Hank - Quarter Horse Gelding

Well, hasn't this year gone by quickly!  I was looking at my last blog and it was from July 2011!!  We have had such a great summer, and wonderful fall weather, I didn't notice the time slipping by!  So, here we are in January, thanks to everyone for hanging in there.  This time, I am profiling a young quarter horse gelding named Hank.  He was having some trouble flexing at the poll, so we did some body work and left his owner with some exercises to continue on with.  Here are some of the photos from the session.

Making an assessment through a few important trigger points

 

Working in the poll area, loosen it up - then gave the owner some exercises to continue.  If you are interested in receiving a few flexion exercises to make your horse more flexible, contact me for an appointment (403) 678-0410.

Looking at these pictures reminds me of how green it was in the summer!  I can't wait for next summer to arrive already.  I know we all have big plans with our equine friends!  Mine include a few endurance and CTRs.  Hoping to connect with some old friends for some trail riding excursions, and adventures in new locations.

Happy trails my friends!

Cold Water Hydrotherapy for Baby Calf Injured in Attack

**** WARNING!!**** Some of the photos are of a graphic nature and may offend some people - proceed with caution!!

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This is a month and a half old heifer calf born to a first time calver (Black Angus X) that has been attacked by something in one of our pastures.  This poor little beast has had it's tail bitten off at the base and suffered lacerations/puncture wounds to the flanks and neck area.  Since no one was witness to this attack, we're not really certain of what it was that did so much damage.

You can see here a fairly major puncture wound, but minimal swelling and no signs of infection.

My sister in law has been busy with this calf, cold water soaking and treating her with antiseptic spray daily.  Also, a few rounds of penicillin were given, with intentions of treatment with long lasting penicillin once most of her wounds are healed better.

Above we are using massage techniques around the puncture wound to remove any debris that had collected there and to stimulate circulation for healing.

The opposite side from the major puncture wound shows the vicious nature of the attack.  The Conservation Officer for our area had been out upon request and figured that it may have been feral dogs from a near by reserve.

Our poor patient has been turned out with her mother in a small paddock for recovery.  She is getting used to being handled by humans (thank goodness she is still quite small!!).  Will continue to update progress!

Merrylegs Equine Therapy Case Study - " Monty" 15 yr old Hannovarian Gelding

Meet Monty - a 15 yr old Hannovarian gelding with a previous show jumping career.  He is now enjoying retirement. 

Monty is quite a tall horse, and has a stout build on him, now that he is not working as much as he used to. 

I did some work on his neck, which was quite tight and he has had issues in this area before - I also did some work on his shoulders as you will see in the next series of photos.













Check out the position of Monty's head over the next three photos - I am starting at the top of the shoulder moving down to the bottom.  This progression shows results!

As the work progresses down the shoulder his head begins to come down - this is a sign of relaxation, and we know that what I am doing here is working!

In this photo, we have reached the bottom of his shoulder and his head is down, and relaxed. He has released in his neck and is telescoping it forward.

To book a massage for your equine friend please email Amy  merrylegsequine@gmail.com.  Thank you for visiting my blog!

Merrylegs Equine Therapy Case Study - " Dakota" 18 yr old Paint Gelding

This is Dakota, 18 years young!  He is used extensively in the summer for trail riding and has all winter off.  Using some key points, I am checking for areas that will need attention before he is put back to work for the season.  Considering his age, he is in great shape and is not under or overweight (okay, maybe a few extra pounds!).

Checking for mobility in the neck.  Dakota was a little reluctant to bend both directions, so this was an area that we worked on this session.  Because the muscles in the neck cover such a large area, it may take a few sessions (and consistant work) to really get him to be able to flex with more ease.  Giving the owner (my husband, lol) some stretching excercises for Dakota between treatments would help as well.

Using a few different massage techniques on the hind quarters.  Again, this is such a large area with several different muscle groups, Dakota will benefit from consistant treatments in order to keep him loose and limber.  

Dakota has been a great horse that we have owned since he was four years old.  He treks through the mountains with ease every summer and has barely had a lame step his entire life.  We have always felt safe putting novice riders on him even since day one, he is just a gem to be around.  I feel confident that massage treatments for him will help extend the years he has left with us!

To book your appointment email merrylegsequine@gmail.com

Merrylegs Equine Therapy Case Study - "Ladybug" 10 yr old Paint Mare

Ladybug is a 10 yr old Paint Mare 15.3 HH.  She is primarily used for 

trail riding and on the odd occasion, hunting and packing.

Ladybug normally stands with her hind legs set behind her body (camped behind).  She is a very long horse and after the initial assessment I found that she had some soreness in the hindquarters and some issues in her back (longissimus dorsi).  I like these couple of  photos because they show how much this horse is leaning into the treatment.

I was laughing in this photo because after a few minutes of leaning into the treatment, then Ladybug relaxed her leg completely and let out a huge sigh.

Working on the offside, the same issues were found.  I spent most of this session just working on the back and hind quarters.  Since Ladybug is my horse I will be working with her on a continuing basis and will be updating her progress periodically on this blog - check back soon!

For more info or to book a treatment for your equine, email merrylegsequine@gmail.com

                                             Thanks to TL at NG Photography for the photos!

Merrylegs Equine Therapy Case Study - "Will" 8 yr old gelding

Will is an 8 yr old Swedish Warmblood Bay Gelding that has been off from working due to a flexor tendon injury.  He has also had a recent infection of the sheath.  This is a photo of him on the left just before his owner Claudia tacked him up for his one of his first rides since time off.

As you can see in the next few photos, Will is a little chunky, but getting back into his regular shape by resuming his exercise routine.











Just below and to the right of the owner's heel, you can see a bit of a belly buldge, this was off centre underneath mostly on the horse's left side about the size of my hand laying flat and was a raised area (about 3/4 inch).  This was an area that we worked on lightly during the massage.  It was not hot to the touch, and wasn't a sore spot to the horse, so may have been a fat deposit.

Working the tricep area on the right side.  This was a sore spot for the horse, especially on the horse's left.


We also massaged the area around the sheath (not on it! lol!) gently in hopes to stimulate the circulation in that region to promote the healing after the infection.

Watching for Will's reaction to the massage manouvers.  He was such a great client!! Stay tuned as I update Will's progress!