Cob Jockey

With my emergency lesson scheduled, I sent an SOS to his favorite bodywork lady to see if she could fit us in to help him work through some of the soreness caused by the CWD.

She ended up fitting us in right before my lesson and worked on him for over an hour. And it was SO worth it.

He

was

locked up

everywhere

I normally don't get to watch her bodywork sessions. She likes to do them in a stall without the owner around to distract the horse, which, since I see such a difference in him after she works on him, I don't mind at all. Clearly it's effective. But I didn't have a day stall on Sunday so she worked on him in the crossties while I sat across the aisle.

His releases were SO big, and there were so many of them. For as stoic as he is about pain, he wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to bodywork from this lady. There was one time, when she was working on his poll, that he had a release so big he scared himself and spooked, lol.

He was especially tight in the left jaw, poll, and right side of his back, right where the saddle was hurting him.

At the end she told me how much she loves working with him. "You know how you can like everyone you meet, but some people you just really click with? I feel that way with this horse, he's just my buddy, I love getting to work on him." You can tell that he really likes her too. It makes me feel good that he gets to see her anytime he's over at CGP's! And it made a big difference in my lesson the following hour.

 I am 33 years old, and yesterday I had my first ever massage.

My PT, chiro and now the masseuse are all incredulous and amused by the fact that my horse gets all this stuff done to him, but I had never done any of it myself until last year and this year. But I won a 60 minute massage through my Pilates studio in December, and finally got around to cashing in on it.

It was interesting. She was middle of the road in terms of intensity, not too hard and not too soft which was great for an introduction to massage. She read my intake form and asked me if I was a PT, because she said I described my issues like a PT would. No ma'am, just a Dressage biomechanics nerd with side passions for CrossFit and Pilates.

Desensitizing Meatloaf to large crowds with the help of this track meet two blocks from our house

She paid particular attention to my stuck right scapula that my PT friend diagnosed last month, and really struggled with it. It hurt in ways the same actions on the left didn't - not in a pain way, but in a slowly pulling tissues that have been stuck together and immobile for a long time kind of way. Like when I bent my knee for the first time in three weeks after getting kicked by a horse in college while riding.

No filter, just spring in my architecture-obsessed city

After, I noticed an immediately improved range of motion on the right, which my PT friend said might happen with a massage. Was it fixed completely? No, but it was better. She said I might be a bit sore there the next day, and I am, all around the lower part of my scapula. Nothing else is really sore or feels much different.

 

Am I going to do it again? Probably. Am I going to do it regularly? Probably not, but I do see where it fits into the overall recovery/pre-hab spectrum, for both me and Connor (who LOVES his bodyworker in Cincinnati). 

I will also be more in tune with the fact that Connor might be a bit sore after his bodywork, which always makes a huge difference in the way he goes. I turn him into a pretzel, and bodywork makes him straight again, and that can't be an easy transition on his body.

Meatloaf's hackles run the entire length of her back down to this spot on her tail, which was the only hackle she raised at a dog she spotted 150ft away at the track meet

Hauling in to the show today! I'm probably only riding 2-3 tomorrow morning and scratching my second test which is scheduled for 6 hours after the first - partially because of the scheduling and partially because I'm an idiot and signed up for 2-2 for my TOC for some dumb reason, which is just not a good test for Connor. Wish us luck and have a good weekend, everyone!

About a month ago, CGP was out of town when I came over for my usual ride. She said something was off about him and wanted me to feel it for myself, and asked if she could have her bodyworker and chiro look at him.

This day

Mary came with me, and spotted it almost immediately as I pulled him out of his turnout field - "He's carrying his tail to the left again."

I have many pictures with which to illustrate this story because it turns out all my photographers love taking pictures of Connor's tail, lol. You can clearly see him carrying his tail off to the left here. PC: Austen

When Connor isn't feeling 100% somewhere in his body, he often carries his tail off to the left. When his poll got put back into place the first time by my vet doing chiro, one of the first things I noticed was his tail hung straight very shortly after.

