In mid-October, my horse, Simon, strained the check ligament in his left fore-leg. (This ligament is also known as the accessory ligament of the deep flexor tendon. It "checks" the amount of flexion of the deep flexor tendon. The check ligament is an important part of the stay apparatus, which allows the horse to sleep while standing.) A couple of weeks of cold-hosing and stall rest, in tandem with NSAIDS, leg wraps, and of course, massage, and he was ready to begin limited turnout and finally go back to work. Except it wasn’t so easy.
One of the side effects of his stall rest and limited mobility has been a stubborn stiffness and tightness, mainly in his shoulders. This is not surprising, as Simon is a big guy, and taking one of his forelegs out of the equation has put a lot of strain on the rest of his body, especially in this case his right foreleg and shoulder. This has manifested itself by a reluctance on Simon’s part to engage in any kind of lateral movement with his forehand; instead of crossing over nicely with his front legs, he has been taking little shuffling steps to the side, and has been noticeably stiff and tight when leaving his stall in the morning.
What’s a massage therapist to do? Let me introduce you to my very good friend, “Equine Acupressure: A Working Manual”, by Nancy Zidonis, Amy Snow, and Marie Soderberg. I LOVE this book. It is a very well-done, complete resource for the horse owner. I believe that massage works and feels so good, in part because the massage therapist may be manipulating acupressure points as she works, freeing up and stimulating the flow of Chi and energy along the meridians. Flipping through the book to find an answer to Simon’s predicament, I came across the pages on treating shoulder soreness, and bingo! One treatment later, he was greatly improved.
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Treat your horse (and yourself!) to this great addition to your equine library. You’ll be glad you did, and so will your horse.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Do a 180! Or even a 360!
With cold weather here to stay, at least for a couple more months, not only is this a good time to get educated by watching videos, auditing clinics, and reading, it is also a good time to think about our relationship with our horses. A couple of weeks ago, I suggested that you turn off your brain—now I’m suggesting that you turn it back on!
What I’m thinking of is taking a look at things from a completely different perspective. For instance, if you have the mind-set that your horse hates arena work, you already have certain expectations of how your time in the arena is going to go. We all know how our mood and attitude affect our spouse or children, and of course it affects our horses too. You head to the arena, after grooming and tacking up your horse, somewhat less cheerfully than if you were heading out for a nice hack or to jump cross-country. You may be a little resentful at having to ride inside, or that winter is dragging on, or that you can’t find your favorite winter riding gloves. Make no mistake, your horse has picked up on your mood. This may be manifested, for instance, as your horse being sluggish and unwilling to work, or being squirrelly in an attempt to get your attention, or being cranky and resentful that you aren’t thoroughly grateful to be spending some time together.
Our relationship with our horses is just that: a relationship. It needs to be fed and nurtured and not taken for granted, like all relationships. Can you envision how different it would feel, if instead of saying to yourself, “Poopsie doesn’t like arena work”, you were to say, “Poopsie and I have an opportunity to work on our serpentines” or lateral work, or drill team maneuvers with a buddy, or simply spend some time together.
I encourage you to sit with both these scenarios. Try them on for size, and allow yourself to feel how your energy changes as the scenario changes. Then think about how your relationship with your horse is affected by your energy. And that’s just the beginning!
What I’m thinking of is taking a look at things from a completely different perspective. For instance, if you have the mind-set that your horse hates arena work, you already have certain expectations of how your time in the arena is going to go. We all know how our mood and attitude affect our spouse or children, and of course it affects our horses too. You head to the arena, after grooming and tacking up your horse, somewhat less cheerfully than if you were heading out for a nice hack or to jump cross-country. You may be a little resentful at having to ride inside, or that winter is dragging on, or that you can’t find your favorite winter riding gloves. Make no mistake, your horse has picked up on your mood. This may be manifested, for instance, as your horse being sluggish and unwilling to work, or being squirrelly in an attempt to get your attention, or being cranky and resentful that you aren’t thoroughly grateful to be spending some time together.
Our relationship with our horses is just that: a relationship. It needs to be fed and nurtured and not taken for granted, like all relationships. Can you envision how different it would feel, if instead of saying to yourself, “Poopsie doesn’t like arena work”, you were to say, “Poopsie and I have an opportunity to work on our serpentines” or lateral work, or drill team maneuvers with a buddy, or simply spend some time together.
