GeorgeGuns
02-01-2006, 05:18 PM
Before anyone gets nutty, I'll have pics after this evening.
Dolly, her owner, and I went to visit a Dr Shoemaker in Pa on monday. Dr S practices Complimentary Medicine (chiro, acu, herbs, homeopathy, hoofcare, etc) and I must say it will be a cold day in H before I meet someone with such extensive knowledge about horses and talent for helping them.
Dolly had hit a plateau of sorts, hoofcare has been limited by her unwillingness to cooperate, and her body had assumed chronic postures that inhibitied any normalization, and perpetuated pain pathways. On top of this it was found that her head is literally put on crooked! We were there for 5 1/2 hours, Dolly got her treatments (fascinating to say the least, and amazingly effective) and then we did her hooves. Dr S was admittedly surprised that Dolly is in as good a shape as she is for what she has been through, and I got to do some trimming that met Dr S's approval (that is a VERY high compliment, you have to meet her to understand). I did get to learn a few more tidbits about how to read the internal imbalances based on external presentation of a hoof. We left there with Dr S giving me official permission to do whatever I deem necessary to help Dolly, although at this point I don't htink we are going to have to find "ugly" to get her fixed. Dolly's prognosis right now is to return not only to her previous level of soundness, but to exceed it in light of the structural/skeletal issues that are now being addressed.
Dr S also explained how founder or any hoof pain affects not only front to back posture, but laterally! That was a new on on me, and a point I have taken to heart. This has shed a new light on why natural trims help the rest of the body, now I have better understanding of WHY balancing a hoof gets the results it does above the hairline.
We are keeping Dolly on styrofoam pads until her abcessing process is done (we are nearly there) and then we'll see dramatic improvement. Her right front is essentially derotated, and her left front is near - it was the worse hoof. She still has a little way to go to get the internal hoof structures back up high in her hoof capsule where they belong, and this is something she hasn't experienced for a few years!
I think the most amazing and awe inspiring event was seeing Dolly go from tight and painful from poll to tail, to relaxed and willing with much better overall posture. She actually grew two inches and her croup lost its drawn in and tucked stance. Her neck has a LONG way to go due to her displaced skull (that is a mystery, may even be an old fracture!).
I'm not going to get into the different thearapies Dr Shoemaker used as I don't have the knowledge base, all I know is it worked and ...
Bri has an appointment with her on Mar 1, God willin and the snow don't fall! I have to wait a whole month, if I don't get ulcers it will be a miracle, lol.
I'll have pics of Dolly either tonight or tomarrow. Thanks for letting me share. This is just way too cool.
Dolly, her owner, and I went to visit a Dr Shoemaker in Pa on monday. Dr S practices Complimentary Medicine (chiro, acu, herbs, homeopathy, hoofcare, etc) and I must say it will be a cold day in H before I meet someone with such extensive knowledge about horses and talent for helping them.
Dolly had hit a plateau of sorts, hoofcare has been limited by her unwillingness to cooperate, and her body had assumed chronic postures that inhibitied any normalization, and perpetuated pain pathways. On top of this it was found that her head is literally put on crooked! We were there for 5 1/2 hours, Dolly got her treatments (fascinating to say the least, and amazingly effective) and then we did her hooves. Dr S was admittedly surprised that Dolly is in as good a shape as she is for what she has been through, and I got to do some trimming that met Dr S's approval (that is a VERY high compliment, you have to meet her to understand). I did get to learn a few more tidbits about how to read the internal imbalances based on external presentation of a hoof. We left there with Dr S giving me official permission to do whatever I deem necessary to help Dolly, although at this point I don't htink we are going to have to find "ugly" to get her fixed. Dolly's prognosis right now is to return not only to her previous level of soundness, but to exceed it in light of the structural/skeletal issues that are now being addressed.
Dr S also explained how founder or any hoof pain affects not only front to back posture, but laterally! That was a new on on me, and a point I have taken to heart. This has shed a new light on why natural trims help the rest of the body, now I have better understanding of WHY balancing a hoof gets the results it does above the hairline.
We are keeping Dolly on styrofoam pads until her abcessing process is done (we are nearly there) and then we'll see dramatic improvement. Her right front is essentially derotated, and her left front is near - it was the worse hoof. She still has a little way to go to get the internal hoof structures back up high in her hoof capsule where they belong, and this is something she hasn't experienced for a few years!
I think the most amazing and awe inspiring event was seeing Dolly go from tight and painful from poll to tail, to relaxed and willing with much better overall posture. She actually grew two inches and her croup lost its drawn in and tucked stance. Her neck has a LONG way to go due to her displaced skull (that is a mystery, may even be an old fracture!).
I'm not going to get into the different thearapies Dr Shoemaker used as I don't have the knowledge base, all I know is it worked and ...
Bri has an appointment with her on Mar 1, God willin and the snow don't fall! I have to wait a whole month, if I don't get ulcers it will be a miracle, lol.
I'll have pics of Dolly either tonight or tomarrow. Thanks for letting me share. This is just way too cool.