4th July, 2007 What a pain

Injured people always have too much time to think. I have been thinking....Almost every single horse I have met in the last three years has had a physical issue of some sort which has been resolved in parallel with it's behavioural training and it can be no coincidence that horses that are in pain are generally more nervous. I certainly feel more vulnerable when bits of me are hurting or not as useful as they could be. I am constantly amazed at how many starters come in with tension here and there - perhaps from cavorting in the field, perhaps just from the slack way that young horses carry themselves. Older horses that come in for rehabilitation have often learnt to compensate for a physical weakness or pain somewhere and then found that route blocked by another bit of tack or gadget. I am always conscious of the financial drain of having your horse trained by someone else; it often costs far more than the horse did in the first place. Nevertheless I am fast reaching the point where I am going to develop a programme of preparation for starting or rehabilitation which has to be carried out either by the owner or by me before ridden work proper can begin. I have had an afternoon with Kate the physiotherapist. It's fascinating to watch her work and the horses learning that they can trust her to find where they are struggling. Although they all stand still (as best as they can) they will stomp a foot here or reach round and nudge her there and groan a bit or yawn a bit or lick lots. I wonder if they are feeling that delicious pain that I feel every time I go for a massage where it really hurts but you just think yes, keep going.....?