Physio fell in love with Ace too, because he is so sweet to handle. Well, OK he looks pretty stunning lately too :-)
There is no problem with his hock, he is completely even sided, but he has got a slightly sore back. The muscles are all wrapped in a kind of "clingfilm" around each one and apparently they should move separately but they are currently sticking together a bit. Nothing serious, and we think caused by messing about on a wet and sloping field and made worse by coming out of the barn through a low door with a big step. SH had the door two feet higher before I go tback from having a brew with a friend! What a man he is :-)
I have an exercise to do that I have always wanted to know how to do - it's when you find the reflex point in front of the hip bone, pinch it and then run your fingers back towards the tail. It makes him make a HUGE arch of the whole of his back. Three times each day for a fortnight, every other day for a fortnight and twice a week for a fortnight.
Radar was all fine, no stiffness anywhere. Very slightly different hip heights, nothing to worry about. She thinks he's been like that all his life and it accounts for why he was so one-sided when I got him.
He is brewing an abscess at the moment with a hot foot and he's a bit sore on it. It will no doubt pop in a couple of days and he'll be fine. I won't be calling a Vet because they dig a hole in the sole and my experience is that takes a lot longer to heal than the hole he will get at the heel bulb or coronet if we let it develop naturally. And other than cut a hole there is nothing a Vet can (or rather, should) do at this point in time. Both bute and antibiotics can cause the abscess to develop much more slowly and even encapsulate and cause problems for months. So the poor boy just has to limp a bit I'm afraid. The mud will help, it's a natural poultice and with the rain we've had all day today we sure do have some mud around!
I am very relieved that Ace is not compensating for his hock and that Radar's schooling issues seem to be entirely mental.
C
Definitely good reports from the physio. Glad to hear Ace's issues are minimal and you have some massage treatments you can to do help him. Wonder if that will have any impact on his being so sensitive to the cold weather??
ReplyDeleteGood about Radar too. Now you can turn him into a dressage horse without a second thought. *VBWG* Well, it might require SOME thinking. *lol* Hope his hoof clears up quickly. We don't have the natural poultice of mud here, it's much too dry. You'd be stuck doing some soaking, I fear.
I'm guessing that the back issue has pretty much always been there Jean, and is what causes the cold weather issues, or is caused by it, in a vicious circle.
DeleteC
Ooh, I am very interested in the exercise you have for Ace. Do you think I can figure out where the reflex point is in front of his hip bone? Must be one on each side, right? Is the purpose to encourage the muscles to move separately, to supple his back, to strengthen his back - some or all of those?
ReplyDeleteIt's to stretch the muscles so far that they break apart and move separately ML. It's easy. Find the top of the hip bone. Find the point one hand width above that. Find the point at the same level, one hand width towards his wither. Guess at the same place on the other side (you're going to need a stool!!) Pinch your fingers together and press both sides until you see his back rise, then draw your fingers back towards the tail, pressing in all the time. You will see the entire back rise into a great big arch - it's amazing!
DeleteC