Dear Jim,
 

I have a five year old Arab (recently purchased) who has a lovely nature and is very affectionate.   He had terrible teeth when he arrived and I have been carrying out regular treatments on him. I attribute his various and sometimes strange reactions to the bodywork to his teeth problem. When I am using egg yolk pressure down his neck, he opens his mouth (not quite yawning) and leans into me.  He also has the same reaction when I bit him.  I have been doing TMJ work, cervical flexion, massage and stretching to the neck but he still keeps doing it.  Should I be looking elsewhere??    Many thanks,  Caroline
 

Hi Caroline,

With what you described, I think that the TMJ and poll area might be a safe call, considering his responses and the state of his teeth when he arrived. But even if you aren't sure what the primary cause might be, you can still use the responses of the horse to guide you in your bodywork. 
 

I would certainly continue doing what you're doing. In addition, I would suggest taking advantage of the Head Up Technique to give him time to just rest his head on your shoulder and relax. This often works wonders relaxing the poll, atlas and TMJ junction, and upper neck. Plus, they really like it!

A couple of things to keep in mind:  Even if you've taken care of the teeth issue, tension may have been building there for a long time and helping him release it may be a gradual process.  In addition to working on the area that's bothering him, there are other areas that you can work on that will help.  Front Leg (Scapula) Releases and Lower Neck Flexions will help release tension on the poll.  There are major muscles that insert at the poll junction on one end, and at the foreleg on the other.
 

Additionally, there is a strong connection between the atlas and sacrum. Releasing tension on the sacrum with Hind End Release Points (especially the points under the tail) and the Hind Leg Releases will help with the tension up front.

I hope this helps. Please let me know how it goes.

Jim