My First Massage

 I am 33 years old, and yesterday I had my first ever massage.

My PT, chiro and now the masseuse are all incredulous and amused by the fact that my horse gets all this stuff done to him, but I had never done any of it myself until last year and this year. But I won a 60 minute massage through my Pilates studio in December, and finally got around to cashing in on it.

It was interesting. She was middle of the road in terms of intensity, not too hard and not too soft which was great for an introduction to massage. She read my intake form and asked me if I was a PT, because she said I described my issues like a PT would. No ma'am, just a Dressage biomechanics nerd with side passions for CrossFit and Pilates.

Desensitizing Meatloaf to large crowds with the help of this track meet two blocks from our house

She paid particular attention to my stuck right scapula that my PT friend diagnosed last month, and really struggled with it. It hurt in ways the same actions on the left didn't - not in a pain way, but in a slowly pulling tissues that have been stuck together and immobile for a long time kind of way. Like when I bent my knee for the first time in three weeks after getting kicked by a horse in college while riding.

No filter, just spring in my architecture-obsessed city

After, I noticed an immediately improved range of motion on the right, which my PT friend said might happen with a massage. Was it fixed completely? No, but it was better. She said I might be a bit sore there the next day, and I am, all around the lower part of my scapula. Nothing else is really sore or feels much different.

 

Am I going to do it again? Probably. Am I going to do it regularly? Probably not, but I do see where it fits into the overall recovery/pre-hab spectrum, for both me and Connor (who LOVES his bodyworker in Cincinnati). 

I will also be more in tune with the fact that Connor might be a bit sore after his bodywork, which always makes a huge difference in the way he goes. I turn him into a pretzel, and bodywork makes him straight again, and that can't be an easy transition on his body.

Meatloaf's hackles run the entire length of her back down to this spot on her tail, which was the only hackle she raised at a dog she spotted 150ft away at the track meet

Hauling in to the show today! I'm probably only riding 2-3 tomorrow morning and scratching my second test which is scheduled for 6 hours after the first - partially because of the scheduling and partially because I'm an idiot and signed up for 2-2 for my TOC for some dumb reason, which is just not a good test for Connor. Wish us luck and have a good weekend, everyone!