Meet PainPod Ambassador - Dannii Cunnane
Meet PainPod Ambassador, customer and newest member to the PainPod team, Dannii Cunnane.
Dannii grew up around horses; after having her first ride as a 3yr old it wasn’t long until she was chasing sheep and cows around the paddock on her pony then later breaking in clydesdales.
In 2002, Dannii moved to Amsterdam where she rode riding school horses and competed in dressage competitions. While overseas, Dannii sustained serious back and head injuries from a horse related accident so she took time away from the saddle to heal. After several months away from horses, her love for them pulled her back. Dannii purchased her own horse and competed successfully up to Elementary level before moving back to Australia.
Since her accident Dannii has been constantly in pain. Dannii says, “while regular chiropractic sessions helped, it wasn’t practical for me to be going three times a week. I stumbled upon the PainPod booth at an expo and was able to try the PainPod 3 - I found the relief instant! My favourite go-to when I’m sore is the back band (aka Bio Belt), but I love using the pads individually where I can target different muscles simultaneously.”
Being pain free is really important when horse riding, as the rider's body is working to control not only their own but the horse's movements as well. If Dannii is stiff then she cannot ride effectively and her horse will feel this too. “Having access to a device that I can take on the road with me and manage aches and pains is brilliant.”
Dannii owns a lovely thoroughbred called Dexter Fletcher who she has trained herself and she hopes to be competing in Dressage at Medium level very soon. Dannii and Dexter Fletcher's biggest achievements to date have been winning several Novice Dressage titles, as well as winning the Age Group rider title for the past four years. It’s been an amazing journey with Dexter Fletcher as Dannii bought him as an ex-racehorse who had skeletal and muscle issues of his own.
Danii also uses the PainPod on her beloved dressage horse. Dexter Fletcher was born with sacrilitic issues so he can’t use his muscles properly. Dannii finds after using the PainPod on Dexter, his muscles are a lot more relaxed. Dexter loves the PainPod, he will happily stand there with the device on and will even fall asleep.
Dannii’s advice to her younger self would be “Work hard, don’t listen to nay-sayers and just keep pushing towards your goals”. She also recommends anyone wishing to get into equestrian sports to take regular lessons from a qualified coach. Dannii believes riding horses teaches resilience, humbleness and patience which are all important personality traits that can be used in everyday life.
You can follow Dannii and Dexter Fletcher's journey on social media.
