Bentley's Butt

Ok, so I know you're looking at this picture and after seeing the odd thing sewn into Bentley's neck and the interesting contraption that he's wearing, you're wondering what happened to him and you can't imagine what could possibly be wrong with this poor horse's butt!

The good news is that Bentley is going to be just fine. He had a large growth on his neck that was removed, but he keeps bumping it open. He's a big, athletic guy and he's doing the best he can on stall rest. The contraption that he's wearing is the horse equivalent to the "cone of shame" and it keeps him from lowering his head too much and straining his stitches.

Tonight poor Bentley was rubbing his butt against the back of his stall. I overheard the barn's medical guru talking to the trainer, trying to figure out what to do for him. His tail didn't seem to be itchy and he enjoyed a cold hosing, but when he was put back in his stall, he went right back to rubbing his butt on the wall. She said that it almost seemed like he was trying to put pressure on a sore spot.

I offered to massage him and got taken up on that on the spot! I left my daughter's lesson and went to work.

The big guy was confused at first and didn't understand the pressure, he thought I was asking him to move over! So I warmed him up with some long light strokes and gradually increased the pressure. He got the hang of it. I found spots that he really loved and he leaned back into me. He really liked getting a massage around his harness.

When I moved around to his left side, he was more "ouchy" and let me know areas that he didn't want to be touched. I backed off to let him know that I wasn't going to pressure him. I went back to the area around the harness that was itchy and got him to lick and chew - a sign that he was releasing tension and enjoying himself. Then I moved back to the ouchy area.

He was generally tight in his glutes, but I hadn't felt anything unusual yet. I slowly worked the area, getting closer to the ouchy place. I tried a couple of stroke techniques while working my way to the muscles on the inside of his thighs. That's when I felt a big "ropey" area. It's like a really long knot. I worked it very gently and gradually added more pressure to it. He let out a really long big sigh and I was just as relieved as he was!

When he was put back in his stall he went straight to his hay and didn't seem to be thinking about his butt. And that's the whole point, to get us to focus on what's important in life and not think about our pain.

I was so happy that I now have the skills to help out. That's why I'm doing this, why I'm back in school and getting ready to work in a career that most people will not understand. It's enough that Bentley understood. And luckily for Bentley, I'll be back at the barn tomorrow.