Dude seemed to be enjoying his session on the SURE FOOT pads today. π
Dude seems to particularly enjoy when we do an exercise that releases tension from the gluteal muscles. During this exercise, we roll a ball in small circles from Dude's hip to his sacrum and then back down to his hip. He seems to love it every time!
This exercise is called "Tension Release from Gluteals" and can be found in Jec Aristotle Ballou's book 55 Corrective Exercises for Horses. :)
How a horse responds to various modalities can really tell us a lot about what a horse is feeling. For example, how Brock chooses to stand on the SURE FOOT pads indicates how he is most comfortable (a photo will be posted in the comments). It's important to make note of the position he chooses so that we can better help him as he progresses in his rehab program. Note the soporific (drowsy) state that can be seen in the video. This tells us that Brock has found a comfortable position that really allows his parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system to take over.
(The lead rope is left hanging as we don't want to tie a horse while using the SURE FOOT pads so the lead is just looped through one of the stall bars).
Brock was enjoying some relaxation after his shoulder rotation stretches today. π These stretches are particularly helpful in relaxing the ascending and descending pectoral muscles, which are muscles that move and stabilize the forelimbs. The shoulder rotation stretches help improve range of motion of the shoulders and elbows. By improving the range of motion of the shoulders and elbows, the horse is better able to use their entire body. :)
This stretch (along with many other wonderful stretches / exercises) is outlined in Equine Fitness by Jec Aristotle Ballou.
Here is a clip from April's very first session with the SURE FOOT Equine Stability Pads. It was so cool to see how she responded to the pads. All horses respond differently to them and that's what is super neat about the pads (the horses get to choose how they use the pads; they don't need to stand on them a specific way or for a specific amount of time when getting used to the SURE FOOT pads).
The SURE FOOT Equine Stability Pads are designed to help horses improve balance, posture, and movement.
Here's a link to the SURE FOOT website: https://surefootequine.com/14-english/frontpage/1-sure-foot-equine-stability-program-is-revolutionary. :)