Equine Sports Massage Therapy - take two

Ceaser has had it all this week in preparation for Royal London show on Wednesday. First of all my lovely friend Kirsty came and clipped him for me and I must say, he looks absolutely stunning. Kirsty is fantastic with a set of clippers. I love her attention to detail and the way she turns her horses out in the show ring. If you need a groom that will win you the best turned out prize Kirsty is your woman!

Next came my dressage lesson with Amy where we worked on getting Ceaser working more long and low to give the illusion he has a longer neck. You can read all about this here: Dressage lesson.

After just two days rest Ceaser was dragged out of the field, probably wondering what the heck was to come next. Kelly, Ceaser's "massage lady" was due to come and give him a pampering session again before our trip to Royal London. Thankfully this is the treat he enjoys! I have noticed he was starting to get a little tight through his hind again. As before it was more noticeable in trot more than the walk and canter. For more information on what Kelly said before, please click this link.

Ceaser absolutely adores Kelly, she always takes the time to fuss him and give him some attention before she starts his massage which I like. Equally it is a bonus that Amy and Kelly know one another really well so I hope between us we can discuss how to get his hind right again. Anyone that gives him some attention and loving instantly goes into his good books. Typical!

Kelly instantly commented on how well he was looking and how much more even he looked muscle wise. Phew - all that lunging, working on our "bad" rein and lots of hill work in the field had paid off then.

She said he was a lot more free through the poll as well which was more positive news as he was quite tight last time. As she delved deeper she found he was very tight through his right shoulder and left hind - which although are on opposite sides, does add up. She commented on how much more supple he was through his back muscle and a lot more even and loose. That is the good news I was hoping for as I have been working really hard to get him more loose and even!

After making her way towards his back end we were faced with his slightly stiff hind again and I discussed with her if it was worth me getting a vet out to look at him. Again she said no as he wasn't showing arthritic symptoms and he had improved dramatically since she saw him back in June which was positive.

Left side = small injury 'dimple'. Right side = much more built up. 

Finally - more investigation lead her to find an old injury, rupture or scar tissue on his left hamstring which could have happened at any time, but would also explain exactly why he finds it difficult on his left rein. In fact, it would explain a lot. I will try to explain it as best I can. Kelly explained that this would have made his left hamstring quite tight and so when he is working it can't stretch as far, meaning that he appears to be a little stiff. She did some hamstring stretches on him and asked me to note whether the 'dimple' got worse or better as she did them. The further we stretched his leg, the better the 'dimple' got and so Kelly is sure that with some daily exercises and stretches we can get him back to normal in no time. Phew times two!

She has recommended that I stretch his hamstrings daily after exercise three times. As well as this she also said to do left, right hind and forelimb stretches three times daily after exercise and then apply some Aloe Vera heat gel to the hamstring daily, both in the morning and at night. Thankfully he has now had two days off and should be ok to go back to normal being ridden tomorrow. Kelly and I have discussed that we will not leave him as long to have a massage next time and he will probably be done every 4-6 weeks from now on, or at least until we have sorted out his problem. He will also wear his Equilibrium Massage Pad daily, both before and after exercise.

Poor Ceaser's week didn't end there as today my farrier gave up his day off and came out to shoe Ceaser just in time before we go off to Royal London for the week. Of course I am very grateful for him coming out on a Sunday and now I just hope we have some good luck shoes on!

So, that is all from me - just 3 more sleeps to go until we leave for Royal London and unfortunately I have not started preparing in terms of packing and getting the lorry sorted!

Wish us luck :)

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Dressage lesson take 2....this time in the sun!

Thankfully there isn't too much to report on this time, apart from I ache like a (kids turn away) b***h!

After trying for hours and hours to put into practice what Amy got me to do last time I felt like no matter how hard I tried there was no way I could predict Ceaser's spooking and deal with it before he had chance to explode. Thankfully just as things were getting a bit on top of me again, Amy was due to come and give me another good kick up the bum!