Same phase of stride as above, swaying left but hanging straight here in September of 2018. PC: Karen

When I got on, my suspicions were confirmed: his poll was out again, which my vet described as "His skull gets crooked on his spine." When this happens, he's very resistant in the left rein, and cocks the top of his head toward the left and his chin toward the right, as if the articulation between the head and the neck doesn't work on that side. If you ask him to flex toward each stirrup, to the right he can keep his head nearly vertical, but to the left he holds his head diagonally.

Straight here at IDS Champs in 2017. PC: Paul Wood Photography

On the way home, I called CGP: "Yep, I know exactly what's going on here, he's out in the poll. Chiro will fix this so thoroughly you'll feel like you have a different horse after it's back in place." I think she was a little skeptical of that, but she got him signed up with her bodyworker/massage person and her chiro both.

(Side note: It's SUPER nice to confirm that his poll gets out with good riding as well as bad riding. /whew).

The next time I came out, the bodyworker had done two one hour sessions with him, and the chiro hadn't seen him yet, so I wasn't expecting anything to have changed. I've never had a massage myself, and was skeptical that it would fix the issue I knew chiro would fix, but I was very wrong.

CGP was elated at how much he had changed. "He's like a different horse!" I saw it - his tail was straight again - and I felt it - he had no issues flexing in either direction, and he wasn't carrying his head crooked anymore. Huh. 

"Halp, my head is on crooked"

I've since talked to the bodyworker (who is super cheap compared to my chiro at home, at $55 for 60 minutes) and she mentioned a lot of other things she found in addition to the poll, such as how muscle bound his thoracic sling is. "I can definitely improve his reach in the frontend," she said.

So I've let her continue, and he'll have seen her a total of four times in six weeks before he goes home. Who knows, maybe this is something I need to add to our regular rotation.

Connor's tongue-over-the-bit issues are not something I've fully documented on this blog. I've mentioned them every so often, but not as often as it happens.

To find a picture to illustrate the problem, I picked a random Year/Month photo folder in which I thought I probably showed, picked a random photo to look at to see if his mouth was gaping open, and found one immediately. If that doesn't tell you how prevalent this problem really is, I don't know what will. Photo from September of 2017.

I created it initially with my heavy-handed riding, and then it turned into a habit, his default reaction to the work getting hard, which, in retrospect, probably held us back as much as anything, because I was afraid of asking him to step up his game for fear of triggering an episode. As soon as things got challenging in a ride, he'd get it over, no matter what trainer we were riding with or what bridle we were riding in.

At this point, it's as fixed as it will ever be, so I wanted to share what worked and what didn't in case any of you find yourselves in this unfortunate situation. In chronological order:

 Riding in the Bombers Happy Tongue Loose Ring, straight bar version

 

The bottom bit

This is the only bit that he wouldn't - or couldn't - get his tongue over, and it gave me an opening into breaking the habit. We rode in it for a year after the bit fitting clinic at CGP's, and it helped to break the habit, although I'm not riding in it permanently - CGP eventually said I needed more finesse for Dressage than the straight bar gave me.

 

Kissing double jointed bits goodbye

 

Connor has very short lips, and double-jointed bits, especially loose rings, seem to hang low on his tongue and were an invitation to him to get his tongue over. At this point, I can't imagine ever going back to a double-jointed bit with him, we've had so much more success with a single joint.

 

Fixing myself

 

This, obviously, is the biggest thing. I had to identify what pulling was (it wasn't what I thought it was), why I pulled (because I didn't have enough core tension to keep me stable in the saddle, so I used my hands to compensate), what I needed to do to break that habit (rediscover some dead neural-muscular connections, strengthen my core AND make my newly-strengthened core my brain's default unconscious go-to) and how to do it (Pilates).  

 

One rein riding

I do this less and less these days, but CGP telling me to ride him with one rein in small circles when he gets fussy with his mouth really helped. It changes the physical and mental paradigm of the moments before he'd normally get it over, and it also gives me an "If x happens, do y" type of tool that I can remember to use on my own.

 

Letting someone else earn back his trust of the contact

Temporarily giving up the ride had to happen. Four straight months of someone with amazing hands and great timing had to happen. I caused this problem, but I could not have solved it on my own.