I encourage you to sit with both these scenarios. Try them on for size, and allow yourself to feel how your energy changes as the scenario changes. Then think about how your relationship with your horse is affected by your energy. And that’s just the beginning!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Raise the roof and help the horses!
Hey all—here is a very worthy cause to get your New Year off to a great start! Please make a donation—any amount is much appreciated!
www.LendaHandtoRaisetheRoof.com <http://www.LendaHandtoRaisetheRoof.com>
Happy New Year!
www.LendaHandtoRaisetheRoof.com <http://www.LendaHandtoRaisetheRoof.com>
Happy New Year!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Turn off your brain!
This week is my week to do the CEGA blog posting. Kate, Barb and I have structured some of our CEGA responsibilities on a three-week rotation, and the blog posting is one of them. Sometimes, a topic comes to me pretty easily. Sometimes, I feel like I have to just sit down and start typing, then my brain starts working. The funny thing is, when I am writing, it is actually much more productive if I shut my brain off, and just let the ideas and thoughts come out my fingertips. It is when I am over-thinking that I get into trouble.
And so it is with riding. I consistently find that two things are true when riding.
This is precisely what happened to me yesterday. I had ridden Sid, my really fun, solid, reliable little Standardbred. Good conditioning ride, no expectations of anything else. We had a blast.
Then it was time for me to ride Monarch, my Thoroughbred, who is also a great amount of fun, but let’s just say that he tends to be more “highly aware” than Sid. And once again, right before I got on him, the neighbors across the road decided to try setting off some bottle rockets. Another neighbor was walking down the road with her three unruly dogs and a little kid who was pulling one of those noisy plastic sleds. Oh boy. Combine this with the fact that I hadn’t ridden Monarch in over a week, and my mind was full of the possibilities for things to go wrong. So you see, I was already in defensive mode when I mounted Monarch.
How silly! As it turns out, we had a great ride! I was aware that I was defensive and over-analyzing the situation, and just decided to trust myself and my horse. I worked on getting Monarch’s attention on me, and not on the sled or the dogs, and I did some deep breathing and relaxation exercises for me so that I could be back in my body and less in my mind. You want to lean on my leg, Monarch? I will give you ONE good nudge with my leg to get off me, and that will be that. And I will expect you to respond appropriately. You want to accelerate in the trot and start flying around? Nope. ONE good half-halt will suffice. Then you will resume that nice one-two, one-two cadence. I focused on feeling, and not on thinking. The results were fabulous. Monarch really liked me being clear and not nagging him. He was reaching out for the bit, flicking his ears back and forth, and responding much more willingly and quickly. I really liked being able to communicate with Monarch in a clear, way that left no room for misinterpretation and that relied on feeling rather than thinking.
Here’s wishing you all a wonderful New Year, filled with fun times with your horses!
And so it is with riding. I consistently find that two things are true when riding.
- Over-thinking gets me into trouble, or at the very least, interferes with the feel that I am striving to develop.
- Sometimes, I have to just go through the motions of grooming, tacking up, and hopping onto my horse, to sort of prime the pump and enable me to have a really good ride.
This is precisely what happened to me yesterday. I had ridden Sid, my really fun, solid, reliable little Standardbred. Good conditioning ride, no expectations of anything else. We had a blast.
Then it was time for me to ride Monarch, my Thoroughbred, who is also a great amount of fun, but let’s just say that he tends to be more “highly aware” than Sid. And once again, right before I got on him, the neighbors across the road decided to try setting off some bottle rockets. Another neighbor was walking down the road with her three unruly dogs and a little kid who was pulling one of those noisy plastic sleds. Oh boy. Combine this with the fact that I hadn’t ridden Monarch in over a week, and my mind was full of the possibilities for things to go wrong. So you see, I was already in defensive mode when I mounted Monarch.
