This afternoon Nase my house dog came back from playing with
the barn dogs in the pasture bleeding profusely with a lacerated cephalic vein
in his right front leg. I was comfortable dealing with this on my own because of my years working as a veterinary technician for small and equine clinics. This injury called for a pressure wrap to stop the
bleeding, which I left on for several hours. When I changed the bandage
this evening I had successfully stopped the bleeding, and he is looking
good. This has involved several trips to the barn first aid cabinet
because I only keep minimal first aid supplies in the house.
Highboy, who is still living with Fason as his roommate, watched me carefully on each of my trips back and forth throughout the afternoon. This last trip I went over to talk to him and thank him again for such a fun day yesterday jumping. He said he enjoyed it, too, but has some tight muscles in places.
I was standing outside the paddock on the outside of the gate, and when I asked Highboy where he was sore, he systematically presented various body parts to my hands that were hanging through the gate. I rubbed his gluteal muscles and they felt normal, soft and pliable. His back also felt good. Highboy then angled his haunches toward me, and sort of sat down on my hand. I carefully palpated his hamstrings on his right side, which were very hard and felt like tightly wound ropes. If I'd used stiff fingertips they would have twanged like giant guitar strings.
Because they were so tight I firmly pressed on them, running the heel of my hand lengthwise down the whole muscle belly, then I gently went across the grain with my entire hand. Highboy closed his eyes and began swaying forwards and backwards to increase or decrease the pressure I was applying to his hamstrings in various places. What an intuitive horse!
Next he presented me, still outside the gate, with the right side of his neck. As I carefully rubbed each muscle group in his neck I felt varying textures in the muscles, but when I reached under his mane in front of his withers about six inches (the trapezius muscle for those interested) I felt ridges in the muscle again. Highboy just wanted gentle pressure on that, so I laid my hand on his neck and let him push against me. I did sort of lightly comb the muscle fibers with my fingers a bit. When I felt the muscle release and get a little softer I quit on that one. I then asked Highboy how the other side of his body felt?
Highboy took a moment to chase Fason away since he was getting a little too close and Highboy didn't want to share his through-the-gate massage. I was still outside the paddock with my arms and hands inside, forearms resting on the metal rung. Highboy then sidled up to me, back end first, and presented his haunches to me and started leaning on the gate. I gently pressed on his left hamstrings to see how tight they were, and I felt some hardness to the muscle but not as much as when I'd palpated his right hamstrings. Interestingly, the right hamstrings were softer than when I'd first touched them a few minutes prior.
When I put my both hands on his hammys though, Highboy made a little noise and pressed into the gate and my hands really hard! So I rubbed his right and left hamstrings at the same time, pushing harder than I did the first time. Highboy then leaned into one hand or the other when I would reach certain spots. After a few minutes of this I switched to just lightly stroking him with gentle pressure and he gave a big sigh, then turned around to face me.
Highboy, who is still living with Fason as his roommate, watched me carefully on each of my trips back and forth throughout the afternoon. This last trip I went over to talk to him and thank him again for such a fun day yesterday jumping. He said he enjoyed it, too, but has some tight muscles in places.
I was standing outside the paddock on the outside of the gate, and when I asked Highboy where he was sore, he systematically presented various body parts to my hands that were hanging through the gate. I rubbed his gluteal muscles and they felt normal, soft and pliable. His back also felt good. Highboy then angled his haunches toward me, and sort of sat down on my hand. I carefully palpated his hamstrings on his right side, which were very hard and felt like tightly wound ropes. If I'd used stiff fingertips they would have twanged like giant guitar strings.
Because they were so tight I firmly pressed on them, running the heel of my hand lengthwise down the whole muscle belly, then I gently went across the grain with my entire hand. Highboy closed his eyes and began swaying forwards and backwards to increase or decrease the pressure I was applying to his hamstrings in various places. What an intuitive horse!
Next he presented me, still outside the gate, with the right side of his neck. As I carefully rubbed each muscle group in his neck I felt varying textures in the muscles, but when I reached under his mane in front of his withers about six inches (the trapezius muscle for those interested) I felt ridges in the muscle again. Highboy just wanted gentle pressure on that, so I laid my hand on his neck and let him push against me. I did sort of lightly comb the muscle fibers with my fingers a bit. When I felt the muscle release and get a little softer I quit on that one. I then asked Highboy how the other side of his body felt?
Highboy took a moment to chase Fason away since he was getting a little too close and Highboy didn't want to share his through-the-gate massage. I was still outside the paddock with my arms and hands inside, forearms resting on the metal rung. Highboy then sidled up to me, back end first, and presented his haunches to me and started leaning on the gate. I gently pressed on his left hamstrings to see how tight they were, and I felt some hardness to the muscle but not as much as when I'd palpated his right hamstrings. Interestingly, the right hamstrings were softer than when I'd first touched them a few minutes prior.
When I put my both hands on his hammys though, Highboy made a little noise and pressed into the gate and my hands really hard! So I rubbed his right and left hamstrings at the same time, pushing harder than I did the first time. Highboy then leaned into one hand or the other when I would reach certain spots. After a few minutes of this I switched to just lightly stroking him with gentle pressure and he gave a big sigh, then turned around to face me.
Highboy placed his head in my hands. I softly stroked his eyes, cheeks,
throat, and gently rubbed all around and inside his ears. I let him move
his head to where it felt best, and all the facial muscles on his head kind of
drooped. He maneuvered as close as he could to the gate, hanging his head
over, to get me to rub the trapezius muscle on his left side as well, which
didn't feel as tight as the right had been, but obviously he wanted it worked
on. He wiggled around until both of my hands were on the trapezius
muscles on both sides of his neck, and I rubbed them with my hands at the same
time.
Finally, eyes closed, Highboy reached over and took off my
hat. He tasted my ponytail and gave me a little shove with his muzzle in
thanks for the bodywork. I thanked him again for a good ride yesterday,
and he went over to take a long drink of water. As I walked back to the house
he stood at the gate and watched me go into the garage.
It makes sense that Highboy was tight in those places. His hamstrings yesterday were stretching dramatically when he pulled his hind legs up over larger fences, then firing hard to gallop up hills. His trapezius muscle is one of several that lifts the front legs by raising the shoulder. That one would have been working hard to lift his shoulder and legs over the jumps and galloping up the hills. Who knew my horse was so intuitive as to lead me in giving him such an accurate equine-guided massage?
It makes sense that Highboy was tight in those places. His hamstrings yesterday were stretching dramatically when he pulled his hind legs up over larger fences, then firing hard to gallop up hills. His trapezius muscle is one of several that lifts the front legs by raising the shoulder. That one would have been working hard to lift his shoulder and legs over the jumps and galloping up the hills. Who knew my horse was so intuitive as to lead me in giving him such an accurate equine-guided massage?
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