We're Back on Track
Six weeks ago I went to work on a lovely dressage mare that I've been routinely massaging for several months now. We've seen progress, and set backs, and progress again so I was a little frustrated when I finished the session noting that she felt worse than the last time I had worked on her (six weeks prior to this appointment) and her owner telling me she'd been working great during that time. Fast forward several days and I get a text from her owner telling me that I'm not crazy for feeling she wasn't quite right the other day when I worked on her.....turns out that on Thursday she'd been ridden and was pretty good, Friday it was rainy and wet and the farrier was out for a trim & reset, Saturday was rainy and her owner was away at a clinic so I was alone working on her, by Monday the mare was dead lame and it was discovered that she had a shoeing/hoof issues brewing (that it turns out have been part of the problem all along, but more on that later). We've been struggling with this mare's progress since August when she shipped to Vermont for a big competition and arrived in a state and has been difficult to regulate since then. She's had great days but the "off" days (long warm-up periods, contact that wasn't great, heavy on the forehand, stiff & tense through the neck) were more frequent.
After the last appointment when she should have felt better than she did (unbeknownst that a foot problem was brewing) I suggested to the owner that we add a neck/shoulder warmer as this is where most of her issues are. It was also discovered after that appointment that she had a hot nail in one of her front feet but also that, due to the severe drought this summer, her hoof wall wasn't growing much and her feet had become too short making her uncomfortable in the front end....all of this combined led to me feeling the tense muscles & numerous reactive pressure points that extended from her shoulders to her poll during that session that left me wondering how the owner felt she was doing better while I felt, for lack of a better term, a hot mess of strictures and tension in her muscles.
Skip ahead 6 weeks to today's appointment and several changes in these past few weeks: she's wearing a Back on Track mesh sheet & neck cover 24/7 (except when being ridden) and her feet have grown out considerably thanks to correcting the previous issue & wet fall weather encouraging growth again. Today IT WAS LIKE WORKING ON A DIFFERENT HORSE!!!!! She was soft and supple from poll to hindquarters with only a couple mild adhesions in her more troublesome areas. Her owner came out when I was about half way through and asked me how it was going, when I smiled and said that I was impressed and pleased that she felt really good the owner was relieved and reported that since fixing the shoeing problem and using the Back on Track all the time the mare has been excellent....she's ready to work and doesn't require the extra long warm up, the contact is there and it feels good, and she's carrying herself more balanced and comfortably. After finishing the massage session I was talking with her owner while doing the SOAP notes, looking back on when the constant 2 steps forward-1 step back started we think her feet have been playing a role all along but also that adding the Back on Track has made a huge difference in her overall (click here to learn more about how these products work). Today I even felt comfortable ending her session with some carrot stretches (stay tuned for an upcoming blog post all about stretching) which is something I've never felt she's relaxed and loosened enough to do at the end of a massage! I left the barn today feeling great about her progress and looking forward to seeing how she's advanced in another 6-8 weeks.
Below is the Back on Track Mesh Sheet & Neck Cover:
