Hi all. I’m feeling a bit down and discouraged about my horse and I don’t have much of a support system at my barn. My guy is a big 17hh unraced 8 year old TB. The chiropractor thinks he broke his hip at some point when he was very young. His pelvis is not level but he’s sound and the chiro thinks he’s an amazing horse that will go up the levels when he is able to hold his adjustments. She says his muscles have a long way to go in reforming to hold his pelvis in place properly because he has been messed up for so long. We essentially started over with him in August - went back to trotting for two months then canter in October and jumping a little at the end of November. He has been doing great - holds most of his adjustments but sometimes he doesn’t so we’re going to cut out the jumping and limit the cantering until he’s holding them. It’s winter and we’re stuck in the indoor mostly which is frustrating in its own but this setback really got me down. Especially because my trainer is not particularly encouraging and can be a tad negative. The barn is the best in the area though with indoor and lots of hills and trails etc. I guess my question is: how do you keep your chin up without a support group when the odds seem stacked against you? In other words, how do you keep going day to day… When yes you know that you will get there eventually but most of the people around you (vets excluded) have given up hope or never had it at all.
I had a gelding that had SI injections early on in his life (I think he was 8? 7?). It was a long process to build up his strength but the two things that helped the most with him were Estrone (sp?) and LOTS walk/trot poles everyday. You can’t use Estrone if you’re showing, obviously, but using it for three months really made a great difference with my horse and his freedom of movement and willingness across his back.
The walk and trot poles really built up his hind end and improved his way of going.
I’m sorry you don’t have a great network of support at your barn.
Thanks 
just a rough few months. And it just got a bit rougher. Now his current chiro isn’t as confident in her initial assessment that he would move up the levels. His other chiro and a top vet are still behind him. I’m super lost. He is a really great horse- honest, kind and smart. I thought I’d found the perfect horse for me (I’ve had him 3 years this January). Wasn’t able to diagnose his pelvis being “out” until 2 years ago.
Oh man, I hear ya.
I also have an 8 year old TB with an SI injury. I don’t know when or how he’s done it but hes basically only been hacking since July.
I did a series of chiro and acupuncture and it didn’t work-probably because he managed to re-injure himself after he started feeling better.
Around thanksgiving we started him on muscle relaxers, an anti-inflammatory and a 10 day cycle of something else- which helped but he still wasn’t right so 10 days ago we injected his SI-which has seemed to help a lot. He’s still on the muscle relaxer and anti-inflammatory. Actually had to put him on a long term tranq as well so we could attempt to turn him out, but so far its been a no go. He is determined to hurt himself and it sucks.
We are doing a lot of walk work and I’m supposed to start lunging him in side reins over raised ground poles but the weather is not cooperating for that so well.
He also was supposed to be my upper level prospect, I’ve also had him for 3 years. At this point, I’ve given up on him being that horse-although the inner little girl in me thinks all of this has happened for a reason and we are meant to do great things (hehehe) but then the realist side of my brain takes over.
I think if your “team” has given up hope then you need to find a new team. I’ve had several people (friends, my mom etc) recommend that I give up, give the horse to a rescue and move on- I’m a young professional, I don’t have the money to keep dumping into a horse that may or may not be sound (thank god I insured him.) But, I feel like I owe it to the horse to try and fix him. The vet, who is an excellent sporthorse vet, thinks that he will eventually be fine. Whether or not he will make it as an event horse, I have no idea.
We can have a broken horse club and be our own support group. It sounds like your horse is a little more sane than mine.
I was dealing with a possible similar injury/weakness with my mare last spring. Training well, competing and then just NQR. After a full work up- radiographs, ultra sounds, etc, all coming back clean, my vet chalked it up to a strain or pull in her hind end caused by weakness in her SI. However, there was no inflamation or heat. She doesn’t have the same issue of a possible broken hip, but there was a lot that was not even, from pelvis to shoulders.