How silly! As it turns out, we had a great ride! I was aware that I was defensive and over-analyzing the situation, and just decided to trust myself and my horse. I worked on getting Monarch’s attention on me, and not on the sled or the dogs, and I did some deep breathing and relaxation exercises for me so that I could be back in my body and less in my mind. You want to lean on my leg, Monarch? I will give you ONE good nudge with my leg to get off me, and that will be that. And I will expect you to respond appropriately. You want to accelerate in the trot and start flying around? Nope. ONE good half-halt will suffice. Then you will resume that nice one-two, one-two cadence. I focused on feeling, and not on thinking. The results were fabulous. Monarch really liked me being clear and not nagging him. He was reaching out for the bit, flicking his ears back and forth, and responding much more willingly and quickly. I really liked being able to communicate with Monarch in a clear, way that left no room for misinterpretation and that relied on feeling rather than thinking.
Here’s wishing you all a wonderful New Year, filled with fun times with your horses!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Cold weather reminders
It is officially winter here in central Vermont! Plenty of snow, single-digit temperatures, the works.
When winter reappears each year, drivers have to "relearn" how to drive on icy or snowy roads. I find that it is helpful to apply the same "relearning" attitude to our horses.
As I have been working on horses in the past couple of weeks, I am beginning to see the same cold-weather phenomena pop up as happens every year. These include things like tight hamstrings, tight/reactive common calcaneal tendons (that big tendon that runs down your horses hind leg), muscle spasms, and general reduced range of motion. Sound familiar? I'm betting you feel some of the same sorts of tightness when you struggle out of bed on a cold, dark winter morning.
What this translates into is allowing your horse (and, incidentally, yourself) more time. Try to spend a few extra minutes grooming--remember that grooming isn't just about making your horse pretty; it's also about checking for lumps and bumps but also getting his blood moving. A deep grooming can do a lot to loosen your horse up before you work him. And it will do a lot to loosen you up, too!
Take the time to hand-walk or ride your horse on a loose rein at the beginning of every ride. Allow him to stretch and begin to move freely. If you have the time to lunge him for a couple of minutes before you get on, so much the better!
Make every effort to ensure that his feet are in good shape. Loose shoes, too-long hooves, ice balls in the hooves; all these will compromise how your horse moves, which can be a disaster for a cold, stiff horse.
Pay attention to whether or not your horse needs blanketing. I know many folks who don't blanket at all, and I know many whose horses have entire wardrobes of blankets and sheets. it really depends on what your horse will tolerate in terms of the cold. A cold horse is a stiff, tight horse.
And my personal favorite: STRETCHES! Remember to stretch your horse after you ride--and take a few minutes to stretch yourself too!
A lot of winter maintenance is about just that: trying to maintain the level of suppleness that is easier to achieve in warmer weather. Yes, it takes a little longer, but it feels worlds better when you're done! And knowing that you're doing all you can to avoid sprains and strains for your horse and yourself will help keep you warm this winter--I guarantee it!
When winter reappears each year, drivers have to "relearn" how to drive on icy or snowy roads. I find that it is helpful to apply the same "relearning" attitude to our horses.
As I have been working on horses in the past couple of weeks, I am beginning to see the same cold-weather phenomena pop up as happens every year. These include things like tight hamstrings, tight/reactive common calcaneal tendons (that big tendon that runs down your horses hind leg), muscle spasms, and general reduced range of motion. Sound familiar? I'm betting you feel some of the same sorts of tightness when you struggle out of bed on a cold, dark winter morning.
What this translates into is allowing your horse (and, incidentally, yourself) more time. Try to spend a few extra minutes grooming--remember that grooming isn't just about making your horse pretty; it's also about checking for lumps and bumps but also getting his blood moving. A deep grooming can do a lot to loosen your horse up before you work him. And it will do a lot to loosen you up, too!
Take the time to hand-walk or ride your horse on a loose rein at the beginning of every ride. Allow him to stretch and begin to move freely. If you have the time to lunge him for a couple of minutes before you get on, so much the better!
Make every effort to ensure that his feet are in good shape. Loose shoes, too-long hooves, ice balls in the hooves; all these will compromise how your horse moves, which can be a disaster for a cold, stiff horse.
Pay attention to whether or not your horse needs blanketing. I know many folks who don't blanket at all, and I know many whose horses have entire wardrobes of blankets and sheets. it really depends on what your horse will tolerate in terms of the cold. A cold horse is a stiff, tight horse.
