice

Intermediate novice Intermediate

Advanced Intermediate Advanced

of maximum oxygen consumption, with his or her heart rate reaching 176 beats per minute, and staying that high for around 15 minutes (3) whilst riding the course. To prepare for this stage of the event, the rider needs to feel alert, confident and brave. Therefore more vigorous forms of massage with faster skin contact, promoting increased blood flow (effleurage and tapotement) are best suited to this event (7).

Show jumping

Although there has been minimal research into the physiological and psychological demands of the show jumping phase of the event, they are similar to those of the cross country phase, with a greater amount of psychological pressure. This increased pressure commonly occurs because of the high numbers of spectators around the competition area. The adrenaline increases arousal levels, and increases response times. For these reasons, massages that employ vibrations and slow stroking are most likely to relax the rider.

HOW MASSAGE CAN HELP The use of massage as a form of recovery after a sporting event has

MAXIMUM FENCE HEIGHTS

Cross country 0.90 m 1.00 m 1.10 m 1.10 m 1.15 m 1.15 m 1.20 m

Show jumping 0.90 m 1.00 m 1.15 m 1.20 m 1.25 m 1.30 m 1.30 m

INCREASE IN OXYGEN CONSUMPTION

been researched extensively. However, none of the research has shown the effect of massage on lactate levels in the athlete’s blood (6) after a high- intensity, short-duration event like cross country and show jumping. In addition, there is no evidence about the affect of massage on blood lactate before an event has taken place, and there is still plenty of room to explore how blood lactate is affected by different massage techniques in the competing athlete. We do know that massage increases blood flow in the body, as well as oxidation within the massaged muscles, which may help to remove lactic acid from muscles at a greater rate. Lactic acid build-up is undesirable because it alters the acidity within muscles, causing increased sensitivity of the nerve endings and producing feelings of pain and fatigue. If it is removed more quickly, then the degree of discomfort suffered by the athlete is reduced. One common measure in this

DURING DRESSAGE THERE IS A STEADY