So, we didn't know this, but our vet does chiropractic work and acupuncture, so we had her come out today to work on my horse (Ace) and my sister's horse. She did a flexion test on each, then massaged along their neck and back to check for soreness. Here's what she found in my horse-
He has a bit of soreness in his front pasterns, especially his right
He has sore hocks
His neck is sore/stiff on the right side/when flexing to the right
He has soreness over his loin and pelvis
My sister's horse turned out to be a lot worse, with a very sore back, pasterns, and hocks.
For those of you who saw or commented on one of my earlier posts on my horse pinning his ears a lot, possibly meaning a sore back, it turns out his back is not a problem. She (the vet) said his back was fine, and even the soreness and muscle spasms over his loin improved as she massaged him. So I've concluded that while he is a bit sore in places, the ear pinning is likely attitude.
But it was a neat experience nonetheless, watching her work and finding out things you didn't know about your horse. She recommended to give them both bute for a few days to reduce swelling and put DMSO on their ankles and hocks before a ride. Then we'll have to most likely put them on an oral joint supplement (they are both pre-arthritic in their hocks) and if that doesn't work inject their hocks.
He has a bit of soreness in his front pasterns, especially his right
He has sore hocks
His neck is sore/stiff on the right side/when flexing to the right
He has soreness over his loin and pelvis
My sister's horse turned out to be a lot worse, with a very sore back, pasterns, and hocks.
For those of you who saw or commented on one of my earlier posts on my horse pinning his ears a lot, possibly meaning a sore back, it turns out his back is not a problem. She (the vet) said his back was fine, and even the soreness and muscle spasms over his loin improved as she massaged him. So I've concluded that while he is a bit sore in places, the ear pinning is likely attitude.
But it was a neat experience nonetheless, watching her work and finding out things you didn't know about your horse. She recommended to give them both bute for a few days to reduce swelling and put DMSO on their ankles and hocks before a ride. Then we'll have to most likely put them on an oral joint supplement (they are both pre-arthritic in their hocks) and if that doesn't work inject their hocks.