Butt Seriously Folks...

["Karen J. Zelinsky" <kjz2@juno.com>]

Speaking of butt-building stuff..... i.e. riding in the flatlands....
I can always tell the flatlander horses when I work on them, i.e.  equine
sports massage because.... they are possessing ye olde "cringing butt
syndrome".  (Beware I am posting late night, ergo Karen is into weirdo
articulation mode!)

When I palpate a horse, i.e. press along the sides of his spine, gluts,
etc and the rear  reacts strongly to the pressure, I ask the owner if
they are from the "flatlands".  Almost always the answer is yes. This is
usually occurs at horse shows where the horses are coming from a mystery
state -- every whichway - from hundreds to thousands of miles away.  And
even if they are from "the hills", many of these sore-butt horses do
mostly flat/ring work.   I tell the owners to do back ups with the horse
- in hand - about 50 feet, and to use those eternally "there" manure
piles or ant hills (joke, joke, hee-hee).  Of the three options, please
pick the first, serious one.  When the horse backs up it get UNDER itself
more and helps the rear.  And anything that helps to "round" the back -
belly lifts, dressage work, any kind of stretching, (long and low, carrot
stretches) and of course, massage therapy.  

I must say, of all the horse type I have worked on - over 1400 horses,
your endurance horses have, by far, the best-maintained backs!  You would
not believe how sore/weak the backs are of the jumpers, thoroughbred
racehorses, etc.  Proving once again how well-maintained your horses tend
to be!  Hats off to ya'll!!!!  You are the best of the bunch!!

Any other questions class??  (LOL!)

Karen, ESMT in PA, who mutters "It's a butt-builder!" every time she has
to haul her own bod uphill - an often occurence in this neck of the woods
en route just about everywhere.... grunt, grunt....

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