 

Taking the bit away

I don't have any pictures of the sidepull, so how about a picture of a dog pulling at my side?

She only rode him in the sidepull a few times, but it was enough to break his ingrained habits. His relationship to the bridle was truly different after a few times in the sidepull - not to mention he was PISSED at having his favorite pressure release valve taken away.

Learning to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Two months ago, in a ride in which I distinctly remember CGP saying "You did a good job not freaking out about his mouth being busy today," and me saying "Oh I was freaking out on the inside."

He may not be getting his tongue over these days, but when the work gets hard he still defaults to a fussy mouth. CGP is adamant that I have to ride through it, that I can't interpret him mouthing the bit as a sign to back off, that I can't live in fear of him getting it over or we'll never progress. This is a work in progress - I know she's right, but this isn't something I'll rewire in my brain overnight.

Chiro, Massage and Ulcer Treatment

Best boy deserves the best treatments

I do think there's something to CGP's theory that pain elsewhere in the body makes him more likely to express his tension via his mouth. At this point he's been treated for foregut and hindgut ulcers, and he's been getting both chiro and bodywork at CGP's with great success. Bodywork in particular has made a huge difference, although that's a story for another day.

Finding a noseband he likes

Stillllll waiting (three months after I ordered it) for my Schockemohle drop to come in, thanks COVID.

I had basically ridden this horse in everything BUT a drop over the years, but it turns out he really prefers the drop. It also turns out that Micklem =/= drop, and he prefers the bit hangers not be attached to the noseband. Who knew?

This problem will never go away after he's done it for years, but at this point we can work with it and manage it, at least to the point that I can confidently say it won't happen in the show ring.

I had my first lesson last night since Connor's adjustment, and it was fantastic.  He felt so good, so relaxed, and I had such easy access to all of his body parts.

Going to post a bunch of 'before' pictures for comparison from the last show.  Thanks Karen!!

Partway through I asked my trainer to get on him.  I think she was surprised because I usually only ask her to get on when he's not going well.  "I mean, I'm having a blast up here but I want you to feel this too."

Tense, worried

Getting to see him undersaddle is what finally confirmed everything I was feeling.  His eyes were soft instead of worried.  His topline was so relaxed, and the shape had changed for the better in everything from stretchy trot to the canter.  His ears were casual and moving instead of fixed, flicking back to listen to my trainer, and then forward for no discernable reason.  His throatlatch was so open I could have stuffed an orange in there.  He didn't headshake, try to get his tongue over the bit, or go around pulling his bottom lip back constantly.  My trainer said, "Wow, that is a big difference."

He was the opposite of this picture in every way

I feel bad for him having been in pain for so long, but I'm not beating myself up for not figuring this out sooner.  It was one of those things that came on gradually as we went up the levels with enough good days that I couldn't have put my finger on "pain". 

He's such a stoic guy, and he's not one that's going to say no.  He just makes it the best he can, and I try to do the best I can for him as we stumble through Dressageland together.


So what are my takeaways?  First, bodywork can work.  Do I think it's a silver bullet in every situation?  No.  Do I think every horse needs it regularly?  Also no.  Do I think it will magically fix your horse?  Don't put that on me Ricky Bobby.  😂  I'm here to tell you my experiences and that's it. 

I think we were in a unique situation where Connor was out enough in his body but also educated enough in Dressage that we were able to see a massive change when he got bodywork for the first time in at least the last 8 years.

Mid-roll after our lesson and a bath last night

Second, I've always known this horse is stoic about pain, but I need to double down on being observant and thinking thoroughly about the signs he gives me.  If his ulcers flare up, when his hocks eventually need maintenance, he's not going to put it on a billboard for me. I'm not going to turn into a helicopter owner, but I will be more diligent about checking things out.

Finally, even when you're trying to do everything right by your horse that you see every day and know better than you know any other pet you've ever had, you can miss things, and that's okay.  You fix them, and you move on without guilt tripping yourself.  You have to.  That's all any of us can do.  

