MOUNT Isa locals learned how to massage their horses and dogs in a course recently hosted at Argylla Pony Club.
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Imbil couple Kath and Steve Rochford hosted a horse muscle care course, which teaches owners to use gentle pressure to allow muscles to relax after strenuous exercise.
The Rochfords developed the program in 2004 and have offered training programs across Australia and Europe.
Mr Rochford, an employee of Dyno Nobel, said he hosted the course in Mount Isa after he struck up a conversation with colleagues and learned local horse owners could benefit.
He described the 16 in attendance as “great country people” who already had good knowledge of horse handling. “Their attitude to it [the course] was so positive...,” he said.
The course also taught people how to understand their horses more by reading their body language and face. “They can tell us if they are sore,” Mr Rochford said, adding an animal’s moody behaviour could be caused by pain.
He said the course gave horse owners a competitive advantage on the race track.
The course applied to dogs as well.
“Because of the way they play around and muck around, they get tight,” he said.
The course will be offered again in Mount Isa in May.