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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
   
Location: Kansas | I know quite a few of you have seen my past posts about Chance, my gray rodeo/1D horse who hasn't really been clocking this year. We made some changes early this month after a vet visit but I still haven't been completely satisfied with how he feels or how he clocked the one run we made since then. So, I was thinking of getting him massaged tomorrow in hopes that the massage therapist would either alleviate his soreness if it was muscles or find the real spot that was hurting so I could address it with the vet. Yesterday I decided to call my vet and get his opinion on how long to wait after the massage to run, and he happened to mention that a chiropractor was coming to his clinic today. Tuesday is the worst day of the week for me to get away, but I got an early enough appointment that my Dad could take him before going to work. (WHEW!!)
Boy am I glad I sent him over, because the chiropractor found a bunch of things out - some spots in his neck, his shoulders, hips, etc. I can't remember what all the vet told me on the phone this afternoon. PLUS, the chiro & my vet looked at him together and they are certain that his sacrioliac joint (I believe we all call it SI) is at least one source of pain. They want to inject it and see how much improvement we get from that. I am wondering if he hurt it in our fall last September at a muddy rodeo because he's really only clocked like he should a couple of times since then, but I'm oh so glad we are finally getting somewhere. I just KNEW the real problem was in his hind end and I'm glad the chiro helped us figure that out for sure.
So while I won't get to run him this weekend at the Big J Barrel Blast, I am supposed to call my vet Thursday morning and see what he has figured out on injecting the SI joint ASAP. My goal is to have him feeling as good as possible for Bonus Race Finals, and in the meantime I will run Joker at Big J and keep working with Streak in case I absolutely have to sub him in for Chance at Lincoln.
Also, a word of advice to others - if Diane Guinn tells you your horse looks sore in the back end, keep getting him/her looked at until you get a firm YES or NO on that from a vet. Don't settle for an "I don't think so" or a Maybe. She was spot on with what Chance's problem was just by watching one video of him because she's seen a lot of his videos in the past and had something to compare the new video to. Thank you Diane for giving me your opinion - I had a feeling you were right and now I wish I had taken him to another vet instead of a barrel race two weeks ago (though his 2D check from there is coming in very handy with these new vet bills LOL).
Here is a link to my thread from earlier this month, complete with a post-lameness exam update on Page 3. http://forums.barrelhorseworld.com/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=446137&start=1 |
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Expert
Posts: 1561
| Good deal, hope it all goes as planned. |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| I am glad you are on road to getting your horse better. |
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Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | Me too!
Dad told me that the chiropractor said Chance is a tough ol bird to still be clocking as well as he was with everything that was messed up. I guess my vet just hadn't pushed & poked quite far enough back to find the SI pain. Dad said the chiro went about three inches farther back and got a reaction every time. Plus now Dad finally agrees with me that there has been something going on with Chance the last few months. He just admitted that Chance hasn't been turning on the afterburners recently like he did in 2012, which is what I've been thinking for quite a while. It is a huge relief to have something to fix in order to get him squared away. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
| Fab news!!! Glad you're getting answers!  |
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  Angel in a Sorrel Coat
Posts: 16030
Location: In a happy place | Thank goodness.  |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| Which chiropractor did you use? I'm glad you are getting to the bottom of his issues! |
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Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | Griz - 2014-03-26 5:56 AM Which chiropractor did you use? I'm glad you are getting to the bottom of his issues!
I think Hickman was the name they gave me and they said he was driving over from Andover about once a week. I am so excited to have Chance back to normal soon. |
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 Tough Patooty
Posts: 2615
Location: Sperry, OK | When they inject the SI joints... whatever you do DO NOT let them if they don't use an Ultrasound to guide the needles. The difference in the correct spot for the inject and what could kill your horse is literally millimeters! And to do it correctly, they should use 4 needles: 2 6" ones and 2 8" ones, just fyi. |
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 BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25352
Location: Bastrop, Texas | That has to be welcome news. Good for you and Chance! How old is Chance? |
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | Yay! I just wish they could talk! It would make everything so much easier!
