THE MISSING COMPONENT
Horses range from major symptoms to stoic conditions. Looking at intervention modalities, ingredients being fed, the horses workload, behaviors, and when they are triggered can all build a case for analyzing our individual horses program.
Watch out for the stoic horse, they can be the work horse who pushes through pain until outward signs of injury and lack in performance happens.
Watch out for the expressive horse, pain and internal issues can lead to dangerous situations quickly as the horse attempts to tell you there is an issue. These ones can often times be deemed dangerous or reactive due to how their personality deals with pain verses the stoic horse.
💙First stop? Intervention
What I have experienced working on a variety of horses is that there is a missing component often times that if changed can help expedite progress.
Approaching horses with the whole wellness team in mind we can accomplish quite a bit - farrier, chiropractor, bodywork, diet, physical fitness all comes together to bring a happier healthier horse.
I find many cases of horses where points massaged are a persistant issue that can be related to digestive issues. Digestive issues can lead to tension held in the body or vice versa.
Joint issues, muscle pain, behavior can be helped with a healthy diet and bodywork to catch issues before they become an outward injury. These approaches are one part in a horses long term healthcare plan to not ignore in the recovery and prevention of a sound healthy horse.
What is deemed healthy is broken down into how seperate ingredients help or hinder the gut. When the gut is healed and healthier, nutrients are able to be more readily absorbed into the body. Eliminating the worry of a deficiency in the nutrition plan and if it's apparent are all topics I enjoy researching and talking about.
Aim to keep it simple, however, there is a fine line in balancing this. I focus more on investing in horses long term verses quick fix methods that cover up symptoms resulting in a breakdown sooner rather than later.
Try palpating points, look for... responses, spasms, and body language in this process.
Horses can tell us a lot just by these few tips.
Even if your horse seems stoic in their ways and willing to perform doesn't mean they aren't suppressing an issue that is building due to lack of intervention.
I meet many horses that the owner notes they never show pain or reactions. The shocking find is through working on them 1 or 2 times they end up showing a response that isn't normal to the owner. I do feel horses recognize our intentions and can feel our energy. Many of us have been told this through trainers when they recognize an anxious rider or someone who's mind isn't focused on the lesson but instead on a personal issue at home. It seems more horses feel comfortable through this intention to express what is bothering them.
I am happy to see that these type of horses become more comfortable to express their personalities more openly and their opinion on an issue.
Some owners find their horses become more comfortable in expressing this outside of appointments which helps when knowing how much to push them in certain scenarios. This helps to prevent build up injuries over time.
💙Long term wellness begins with intervention and prevention
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