Sport Today

Has/would Laurie consider chiropractic and or acupuncture for her mare?
My mare really enjoyed her chiro. adjustment last year and has been
moving better ever since. She still has some kind of trouble in her hind
end, I (no medical background here) think it is soft issue related,
around the sacrum area, as she expresses the pain 1 by switching leads
behind when tired and going to the left, and 2 being difficult for the
farrier, but only with the hind, when she never used to have any trouble.
This last shoeing I gave her a dose of banamine, and she was fine. Since
the chiropractor identified soreness in the sacral area but nothing to
adjust per se, I am considering acupuncture. Meanwhile she really enjoys
a good massage, which is my workout!    

(snip) Vet

We've had to deal with this with two horses. I think sometimes they just
get *out* like we do bending down to turn on the water faucet or
something. After this year I'm a firm believer in chiropractic, for humans
and hrses. My own experience has taken me in three months for really being
debilitated with pain (bone spurs, arthritis and compressed disk at C3) to
riding again and being pain free. My horses' experience was was equally
beneficial.

My 20 y/o stallion, Clipper, went *very* "off" last year after breeding
season: short stepping behind, not wanting to take leads, and just
generally not coming "through." I had several vets look at him and had
several diagnoses: overwork (not likely); stifle problems, etc. Finally
found Tina Steward DVM an equine chiro. In five minutes she told me he was
subluxated at the sacroliac. After his first adjustment, the RX was to (1)
longe him walk-trot-walk-trot (2 mins.each) for a week before cantering on
the longe. Horse should be encouraged to *stretch down* (I do this by
half-halting when the inside rear is just coming on the ground); (2) three
"tummy tucks" a day by applying (a considerable amount of) pressure to his
tummy at midline to cause him to raise and stretch his back; (3) tail
pressure (daily for 1 minute), wrap tail around hand and sort of water-ski
on with gentle pressure, increasing to full weight (This one was fun!
After a few times he would pull away from me, really getting into it, Now
he loves it.); (4) neck stretches: stand off to side with treats and get
him to stretch down and off to the side to get them, down by your knee.

You can probably tell that all of this is designed to stretch and
strengthen the topline, building the musculature to hold the vertebrae in
the right allignment. I have used these excersizes on my gelding, Beau,
(same subluxation) as well. Results: Clipper did not even need second
adjustment. Beau did, but is coming along great.

If my mere anecdotal experience is at all generalizable, Laurie should not
give up on this horse yet. This type of subluxation is not uncommon and,
we found, is very treatable. It could be very simple. Get a good chiro,
preferably one who's also a DVM--there *are* quacks out there.

Gala Argent, Silvermoon Sport Appaloosas

Sorry about all the typos in the original note; I was typing
*fast*....  Clare
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