The home team had chiropractic adjustments two weeks ago. I have not blogged about it because Milton has been off and on lame since that day. These are NOT related events.
The doctor went to Stepping Stone Farm first. I went over to watch a few horses. When I came home to get these two ready, Milton was waving his right front foot in the air. Really, Horse? Today? I wasn’t overly worried. The presenting physiologic symptoms were minor. The attitude was pitiful but Milton has a tendency to be … um … emotional about injuries.
I figured that chiropractic work was mostly structural (?), so the doctor should be able to see something anyway. He poked and prodded. Milton spooked at the mounting block. Doc told me that horses should get a couple of days off or you lose the advantage of the adjustment.
As I suspected, by the next morning, Milton was 95% sound, at least well enough to gallop up to breakfast. Between chiro and foot, he got the rest of the week off. Toward the end of the week, it rained. When I finally rode during the weekend, all we could do was walk [When Life Gives You Rain]. Maybe his back was a trifle less tight when I first got on, but data is limited.
Then, at the beginning of last week, Milton showed up waving the left front. Slightly puffier leg/ankle. A few nights of stall rest. Done and dusted. We think he tweeks a tendon/joint/important moving part while cavorting in the epic, endless mud that is our lot these days.
I have thoughts on my opinion of chiropractic before the appointment and whether or not those opinions were borne out during. However, I want to wait until I have an after to report. We need to have done more than stomp around, in particular, I want to see how back & butt adjustments affect Milton’s canter and canter transitions.
Rodney also got done. Doc didn’t find much. I didn’t sense a great deal of change in Rodney’s way of going in the limited time we worked [Walk]. He hasn’t done much either because … drumroll … I have also been off and on sick for the last two weeks. Gadding about in public [Being Mobile], exposed my defenseless system to all manner of new germs. Rather like sending a child to kindergarten, Indexed (that would be me at x).
Bad weather, lame horse, sick. Conservation of misery?
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Virtual Brush Box 
Hope you’re feeling better now, and that both horses are doing well. And that the mud dries up. Remember the ‘ring’ at Avenel before they put in the new footing?
Had to smile when you said Milton was emotional about injuries. Princess was about as stoic as they get, but Chief…oh! did I bump ,myself!? Huuuman! Where’s my human to kiss it an make it better??
aw boo being sick! hopefully everyone is feeling back up to snuff asap!! i tend to like doing chiro and massage and acupuncture and what have you for the horses, bc i like feeling like i’m helping them feel their best. my opinion on it isn’t really scientific tho, and when the budget gets tight that’s one of the first items to go.
Thanks for the well wishes. I think I’m coming along. Never fast enough.