Last time Amy worked Ceaser in for me and I got on once he was warmed up. This time it was the other way round and I worked him in so she could see from the ground exactly what he did when warming up, why and how. She noticed that due to his age it does take a little longer than horses half his age to warm up. She recommended I spend roughly 10 minutes walking, before thinking of moving into the trot and then working on building up to the canter.

I'll try to talk you through the warm up process so you can get a better idea of how things worked.

As soon as I started to walk off Amy noticed Ceaser was tight through his back end and our walk was quite choppy. She asked me to free the reins a little and let Ceaser walk a little slower to enable him to step under and through more. To me it felt like he was taking a long stroll on the beach at snail pace but Amy said the change in the overall picture was immediately noticeable. Luckily Mark was on hand to video all this for me and I agree, after watching it back it makes all the difference! She said he steps under lovely in his walk and has quite a nice walk when I allow him to! As predicted she then asked how we scored in our tests for our walk. Of course we don't score very high for our walk and I've always put it down to him having a bad walk...and "that's why" she said. So next week at Royal London i'll be putting our 'new walk' to the test! I must remember, although it doesn't feel like it's taking me anywhere, it is and it looks nice!

Amy said that because Ceaser takes a little longer to warm up than other horses we will need to focus a lot of attention on getting him supple, bending correctly and working through his back. Once we had moved up into the trot we spent a lot of time on flexing left, flexing right and getting him supple on both reins. All this entails is riding just slightly off the track and making him flex left for a little while, whilst keeping in a straight line, and then to the right. In between bursts of doing it i'll make him work properly, then flex a little. It really is a great exercise and great to do in walk, trot and canter!

Next up was the "trusting Ceaser" part, which to be quite honest, in the last few weeks I haven't been! His energy levels are on fire because of how fit he is feeling, the feed he's getting and the supplements he's having which has meant lots of spooks, bucks and high-maintence pony tantrums! Amy said I am holding on to him a little too much, which is causing him not to move forward and stretch through his back into his outline enough. She thinks he is built very short across his back and neck enough already, so when I don't allow or encourage him to stretch for the outline he gives the overall picture of a little coiled spring.

Much more "open" and more free in the outline.

Before....Appearance of a short neck!

So, the next 20 minutes were spent working on getting me to allow him to move forward and free and him accepting the contact and working through his back and stepping underneath a lot more. For a short time he spent a few laps around the arena with his nose in the air - especially whilst some school ponies and children were walking past, but as soon as he accepted and softened I could immediately feel the difference. Amy said again the picture looked a million times better and the illusion was that i'd gone from riding a 14.2hh to a 15.2hh horse. She also said that it would help me with his spooking because I would be able to feel him tensing suddenly if he was going to and his head would come up just ever so slightly, allowing me to react quickly enough to catch him before he could do anything.

Amy does it much better!

We repeated the flexing left and right and opening him up in the canter as well and again almost immediately I could feel the difference in him. Mark also commented that from the side lines it looked a completely different picture to our previous ride.

It really is amazing the difference just a small change in your riding makes and the noticeable change in both the appearance of Ceaser and I. I finally feel like I have found an instructor that knows what they are talking about and speaks some sense - with a vast amount of knowledge. I'm definitely looking forward to our next lesson already!

In total we had spent 30 minutes doing all of the above exercises and so Amy said that was our warm up and I should aim for that when I ride.

Next it was her turn to get on and do some serious riding, which is amazing to watch. The difference in him with someone on his back that is a fantastic rider is quite something. One day i'll be there I suppose, but for now I'm having fun trying!

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This month I love....Ariat Heritage III Short Paddock Boot

I have always wanted a pair of Ariat boots after being told how comfy they are but unfortunately funds have never allowed it. However, with the news I had gotten a new job and a very willing boyfriend (thank you Mark!) offering to go halves with me as a well done present I finally found my self in a position to be able to afford a pair.

Initially I went into the tack shop looking for a cheap pair of boots that were sturdy enough for me to spend the whole day at the yard in, without a hefty price tag.

