Rusty's reading was today

[tbaynancy]

I have my report from Anne and will take some more time to digest it, but thought I would post some pieces here for those who might be interested. I have not been posting much for the last week or so, just so there wouldn't be recent info on here about our issues.

Rusty was welcoming and was happy to work with me but he was quite reserved. He felt like he was quite insular and whilst this was I believe caused by past experiences he is also the sort of horse that doesn’t do demonstrative and will always be on the quieter side with his emotions. He was very gentle with me though and if you watch him closely enough I believe you will learn to spot the affection more easily.
(Rusty is quite reserved, although I think he is getting better at being affectionate - this rang true)

Along the neck I could feel issues in the muscle which related to what I found later in the spine. Both the fore shoulders were also showing signs of energy disturbance indicating that he uses his shoulders to pull himself along with rather than his hindquarters to push.
(this makes sense, he is a cribber and I'm working with a massage therapist regularly to help him with his neck and back and also working on my riding to get him working from behind. Had a fabulous lesson on Sat. that I didn't post about, where my RI said we'd really got him swinging through his back at the trot. Also adjusted his saddle a few days before as she felt it was pinching his shoulders a bit)

It was so blocked up that if it’s not you that rides with draw reins/ rollkur or similar then he must have had a long time of this being done because this was the most severe compression of the energy I’ve ever worked with. He’s become so used to a constant level of low grade discomfort and constant tightness that he wouldn’t object anymore because this would be normal for him.
(this part has me teary-eyed. Obviously I don't ride with draw reins/rollkur. I will share this with his massage therapist, but she knows he has issues but feels he's improving).

to be cont'd...

 

[tbaynancy]

Rusty's reading cont'd

Grrrr.... just had a long post typed out and stupid internet quit (at my parents house using ancient technology)....

The next bit is difficult to type because I am not sure how much of this is from now or the past. I tried to check several times but a horse’s sense of time is very different to ours and when I said ‘now?’ he thought I meant in the field which was not a problem. However as soon as I asked about the stables and inside he reacted differently. Obviously please proceed with caution with the following information as it is not hard facts it is merely images and emotions that were sent to me and I can of course get it wrong as to where this has happened.
When I first went to find Rusty I had an image of a large man (height and width- looked like a stereotypical trucker or similar). This image came at me quite aggressively and in my face but I wasn’t sure what the link was.
Later on I was asking Rusty about the stables and how it was there and he immediately showed me an image of him being held by the head collar and slapped on the face both sides (I believe by a woman). He was upset and angry about this as they had restrained him and he felt that the punishment was unnecessary. As mentioned before I can’t be certain if this was now or in the past but it is definitely linked to being in the barn.
(this makes me sad - it wouldn't be where he is now, I'm pretty sure, although I'm not there all the time, they seem to really like him)

As mentioned in the physical check if you’re using any draw reins or hyperflexion I’d strongly recommend you stop now as it’s causing problems. If not then it’s important to concentrate on getting him to stretch out and engage his hindquarters. When he showed me him doing flatwork it was quite stilted and there wasn’t much energy coming through- it was shuffly and like it was coming from the front not the back.
(I'm working on this - her description is very true)

He seems to have done some reining work too and looked to be very good at it and enjoyed it too! He also enjoys jumping too but seemed a little clumsy with it and needs more practice!
(I'm not surprised that he's done reining - he'll have to get used to not jumping though, because I'm not going to be doing any!!)

He thinks of you as a very thoughtful rider who plans and thinks carefully about what you are doing. He did say that when you’re riding you tend to ‘wrinkle up’ which I think he meant that you collapse slightly in your core. (this is very true - I'm working on it, though)

 

[Dreamster]

How do you feel about the reading? Its fascinating getting things from the horses view isn't it.

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

Gosh, that's really interesting. So different from the others we've seen recently. Ziggy's is tomorrow - I am having it done on a day I am working so I can't worry about it!

Look forward to hearing more about Rusty. How do you feel about it overall?

 

[nat17]

I would find it hard with this reading actually, would really give be doubts about the barn and how they may treat him when you are not there, I am very quick to react to that sort of stuff though so would maybe be an over reaction.

You have to go with your instinct on it. I find these readings very unsettling in a way, I think you are really brave to get one, I am not sure I would want to know too much of this sort of stuff, would be good to know how you do feel about it...

 

[tbaynancy]

I'm not quite sure how I feel about it, to be honest. A big part of me thinks this type of thing is nonsense but I also believe that not everything is black & white (if that makes any sense).

I have an equine massage therapist come every two weeks, so was a bit surprised to read that he is still so tense/stiff. I will share the report with her when I get back home.

The barn stuff does make me upset but I really don't think it is where he is now - I think it must have been in the past. Anne is clear that horses don't have the same sense of time that we do and she isn't sure if this describes his care now or at some time in the past. I don't have regular hours (except on weekends) and often show up at odd times of the day, so I think I have a good idea of what goes on there.

I will give Rusty a good cuddle when I get back and think I'll spend some time just sitting with him to see if we can develop more trust. Anne said he likes me but has a hard time trusting anyone.

As I said earlier - I've spent more money on stupider things - don't regret this at all.

 

[diamonddogs]

I'm going to get another reading done on Kels in a week or so.

Her first reading was in general amazing - she'd said Kels had issues about her previous owner abandoning her (not strictly true, as although she'd asked to visit often she never actually did, which I put down to the fact that she felt better about having a clean break) and it made it hard for Kels to bond with me. Anne explained what had really happened, which sorted her head out a lot, and now we're very very close.

I can't wait to get Kels's thoughts on things now we're in a nice yard and I'm riding her a lot more these days

 

[Trewsers]

Thanks for sharing, I've enjoyed reading these threads. I *think* I'd like to get both ours done, but, I kind of have reservations? Not sure if that makes sense, just that I don't know if or how I'd feel if it were accurate or inaccurate (not making sense at all).