Is there such thing as too much maintenance?

[poltroon]

It’s important to always use your head and think through any “maintenance” interventions, to understand - are you doing something just to Do Something? or is there a real theory with data that suggests this will be helpful to your specific horse and issue.

Some things that barns do as “maintenance” and sometimes to every animal in their barn are probably not beneficial and could be harmful.

To your specific case, it sounds like you have a tailored treatment plan for your horse. The way I’d evaluate it and if the horse needs to step back is - is the horse happy in his work? Is his face soft and comfortable? Is he glad to see you for a ride? What do you see in pictures?

We do the best we can and kudos to you for listening.

[poltroon]

@Amberley

With all due respect that’s like saying there are some really good animal communicators out there. The scientific basis for both practices is about the same.

I would never let someone torque my horses neck and limbs around the way chiros do- especially since they do not check for fractures, chips, spurs or inter-articualr arthritis. I’ve seen really bad outcomes.

“Chiropractor” is kind of a catchall term that can involve quite a few different actual practices. A good bodyworker that uses stretching and myofascial release - really more like a physical therapist - can make a serious positive difference. But a lot of people are out there providing services off of a short certificate program and not all of them are smart or careful.

I tend to prefer bodyworkers who have experience working on people also.

Kleven’s Physical Therapy for Horses is a good book as is Jack Meagher’s Beating Muscle Injuries for Horses

[FjordBCRF]

@JB

@Amberley

Things I see consistently leading to unsoundness include using chiropractors, especially without any xrays or actual idea what is really going on.

that’s not a good practitioner then, not at all. There are some really good chiros out there, and I’ve used 2 of them to make significant improvements in the way my horse was moving and using his body

@Amberley

And often theraputic shoeing makes things worse not better.

that’s not a good farrier then. Therapeutic means to help.

We can’t lump those things into the categor of “don’t do them”, because that’s like saying “I’ve seen lots of riding make things worse”, which is 100% true BUT that’s a problem with the application of the riding, not the fact that they were ridden to begin with.

I think this largely depends on context too. I have seen people throw money, a lot of it, at alternative therapies before they will pay to involve a vet to fix something unknown that’s “off”. Personal preference maybe, but I like to start with the vet and go from there.

I have a bodyworker out for my gelding every 6 weeks. She does massage, myofascial and stretching type work. I also have a chiro when needed but lean on my body worker to let me know when.

I have gone through my fair share of chiropractic work myself, and quite frankly, it hasn’t done much for me. I was going regularly before I was diagnosed with my EDS for chronic headaches. Chiro was one of the best in the area and it was supplement this, supplement that, eat this, don’t eat that, come in every week etc. As it turns out, my high resting heart rate was also increasing my BP and that was the cause of the chronic headaches. They went away the day I started beta blockers. After I was diagnosed with EDS, it’s highly unadvisable to have any chiropractic work done due to my condition, but chiros don’t seem to make that connection which I don’t like at all.

I acknowledge the benefit they can provide, but nearly every one I have had work on me (including the one for my horse who is also a people chiro), has honestly left a bad taste in my mouth with their “advice” and sometimes left me in more pain than I came in with.

[FjordBCRF]

Yep. And after rads this year I learned on top of the EDS I have a slipped disc in my neck and multilevel degeneration on my spine.

I dated a guy whose brother was a chiropractor and at family events he’d get the table out and crack anyone who was interested. Not to say they are all like that but it was another data point that makes me leery.

[JB]

@Amberley

I would never let someone torque my horses neck and limbs around the way chiros do- especially since they do not check for fractures, chips, spurs or inter-articualr arthritis. I’ve seen really bad outcomes.

You seem to have had some really bad experiences with chiros, and I’m sorry for that. But your personal experiences don’t mean that’s how they all are.

They should NEVER be torquing necks around, or legs for that matter.

@Amberley

I’ve seen far too many people who have a horse with a suspected SI or neck problem so they get the chiro out and end up with a horse with a permanent neck or pelvis problem.

First, their first mistake was not going with their vet and getting proper diagnostics done for those issues, to see what was was.

Second, that was a problem for THOSE chiros (who are absolutely out there!) not doing their job at properly assessing the situation.

@FjordBCRF

I think this largely depends on context too. I have seen people throw money, a lot of it, at alternative therapies before they will pay to involve a vet to fix something unknown that’s “off”. Personal preference maybe, but I like to start with the vet and go from there.

Absolutely!! I too see it allll the time. “My horse is pulling back and won’t do this and keeps looking lame, who should I call, chiro or massage?” No, your first call needs to be to your vet.

I too had a terrible experience with a chiro for me. I have spondylolisthesis in my back, and while xrays were done, the work he did on me made me soooo much worse.

My mom? One fixed her vertigo she’d had for years that Drs kept brushing off as “old age stuff”

[Bogie]

How much maintenance is too much? That’s such a personal question. I’ve always felt that if we could identify the problem and maintenance could help my horses feel better, I’d continue letting them do their jobs.

When my OTTB was about 20, he started having issues that felt like SI problems, completely understandable for a horse that raced 27 times. At my vet’s suggestion, we injected the joints and did meso therapy on his back. No improvement. His lyme titre was slightly elevated, so I treated him with Doxy. I think it was 6 weeks. Some improvement, but he still didn’t feel comfortable for more than a trail ride (mostly walking some trotting canter on his right lead only). There was no concrete diagnosis of what was causing the problem and I didn’t feel like throwing money at it was doing much good, so for the next 2 years he got lightly ridden and was turned out 24/7. He liked having a job so that worked well. He’d been my first flight hunt horse and he wasn’t going to stand up to that level of work (even hill topping) and I figure he didn’t owe me anything more.

At that point I broke my ankle so I retired him and he’s living the life in a big green field in Virginia.

I wouldn’t stress over whether or not you caused your horse to develop issues. Most horses find ways to hurt themselves all on their own! All you can do is help them feel better.

[keh]

OP, you have a lot of good answers here & you’re obviously a conscientious horseman. Sometimes bad crap happens & isn’t preventable. I’ve seen horses dump their field water, only to create mud. They then slide through the only muddy part in the darn field, causing injury. I’ve also seen people drill movements 7 days a week & justify this saying “my horse only works an hour a day & he has a chiro, bodyworker, vet, etc” I doubt you’re the latter.

Just aim to keep things in perspective. Don’t do injections to just do them. I had a really good surgeon tell me that we could try this injections & see how it helped. If needed, we could repeat it. If the intervals between injections are getting shorter & shorter, then we need to look at a career change.

Where is your horse’s suspensory injury? Do you think the SI may be impacted because the hock injections aren’t working as well? Or is he flexing sore in the SI?

Go with your gut. If you’re doubting your gut, then take an objective look at your check book. I don’t know you, but you sound like a really good advocate for your horse. If you feel like you’re chasing it (soundness) you probably are.

Having said all that, congratulations on getting your horse to FEI without injury. I wish you the best with his recovery. He’s luck to have you.