The Chiro Visit

Wonderful. Awesome. Cool. My hero. Amazing. What else can I say about the elusive equine chiro? I will say he was worth the wait. Of course my horse could have used him a few years sooner, but that's besides the point.

He arrived a little late, but that's ok. Around 5:15 or so he started to work his magic. Two hours later we found out some pretty crazy things about Sassie. It was amazing the things he could tell that we didn't tell him. Just amazing. That other chiro that worked on her before holds nothing on this miracle worker. Absolutely nothing. He basically said she (the horse) was a big mess. And had been for quite awhile. Which we kind of knew and that's why we wanted him out. lol

He starts working on her and not 5 minutes into it, he shakes his head and goes boy, she's REALLY tight and locked up. Then he stands up and says she has raging heat cycles (just like the trainer said she does), doesn't she? We're like oh yeah. Well, that's what the trainer said. My husband said her heat cycles seem to be like 21 days or less. He said she doesn't quite go out of them completely. We were like really? He said he's worked with enough horses and mares, and crazy mares, to know about cycles and he can tell by how she was acting that her cycles are really bad. So he gave us the name of a supplement to try that might help. He said if it didn't, we might have to get the vet out to see if she has cysts or tumors or anything in her ovaries (like our trainer said she might). He said that is why she throws herself up against the stall walls like she does, because she's cramping up and she doesn't know what to do and she's trying to relieve herself.

He also asked (or really stated) if she drags herself instead of pushing with her hind end. Which the trainer also said she did. Isn't he so smart? lol. I said why yes she does. He said it's not something she could control, she was too out in her hind that she CAN'T push herself forward because it was too painful. He said she should ride like a new horse, so beware. lol I said greaaaat. Rodeo time!!! I really hope not though.

He also said she's full of testosterone. I was like ????? He was holding her tongue out so she could get her jaw back inline and she apparently has canine teeth, which he said only male horses normally have, so she has more testosterone than your average mare. So we have a crazy he-she horse. He said he knows of mares that do have canines and are still good horses, so it's not the cause of her goofiness, but it could contribute to her stubbornness. He said she's not a horse you want to particularly fight with, like straight out beat downs, which I'd never do anyhow, but he said if that happened it would be a fight to the finish, either ours or hers and it won't matter to her who goes. I wondered if that was why, with her first trainer, she ran straight into the arena wall instead of turning and running when they attempted to put just a bareback pad on her. She thought the bareback pad was going to kill her so she was going to try to kill herself first. Suicide horse? lol Who knows. I did think it was weird that neither of the two dentists that floated her teeth mentioned that though, so I'm going to do some research online about that, the canine teeth.

It was so cool seeing her muscles start to relax when he was working on an area. The muscles would start rippling. Very neat. I wish I could have stayed for our other mare Sis, but my stomach had been upset all day (thank god for Pepto) and I was a popsicle (20 degrees out and my hands and toes took the entire 1/2 hour trip home to thaw out), I just couldn't do it anymore. I don't know how he did all that work, 4 hours, with his fingers out. My hubby did say that our older mare doesn't have as much arthritis as we might think, she was really out in her back end and that's probably why she was so rough riding (another thing he asked about that we didn't tell him first, he's good.)

So to say the least, I was super impressed. And honestly, if his treatment works on her and things start going right with everything, I WOULD have paid $200 a horse, but thankfully I didn't have to. We did give him a tip though. So, if any of you in Eastern Oklahoma and Kansas, North Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio or Pennsylvania need an awesome chiro, let me know. I'll pass on his info. He did ask how we got his # and we told him our trainer's girlfriend and our farrier used him. He said he always asks with new people because he's never once advertised in 23 years. That's good lip service.

I wish I would have gotten pictures of the looks my mare was giving. She's not keen on men as it is, so she was really really jumpy and jittery. And when he was reaching places that we normally don't touch, she wasn't really having much of that and was kicking out (hard against the stall, I'm surprised she didn't break any of the boards. BO would have LOVED that!) and reared up a few times. Only once did he yell at her though because he said when she reared up, he wasn't even touching her. So she was just being dumb. I think the part she was calmest about was when he had her chin on his shoulder and was stratching her neck. It didn't look comfortable, but she wasn't moving or anything, she let him have at it. When he was stretching her leg forward, she kept looking at it like, hmm, never saw my leg up here before!! lol It was hilarious. But she kept licking her lips and chewing, so she was feeling good by the end I hope.

And as for me worrying about him taking 2 hours, he took the full 2 hours and worked her over really good. No just standing around and talking. He took his time, but moved right along and got everything, that's for sure.

Ok, that's enough rambling for now. I wish I could have done a 2 hour video. I'll keep this updated, especially after my first ride on my newly adjusted mare :))