Things have been humming along here on the farm; not a lot of riding has been happening, but such is life when the weather is being bipolar. My farrier, who cancelled a early January appointment and then didn't get around to rescheduling it until... like... last weekend (urgh) will be here today to trim the mares. Luckily none of them have been growing astronomical amounts of foot so I am not as annoyed with him as I could be.
I rode last weekend, and yesterday I tried to write about my Sunday afternoon rides, but failed. And I tried again, and I failed. I felt very defensive about my ride on Arya, and despite the fact that I love the blogger community... I couldn't bring myself to share more negativity. And it was because I know I haven't been doing anything to really fix or change the issues we've had during our rides.
Arya's history with me is kind of a tale already:
She arrived home in a whirlwind, and I let her sit for a week to get used to live here in the great north. She was super friendly, super personable and very sweet. We worked on ground work, and I was gone a lot because of monthly work trips taking a chunk of every month away from me.
And then in August she went up and nearly flipped over on me, and then was very naughty when I got back on. We backed off and continued to work on lunging and ground work, and I finally grew some lady balls and got back on her.
By the end of September she was back to doing well under saddle. We worked on turning, and on her dislike of poles. And reading my own blog (because that's part of why I blog, so I can remember things that I'll never remember) I had the tool kit in my head to deal with the poles.
November showed up and we were still taking smiley selfies and working on the basics. Arya continued to do well. Walk/Trot/Canter every ride, and the canter work was improving. She was working through her tension, and working on bending. She had a moment of the issues we're having lately, but she only had a few minutes of "I'm going to have a tantrum by refusing to bend or steer". Nothing hugely traumatic, at any rate.
Her thanksgiving ride was sassy and bucky. And our rides have slowly spiraled down from there, to the relative shitshow that was last Sunday.
So I need to call a chiropractor, stat, because I'm finally going to get my head out of my ass and listen to her.
So, friends... vet chiro or non-vet chiro? Who should I call?
(though "whoever has the first opening" is also an option).
I rode last weekend, and yesterday I tried to write about my Sunday afternoon rides, but failed. And I tried again, and I failed. I felt very defensive about my ride on Arya, and despite the fact that I love the blogger community... I couldn't bring myself to share more negativity. And it was because I know I haven't been doing anything to really fix or change the issues we've had during our rides.
Arya's history with me is kind of a tale already:
She arrived home in a whirlwind, and I let her sit for a week to get used to live here in the great north. She was super friendly, super personable and very sweet. We worked on ground work, and I was gone a lot because of monthly work trips taking a chunk of every month away from me.
And then in August she went up and nearly flipped over on me, and then was very naughty when I got back on. We backed off and continued to work on lunging and ground work, and I finally grew some lady balls and got back on her.
By the end of September she was back to doing well under saddle. We worked on turning, and on her dislike of poles. And reading my own blog (because that's part of why I blog, so I can remember things that I'll never remember) I had the tool kit in my head to deal with the poles.
November showed up and we were still taking smiley selfies and working on the basics. Arya continued to do well. Walk/Trot/Canter every ride, and the canter work was improving. She was working through her tension, and working on bending. She had a moment of the issues we're having lately, but she only had a few minutes of "I'm going to have a tantrum by refusing to bend or steer". Nothing hugely traumatic, at any rate.
Her thanksgiving ride was sassy and bucky. And our rides have slowly spiraled down from there, to the relative shitshow that was last Sunday.
So I need to call a chiropractor, stat, because I'm finally going to get my head out of my ass and listen to her.
So, friends... vet chiro or non-vet chiro? Who should I call?
(though "whoever has the first opening" is also an option).
Have you worked with either chiro before or heard reviews from other people who have used them? My initial inclination would be to go with the vet chiro. But I also know locally I started with our vet chiro, felt like she didn't do much, and switched to a non-vet chiro and saw better results (understanding of course that all chiros are different and my one experience does not negate vet chiros, standard disclaimer blah blah haha). Sorry to hear you had a rough ride, but glad that you're hopefully addressing the root cause!
ReplyDeleteI actually have never used a chiropractor, and while I've heard good things about several, I don't have any strong concepts about who does the job better. My boarder gal prefers non-vet chiros as well because they don't "force" the adjustments so much, so perhaps that will be my first phone call.
DeleteFingers crossed this is the root cause and I get my relatively nice baby horse back, this rearing, bucking, bratty model is obnoxious!
Haha see and my choice to switch from a vet chiro to a non-vet chiro was because I felt her adjustments were too "soft" to actually be effective. But like I said, every chiro is different and every horse owner (and horse!) has different needs/preferences ð I don't think you can go wrong trying either as long as the person is reputable (as opposed to one of the wack jobs near me who "adjusts" horses by dropping onto their backs out of the barn rafters ð).
DeleteSERIOUSLY?! People be cray.
DeleteAlso thank you for helping me decide; I think I am going to go with a vet I like, and I'm not as fond of the local vet who apparently does chiro (it doesn't help that she's the one who put Foxie down). Time to make some calls!
My chiro is also a vet, or was - I think she only does chiro now. I really like her, but I do know that in one instance, when a mare exhibited somewhat similar behaviours to Arya's that were caused by kissing spine, the only way for the owner to get to the bottom of what was causing the behavioral issues was to go to a vet vet, who did spinal x-rays and discovered the root cause. Not to say that having her adjusted by the original chiro didn't help, but having a practicing vet take a look beyond what the chiro could do definitely was the better choice in that situation. I hope that you get it figured out!!!
ReplyDeleteMy chiro is a vet, though she doesn't practice as an equine veterinarian any longer (just as a chiro and dressage trainer). She's amazing, and she doesn't force adjustments either, but they hold well and we've seen great results.
ReplyDeleteI'd go with someone you can watch work, and who works well with your horses. It's so hard to know whether you're spending your money wisely or poorly with this type of thing. But I feel like if you keep listening to your horse (and it sounds like you are!), you can eventually figure it out.
I would do a vet-chiro, I feel other chiros are a little too woo-woo for my tastes. I would follow it up with massage therapy.
ReplyDeleteI think a vet-chiro is nice because if there are other issues, a real vet can prescribed meds or do other things (x-rays, etc) to find the root of the problem. I like one-stop shopping!! Hoping you get some answers soon!!
ReplyDelete