2011 – Rock & Roll – 12-15-11 – MASSAGE
12/15/11: Roll was much better during his massage today after having his workout this morning. He seems to enjoy the pressure approach more than the thumper or rubbing action according to Dave. He was behaving much better and his body has improved remarkably. His top line is looking really good and he is standing squarely by choice now.
Rock is really into massage on the left hind leg now after the last time when he was able to lean on the hitch rail and take the pressure off it. We didn’t want him cutting off the circulation in that leg like it did the last time, so I stood him backwards against the hitch rail and that worked fairly well. He still wound up rotating to the right and needed frequent re-positioning, but he is trying to keep himself squarely placed in his stance which is really helping. The right hind seems to be pointing his toe more and more to the right side rather than forward, so we have decided to have him start doing 5 circles to the left in his pen each morning after breakfast and before he is turned out into the indoor arena. Then he will be brought in for lunch and his gate left open to the small pasture, so he can be outside, continue to move around and ice his front feet in the snow which he will also do by himself. Turning out into the indoor arena twice a day like we were doing for awhile got boring for him after the arena construction was done and he had no more boys and toys to play with. He was pawing at the gate. We feel this will be a good balance for him. I think he was missing the sunshine as well! He seems happy with the arrangement today (December 16th). The sores I cannot wrap are not getting worse and the ones I can wrap are doing well.
