PurpleSpots
Well-Known Member
If the horse improved with a different approach to tacking up where she felt 'heard', and she felt that her previously unresolved resentment around tacking up and being ridden could now indeed be released, in my opinion it's perfectly feasible to consider that this could have been a purely/mainly emotional response with only historical pain contributing.
However, if idiosyncratic steps have to be taken when tacking up etc in an ongoing way, that would suggest to me that there is still a problem, it's just that a more sensitive and tailored approach keeps the reactions to the triggers under a base line where they are seen minimally or not at all. In this instance, it would be possible that there is still a pain element.
Only the OP can know if she has to 'walk on eggshells'/follow very precise patterns or actions when she's tacking up in order to avoid the same responses she'd always received, or whether those reactions now don't occur when tacked up more 'normally'.
For example, if you always have to put a saddle on, then wait 5 minutes before doing the girth up, then wait another 5 minutes before walking the horse in hand for 5 minutes before trying to mount or the horse would express negativity, I would have to wonder whether there was indeed an underlying physical issue. If you had to do the above steps for a couple of weeks, say, then you could tack up and mount as normal from then on without any adverse reactions that would suggest that there is no longer any underlying pain.
However, if idiosyncratic steps have to be taken when tacking up etc in an ongoing way, that would suggest to me that there is still a problem, it's just that a more sensitive and tailored approach keeps the reactions to the triggers under a base line where they are seen minimally or not at all. In this instance, it would be possible that there is still a pain element.
Only the OP can know if she has to 'walk on eggshells'/follow very precise patterns or actions when she's tacking up in order to avoid the same responses she'd always received, or whether those reactions now don't occur when tacked up more 'normally'.
For example, if you always have to put a saddle on, then wait 5 minutes before doing the girth up, then wait another 5 minutes before walking the horse in hand for 5 minutes before trying to mount or the horse would express negativity, I would have to wonder whether there was indeed an underlying physical issue. If you had to do the above steps for a couple of weeks, say, then you could tack up and mount as normal from then on without any adverse reactions that would suggest that there is no longer any underlying pain.