Case Study - Breezy - Cold Springs Mustang

Mustangs!
When people hear that word, it brings images of the Wild West, bands of horses racing across the plains, and stallions silhouetted in combat defending their herds.

To some degree, there are still those images, but they are wedged between the fast pace progress of "civilization" and the fast pace "round-ups" used to lower the numbers of these Wild West icons.

Breezy is one of these icons.

She was captured from the Cold Springs Wild Horse herd in Eastern Oregon when she was 2 years old. She is now five.

Upon her change from wild to "domestic," she was adopted by Debbie Driesner, founder of Mustangs and MOHR (Mustangs Offering Hope & Renewal), in Dallas, Oregon. She began working with mustangs when she adopted Eeyore, a lop-eared misfit needing a home several years earlier.

It was known that Breezy was with foal, but due date was for anyone to guess. Unfortunately, she dropped the foal earlier then anyone expected and it ended up on the wrong side of the fence, literally. More unfortunate was, that is was winter and the foal did not survive due to cold temperatures and Breezy being unable to get to her. A very sad situation.

I met Breezy this past October 2008. She is a stout, bay mare with a strong face that is reminescent of the military horses bred by the army for the calvary. Her eye is sweet, but distant. She is a wide-load and needs little when it comes to food and is all business when it is feeding time. She has one of the most beautiful tails in the horse world. It looks like an extension (something I do not approve of...) but is all Breezy.

All-in-all, Breezy is quite lovely.

However, as an Equine Bodyworker, I have to look beyond the "prettiness" of a horse. Pretty does not mean anything if the horse has movement issues, and...Breezy has movement isses. For reasons we can only speculate, her pelvis is "stuck."

Have you ever seen what is called the "dirty diaper" walk? It is where the horse sa-shays her hindquarters in her movement with flat steps that lack impulsion and swing. The pelvis stays in a fixed position. No movement, no swing, just a waddle. It is most noticable in the walk and trot. When a horse is able to use her hindquarters effectively (which means she can use her entire body well), her hindlegs come up and through, pushing, while the pelvis flexes back and forth allowing for momentum to create the "swing" in the entire gait. Movement, swing, implusion, beautiful.

So, if you haven't guessed, this is Breezy's movement issue.

Breezy is not what one would call an EASY horse. She is out to protect her own and rightfully so. I believe that she has been living with discomfort for quite some time. The waddle, distant eye, and general blah attitude toward people is legitimate.

In being an Equine Bodyworker, I wanted to help Breezy. A comfortable horse is a beautiful thing. She, didn't have quite the same idea. Our sessions began in October and Breezy was, well, Breezy.

Let me explain my method of bodywork. In getting a horse to relax and truly benefit from a massage, the horse needs to trust and give up the self-protection that comes from being prey animals. That is a tough nut. Tougher for some horses then others. Naturally, I begin with the head. If there is NO relaxation in the brain, there is really no relaxation anywhere, and no massage. Once the brain relaxes, the muscles follow and I become a facilitator, addressing the "stuck" areas and letting the horse work it out. Generally, it takes about two or three massages for a horse to trust and relax enough to benefit from the massage. Some take to the bodywork right away and some take just a little longer.

Breezy was none of these things. She was sort of receptive to front end work. She was NOT receptive to hind end work. Up went the legs and she was telling me that was TOO much!! Luckily for me, she never did really kick, but the inclination was there.

After futzing with her and really not getting anywhere, my enthusiam for this horse was waning. I took a break from her and let "her" stew in the back of my mind. After assessing the situation and I decided to go another way. Beginning in May, I focused only on her head. I began working out all those muscles, big and small, that attach the body of the horse to it's skull. Within a couple sessions, I helped her self-adjust her poll and cervical vertebrae. I aided her in relaxing the many muscles around her poll and she went "pop! pop!" Her eyes softened and there was that relaxed chew.

Since I have the luxury of not only being her bodyworker, but her rider, I decided to work with her in the round pen and see how well she joined-up. I suspected that Breezy went through the motions of walk, trot, and canter, but she really wasn't THERE. It also gave me the opportunity to watch her movement, not just feel the lack of impulsion. Her initial reaction was to move when asked, but on her terms and at mach three. Breezy would also decide when it was time to quit. O.K. Now, I thought, I have a better idea of where she is coming from.

With round pen work, I incorporated lunging over poles. This way, I could connect with her and I could see her move. The ability to push with her hind end and create some loft in the gait was evident over poles, particularly, when I asked more of her and raised them. That's a good thing.

And as luck would have it...We had a BREAKTHROUGH! About three weeks ago (mid-June!), I lunged Breezy and took a chance. I hadn't worked on her hindquarters for several months due to her lack of enthusiam (and mine). I broke protocol and went straight for the hind end. Oh Frabjous day! Complete relaxation. No inkling of a kick. It was beautiful. I massaged her hindquarters and topline and she zoned the whole time. When a horse is concentrating on the bodywork and the session ends, I will step back and let the horse continue to process. It is enjoyable to watch the eyeslids flutter and squint, the jaw to clinch and relax, and the head to weave and bob while the horse works in the relaxation. Sometimes, the horse will self-adjust or stretch as the relaxation process comes to an end.

As of late, hindquarter bodywork with Breezy is still an option. The breakthrough day was not a fluke. For now, I am again, lucky enough to have my friend, Connie, ride Breezy while I watch. Same idea with the lunging and round pen with poles and a rider. Breezy does A LOT of walking. She has to walk-like-she-means-it, especially over poles. Her walk has improved, but there is still work to be done. With the light riding, Breezy is learning to relax while being ridden. Every time she is ridden (since the breakthrough day) she yawns - a rather blatant indicator of relaxation.

So, now you are up to speed on Breezy and her movement issues. I will continue to update and tell you all when her trot improves!!!