My vet, who does my horse’s chiro said that the next 6 months or so would be rebuilding of the muscles and getting everything aligned. My trainer, vet and I put together a rehab plan that involved going back to the beginning. Ours was a bit more of the slow route than yours sounds like. June- October were w/t, building in lateral work and hills. She was allowed to canter lightly the end of October and is now back into novice/training level flat work. She is still not jumping, mostly due to the not wanting to push her until we are sure she is more than capable of handling it.
We had her on a schedule of chiro twice a month until october, when it dropped down to once a month. Each time she has been easier and easier to adjust. Her back and hind end look great and her muscling is even and correct. Once she reached a good amount of correct muscle in her topline, I had a fitter out to make sure that her saddles were good. We ended up ordering a new dressage saddle.
It sounds like you might have to go even slower with your guy that you might have originally planned. Its worth it in the long run though- once his muscles are developed correctly, they will hopefully be able to keep everything in line better. Just focus on getting him to use himself correctly. I would stick to using one chiro so that they can monitor his progress.
As far as your trainer not being supportive… she might be trying to be realistic and not get your hopes up. My trainer was very positive about making my mare stronger and working with me to give her the best chance possible, but we never really discussed the future past that week. Horses are really hard to place hope in and its hard to predict if/how a horse will come back or how far up the levels it will go. Even when it is sound.
That being said, hang in there. Maybe keep a log of what you do each day with him, so that you can see the progress. Take all future plans off the calender and just take one day at a time. It seems to go faster that way.
[QUOTE=Hey Mickey;7329440]
We can have a broken horse club and be our own support group. It sounds like your horse is a little more sane than mine.[/QUOTE]
Hehe… is yours also one that can’t do stall rest, runs and bucks in turnout and practices sliding stops when its time to come in?
[QUOTE=graytbmare;7329446]
Hehe… is yours also one that can’t do stall rest, runs and bucks in turnout and practices sliding stops when its time to come in?[/QUOTE]
Yes…How’d you know? ha
He had a 7 panel round pen that he was turned “out” in and that proved to be too much space for him.
I ended up having to move him unexpectedly and the place he’s at temporarily doesn’t have a place for him to go and I just can’t trust him. He
I’ve had this all the time with my horse… So many people saying ‘just shoot it’.
You have to grit your teeth , bury your head, and keep going.
H wave machines are worth their weight in good- use one of these as much as possible. Use the best osteopath , the best farrier , the best fitting saddles, and plenty of lunging over raised poes in a Pessoa . Lots of flat work , transitions, trial rides and plenty of hills.
Sorry for the rough time, OP.
SI strengthening takes time. You only just started over in August, so I would definitely not give up hope, especially with a 17h big boned guy. The big horses take longer to strengthen. Estrone, cavaletti, and hills are your best friend for the next 6-12 months.
If your horse has a good brain and wants to be your partner than stick with it, we’ll be your support group! I am curious as to why you have two chiropractors. Even the best providers often take separate paths to an end goal, dueling treatments can sometimes muddy the waters (unless they are working as a team).
As far as “going up the levels”, perhaps take a moment to define to yourself what you want that to mean. What are your realistic goals with this horse? Most sound horses can easily make it to Training. Is that where you see yourself in 3 years? 5 years?
Best of luck. The good thing about SI is they are best remedied with time and strengthening
Thank you all for coming to my rescue. I was in a really bad place yesterday (and not so great a place these past few months) and your messages have me slowly digging myself out of my pity hole.
