The bulk of muscle issues are cumulative in nature – this means that they occur over time, therefore taking a period of continuance to surface. For instance, your horse may have fallen off of the trailer ramp a month ago. He seemed fine afterwards. Now, several weeks later you are noticing that he is moving rather stiffly. This could be due to the fact that he injured his body during the initial incident, and as a result has been compensating through other areas of his body for several weeks. Now, the compensatory areas have become fatigued as well, and can no longer mask the pain.

Horses are masters of compensation. They are 4-legged, rather than 2, which enables them greater ability to hide discomfort. Also, genetically speaking, they often retain information that tells them to remain stoic, as horses in the wild that appear injured, lame or unsound are easier prey…instincts can help to camouflage distress.

Also, each horse has its own level of pain tolerance, just as each human being does. Some cope, manage and tolerant it better than others.

Next, very often we do not realize how much range of motion is lost, UNTIL it is restored. For example, a trainer may report that a horse is going well, and indeed the horse appears to be. However, once the horse has been massaged, it is moves with much larger strides, increased propulsion, better endurance, easier transitions and less fatigue. The trainer now has a comparison to work with…the horse’s way of going before the treatment, and the horse’s way of going after the treatment, only to realize the horse that had been going well, is now going excellent.

Finally, it is much easier to prevent an injury, rather than address one, once it has occurred. For example, do you brush your teeth daily? Why – you are not having any issues with your teeth? Well, if you answered, “To prevent any troubles in the future, and to keep the teeth and gums healthy,” then you understand my point.

Why not be pro-active in your horse’s health and well-being?

~ Ride Well, Be Well & Stay Well ~

Clinician Denise Bean-Raymond & "Molly"

Just recently, I was invited to offer a clinic for a wonderful group of individuals located in the state of Connecticut. These people were warm, accommodating, eager and truly kind souls to work with. In fact, I was touched by the lovely words they wrote, reviewing the clinic, and would like to share them with you as this group clearly demonstrates how kindness nurtures one’s spirit. People are often quick to point out when one makes an error or has a shortcoming, however, very often people are not as prompt in letting a person or animal know that they have done a good job, or are appreciated for what they do – this is an important lesson we must all learn, remember and practice faithfully – pay kindness forward. Enjoy the review:

The Equine Massage Therapy clinic that was held today at Hope Valley was phenomenal.  I wish you all could have attended, because I am sure you would have come away with at least one piece of useful information to help your equine friends.  Denise Bean-Raymond from Exclusive Equestrian Services did a super job of explaining what massage therapy is and is not.  She explained why each horse from the very young to the very old would benefit from it and how we may play an active part in keeping our equine partners functioning at their best.

Using Tigger as her model, Denise gave the group a demonstration of several key areas that may be massaged before and after riding our horses.  Starting from Tigger’s head and moving towards his hind-end, she described the type of movement or lameness you would expect to see in relation to each site.  Denise also explained the different types of pressure that one would use to help break-up any muscle tension found, explaining the importance of us breathing and staying relaxed while we performed the massage.  She also described the responses the horse would exhibit during the massage and true to her word, Tigger responded on cue.

The 2nd half of the clinic involved hands-on for everybody.  The ponies were all brought into the round pen and everybody had a chance to practice finding tight spots on their horse and trying the massage techniques to help soften them.  When tight spots were found it was amazing to see the horse’s response to the massage.  In some instances we even saw muscle tremors, which helped us understand exactly how much congestion was in a particular muscle and “the why” that a particular horse moved the way it did because of it.

The session was so worthwhile.  Denise’s passion for her work shines through with her instruction and the attention that she gave each of us.  I am going see if Denise might do another clinic with us this fall so that those of you that were unable to attend today might be able to do so at a later date.  In the meantime, if you would like to purchase Denise’s book, which is very informative with great illustrations and instruction, you may do so from her website;  http://www.exclusiveequestrianservices.com/
I do have her book if anybody would like to view it beforehand.

We have had some super clinicians this year that have taken the time out of their busy schedules to share their knowledge with us.  If you have ideas for others that you would like to see at Hope Valley, please do not hesitate to discuss them with me!

Enjoy your week….it would will be a great week to try some massage on your horse!

- Carolyn Mcevitt

Glastonbury Pony Club/Hebron 4-H Horse Club

* Ride Well, Be Well & Stay Well *

Ride Well, Be Well & Stay Well.

Ride Well, Be Well & Stay Well

Ride Well, Be Well & Stay Well!!