Equine Massage Stories, Pg. 7

7.) Happy Endings and New Beginnings

by Patricia Bresett

This story is being told to reinforce our faith in ourselves. It involves four characters: my good friend Kim, who is from England, her husband, Bob; her twenty-something Thoroughbred, Stanton; which she brought over from England, and myself. I have always believed that things happen for a reason. Contemplating a change of career to Equine Sports Massage Therapy, I had been reviewing several school brochures, wondering if this would be a good choice for me.

It was about 7:00 on a beautiful spring Saturday evening and I was bringing my horses in from the pasture when my daughter brought the phone to me, telling me I had an emergency call. It was Kim and she was in a panic. Apparently, Bob had brought Stanton in from the pasture for the evening meal, and when he went back to check on him in his stall, Stanton was in a deep sweat, having trouble breathing, and appearing to be in a state of shock. I told her to bath him in an alcohol/water mix to bring the temp down and I would be right over. When I arrived they had already spoken with a vet and confirmed what I thought was a choke. Stanton's feed is watered down because of his aging teeth, and he had literally inhaled some of his dinner. He had a continual drainage from both the nose and the mouth; the foam or bubbles was the air from his windpipe. We located a blockage near the top of the esophagus and Kim began to massage it. I began massaging the sinus cavities on either side of the nasal bone. The nasal drainage increased as Stanton relaxed. The blockage resolved itself after about two hours of alternating, massage, drinks from the hose and walking. Stanton today is once again in command of his pasture and herd, in classic English form.

This event validated massage for me as a viable alternative therapy. Kim avoided a pricey evening/weekend barn call, but more importantly we were able to resolve the problem with minimum stress on Stanton. I finished my training here in Florida a month ago and am busily building my practice, one client at a time. I am pleased to offer my testimony (story) to you, my new friends, with both a happy ending for Stanton and a new beginning for me.