NEDA Fall

What a great time I just had at NEDA Fall (New England Dressage Association). This show is held in Saugerties, NY right in the mountains. With a beautiful view where ever you look.

I had a chance to see the best dressage riders from New England and Canada all competing for that chance to win Region 8 championship.

Part of my massage business is equine and rider massage. I have a couple barns that I travel with to their different away shows. These competitors have learned that my services are valuable to their performances. Many of the horses issue can be fixed by having the rider massaged. Is your horse having problems bending left? Chances are your left shoulders and left hip are way too tight! And by having focused massage work on that left hip and shoulder, you are now relaxed and open enough for your horse to be able to bend.

Showing is also tough on the horses in other ways. Long trailer riders, standing in the stall all day with no turn out and it is psychologically stressful on many horses. Equine massage can help to warm them up faster, and can be very calming.

A big part of my job is to help the horse and rider perform better. Horse and rider need to move as one. And massage therapy help to allow that connection to happen.

One of the horse and rider teams I had the great pleasure of working with got 2nd in the region in Intermediare 1 (I1), which by the way is only 2 levels away from Grand Prix. We planned the horse and rider massage just right so they could both be at their best for the championship class. They had an amazing test. And the rider was so pleased with how her horse felt after me working on him.

I had such a great time at NEDA Fall. Even though it is very long hours, I find it very rewarding to watch these fantastic athletes’ perform at such a high level. I already can’t wait till next year.