Equine Chiropractor?
Linda
20 yr old quarterhorse.. The original diagnossis was a mild case of
laminitis...but X rays showed no rotation.. We tried a wedge shoe in hopes
of releif from either the laminitis or in case of navicular problem....
(The nerve block didn't change his lameness either..) Our vet no longer
felt it was in his feet .. he advised that we go to Auburn University,
Al, their Dr. Schumacher was the best at defining unusual problems.. At
Auburn, without doing radial Scintology they felt that it may be an abcess
on his spine, and hoped that antibiotics may help... He has been on the
large doses of LA 200 twice a day...for 8 days now (8 of 14)... He still
seems the same.. His lamesness is not defined to one leg... Some feel it is
his right .... others feel it his left.... No head bobbing type lameness..
just a stiff kneed - toe out- short stride... Most pronounced is his
stance... He has to get his legs under him.... Kinda like that tired indian
bronze (maybe that was a cowboy bronze)... He puts his nose to the
ground...front and rear legs equally under him... To walk him out of that
stance he has to throw his weight back on his haunches and support his
weight on his rear... once he is walking.. everything moves pretty
normal..a little stiff but his perky normal self and it gets better the more
he moves... knees loosen up... wants to trot etc....
Since he rode for so long in the trailer to get to the University his
soreness appear to be more in his back end or spine... Sorry this got so
lengthy but the question I would like to ask is has anyone tried
chiropractors? might they help in a case like this? Any opinions?
Judi...@hotmail.com
just did an adjustment on a new horse I have here. Chiro work has it's
benifits when something is out of alignment- such as my new horses TMJ
area.
In your horses case it might be an option to try if he does not respond
to the LA. Make certain the person is certified in Chiro work. A
quack could do your horse in!! I have not used acupuncture but some
folks swear by that as a sound treatment.
Have you considered EPM with the horse? Some of the things you said
made me wonder if he had a mild but progressing case. I could be way,
way off here but it just crossed my mind.
Judy
In article <3890...@cybernews.cybrtyme.com>,
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Before you buy.
Oakie
every year and the geldings go every three years for a tune up. I have had
great results. Some things to check on your horse would be:
1. Set the horse up on flat, even ground. Stand behind him. Are his hips even?
2. Walk the horse forward (you are still standing behind him). look at the
motion of the hips. Do they have the same range of motion?
3. Do a flex test on all his legs. Ask someone to watch his shoulder/hip as you
do the test. Dose on side rise higher than the other?
4. Feel along his spine. Do you feel any bumps?
These are some of the things our chiropractor has us do on our mare who's back,
shoulder, and hip go out easily (She was hung up high on a fence with both her
back feet stuck between the bars). A friend of mine had a barrel horse with
symptoms similar to your horse and was helped greatly by a chiropractor. I
would take the horse to a chiropractor that was also a vet. Hope this helps.
Oakie145
"If riding were all blue ribbons and bright lights, I would have quit long
ago."
"Fish don't sing in the shower"
"One out of every 4 college aged women has an eating disorder"
Owner of Tennesse Walking Horses
Michigan
ImALocaUno
>chiropractors? might they help in a case like this? Any opinions?
>
I have used a chiropractor for my TB's bunnyhopping problem (moving both hind
legs together at the canter due to pain) and soreness, and it REALLY helps him.
The guy we use (Greg Newman - he even goes to Europe & other countries to sort
out horses' backs - and he's really cheap, but good!) can locate and treat a
problem right away. He fixed Paris's problem the first time, and we have him
come back every 4 months or any time we detect another problem to do minor
adjustments. Paris is now a very happy dressage horse, and I'm an informed
owner who can detect the slightest back problem in any horse from watching it
move & riding it. Believ me, chiropractics has done a wonder for my horse, so I
suspect it can help your! If you can find someone in your area, have them come
out and do a diagnostic test first- you don't want to pay for something you
don't need!
~Melanie
P.S.- My trainer uses someone who injects vitamin E into the horse's spine to
help cushion it and make the alignment last longer. I dunno much about it, but
it fixed her horse's major lameness!
Linda
every year and the geldings go every three years for a tune up. I have had
great results. Some things to check on your horse would be:
1. Set the horse up on flat, even ground. Stand behind him. Are his hips
even?
snip
Thanks... Today we tried all of the tests that you recommended ...... But
today he moved fluidly... If it were not for him standing with his nose on
the ground you would think he was back to normal..
Hips are even and appear to have the same motion
we can't really flex his legs... he feels like he has to get the back legs
under him and that makes him try to pick up both front. He tries to go
stiff kneed and point his toes in both front ........ Today now, he was
great about all 4 feet... not very flexible but we could pick them up , and
move them about...
There are no bumps on his spine.. ..
His shoulder muscles (triceps) tighten up from standing.. his loin muscles
get tight too Kinda like he has tucked his butt under him and it has
strained all of his muscles..
Since we think we are seeing an improvement and it may be related to the
antibiotics.. guess we will go for the additional 4 week treatment...but we
also feel like it will take a chiropractor or massage therapist before we
get to the bottom of his problem.... Thanks again for the help. and if you
can think of anything else... Please write..... Linda
Linda
of our geldings problems with a chiropractor or massage therapist... Didn't
hear from anyone that tried them that was dissapointed.... Thanks so
much,,,, Linda
Anne W. Anderson
my lesson horses was kicked badly by another horse. With some rest she
seemed OK except for a slightly shortend stride when first put to work.
She was also muscle sore in places which I worked on myself with the
help of the Jack Meagher book Treating muscle injuries in horses. As
the fall wore on she became more difficult to catch in the field
putting her ears back and running away. I knew something wasn't right.
When I moved her for the winter ( to an indoor arena) and her stall and
turnout were smaller, She became much worse. She was happy walking and
trotting slowly, but the moment you go into the canter she would
BUCK. She has always been a horse with some energy so we cut her
grain way back,but no change.
Since I had been massaging her myself with not much change, I sought the
advice of a Chiropractor. It was the best $65 I have ever spent. She
said that this horses hind quarters from about where the back of the
saddle would go and the top of the tail, felt like a dead horse. The
muscles and bones could not move at all. This Chiroprator (also a Vet-
I would'nt recomment one that wasn't) The doctor first used
Accupuncture to get the energy flowing so the muscles could move again.
Then she did some Chiropractic work on her spine and legs.
The difference in the horse was amazing. Even my students could feel a
difference. I quess I had gotten used to the way she moved or didn't
move. Now her Croup muscles move up and down with every stride. She
just keeps getting better and better. Her attitude has changed too. I
knew she was feeling better when she came up to the gate to greet me
when it was time for lessons.
I would definetly recommend a Chiropractor for your horse, however I
might try a massage therapist first. They can do wonders, are cheaper,
and if they are good can tell you when things do not feel like they are
in the right place.
Sorry for the longwindedness.
Hope your horse is feeling better. Good Luck