When TSB Managing Director Martha Cook’s new-horse-prospect passed the pre-purchase, she was thrilled! “Robbie,” a big bay Quarter Horse with an amazing trot and to-die-for canter was that quiet trail horse with wonderful gaits she so wanted and that had proven difficult to find. She truly thought she’d struck equine gold when she found the mount with the looks, size, and temperament she’d always dreamed of.
In the first month Robbie’s report card turned up solid “As”—as his fitness level increased and he filled out, his mind stayed sound and his performance in the ring and on the trail indicated willingness and potential. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, things unwound, and Robbie transformed from good-natured-but-green to cranky and resistant with violent episodes of bucking under saddle and on the longe line. Martha asked all the usual questions: Had she done something wrong? Was it just the “real” Robbie coming out now that he’d put on a few pounds in grain, grass, and muscle? Was it the saddle? Was it his feet? Was her dream horse gone for good?
With all the possible causes running through her head, it occurred to Martha that Robbie had rolled close to the electric fence one day and his hind legs had become momentarily caught up in it. While he had emerged unscathed but for a scrape on one hind leg, perhaps the struggle to right himself had tweaked a nerve, strained a muscle, or otherwise compromised his body in a way that caused enough ensuing physical discomfort to result in his sudden bad—and frankly, scary—behavior.
“I pulled out WHERE DOES MY HORSE HURT? by Dr. Renee Tucker and went through Renee’s checkups,” says Martha. “The checkups clearly told me that Robbie definitely had problems in the sacrum and sacroiliac. So, I had my vet and chiropractor out and she found that both were indeed out of whack, along with four vertebrae in Robbie’s lumbar spine. When she tested his hind end before treatment, he went halfway to the floor in reaction. After adjustment, she retested and he didn’t flinch. I HOPE, with bold, underlined capital letters, that this was the cause of his bucking issue. I’m stretching him before riding and gradually increasing his workouts—and so far, so good. It seems we may be on track to becoming the ‘old’ Robbie.”
WHERE DOES MY HORSE HURT?, the book Martha referenced in her search for the cause of Robbie’s mysterious change of behavior, introduces 27 simple body checkups you can do on your horse. It’s a do-it-yourself method for determining when and where your horse hurts. With this easy-to-follow book you will:
•Become familiar with your horse’s normal range of movement so you can prevent minor issues from becoming major.
•Stay in tune with areas of temporary or chronic discomfort so you can offer relief as needed.
•Solve “mystery” or “phantom” lamenesses that come and go seemingly without reason (like Robbie’s!)
•Save thousands of dollars by avoiding expensive diagnostics that rarely get you answers.
•Learn how to discuss potential problem areas with farriers, veterinarians, and bodyworkers.
•Keep your horse actively and happily “in work” for more months of the year, and more years of his life.
You can learn more about Dr. Renee’s Tucker’s 27 body checkups and her book during the FREE, live “Ask the Author” webinar on Wednesday, August 15, at 9:00 pm EST hosted by MyHorse Books, the online, no-obligation book club of MyHorse Daily.
Register for this free webinar by visiting https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/877711982.
You can get your copy of WHERE DOES MY HORSE HURT? at the TSB online bookstore, where shipping in the US is always FREE.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR COPY OF WHERE DOES MY HORSE HURT TODAY