Hips don't lie.

 The hips of the rider don't lie. We've all heard the saying that a good rider should have hands like a princess and hips like a woman of the oldest profession in the world; hips that can swing with the horse. Especially if you are past the age of 20 as you are reading this, your range of motion in your hips/pelvis/sacrum may start decreasing as you've been sitting at desks and in cars a fair amount of your life, and probably have fallen off one or twice. 

And another thing you've likely heard people say, and probably have said yourself, is: "My horse is getting chiro/massage/PT. I haven't had any in years!!" Even if money isn't an issue, I hear owners ascend into martyrdom by proclaiming that they're putting their horses first, and wouldn't dream of wasting that kind of money on themselves. My line used to be "I can only afford it for one of us, and he's more important."

I call BS on that now. Yes, the horse is very important and he/she should get bodywork. But so do you. If for no other reason, because you are planning on sitting on him. And for the 1,000th time, the horse can only go as well as the rider can sit. I go into detail about how rehabilitative correct riding is in my previous post "Dressage is for the Horse" (see image it the top), but the opposite is also true, incorrect riding is at best unenjoyable and at worst unhealthy for your horse. So when we riders notice that any of our body parts  aren't living up to  their fullest potential, we should see a professional who can help with that.

I picked a massage therapist who has been working on my and many of my client's horses for years, the amazing Margaret Manion;  and I know first hand how much better they feel after experiencing her magic touch. My sacrum was quite stuck on one side, attaching my thigh to my hip, making independent movements nearly impossible. After addressing that, my horses benefited from a rider who was much better aligned and my trainer's exercises for improving my trot mechanics were able to make their full impact. 

So you're not exactly wasting money on pampering yourself when getting appropriate bodywork. In essence, and if you must justify it that way, it's still an investment in your horse as he will thank you for sitting better by moving better.