Beau:

Beau came to me for in-house rehab following a number of months of lameness and behavioural issues. The issues had begun very soon after he came to them, unfortunately having been harassed by another horse almost immediately upon arrival. But the issues didn’t go away, even after the wounds healed. The owners had gotten me out for bodywork sessions, as well as consulting with vets, farriers etc. They were at the point of him wearing $500 shoes and still being lame on and off, plus still with the behavioural issue where he would run off whilst being ridden as though in a panic. It was totally out of character for this sensible, sweet guy.

In his bodywork we had found substantial injuries up in his adductors, along with significant pain in his neck, jaw and shoulder, potentially stemming from the lameness in his hooves as well as pressure from the bridle in an attempt to slow him down when he ran off.

So he came here to have a intensive, tailored programme. The shoes came off, and we started with a lot of corrective trimming. We also did extensive bodywork through the newer, and also older fascial patterns in his body, and to relieve stress. He was simultaneously given a herbal and bush flower essence protocol to ease his gut and nervous system. Then we moved onto rehab exercises in hand, re-calming to the bridle, and eventually ridden “proof” of his improvement.

Some of the really interesting findings in him was the huge amount of bruising in the toes of both front hooves along the white lines, and also how he came up in dandruff in a perfect map of his lung (grief) and spleen (digestion and movement) meridians. Mind blowing.

After 6 weeks, he was ready to head home. Sound in both directions, barefoot. Happy to work on a completely long rein (hence the photo) and also happy to work into a lovely light contact.

He is one of my favourite “success stories” because he was truly one where his very caring owners were at their wits end, and I’m so happy to see him happy in body and mind. He is such a big sweetie.

Rush

Rush was a “done-with-you” rehab case, although most of his changes came after just one bodywork session. Rush had been struggling for over 12 months, and his owner felt she had tried all avenues. Most professionals she would get out told her he was fine, and yet she knew he wasn’t. Finally she had decided to “do it herself” and go it alone, and she had made significant progress, but he still just didn’t feel right.

He felt weak, and as though he would lose his balance and really struggle to get it back. He was also struggling to hold a frame on the flat or recover from even a small amount of work.

By pure chance she saw one of my posts, and decided she may as well try it.

Well, I watched him walk, and wasn’t surprised people had said he was fine. His walk was loose, and very symmetrical. Certainly not the signs of restriction or asymmetry you see in so many horses… but he also had a pattern I’ve seen before. Not often, but it’s a dramatic one when it shows up.

He showed very diminished sensory or proprioceptive signs in his back end, basically from his wither back. He showed very very mild signs of ataxia, so small it’s easy to pass it over as just him being a “loose” horse. And as is common with these horses… he showed an extreme restriction in the movement (or total lack thereof!) of his hyoid bone. In fact, the palpation of this was the only thing that got any reaction. Everything else barely registered in his system. As in, the reaction was noticeably absent.

That first session was centred almost entirely around his hyoid apparatus, which connects the poll, jaw, tongue and shoulders. By the end, there was a significant improvement in the movement there, and he had visibly “perked up”. He no longer looked so asleep and dull as he had previously.

When I returned to see him, it took me a while to say what I thought I saw (I’m always careful of confirmation bias), but finally I said I thought his eyes looked different, less sunken… and the owner said she had thought the same! Though like me, she hadn’t been sure if she was imagining it.

We have done a few more sessions and he is so greatly improved. He has an owner who has always been very dedicated to his health, and who follows rehab prescriptions to the absolute letter… and he is thriving. He is back out competing, even jumping (which she had stopped following an accident brought on by his previous weakness) and is back in the ribbons! It’s so so good to see!

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