Pampered Pony

I finally got a session scheduled with a lady that does bodywork.  I was a little hesitant because I typically have liked vets the best because Stinker has had so many issues.  And I am paranoid about random people thinking they know more than they do (I do realize that also happens with vets).  But this lady was recommended to me by trainer and after some internet creeping I determined that she has credentials and does lots of continuing education.

Creeper Creeper

There wasn't anything specific that I thought he needed, but I have found he does better with regular bodywork.  I think in part it is because he is gaining muscle and also because I am trying to retrain is muscle memory.  It is a lot easier to work with unrestricted muscle than it is when there are restrictions preventing him from wanting to stretch.

Love me

Typically it takes a couple of sessions before Stinker starts really letting the person work on him.  He gets anxious and fidgety with new people and doesn't give really good released initially.  For her, he immediately started relaxing and giving releases.  He didn't really care for the deeper hind end work, but once we tied him and removed the option of walking away from her, he let her get deeper and relaxed more.

Happy pup

I am hoping that with regular sessions he will really start letting go of some of the tension he has always held in his body.  He has made great progress, but there are still some underlying issues that are left over.  But that being said he has really come into his own this year both mentally and physically, so hopefully we can keep building on that.