HeyMickey - Yes! Commiseration! I understand completely feeling as though you owe it to the horse to try to fix him - mine is definitely that type of horse and I also have that little girl inside telling me we’re going to defy whatever odds are against us. I am also realistic but gosh I hope that little girl is right for both of us! Why must they be so fragile…Mine is not sane at all - My chiro told be I should teach him how to ice skate because he’s he can be such a loon. He’s this big long legged thing who is SO hard on himself. He’s super sane under saddle but in turnout he’s fine 95% of the time and then something just blows in his mind and he loses it. He has been known to tear, flat out gallop, around his paddock for 5 minutes straight for no reason at all. He climbs into his huge water tub, he walked over a wheel barrow once without hesitation. Into and over it. He is a whacko. And like yours he is very hard to rehab because of all that. It is certainly a long road. My gut says don’t give up on him, a big name vet hospital says don’t give up on him, but now my newish (my old chiro moved away) chiro is wavering after speaking to my trainer who knows nothing about these issues. It’s just unfortunate. He shone in his first novice this summer- was an absolute star. Then he slipped in August doing a stunt in turnout I’m sure and went all out of whack. I had high hopes of him being my greatest show companion. I’m hoping if he can’t handle that perhaps he can be the greatest hunt horse who dabbles in dressage and some smaller shows. Perhaps it is all an issue of even slower strengthening. Perhaps I am expecting too much too soon. So your horse can’t do stall rest either? Mine rips his blankets off, eats the wall, chews on the window, throws his feed tub, tries to learn how to weave out his window, and screams. When finally taken out he might leap straight up in the air and try to run away, depending on how many days you have kept him from his precious turnout. When put in the paddock, to thank you for finally turning him out again, he will run away, buck and do some sliding stops into the gate. Because hey, why not. And ACE? Oh yeah, he’s immune.
GreyTBMare - I completely agree and am heartened by your work with your mare. Mine needs to go slower. I thought he was just a very slow horse in building muscle so it helps me to know that your horse (and most) needed a slow schedule. A day at a time. Definitely. I have to remember that. And to breathe! I understand that my trainer should be realistic (even if it sucks to hear all that sometimes). She is a no nonsense, UL rider and is very good. But in this specific instance I felt as though she threw my horse and me under the proverbial bus. Long story short she had us do an exercise two weeks ago that was verging on too hard for him (too much collection at this point in time). That’s fine - no harm, no foul. Easier next time? No. Next lesson at least 3xs harder for him. Basically a zig zag of connected jumps - jumping one, roll back 10m circle to the next, switch leads, 10m circle to the next. He couldn’t do it at the canter - not many large horses could do this exercise properly. It’s VERY hard. She then told my chiro he’s not jumping well. I disagree. Horse jumps up to a 3ft course with no problem. He waits, he sits, he’s adjustable, he’s game, he lands and is not in a heap. Sometimes he even lands on the right lead! He’s gymnastisizing bounces like a champ - small ones, but still. He’s getting there. So my frustration lies in my trainer telling the chiro he’s not jumping well and my chiro thereby deciding his prognosis may not be as good as she originally thought. I’m sorry to vent, I’m not angry. I’m heartbroken. But ok. So we’re going to go even slower. I can do that. It’s just so difficult to rehab when you’re not sure what you’re outcome is going to be. I know though that they are horses and unpredictable (weak smile). I have a friend I can work with until my trainer and I can get on the same page. I sincerely appreciate all the input.
RoundTheBend - Thank you for your post. I am glad you underlined some of the exercises we already do and encouraged the best It makes me feel better to hear you state its importance because my farrier is the best and his bill is enough to make me cry! But he is definitely worth it. What are the H wave machines? I have tried the cold laser therapy and he likes it but I can’t afford to do that, the massage therapist and chiro all together :-/
ACMEventing - Thank you I do indeed just have one chiro - the first chiro was GREAT with the horse not the best guy for us. He let us move along too fast but he did think that the horse will be ok eventually. Now I have a great lady, super communicator, is very stern with me about slowly muscling up - no confusion about when to start doing what. She is SUPER conservative and I am on board with her 100%…The one thing I can say for him is that he held his first major adjustment for a year - I then made the mistake of not keeping up with the intense hill work (he needs to do more than a “normal” horse should) and didn’t realize he was losing too much hindend fitness. So it is extra discouraging that now, 5 months into this new schedule he is not holding all of his adjustments. It is encouraging to hear you all stress going slowly and building up the muscles over time. I know that’s the case but that doesn’t mean I always remember that.
