I've taken the day off as India has an appointment this afternoon with a vet two hours away. He was recommended by the local vet after she examined POTU last week and confirmed that the Princess is not moving as she should, although she's not lame. When her spine is palpated, she's extremely sensitive on her right rump, shooting Dr. Proctor an ugly look when she's presses there. I have long feared that her dive off the retaining wall when she was two and a half has had long term consequences as she's been rather balky about moving to the right. Of course, she may just be a Princess who doesn't want to work, but I need to know. If it's a training issue, we'll work through it, but if she's in pain, I need to know that too. I fear it's the latter and am praying that there will be something to help India not hurt, such as chiropractic or massage. If this vet works miracles on POTU, I'll ask him to look at my back as the orthopedist came up empty.
I slept in late this morning, walked Sparky, did my morning run in daylight, have stripped the bed and the sheets and spread are now in the dryer, the second load's in the washer, and I've cleaned the toilet and the rest of the bathroom, washed my dishes, and loaded the recycling to drop off on my way to the barn. I've also kept up with some work issues thanks to the blackberry, but gosh, even doing a wee bit of that, it's amazing how motivated I am to be a responsible adult if I don't have to go to work. I could really get used to this.
ETA: The vet rocked! India got both chiropractic and laser treatments and by the end she was feeling so much better. I know a horse can't verbalize what hurts or feels good, but she told us so by completely relaxing. She stood calmly as he pulled on her tail, beat on her back with a rubber mallet, and manipulated her right hind. It was amazing to watch and it cost me a whole lot less than I was expecting. She goes back in a month for the next round. I wonder if he'll work on my back?
He said that she responded to the treatment much better than he was expecting given that he found her pelvis to be in a world of hurt. He posits that when she went off the retaining wall three years ago (one at least 5' high) and scraped her back legs up so badly, that she also tore all the ligaments and tendons around her pelvis and that there's a lot of scar tissue there.
I watched her range of movement with her right hind before he did some adjustments and then after. She definitely had more movement after he'd worked on her. He was cautiously optimistic about her future thinking that she can definitely be a trail horse, but maybe not a hunter over fences as her pelvis may not allow her to lift up for a jump without pain, but in a few weeks to start her over trot poles and see. Well, I'll have to get an English saddle first that fits her and that will be this winter, but we'll try it.
India walked into his treatment area on high alert, snorty and blowy and convinced that I'd brought her someplace where she was going to D-I-E and she left a puddle of horsey goo, very happy with the way he was making her feel. This vet, and his name is Dr. J. Stan Brown, if you're interested, has been practicing 40 years, mostly on racetracks in the northeast and he said that he practiced traditional medicine for most of those years and was skeptical of chiropractic. Then he learned that a skilled chiropractor, and he wants me only to use a DVM/chiropractor and I concur, could work miracles. Now, he says, he prefers not to use pharmaceuticals at all. He prefers chiropractic, massage, laser therapy and accupuncture with pharmaceuticals as the last resort. I'm very happy with how well India responded. He is hopeful that her muscles and nerves locked down three years ago to protect themselves when injured so horribly and that they've just stayed in lock down all this time, but that he can unlock them and since she responded better than he expected, he's optimistic. I am, too. That said, fingers crossed. We've got some exercises to do, mostly crossing the right hind over the left, which is going back to groundwork 101, and I'll return in a month.
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