TBEventer2002
6th Apr 2005, 01:23 PM
OK, remember a little while back I was just at the end of my rope with Rumby's problems and the fact that they were made way worse by that pointless class? OK, here's a lengthy update... :D
First of all, had a SERIOUS falling-out with the trainer of the class. Not going into details, but I assure you I am NOT the one in the wrong here! ;) Anyway, I bascially pulled him out of ALL her classes for the rest of his life, effective last Wednesday. Whoa, lo and behold, he's getting better already!
So, I scheduled him for a massage with a new woman who was very highly spoken of by my trainer. She came out Monday, I gave her a brief history about Rumby's work schedule lately, what sort of problems I have with him on the ground (she agreed that he really needs to learn that touching won't hurt), that sort of thing. She was a very personable woman and was very upfront about everything. She does do mild chiro adjustments (mostly just releases the muscles and lets the adjustments of the skeleton happen naturally), and if there is something really out of whack, she'll call her boss lady who will make a special trip right out, right then. :D i was thrilled to no end about that!
So she goes in and begins with his face. Rumby was like, "Hey lady! What're you doing?" But he liked it -- he likes his face being rubbed. She moved down, working down his left side (which I always thought was his bad side; it has his bum hock and he doesn't bend that way very well). She said for a hunter/jumper, he has amazing shoulders! She showed me the stretches where you pull the foreleg out and hold it. Rumby didn't really like that, but he got used to it once it got stretched. I attribute his great shoulders to the fact that he does a cat-like stretch every morning before breakfast, :D.
She moved back to his ribs. Apparently, there were a few 'out'. She showed me how to check for ribs being out (and boy did he sink when she ran her pen down his spine!) and then had my OH help her lift him from the bottom (she threw her back out, and Michael is no small fry!). After three times, she ran her pen back down his spine and there was almost no sinking! :eek:
She went back to his loins, where he has that infamous hump just behind the saddle. I always asked Greg (my last chiro) about it, hed crack it, it'd go down a bit, but it never really went away. She massaged it, sweated it out, used some sort of metal rod on it, and after about 7 minutes it was almost completely gone. Turns out it was a softball-sized knot of muscle, not skeletal!
She did, however, notice that he was uneven across his hips from behind (something I noticed when I bought him, and Greg never concerned himself with). She thought his pelvis might be out, but it was fine. Turns out he actually is sore in his left hip area because of his hock. :rolleyes: She ran her pen down his hips/buttocks line really hard and quick, and my poor pony nearly collapsed. She did this once on each side, and Rumby was licking and chewing afterwards.
Then she grabbed his hind legs and brought it forward, then flexed it a little, then wiggled it around a bit, She even showed me where to feel up on top of his rump to feel where the muscles were contracting and relaxing. She wants me to wiggle his back legs every day to keep his hips loose. Rumby was very NOT happy with her massaging his left thigh (she did that before doing any of the above stuff at his hindquarters), and nearly took her head off several times! :eek: But she said regular techniques that I am to do with him will help with his soreness.
Then she did everything on the other side. He was better on teh right side, no surprise there. He had no soreness the next day because he had already been on bute for three days after abad reaction from his shots (long story...).
All in all, I am amazed. There were a few things he certainly objected to, but he is expected to improve with careful management and regular appointments. She will be back in two weeks to re-assess him, then wants to see him every month thereafter during hard work.
She is VERY reliable, and only costs $50 per horse per session. She spent an entire hour (actually, about an hour and 15 minutes) on him, answering all my nosey questions the entire time. If I had a concern, she took the time to explain to me why and what she recommended, to why she was doing what she was doing.
And my boy walked outside, out to the back fields, never ONCE acting up!!! :D I'd like to think it was because of the massage, ;).
First of all, had a SERIOUS falling-out with the trainer of the class. Not going into details, but I assure you I am NOT the one in the wrong here! ;) Anyway, I bascially pulled him out of ALL her classes for the rest of his life, effective last Wednesday. Whoa, lo and behold, he's getting better already!
So, I scheduled him for a massage with a new woman who was very highly spoken of by my trainer. She came out Monday, I gave her a brief history about Rumby's work schedule lately, what sort of problems I have with him on the ground (she agreed that he really needs to learn that touching won't hurt), that sort of thing. She was a very personable woman and was very upfront about everything. She does do mild chiro adjustments (mostly just releases the muscles and lets the adjustments of the skeleton happen naturally), and if there is something really out of whack, she'll call her boss lady who will make a special trip right out, right then. :D i was thrilled to no end about that!
So she goes in and begins with his face. Rumby was like, "Hey lady! What're you doing?" But he liked it -- he likes his face being rubbed. She moved down, working down his left side (which I always thought was his bad side; it has his bum hock and he doesn't bend that way very well). She said for a hunter/jumper, he has amazing shoulders! She showed me the stretches where you pull the foreleg out and hold it. Rumby didn't really like that, but he got used to it once it got stretched. I attribute his great shoulders to the fact that he does a cat-like stretch every morning before breakfast, :D.
She moved back to his ribs. Apparently, there were a few 'out'. She showed me how to check for ribs being out (and boy did he sink when she ran her pen down his spine!) and then had my OH help her lift him from the bottom (she threw her back out, and Michael is no small fry!). After three times, she ran her pen back down his spine and there was almost no sinking! :eek:
She went back to his loins, where he has that infamous hump just behind the saddle. I always asked Greg (my last chiro) about it, hed crack it, it'd go down a bit, but it never really went away. She massaged it, sweated it out, used some sort of metal rod on it, and after about 7 minutes it was almost completely gone. Turns out it was a softball-sized knot of muscle, not skeletal!
She did, however, notice that he was uneven across his hips from behind (something I noticed when I bought him, and Greg never concerned himself with). She thought his pelvis might be out, but it was fine. Turns out he actually is sore in his left hip area because of his hock. :rolleyes: She ran her pen down his hips/buttocks line really hard and quick, and my poor pony nearly collapsed. She did this once on each side, and Rumby was licking and chewing afterwards.
Then she grabbed his hind legs and brought it forward, then flexed it a little, then wiggled it around a bit, She even showed me where to feel up on top of his rump to feel where the muscles were contracting and relaxing. She wants me to wiggle his back legs every day to keep his hips loose. Rumby was very NOT happy with her massaging his left thigh (she did that before doing any of the above stuff at his hindquarters), and nearly took her head off several times! :eek: But she said regular techniques that I am to do with him will help with his soreness.
Then she did everything on the other side. He was better on teh right side, no surprise there. He had no soreness the next day because he had already been on bute for three days after abad reaction from his shots (long story...).
All in all, I am amazed. There were a few things he certainly objected to, but he is expected to improve with careful management and regular appointments. She will be back in two weeks to re-assess him, then wants to see him every month thereafter during hard work.
She is VERY reliable, and only costs $50 per horse per session. She spent an entire hour (actually, about an hour and 15 minutes) on him, answering all my nosey questions the entire time. If I had a concern, she took the time to explain to me why and what she recommended, to why she was doing what she was doing.
And my boy walked outside, out to the back fields, never ONCE acting up!!! :D I'd like to think it was because of the massage, ;).