Re: What would you do?

Posted by Gail Ivey on 4/22/2012, 11:08 pm, in reply to "What would you do?"
66.245.25.244

One thing I'd be interested in is watching how she is when she's being ridden. She may be being asked to do things that don't mentally make her comfortable, and so she tightens up her topline out of anxiety. Or, she's so over the top willing to cooperate that she's overusing her body to try and please her rider, and not enough attention is being given to that. If she were mine, I'd stop all riding until she's checked out physically by a vet, preferably my acupuncture vet, by the dentist, since TMJ problems cause pain all through the horse, not just in the jaw, get some opinions on her feet (although I have enough info on that to use my own judgment). As for the saddle fit, I'd use a saddle fitter that doesn't have anything to sell, but simply advises you on either what you already have, or need to get. BTW, if that saddle is "slapping" her at the canter, it's because it needs a back cinch and the back cinch needs to be snug enough to prevent that. It could also be the rigging is too far forward for the horse. As for determining if you should buy the horse under the circumstances, well, all you can do is look at what you already know about her. Don't try to see into any crystal ball about what might or might not happen with her, because you could get a perfect horse tomorrow that passes a vet check with flying colors, and have it pull a suspensory next week while playing in turnout. You need some help from the experts - vets, bodyworkers, saddle fitters, farriers or barefoot trimmers and trainers - to determine if this pattern is something you'd have to learn to live with (which I would probably disagree with that), or if there's a thing or combination of things that would make her more comfortable. Maybe it's the saddle all by itself, or maybe it's the saddle AND a back issue, or a hock issue, or a rib issue, or a hoof issue. Maybe it's a tooth issue, or it's a tooth issue AND a riding issue. Bottom line is your bottom line. If you're having to buy each piece of the puzzle, you may need to buy a lot of pieces before the puzzle is complete. In which case, you make a decision about getting that done now, or in pieces, over time, after you've committed to being her owner. That's a tough one, but all you can really do is just decide to do it, or not do it. "Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for." - Socrates

A thought...

Posted by NaturallyCowgirl on 4/23/2012, 6:27 am, in reply to "What would you do?"

I have a thought- I've seen chiro visits that seem to help tremendously, then the fix doesn't "stick". The soft tissue can pull things back out of alignment... If it were me, I'd give the horse time off of work, have the soft tissue addressed, about 5 days to a week later re-evaluate and follow up with either another soft tissue therapy session or the chiro again. Then another 5-7 day rest with another re-evaluation. I do Bowen Therapy, so that's a big part of where my perpsective comes from. And I used to go to a chiro 3 times a week for my own pain issues... I don't know if there is a Bowen therapist in your area, but it might be good to find someone that has good references for helping issues like this that can be your soft tissue specialist as a part of your team. There are a couple of other gals on this board that specialize in Cranio-Sacral work and such that come highly recommended and may be in your area. Jenni Cool, Ca. http://www.BowenTherapyforHorses.com My ongoing barter list: http://www.NaturallyCowgirl.com/barter.html

Some good news

Posted by nicole m on 4/23/2012, 3:04 pm, in reply to "What would you do?"
99.185.42.80

I called her owner, whom is the most down to earth animal loving lady I know. I told her whats going on and how stressed I am about all of it, and how in love with tinkerbelle I am. She told me she loves me and loves my bond with the horse and that if it would make it easier she would give me her, that way I have the extra money to figure this all out. I adore you Judy, thank you for being such a supportive equine lover.

Mustangdeb does

Posted by pjc on 4/23/2012, 11:40 pm, in reply to "What would you do?"
71.146.130.67

wonderful craniosacral work. My Arab just sort of let go of all sorts of pockets of energy traffic jams under her skilled hands. She can also check saddle fit. And Dr. John does great chiro work. One chiro adjustment will most likely not be a permanent fix for something that has been creeping up to unbearable. It will be hard for the body to give up compensating for what has been out, and that will tend to create the problem again. It can take more than one follow up adjustment, depending on how long/bad the body has been out. My horse started gradually getting fussy when the saddle I had became very uncomfortable. He indicated the problem by shuffling around just as I was saddling up. This was after he had become less and less eager to respond to bending and moving up into the canter. Good luck on figuring out what is going on, for the sake of the horse. Support lawn order. Grow neat grass. Sunnyvale, CA

Try some additional body work

Posted by pnp4kidz on 4/24/2012, 10:04 am, in reply to "What would you do?"
64.54.90.128

with the chiro so it 'sticks' as those muscles and ligaments are all wonky too... I like Massage with the adjustment...

Re: What would you do?

Posted by sarahkate on 4/24/2012, 6:31 pm, in reply to "What would you do?"
12.54.117.3

another little note- keep a diary of what is happening, including notes about the weather, time of day, tack, changes, stool quality, anything that might have significance. This helped me tremendously dealing with a back issue on a horse I once had- I was able to track his issues to weather- and eventually figured out he was having 1. mild weather colic and 2. flare-ups of arthritis in his back. I don't know that I would have been able to sort it out without the diary. Good luck! ****************** Will there be pie?

Vet?

Posted by nicole m on 4/29/2012, 10:18 am, in reply to "What would you do?"
68.32.68.52

I think the first step is having a vet out for a full exam. I shy away from vets maybe too often because I have worked for them and see all the money they want to pour into diagnostics when sometimes the treatment is the same either way. I hope the vet can lead me to the right path of treatment, whether that be chiro, massage , both or something else. Either way I am in love with this horse and glad I have her. I just want her comfortable and sound for the rest of her life.