I also wanted to say thanks for sharing your videos on my turny horses thread! You have a nice trailer load full it looks like! |
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BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25352
Location: Bastrop, Texas | The reason I asked how old he is was because you describe him being basically sore all over. If he has been acting sore since 2012, I wonder if a few months off, in addition to the chiro treatments (assuming you are planning on more) and the injections, wouldn't be a good idea. |
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 Lady Di
Posts: 21556
Location: Oklahoma | ACEINTHEHOLE - 2014-03-26 8:47 AM
When they inject the SI joints... whatever you do DO NOT let them if they don't use an Ultrasound to guide the needles. The difference in the correct spot for the inject and what could kill your horse is literally millimeters! And to do it correctly, they should use 4 needles: 2 6" ones and 2 8" ones, just fyi.
I've had multiple horses done before, and my vet uses one long needle and doesn't use an ultrasound. In fact, where mine is injecting couldn't be seen by an ultrasound, I don't think....none of mine have died, and all of them have run a LOT better after the injection, so I figure it worked....4 needles is a lot of times to inject...JMO I think there may be different schools of thought on the "correct" way of doing it because my vet is an equine specialist and is VERY well respected all over the world, so I trust that he's doing what my horse needs, and he only uses 1 needle. |
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 Forever Young
Posts: 6768
Location: relocated to Texas | rodeowithjoker - 2014-03-27 7:39 AM Griz - 2014-03-26 5:56 AM Which chiropractor did you use? I'm glad you are getting to the bottom of his issues! I think Hickman was the name they gave me and they said he was driving over from Andover about once a week. I am so excited to have Chance back to normal soon.
Edited by Hollywood's Fan 2014-03-26 9:59 AM
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Lady Di
Posts: 21556
Location: Oklahoma | HotbearLVR - 2014-03-26 9:48 AM
The reason I asked how old he is was because you describe him being basically sore all over. If he has been acting sore since 2012, I wonder if a few months off, in addition to the chiro treatments (assuming you are planning on more) and the injections, wouldn't be a good idea.
No disrespect intended, HotbearLVR, because I highly respect you, but I was told by more than one vet that if the SI is messed up, it will not get well with turn out. The pain HAS to be treated in order to get better and I did find that out with one of mine. I tried a year's turnout and he came back just as sore as when I turned him out. Also, most of my horses do worse with turn out time. (I'm not talking maybe a month's break....I'm talking 3 or 4 months of turnout time). It's like I almost have to train them all over again...they just fall apart after a long break. I'm going through that now because I didn't get to ride all winter due to the lousy winter, and they're acting like they don't even know how to run barrels. It's very frustrating. Also, soreness is just part and parcel of rodeo horses. They stay sore. We can do our best to try to keep them from being sore, but there is always going to be some soreness due to the traveling, etc. Just like we're sore when we climb out of the pickup after 12 hours of driving, so are they sore from being in the trailer that long. That's why good rodeo horses are so expensive. They're a special breed and they're tough. If you baby them, they fall apart. lol
Edited by dianeguinn 2014-03-26 10:02 AM
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Tough Patooty
Posts: 2615
Location: Sperry, OK | dianeguinn - 2014-03-26 9:55 AM ACEINTHEHOLE - 2014-03-26 8:47 AM When they inject the SI joints... whatever you do DO NOT let them if they don't use an Ultrasound to guide the needles. The difference in the correct spot for the inject and what could kill your horse is literally millimeters! And to do it correctly, they should use 4 needles: 2 6" ones and 2 8" ones, just fyi. I've had multiple horses done before, and my vet uses one long needle and doesn't use an ultrasound. In fact, where mine is injecting couldn't be seen by an ultrasound, I don't think....none of mine have died, and all of them have run a LOT better after the injection, so I figure it worked....4 needles is a lot of times to inject...JMO I think there may be different schools of thought on the "correct" way of doing it because my vet is an equine specialist and is VERY well respected all over the world, so I trust that he's doing what my horse needs, and he only uses 1 needle.
Edited by ACEINTHEHOLE 2014-03-26 10:20 AM
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Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | going to try to respond to everything at once ---
Chance is 12. He ran pretty well last year and got some nice checks, heck he was 21st out of 1,014 at last year's Bonus Race Finals. I think he & I didn't click as well last year as we did in 2012 because I was riding 3 different horses last year and in 2012 I only had him in the trailer for most of the summer. My feeling at this point is that most if not all the issues we discovered yesterday were caused by our fall in mid-September at a muddy rodeo. When I look back, he really only clocked in the top of the 1D a couple times after that. He is tough as nails and literally has never refused the gate - he just wasn't quite clocking like we know he can.
