Some horse folks I know including myself use RMT, physio, chiro etc as needed, and go to the emergency dept, get casts, and follow doctors orders if we break a bone. Others don’t, including my trainer. But none of us do “self care” in the currently trendy Instagram mode of products, bubble baths, candles, time consuming personal grooming. I do have some bath salts that are a bit of a miracle cure for a really pummeled back.
Horse people do horse care. I’m not sure when most of us would fit in a spa day. Indeed, I can think of only 2 people I know who did spa days, and neither of them were horse people.
I would at least try to raise things in conversation. Have you ever been to a spa around here, what would you recommend? Do you prefer massage or chiro? Etc.
I suppose I’m biased as the whole idea of wasting a good day at a spa has always left me cold. Before horses, I liked to go on long hikes and then get into one of the many rec center hot tubs in our city. Now my ideal day is trailer out for a trail ride, get good and tired, and have a shower. I don’t love having people fuss over me and groom me. I do get my hair cut, my teeth cleaned, and I have had periods of regular RMT. I’ve also had a lot of medical imaging over the past 5 years for various reasons. All these things have been necessary, but the idea of spending a day getting fiddled with doesn’t sound fun to me. Also I wouldn’t trust a spa with my skin care, massage, or hair cut.
I realize I am an outlier here, and many people do appear to find a day at a spa to be a huge boost. But I just put this out to show how some people wouldn’t necessarily enjoy the whole thing.