I will keep plugging away. We really click. I’ve never had one like that. I think I just needed to know that there are people out there who understand where I am coming from. Who understand the frustrations and heartbreak of horse-ownership. The horse world can be surprisingly lonely when you’re going through a long rehab. Thank you all for making me feel better.
With the H wave machine you put electrode pads over the area of soreness and it contracts the muscles to a very deep level, increasing blood flow into the very sore and tight areas and offers a huge amount of pain relief. Some physios use it a lot in the UK. Other physios don’t like it because they feel it doesn’t solve anything. But I think it’s invaluable as you can then get the horse working better, build up muscle, and get them stronger, along with keeping up the regular H wave sessions to keep the horse moving and strong.
This page gives a bit more info-I’m not sure wether this is used much with horses in the USA but I think it’s an essential bit of kit, you can get your physio to buy one for you& show how to use it ( I don’t think the general public can buy thm off the peg)
The h wave is about £2,000 but I have a similar type of machine which I’ve just bought for £30 which a physio has said is just as effective… I will see but it seems to be doing the job so far!
Although I think that chiropractic work has its benefits and helps us temporarily feel better I do not agree that some adjustments can put a horse “back in alignment” unless you can show me proof with X rays of before and after.
Given all your problems with your trainer moving too fast and your chiro moving too fast it sounds like you might have some other issues going on. I’m not sure why an experienced upper level trainer would push your horse beyond where he was ready unless your trainer thought the issue was mostly in your head or that you simply needed a new trainer.
First off, I recognize you from your blog and those amazing personalized lead ropes!! Thank you for that website, I bought some of the presents for people at my barn there! They’re great.
Let me clarify so I don’t sound like I’m trainer bashing - I love my trainer, as a person and as a rider. She’s actually an upper level rider, not upper level trainer. She is an amazing rider and she can be very helpful but she is having a very challenging year. To add to that, she doesn’t understand chiropractic issues. She tends to think everything is behavioral or broken and trust me, I used to think everything was behavioral too! Chiropractic issues to me present first as what most people think is “brattiness” - It can be very hard to distinguish between when my horse is being difficult because he’s not feeling right and when he’s being difficult because it’s hard. There are some things right now that my horse cannot do that horses like him can. It’s not her fault, she doesn’t see a lot of horses like mine. She has never worked with one like mine and has from the beginning thought he was broken. She was very impressed this past summer with his progress but then he had to wreck himself in the paddock. Not so impressed anymore :-/ I don’t fault her for that. She expects a lot out of her horses and of herself and that’s why she’s an amazing rider. She will tell you herself she’s not a great trainer, it’s not what she loves, it’s not her passion. It’s something she does to make the money to pay for what she does love: riding. I understand that. She does have a habit of pushing a horse too hard sometimes. Other people from my barn will tell you that too. She was reprimanded by a vet for bringing along a horse recovering from a major injury much too quickly. She means well, but she can be impatient. She would also tell you that herself. Just a bit complicated as she’s the only trainer at the barn :-/ I do need a new trainer, at least until I’m on the same page again with mine, it’s just not possible at the moment as the barn (which she runs) is the best facility for a horse like mine - an indoor, outdoor, and a huge field with rolling hills to work him. Unfortunately outside trainers are not allowed, understandably, and I am currently working on finding a trainer I can trailer to. Maybe he won’t amount to anything in her eyes, but again, that’s not what I care about - I just need a trainer who can say yes, he has some issues, lets work on them and see where it takes us instead of saying he’s never going to get it. I got a chance to work with my old trainer from (far away) home briefly last fall and she thinks this horse has great form and a great mind. She encouraged me and was very helpful. It’s the encouragement that is so important.
I cannot offer x-ray proof for my chiropractor putting my guy back in alignment but I can tell you that when his back “goes out” (or rather the muscles on one side over tighten and pull the spine too much on one side) he gets a small bump in his spine. It is clearly visible. After she works on him that bump is gone and it usually stays gone. He doesn’t often go out in his back (only twice in 3 years) but when he does his behavior changes drastically and after his chiropractor he goes back to normal. His femur is the area where he usually goes out, he has an old muscle tear there, and when that goes “out” his canter can become disunited in tight turns or the canter can be just slightly weaker. When that is adjusted his canter is strong and forward again. Not x-ray proof, but it’s something. I’m not sure if that’s what you meant, but I thought I’d clarify (for my case anyway, I’m not sure the exact same is true for all horses).
