poke a dope

A couple weeks ago, Charlie got his second appointment with my favorite equine chiropractic / acupuncture practitioner.

She used to treat Isabel for me, and actually in her former life as a DVM she did the vet work for the breeding program that produced Isabel. Meaning - it's actually pretty darn likely that she had delivered Isabel herself.

dopey ears 4 lyfe

Anyway, you may remember she came out to treat Charlie back in January. That was a useful appointment in getting a deeper understanding of Charlie's current physical condition. And especially in how all his 'little things' kinda combined together to make for a horse who.... Well. Carried the years of track-life around in his body.

see the needle? 

When Charlie first came home from the adoption facility, we wanted to focus on his muscles during the process of letting him down from the track and rebuilding him in a new form. My vet felt like he was predominantly a muscular case, and that while chiro may help him, I'd see the most benefits from massage.

there's another one!

I went ahead and did a chiro appointment anyway bc I was having trouble finding a massage therapist, but already knew this chiro practitioner and was eager to get her professional opinion. Since then, tho, Charlie's gotten into a routine with a new equine massage therapist (whom he LOVES).

and a couple down the back of his hooves

She's been pretty fantastic for him and is generally a cool person all around - even coming out to hang and watch Charlie go at Jenny Camp last month! During her last session with him, tho, she was a little concerned about some of his sore spots and felt like it might be time to bring the chiro back in.

and down his hind legs

Which seemed about right to me - it had been about six months anyway and Charlie has physically undergone pretty significant changes during that time. So we got something scheduled and the chiro was able to give the horse a fresh assessment on how he's doing.

plus the standard slew of 'em around his SI

Long story short? The big guy continues to do well. She was very happy with how much better he looks now compared to January. Which like, me too. Meeee too. lol....

my understanding is that this is a pretty common application for sport horses. also note charlie isn't standing square here - but you can see the definition of his spine in the dust rubbed up by the chiro

And like last time, she didn't really find any major spots of concerns. Charlie's got some stuff, ya know? Some wear and tear, some weak spots. His hind end has a lot of work to do developmentally, and he's got some other issues that you might expect in a horse his size with his history. Nothing serious, nothing that changes our course of action with him.

Just... ya know. Continuing to help him develop in a manner most likely to keep him sound, strong, and happy.

She was also able to rule out concerns about any other nagging worries. Didn't find any evidence at all that the horse is ulcery (always a nice thing to hear), or that there are saddle fit issues. And seemed to think the current hoof game plan (leather rim pads) was solid.

more in the legs!

She was also likewise not particularly concerned about Charlie's status as King of the Dings, as evidenced by his frequently lumpy bumpy legs. Charlie sometimes whacks a leg while weaving - creating big old bumps that take a long time to go down.

Those bumps often freak barn mgmt out (to them, everything looks like a catastrophic soft tissue injury) but the chiro kinda echoed what I and my trainers have thought: if the bumps aren't interfering with his soundness or ability to do what he does, then it's probably nbd.

marinating in his needle soup while watching is buddy Tip get adjusted

So all in all, it was a good check in. The chiro was able to work a bit on the areas that concerned the massage therapist (mostly Charlie's poll). And she was able to provide a solid check-in perspective on how Charlie's doing 10 months post track, and 9 months of being in my care. The verdict? He's doing well!

It's always a long road with these OTTBs, esp for one who was on the track for so many years, but so far, so good.

My game plan is to keep Charlie on a fairly regular massage schedule (ideally that's every month, but sometimes it's more like every 6-7 weeks) with chiro/acupuncture treatments more like every 6 months to a year barring any immediate treatment needs. Personally I just kinda like the idea of managed maintenance through body work, and the horse certainly seems to enjoy it.

Izzy always got more chiro vs massage, but I also didn't really know a massage therapist anyway. Maybe she would have done well with both? Idk. Does your horse need any one form of care over another? Or do you do all the things? Or none of the things?

Only when a need crops up - like a lameness or injury? Or are you more on the maintenance schedule like me? Do you like checking in with the professional practitioners on your horse's condition and care? Or maybe you prefer to forge your own road, or rely on your BM or trainer's opinions?