Magic Hands and Needles

The last few farrier visits, DaVinci has been a bit wobbly. He is not as strong in the hind end. He also has been retaining fluid along his belly, sheath and legs. This is a sign of circulation issues. At 29, not too surprising. So Mom convinced Dad that getting him worked on by the chiropractor would be more beneficial than just calling the vet.
Monday after the show he, Comrade and Rosemary all got a session. DaVinci being the suspicious sort, took awhile to settle into the work. She found no major body issues, but after hearing about him, she checked his heart. Turns out he has a significant heart murmur. The lack of oxygen most likely causes the hind end weakness. With that find, DaVinci goes into full retirement :(

She moved onto acupuncture with a strong focus on the heart lines. He and Comrade even got needles at the TMJ points. As the needles began their magic, DaVinci melted. That was the most relaxed I have ever seen him. Afterwards he was less grumpy towards the girls. And two weeks later, our farrier said he felt better. Score for magic hands and needles.

Comrade received a tune up, she straightened his chest and worked that left side. I felt a big difference when riding his trot a few days later.

Rosemary's work and acupuncture focused on her hips and lower back. As needles went in she was twitching.  She turned to look at the chiropractor and must have caused one to shift because she started bucking. When the trouble needle was removed, we saw she had bent it into a "j" shape. She was fine after that though and finished relaxed. Next month she will get front shoes to see if that will help relieve some of her tension.
It is always great to be able to give these sessions to the horses. I wish I could afford it on a regular basis since the benefits are amazing.