I apologize for sounding like a witch in my earlier post - it’s just frustration. I am not blaming other people for my horses condition - he is my responsibility, not theirs. I am sorry to vent to you all and thank you for understanding.
That was a very well thought post, this must be terribly frustrating for you. Does your barn have a rule that horses must be in training with her? It sounds like, for the next 6 months anyway, that you have a clear picture of what you and he need: time, strengthening, and vet/chiro.
She may be an excellent rider but not the one that needs to direct this particular horse’s course of action, pushing too soon will only set you back. And, if I may be blunt, she earns her money (that finances what she loves ) by serving her clients’ needs. That means she works for you, and you have a say in what your horse does and what his value is to you. Whether or not he will make it to some particular level in her perceived time frame is inconsequential.
It sounds like your trainer has no interest in rehabbing horses. Which is fine. Some barns are set up where every stall needs to be occupied by an ‘in training client’, not just a horse that uses shavings and wastes the hay. Maybe I’m reading between the lines too much, but the trainer sounds like they would rather not spend the time rehabbing - they want to get your $$ from lessons and, worst case scenario if your horse breaks because he is pushed too soon, help find you a new horse. Sorry for the cynical view but I’ve seen the “duct tape them together” approach one time too many.
I would think long and hard about whether that is the right place for you right now. It might be the perfect place next year, when he is ready to transition to a harder schedule and more showing. But I would have a serious chat with the trainer about whether she even wants you there during the rehab period - she may have recommendations of local places that are more suitable to rehab. At the very least, maybe this discussion cues her into discussing your goals for this horse (i.e. I want to compete at X versus I will do whatever this horse can/wishes to do) and how that fits into her program.
If you do truly have to stay there, can you stay there with no lessons for now? I would back off and do what you know you need to do for the next couple of months, then ease the trainer back into a light lesson schedule. If she does not have your horses best interest - and respect for YOUR DECISIONS - I would minimize contact/influence as much as possible.
Personal pet peeve - nothing irks me more than trainers talking to vets/chiros without my permission or consent. I would nip that in the bud. My horse, my vet bills, my consent is required to discuss findings - the trainer does not get to dictate their personal opinions to the new chiro. If you want to have a group discussion and invite the trainer in - no problem. But they do not get to go and talk to the chiro (or more correctly, the chiro does not have permission to reveal confidential health information about a patient to the trainer). Unless this was granted, in which case I’m being overly sensitive.
Our horses must be twins. The only thing my horse doesn’t do is tear up his blankets. Thank god bc I don’t have money for replacing blankets.
We decided to put him on a long acting tranq. It really seems to have helped with the turnout situation. He still weaves like a crazy thing, and he isn’t all the way there 
but he hasn’t done anything stupid when he’s turned out, yet. I hate that he’s tranqed but its better than him re-injuring himself.
How come you decided to treat with chiro work?
I tried 3 different chiro’s (2 who also did acupuncture).
The first guy wasn’t a vet and was originally a people chiro and somehow ended up doing horses. He did a good job and at that point an SI injury was never mentioned. I used him a couple times.
Next guy was a vet who was known for doing chiro and acupuncture and was traveling to the area. He blamed the soreness on saddle fit.
Next lady was also a vet but at this point only did western medicine thought he was a mess (and he was) but also thought he had EPM but could be treated with herbs and acupuncture. So I did that and after a couple treatments he was deemed “better” but then a month later he was funky again.
Finally decided to call a vet, he determined it was an SI injury and he came up with a course of treatment that didn’t include chiro work for now.
Seriously, if you want to exchange email address or FB info let me know.