And my personal favorite: STRETCHES! Remember to stretch your horse after you ride--and take a few minutes to stretch yourself too!
A lot of winter maintenance is about just that: trying to maintain the level of suppleness that is easier to achieve in warmer weather. Yes, it takes a little longer, but it feels worlds better when you're done! And knowing that you're doing all you can to avoid sprains and strains for your horse and yourself will help keep you warm this winter--I guarantee it!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Winter!
Suddenly, it has become winter here in Lincoln. If there are outdoor chores left undone, you can forget about it until Spring. They’re buried under the snow. We went from a dusting of snow this morning (about 2 inches on the ground) to about 9 inches of fluffy white stuff now. And it’s still snowing! Great fun for riding bareback and watching the horses clean themselves by rolling in the deep, clean snow. And the mud is covered up!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
November
I have a confession to make. Are you ready? I LIKE November.
Those of you who don’t live in the Northeast are probably thinking, “Big deal.” But for those of you who live in this climate, I can almost hear the gasps of shock.
Why do I like November? I’ll tell you. I have thought for a long time that November gets a bad rap. October foliage is a tough act to follow, sure, but November is quite lovely too, with the varying shades of silver and brown. And the visibility in November is spectacular! Being able to look deep into the woods offers a perspective we don’t get the rest of the year, not even in springtime. Also, my daughter Hannah, one of my favorite people in the world, was born in November.
Mind you, I have not always been a fan of November, and I still don’t enjoy the endless days of rain and gray that we can get. But overall, I really like the whole hunkering down for winter feeling—more cooking, making sure my horses are tucked in and cozy for the night. Nothing like the sound of rain on the roof while listening to my horses contentedly munching their hay, then going back in the house for some nice hot soup!
So many things in life come down to perspective. You know, the whole glass half full/half empty thing. It can be so easy to focus on the negative aspects of anything. Think about your horse. For instance, do you have the mindset that,”My horse doesn’t like ring work—he gets so bored!” Is it your horse that doesn’t like it, or is it really YOU who gets bored? Or maybe you spend a lot of time wishing something about your life was different—a different horse, different place to live, different job. All of these may be valid things in your life that need changing. But two thoughts come to mind. It’s easy to spend a lot of time wishing things were different and imagining how much better our lives would be if they were. Wouldn’t this time be better spent enjoying what we have, and finding the beauty in it? And it is so easy to spend time wishing for a change, without actually doing anything about it. Not a very satisfying way to live!
I invite you to consider that your glass is half full. Happy Thanksgiving!
Those of you who don’t live in the Northeast are probably thinking, “Big deal.” But for those of you who live in this climate, I can almost hear the gasps of shock.
Why do I like November? I’ll tell you. I have thought for a long time that November gets a bad rap. October foliage is a tough act to follow, sure, but November is quite lovely too, with the varying shades of silver and brown. And the visibility in November is spectacular! Being able to look deep into the woods offers a perspective we don’t get the rest of the year, not even in springtime. Also, my daughter Hannah, one of my favorite people in the world, was born in November.
Mind you, I have not always been a fan of November, and I still don’t enjoy the endless days of rain and gray that we can get. But overall, I really like the whole hunkering down for winter feeling—more cooking, making sure my horses are tucked in and cozy for the night. Nothing like the sound of rain on the roof while listening to my horses contentedly munching their hay, then going back in the house for some nice hot soup!
So many things in life come down to perspective. You know, the whole glass half full/half empty thing. It can be so easy to focus on the negative aspects of anything. Think about your horse. For instance, do you have the mindset that,”My horse doesn’t like ring work—he gets so bored!” Is it your horse that doesn’t like it, or is it really YOU who gets bored? Or maybe you spend a lot of time wishing something about your life was different—a different horse, different place to live, different job. All of these may be valid things in your life that need changing. But two thoughts come to mind. It’s easy to spend a lot of time wishing things were different and imagining how much better our lives would be if they were. Wouldn’t this time be better spent enjoying what we have, and finding the beauty in it? And it is so easy to spend time wishing for a change, without actually doing anything about it. Not a very satisfying way to live!
I invite you to consider that your glass is half full. Happy Thanksgiving!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
