As I was chatting with a friend my cell phone went off. I answered it and heard a gentleman introduce himself as Doug Bowe, a Cutter trainer.
“What may I do for you Doug?” I asked.
“I heard about you and what you do. I was wondering what Equine massage therapy is.”
So I told him the applications behind it and he responded excitedly with “I have 3 horses I want massaged, when do you think you can come out?”
We set a date for his horses. My day was booked! I had three horses to do in Oregon and one in Washington. This was pretty exciting for me.
The day arrived and off I went to Doug’s ranch. Upon exiting the van I found myself shaking hands with a kind hearted guy. He was Doug, the Cutter trainer. We headed off to his barn and as it turned out he and I knew another horseman. That did it. We were fast friends and have plans to ride together.
One of his horses I did for him was an eight-year-old mare. Doug told me that she was his favorite cutting horse. Peppy’s neck was tight but I find this to be common among horses. Peppy loved her neck massaged and made several attempts to groom me back, making Doug laugh.
As I worked my way along her body, massaging out knots in her pectorals and back, I thought Peppy was in great shape. This was true until I found a rather tight muscle under her tail and inside one of her hindquarters. Peppy reacted right away by kicking out to the side. She did not catch me though her attempts were only half hearted; Peppy just wanted me to know that she was hurting there. I spent quite some time massaging this big fat knot out. Peppy soon relaxed realizing that the knot was reducing and the discomfort was fading.
I was quite thrilled that this was the only serious spot. I complimented Doug for his good care as his horses had wonderfully smooth skin and shiny coats.
“Pasture grass and local hay.” He told me. “That’s all they need.” Well, that explained it, simple diet, hard work and having fun! I think I be a happy horse in his care.
Several days later Doug reported back to me.
“Peppy is softer and responds with lightness and more willingness than before.” Thumbs up! Doug experienced a peppier Peppy! |