My vet (Dr. Droge at Eureka) is doing some research on what he needs to inject, and said he may have Dr. Hickman come back over to make sure its done right. I'm supposed to call him tomorrow morning and find out what his plan is. If I need to take Chance somewhere else, that's fine too. I want this fixed right this time. He didn't seem to feel sore at all yesterday evening when I fed and I think he was moving a little more fluidly. Didn't ride yesterday, and I don't plan to ride until after he's injected. He is in pretty darn good shape already so a week or two off right now won't hurt him. I want him at 100% for Bonus Race Finals and then he's scheduled to have a couple weeks off before I prep him for the state NBHA show May 9-11. He doesn't like time off and HATES it when the trailer leaves without him so I'm glad he will be back in the lineup before too terribly long. |
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Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | dianeguinn - 2014-03-26 10:01 AM HotbearLVR - 2014-03-26 9:48 AM The reason I asked how old he is was because you describe him being basically sore all over. If he has been acting sore since 2012, I wonder if a few months off, in addition to the chiro treatments (assuming you are planning on more) and the injections, wouldn't be a good idea. No disrespect intended, HotbearLVR, because I highly respect you, but I was told by more than one vet that if the SI is messed up, it will not get well with turn out. The pain HAS to be treated in order to get better and I did find that out with one of mine. I tried a year's turnout and he came back just as sore as when I turned him out. Also, most of my horses do worse with turn out time. (I'm not talking maybe a month's break....I'm talking 3 or 4 months of turnout time ). It's like I almost have to train them all over again...they just fall apart after a long break. I'm going through that now because I didn't get to ride all winter due to the lousy winter, and they're acting like they don't even know how to run barrels. It's very frustrating. Also, soreness is just part and parcel of rodeo horses. They stay sore. We can do our best to try to keep them from being sore, but there is always going to be some soreness due to the traveling, etc. Just like we're sore when we climb out of the pickup after 12 hours of driving, so are they sore from being in the trailer that long. That's why good rodeo horses are so expensive. They're a special breed and they're tough. If you baby them, they fall apart. lol
Now ain't that the truth!!!! A friend of mine is probably having to put her tough old rodeo horse down this week because he got an abscess so bad that his navicular bursa got infected and the coffin joint dropped to the point that they don't think he can even be sound as a pasture pet. Yet last weekend she posted that he was bright eyed and being a pain in the stall. That horse is TOUGH.
Even if I have to take a really green horse to Lincoln instead of Chance, at least I will be able to run him again. Doc thinks I will need to maybe cut his runs back and save him for specific races or rodeos but he may just be trying to force me to run Clifford more (Doc is a huge Clifford fan) LOL. |
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Forever Young
Posts: 6768
Location: relocated to Texas | ACEINTHEHOLE - 2014-03-27 9:19 AM dianeguinn - 2014-03-26 9:55 AM ACEINTHEHOLE - 2014-03-26 8:47 AM When they inject the SI joints... whatever you do DO NOT let them if they don't use an Ultrasound to guide the needles. The difference in the correct spot for the inject and what could kill your horse is literally millimeters! And to do it correctly, they should use 4 needles: 2 6" ones and 2 8" ones, just fyi. I've had multiple horses done before, and my vet uses one long needle and doesn't use an ultrasound. In fact, where mine is injecting couldn't be seen by an ultrasound, I don't think....none of mine have died, and all of them have run a LOT better after the injection, so I figure it worked....4 needles is a lot of times to inject...JMO I think there may be different schools of thought on the "correct" way of doing it because my vet is an equine specialist and is VERY well respected all over the world, so I trust that he's doing what my horse needs, and he only uses 1 needle.
This is exactly how I feel. I would take my time and approach it differently. Injecting the joint may help with the pain for awhile, but it doesn't fix anything. The horse needs reconditioning therapy and that takes weeks to months to achieve. Most people don't want to give their horses that kind of time off, so they inject and keep going. I have reconditioned several horses with issues like these. I give them the right nutrients (good feed and minerals) to regenerate on a cellular leval, then work with the chiro in developing a program to build the muscle back. If they need some oral pain relief in the meantime, they will get that. But no injections because of the risk. JMHO |
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Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | Longneck - 2014-03-26 9:15 AM Yay! I just wish they could talk! It would make everything so much easier!
I also wanted to say thanks for sharing your videos on my turny horses thread! You have a nice trailer load full it looks like!
Thank you. I do have a really good group right now and hopefully I'll have them all at full strength for this summer.
I also wish they could talk, though Chance would probably say some crazy off the wall things. He's a character for sure. |
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