netg
Dec. 20, 2010, 05:26 PM
My horse had a couple incidents over the summer where he severely torqued all the muscles in his right shoulder/chest. No joint/permanent damage, no chiropractor findings, but the muscles were fairly tortured by him beating himself up.
Lots of massage, linament, and stretchy work later, he seemed great.
Until he started to get the hang of lengthenings. At the time, he wasn't ready for that, just learning to try to uncurl his neck a little. Now, he's trying for lengthenings and the deeper muscle issues are coming out.
Besides regular visits with our bodyworker, lots of warmup before asking him to reach with the right front, and shoulder in left/counterbend when travelling right, who has ideas and exercises for the muscles around the top of the right shoulder/neck?
Symptoms: He's showing zero soreness. When lengthening, his right front doesn't reach as much, and when doing shoulder in left you can tell the right shoulder is tighter. (Or you could before his latest massage, anyway.) Even the massage therapist found zero sore spots, just tightness. There's no crabbiness or resistance from him other than lack of reach, but I want to make sure it stays that way! (It's also not a saddle fit problem - he really did have two incidents this summer in which he pulled many muscles and was excessively sore, and we're seeing the aftereffects now.)
Lots of massage, linament, and stretchy work later, he seemed great.
Until he started to get the hang of lengthenings. At the time, he wasn't ready for that, just learning to try to uncurl his neck a little. Now, he's trying for lengthenings and the deeper muscle issues are coming out.
Besides regular visits with our bodyworker, lots of warmup before asking him to reach with the right front, and shoulder in left/counterbend when travelling right, who has ideas and exercises for the muscles around the top of the right shoulder/neck?
Symptoms: He's showing zero soreness. When lengthening, his right front doesn't reach as much, and when doing shoulder in left you can tell the right shoulder is tighter. (Or you could before his latest massage, anyway.) Even the massage therapist found zero sore spots, just tightness. There's no crabbiness or resistance from him other than lack of reach, but I want to make sure it stays that way! (It's also not a saddle fit problem - he really did have two incidents this summer in which he pulled many muscles and was excessively sore, and we're seeing the aftereffects now.)