I've had two Dressage rides and one on-the-buckle hack since Connor got adjusted (in that order) and I tried to be as objective as possible, but there was no denying that there was a big change.  Right from the get-go, when I was tacking him up, I palpated that spot that had been so sore he tried to pull away from me before, and he didn't even react.





I noticed some very specific things.  First, it felt like the stance phase of right fore in the walk didn't last as long.  He loves to lean on that leg in every gait and every direction, and it felt like it was spending less time on the ground.

I also immediately noticed that I didn't get the feeling that I needed to convince him to "stand up" on the left side.  His hips and his back were level, to the point that I sort of felt like I was being pitched forward.

In both Dressage rides, he still shook his head, but only one gentle half-assed shake, with no tension and no running through me afterward.

Finally, certain pieces of his body felt easier to access.  Shoulder in right was a lot easier to get.  Shoulder in left was still tough, but there's a LOT of muscle memory we're going to have to unlearn in order to fix that.

On Mondays we wear blue.  Because we're blue about Monday.

Probably the most important thing I had to realize is that however good he felt coming out, it was still possible for me to get him crooked and off-balanced with my poor riding.  Why do you think his whole body was stuck to the left?!  It's vitally important that I change ME right now so that he doesn't immediately get locked back up in all the same ways.   

Is anything permanently fixed?  No.  Am I a lot more aware of my own crookedness when my horse isn't so crooked?  Yes.  All in all, this feels like money well-spent.  Anything that makes him more comfortable is money well-spent in my book.

If you missed Part 1, go back and read this post first for some necessary backstory.

When my vet (an eventer herself and an exceptional sport horse vet) got out to the barn, I started by summarizing the headshaking and my recent findings.  She investigated the sore spot and the same spot on the other side, and pretty quickly said, "I can fix this," with absolute no-question confidence.

Taking conference calls while waiting on the vet.  The best way to take conference calls.

I am totally going to butcher these explanations, apologies to my vet, but I'll do the best I can.

She said effectively, his skull and his body were misaligned. Even when he's standing still, straight and relaxed, his skull hung off the atlas tilted in exactly the same way he rides under saddle, with the top of his head tilted toward his left side.

This is an extreme example, but this is the direction his head is always tilted.

She pointed out that the squishy channel the sore spot sits in (which is an area she referred to as "WAM" for [something]-Atlas-Mandible) was one finger wide on the left side, and two fingers wide on the right side, which is caused by his head being crooked on the atlas.  They should be even.


She said often it's only serious Dressage riders that will notice this condition because of what they ask their horses to do, and that the natural size of the gap varies widely based on breed and training (Thoroughbreds often have a small gap there, while upper level Dressage horses will have a massive gap).  A lot of horses will go their entire lives without anyone noticing this.

She also said that given how small the gap on the left was, it's absolutely possible that something was rubbing or clicking or moving into place when I straighten him out and he headshakes and then goes on my aids.

Ow my head hurts

So that's how Connor got his first bodywork session of his life.  She did his whole body first before starting with his head, and these were her findings:

- Pelvis was tipped to the left (he got wide eyed and picked a hind foot up to kick when she adjusted this!)

- Spinal processes were all tipped to the left

- SI palpated sore (not worrying given he'd done the most collected canter of his life earlier in the week)

- His behind-the-saddle back muscles were so fixed/tight she said she was surprised he went as well as he does (and she has seen him under saddle pretty recently, so she should know.)

- The right side of his neck in particular was so out/tight that when she asked him to turn his neck to  look behind him to the right without moving his feet, he was "convinced he couldn't do it" before she adjusted him.  After, he did it no problem.

- He didn't palpate sore under the saddle at all and she guessed that my saddle fits well

Then she got to his head, and she had me put my hand on his neck only for the bad side to be a counterbalance as she adjusted him from the front.  When she did it, she felt a "clunk" when the bones popped back into place, and there was a lot of licking and chewing and yawning.


She said she's not typically one to recommend regularly scheduled bodywork, but he was SO messed up that she is going to do a follow up session at our already-scheduled October fall shots appointment.

Next, we waited 24 hours and then did a test ride.