Although once Mark got involved he took one look at the cheap pair of boots and then at my "ohhhh" and "ahhhh-ing" over the Ariats and said I may as well buy them as they would last me longer and the leather looked a much better quality. For only £40 extra I could have a pair of Ariats. Now, who am I to argue with someone who then offered to go halves....?

Ariat Heritage III Short Paddock Boot

"With its proven versatility and traditional style, the Ariat Heritage III Short Paddock Boot is a true favourite. Riders will feel the support and comfort of the 4LR technology and will appreciate the hard-working Duratread sole's flexible performance. Superior leather and craftsmanship, antiques brass zipper and sophisticated profile create an elegant yet approachable boot."

Usually when trying short boots on in shops you have the problem of hard leather and the feeling that they would be fine if you could just "wear them in a little" before using around the yard. With the Ariat boot I felt snug as soon as I tried them on and could feel the quality the moment I put my foot into them. 

The zipper up the front to me creates an elegant, dressage looking boot which I would feel comfortable using both in the show and dressage ring. However, I would feel equally as confident as teaming the boots up with a nice pair of jeans and going shopping or to the pub for an evening meal in!

The Duratread flexible sole is the best I have experienced and so much better than the usual cheap, plastic soles you find on most short boots. Since wearing the Ariats I have no longer experienced that shooting pain you get up your legs when dismounting onto concrete which is amazing.

The soft leather of the Ariat's provide a comfortable boot that I have worn for almost 12 hours on the yard without feeling the need to take off my shoes because they were uncomfortable. The best thing about this is, it was only 2 days after first buying the boots - which is usually around the time you start to get blisters with new boots. Not with Ariats! 

I am happy to have finally found a boot I can be comfortable in when riding and mucking out. The saying really is true... "Once you've had a pair of Ariats you won't want to wear anything else!". 

I am now saving up for the long Ariat boots as these short pair made me realise how uncomfortable my current dressage boots are! I would highly recommend the Paddock Boots for anyone, who like me, hates wearing wellies or muckers around the yard but has struggled to find something comfortable and robust enough to withhold the wear and tear of day to day use. 

I paid £100 for them, which initially I thought was a lot for a boot, but after experiencing the difference to cheaper boots, I feel they are well worth their money! 

Five stars to Ariat for their fantastic and quality made riding boots without a large price tag. 

For more information visit: http://www.ariat.com

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With Autumn approaching, beware of common winter problems - one being mud fever

I have noticed a huge increase in my blog statistics again over the past few days and funnily enough, although we are still in the middle of summer (well....), people seem to be researching mud fever.

Whether you are preparing for winter or your horse is struggling with mud fever now, then no doubt it will be a stressful time for you.

What is it?

Mud fever is a group of diseases that causes irritation and dermatitis in the lower limbs of horses. Often it is caused by a mixture of bacteria called "Dernatophilus congolensis and Staphylococcus spp". Although mud fever is normally associated with mud, it can also be caused by mites; this is less common but owners should be vigilant.

Before Ceaser was got mud fever last winter I thought it was something that was associated with winter, wet weather and mud. However, this myth is wrong and a horse can suffer an attack at any time of the year - autumn, winter, spring and summer.

How will I know if my horse has mud fever?

Any of the following can be signs:

 - Matted area of hair containing crusty scabs

  - Thick, creamy, white, yellow or greenish discharge between the skin and overlying scab
  - Raw looking skin
  - Inflamed, sore looking legs

  - Lameness

  - In bad cases: lethargy, depression, loss of appetite.

In Ceaser's case, sometimes his legs looked clean and I struggled to find the scabs. However, I was told once that even the smallest of scabs can cause swelling and lameness. You have to be very vigilant when checking the legs and almost go through with a fine tooth comb to ensure you get every scab off.

Last year Ceaser suffered with mud fever continuously for a year. Whilst it was both a stressful and worrying time for me, it gave me the opportunity to research what exactly caused mud fever for hours upon end whilst trying to find a cure.

If your horse is suffering with this awful problem then take a look at my previous two blogs about mud fever.

1) How I dealt with Ceaser's mud fever

 2) What is it? Is it a myth? How do I get rid of it? - All you need to know!

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