I haven’t read all of the posts, but I am just finishing with rehabbing my horse from an SI injury, so I thought I’d chime in. First–in my case I had the SI injury diagnosed by a vet who specialized in equine backs. The diagnosis involved a bone scan followed by ultrasound to locate the injury. The rehab was very specific and simple–but it was a program that took 6 months. The first 8 weeks she was on complete stall rest. I could hand walk in straight lines on hard surfaces up to 40 minutes per day. She was also on bute and we iced the area for up to 30 minutes per day. After 8 weeks, we started riding at the walk (spiraling circles). After a month of walk, we got to trot (same thing–spiral circles). After another month, we could canter. Entire healing strengthening process took 6 months and didn’t involve any chiropractic treatments, acupuncture, etc. My point is that SI injuries take a long time to heal and a lot of patience on the part of the owner/rider. It may be that your horse has never really healed properly from it’s original injury which is why the chiro treatment doesn’t seem to help for long.
It IS tough if your trainer/barn friends aren’t supportive and helpful about it. SI injuries are tricky because they don’t present like a lame horse (which no one doubts is a problem). Some days an SI horse might go very well and the next they are looking like crap (but not lame–just not going well). In my case some people (one trainer in particular) was convinced that my horses issue was just a bad attitude and not a physical injury. I felt like there was definitely something wrong (besides attitude) and worked with a good vet to find out the real problem. But it helped a LOT to have a vet confirm what the injury was and have some really ugly looking ultrasound images to prove to others that yes, indeed, my horse was injured and not just being a jackass.
Good luck–these types of injuries are very frustrating.
[QUOTE=Hey Mickey;7329490]
Yes…How’d you know? ha
He had a 7 panel round pen that he was turned “out” in and that proved to be too much space for him.
I ended up having to move him unexpectedly and the place he’s at temporarily doesn’t have a place for him to go and I just can’t trust him. He[/QUOTE]
You, OP and I apprently own horses with the same type of brain… or maybe they share one? 
From what you have said, it sounds like there might be two issues with your trainer. The first is what I have seen from some trainers I have dealt with in the past: They have the ability and resources to push a horse and move on if it can’t handle it. No fault in this; it is how they are successful moving up the ranks. However, it makes it REALLY hard for them to comprehend putting the time and effort to bring back a horse in your situation. You sound like you love your horse and would still give him a home, even if he doesn’t work out. This might inhibit your ability to afford another horse to replace him. I am in your boat- I have one 6 yr old pasture pet and the finances to only afford two. Rehabbing my mare was really my only option.
Second, your trainer doesn’t seem as open to other types of therapy/ rehab as she could be. Sure, it would be great if all horses stayed sound without any extras, but reality is that we push them to use their bodies in ways they probably wouldn’t otherwise. There are going to be times when supplements, chiro, H waves, etc are useful.
I think you might be on the right track of finding another trainer… but you could also just take the next few months to work with your horse slowly- no stress from lessons.
One thing about the chiro- In my experience, small readjustments are expected. Each time my mare was done, less was needed and everything went back in place easier. I think at her most recent there was just a vertebra or two. However, since mine plays hard outside like yours, expect that there will be that random appointment that is not so encouraging. Especially after he combines his best rodeo pony/racehorse/stunt horse into one day
I have rehabbed an SI injury on a self destructive TB myself so I can also commiserate!! My vet feels that my horse’s injury was due to him compensating for other soreness issues in the hind end.
In the end what worked for us was a physical therapy program. Chiro will not help. You can move the joints around all you want but if the muscles and other soft tissue aren’t strong enough to hold everything together, then you are just flushing your money down the toilet. We also started adequan to address the other hind end issues (hocks and stifles).
Our PT program was pretty simple: Trot straight down the long side. Transition down to walk. Walk the turns and short side. Repeat. Again and again, over and over. Nothing else. To keep from losing my mind, I got really good at sitting trot, trotting without stirrups, and transitions. Once we got the program going, it only took a couple of months to see a major difference. Adequan kicking in at the same time helped too! We did not have to inject the joint.
