I will explain at the end of this post why I am asking this. So, tell me, what do you do if you have sore muscles perhaps from too much gardening or too much of a gym workout? I think the answer depends on how important your body is too you. If you are an elite athlete the answer may involve these things.
- getting help from your physiotherapist.
- using various lineaments or other rubs to alleviate the soreness.
- you do not take any medications that are prohibited for your competitions.
- seeing a doctor if things do not improve.
But many people just soldier on. Here is what they do.
- blame it on the garden shears which need sharpening.
- tell everyone you get this every spring and it will get better on its own.
- refuse to see any medically qualified person such as a physiotherapist.
- get the shears sharpened and hope for the best.
If you are a professional athlete, such as an NHL hockey player or IPL cricketer, your team coach or team owner will shepherd you off to the best medically qualified people: sports doctors, physiotherapists, massage therapists, ad infinitum! Your career and the team’s success depends on you being in top fit form.
Why am I writing about this? Because it is my belief that horses should be treated, at the very least, like elite athletes. My horse , Biasini, is an elite athlete. Fortunately for me he does not tend to get soreness from our training work. But recently he has been working very hard and having to carry himself in a more advanced frame. So what do I do to keep him comfortable?
- regular treatment with PEMF ( pulsed electromagnetic field therapy) and the therapist will let me know if there are any places on his body that are reactive more than usual.
- supplements that provide support for his joints. I use Omega Alpha’s Sinew X Plus
- systemic IV joint support such as Adequan or Legend to keep his joints in the best possible shape. I do a course of one in the winter and the other in the summer.
- Change equipment if there are any areas of muscle reactivity that indicate soreness. This past week this involved getting a therapeutic girth .
If people wonder why I spend money on expensive equipment I tell them why it is a must for me to do this. Horses cannot talk so Biasini cannot tell me that he is sore somewhere. But if ride him and he is uncomfortable he will not want to do whatever it is that increases his discomfort. Soon this can escalate into resistance . That is a point of no return. Why? Because then Biasini will resist this movement even if I have made changes or given him treatment that has alleviated his problem. He does not know that and will be resistant to putting himself in a situation where he will be in pain. If it gets to this point then you can have months or even years of resistance and difficulty.
I will go to great lengths to avoid that outcome. I do not care if the new girth is expensive . If it helps Biasini it is worth it.
Have an enjoyable weekend. And don’t overdo the garden work!
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