Equine Cupping Course with Sozo Equine®

Cupping is a form of massage therapy which decompresses soft tissues using vacuum suction.

It is unlike other forms of massage that compress soft tissues.

Cupping therapy can generally be described as a technique that uses cups placed over the skin to create negative pressure through suction.

There are different forms of cupping, wet and dry, but we'll focus on dry cupping here, which is the application of silicone or plastic cups on fully closed skin to increase circulation and address myofascial restrictions, which is a fancy way to say the sliding and gliding of tissue layers.

There are many reasons to utilize cupping therapy for your horse when it comes to health, wellness, performance, and injury treatment.

Here are some of the most common reasons why you would use cupping therapy:

1. Release fascial adhesions

2. Remodel scar tissue

3. Reduce painful trigger points

4. Improve circulation, blood, and lymph circulation

5. Relieve pain

6. Promote mobility and range of motion

7. Improves mature scars

When it comes to how the cups actually work, it's actually pretty simple: the cups allow for improved movement of tissues and increased sliding and gliding between the layers of tissue.

But what, exactly, does that mean?

Cups work via mechanical force. In this case, decompression.

Decompression occurs when the cup is added to the skin, lifting the skin from the tissues underneath it. This allows fascial connections (the connections between the layers of the skin that are essential but when they are tight and causing restriction, they become problematic) to be broken up and the movements of gliding and sliding to improve along the fascial lines.

This decompression also flows to the nerve endings, freeing them up and improving neural function, decreasing pain, and improving proprioception.

When all of this occurs, movement improves!

It's also important to note that cupping leads to fluid movement and improved lymphatic function as well. The lymphatic system cannot function correctly where fascial restriction resides, as it will impede the lymph flow (think about stepping on a water hose).

So, when we utilize cupping and improve fascial gliding and sliding, lymphatic flow also improves.

The bottom line here: when your horse's fascial movement is improved via cupping, lymphatic drainage improves, pain subsides, movement is more fluid, nerve function is optimal, and mobility improves.

When all of those things get better, we can assume that your horse will be healthier overall with improved overall performance and recovery.

This course is all pre-recorded videos which means you get to complete the course on your own timeline.