Marching Through

Appointments, appointments, appointments, that has what our past 2 weeks has consisted of. We started off with his usual toe trimming which went very well. His toes are in good shape. You can see the ring growing down from when he was very sick back in the winter. The new hoof growing down is tight & strong. As the saying always goes the health of the horse shows up in the feet & that is proof! Next up was his yearly teeth floating. I tried a new dentist this time that had been highly recommended to me from many people. Ben doesn't take to new people very well, but this dentist he checked him over then clicked with him just like that! I was amazed expecting a stressful dental visit, but instead it was very stress free & easy on both Ben & I! He gave me all the info about his teeth & the condition they are in. Ben's teeth are in good shape for his age. He has a few minor issues but they aren't to cause him any problems. After his teeth floating he has been getting more food into his mouth than on the walls which is a big plus! Next was his massage in the lineup. He had a very good report & ate his alfalfa the entire time which helps him stay awake! Last up was the unexpected visit with the Chiropractor. The day after his massage I had went to brush Ben as I always do but instead of just eating & standing there nicely he ran when I went to touch his neck. Not thinking much at first other than him maybe playing games I go to brush again same reaction. I put the brush down & slowly work my hand up from shoulder to the specific spot on his neck that he again pulled away from. Clearly something was wrong. So I put him through the "Carrot" stretch motions to see how he was able to move is neck & when he first bent it I heard two loud pops. He could bend both ways minor popping sounds & he could put his head between his front legs fine. Ok I think nothing too serious but serious enough to make a few phone calls. So after speaking with his massage therapist who had just saw him the day prior when he was perfectly fine might I add we came up with a plan for him! Equioxx for pain relief, liniment for muscle soothing, & urgent message for his Chiropractor to come out. The next morning he now longer ran away from me so that alone was major improvements. Bring us a day later & we come to a very early morning Chiro visit. His Chiropractor came out before his breakfast which led to a "hangry" Ben. Once Ben realized he was getting put back in place he was very accommodating as he usually is & loved his acupuncture! Chiro reported he did indeed knock his what's called an atlas out of place (most likely from his narcolepsy episodes) & a few other areas. All fixed up & feeling like a new man he had his breakfast & for being so behaved an extra alfalfa flake.

I know what some of you may be thinking....that's a lot of things to be doing for a horse that's fully retired right? Think about it he is a calm retired horse who lives out now & things still come up that need adjustments or massages so how good does your working horse feel? When is the last time you had their back done or treated them to a massage? I guarantee they need some type of adjustment because things happen whether you see it or not. You don't ride perfectly every time nor do they behave perfectly every time. Something will come out of whack. You will probably be very surprised how much better they feel & go after some TLC on their working bodies! I'm not saying go crazy but do have it done routinely & often as needed for that particular horse because as we know they are all different & should be treated as such.

Ben has been doing good with things lately after all the above so hopefully he keeps improving. I have added something new to his program, but do not want to share just yet. (Some who know me well already know) I want to give my full review after him being on it for more than just 2 days. I am pleased so far but it is still early. The chia seeds are working out lovely & doing just as I had hoped so far & its been going into 3 weeks with them now! I use them for GI support, Omega 3's, & sand clearance mainly (while still using sand removal supplement). Will give more updates on them as well as he is on them longer.
Thanks for those that support Ben.