The Equine Sports Masseur starts coming

And I forgot to take photos at Lutine's first session!

I have a friend who is just about to qualify as an Equine Sports Masseur (sp??) and she was looking for case studies for her final exams so I volunteered Lutine. Typically, this friend is about to move back to the UK and then open a multi-disciplinary rehabilitation yard but at least she'll be able to give Lutine 5 or 6 sessions of Equine Sports Massage before she leaves. I had the vet out to see Lutine a few weeks ago when I thought she'd tied up and he said 'there's nothing really wrong with her that I can see except that she's all 'unpacked' from not having worked properly for so long and she needs rebuilding right from the start. Expect that she's going to have times when she's stiff and sore but you're going to have to work her through it an extent'. Hence the opportunity to get several sessions of ESM for her have been a God send and should be really helpful.

At the first session, my friend basically said that Lutine was stiff laterally in her neck and was also stiff in her hind quarters. Not much wrong with her back as such - but then, she's hardly ever been ridden. I noticed that Lutine seemed a little stiff and sore after her session yesterday. She looked like I do the morning after an aerobics session! But today she's moving more freely again and I noticed that she's landing better than usual on her front hooves.

My friend is coming back next Tuesday so I'll take some photos and post them.

Exit Stage Left!

This was quite funny really. I'd long lined Lutine around the field and then attempted to get on her to ride whilst she was looking and feeling rather keyed up. There was a storm approaching, the wind was getting up and Lutine was watching her herd mates tuck themselves under the hedge. I sat on her - she felt like an unexploded bomb and started hopping and shaking her head as soon as my backside hit the saddle - so I decided to practice my emergency dismount procedure and avoid a show down. My husband was just in the process of taking a photo of me sat there when I suddenly disappeared off the side!

I need to take into account the fact that, although she's just turned 8 now, she has the education level of a newly started horse and probably has less than 50 hours riding 'on the clock'. No point getting into an argument because I'm hell bent on riding her no matter what and too proud to simply get off if she doesn't feel happy.

Just after my emergency dismount, the heavens opened and it chucked it down with rain as the squall blew in. Lutine had been right that riding wasn't a good idea, afterall.

Lutine Goes Walk-About

This is just one of those milestones - and maybe it's seems a little mundane but I just think it's so significant. We've started long reining out on the lanes around us - and Lutine is striding out perfectly, even breaking into a trot regularly of her own accord.

But she's doing it all without hoof boots!

Today we long reined out for about 40 mins up and down the hills around us. She didn't put a hoof wrong, didn't gimp a single step and she strode out like a good 'un all the way, ears pricked! We last long reined out on the lanes the day before yesterday and there were absolutely no ill effects afterwards. Today she arrived home as happy on her feet as she left and, when I looked at her feet, there was actually very little wear to them! (So much for getting a council trim in...)

Here's she is - gazing in the direction of home and her pasture buddies where we stopped for her to have a nibble of grass.