Eventing
Charlie
Well done to Charlie who has qualified for Badminton Grass Roots BE100 championships in 2015 following their excellent 3rd place in the BE100 3DE at Aldon Horse Trials. Charlie had periodic bowen sessions to keep him in good shape and help him stay on form!
Hestia
Hestia is a 12yo eventer who was generally very stiff through her back and hindquarters. At BE Novice level she would normally have about 3 fences down showjumping with the odd stop in the showjumping phase.
When I did the initial assessment she appeared to be very tight through her back and weak through her hindquarters. There was limited swing through her back when she walked and trotted, and the muscles in the chest and shoulder area were tight suggesting that the forehand was providing a greater than desirable role in propulsion. Her pelvis was rotated right. Her first treatment revealed a defect in the tail - a deviation in the tailbone towards the bottom which could have been there for many years - possibly a fracture to the tailbone sustained as a foal.
After three treatments Hestia's movement had improved substantially with more elasticity in the muscles over back and hindquarters and more swing in the movement. Symmetry has also improved and there was less tension in the chest and shoulder area.
Tubby's rider is extremely happy with the improvements as Tubby's showjumping has become much more athletic and she is now able to jump clear at BE Novice level.
Easter
Easter is an event horse who started life on a professional yard before being sent showjumping as her dressage wasn't good enough. She was generally quite anxious when being handled and being ridden. She would pull back when tied up, was funny about her head, and very unhappy about being tied up at competitions. She was "stressy" in dressage test. She was a difficult horse to keep weight on.
After three Bowen sessions she was much more relaxed when tied in the yard and better when at competitions. Her flat work was improving as she was finding it easier to stretch through her back and stay round in her work. Regular sessions have seen her continue to progress and her overall demeanour and condition have improved. Unfortunately she had a few months off in 2014 after a fall when XC schooling caused injury to her knees. We are looking forward to seeing her competing again in 2015 after a winter of practicing her dressage.
Juno
Juno was diagnosed with "Sacroiliac Disease" in early 2014. However she did not respond to 3 attempts at injecting steroids into the sacrum. A further scan concluded that there were 3 options. Another attempt at injecting the sacrum, retiring as a brood mare in the hope the pain would dissipate with no work, or euthanasia.
Fortunately her owners contacted me to see if I could help. She was very lame behind in trot, especially on the left rein. She was completely unable to canter left and was very uncomfortable in right canter. Twelve weeks after her rehabilitation commenced she was fully sound and fit enough to compete in a BS Discovery competition.
Juno received Bowen therapy on a weekly basis during the rehab process. However there were several other factors which had to be addressed. The hoof balance was very poor on all 4 feet. Long toes and low heels on hind feet put a lot of stress on the sacroiliac (and stifles, hocks, suspensory ligaments). She had clearly had a saddle which had caused significant tension / atrophy of the long back muscle. An injury to one of the adductor muscles had left significant tension and scar tissue. Both hamstrings were very tight. And there was a high probability she had ulcers. Daily rehab work involved lunging long and low in an "Equine Posturaid" initially until the back muscle started to move again. The shoes were removed and frequent trimming commenced to get the heels and the frogs back into a functional state. At week 4 ridden rehab work commenced. Her progress was monitored carefully as her ridden work was interspersed with lunging and weekly bowen sessions.
By week 15 she competed in and unaffiliated ODE. Week 17 saw her first affiliated event where she went double clear finishing in 8th place. She competed in another 4 events before the end of the season with clear in all XC phases and only one fence down in all of the SJ competitions. She will spend her winter working on strengthening so she can upgrade to Novice level in 2015.
Woody
Woody was an event horse who was not having a good time. He had chronic hind limb lameness which had been given 3 different veterinary diagnosis - Suspensory Desmitis, SacroIlliac Pain and Kissing Spines. Each had come with some level of associated treatment but none had created a long term improvement in soundness. He had very poor posture and was very tense and worried.
My assessment was that Woody had significant pain around his second neck vertebrae and in his lumbar vertebrae. This was also having a significant impact on his SacroIlliac (SI) area and on his hocks.
Initially Woody's shoes were removed and careful rebalancing of the hind feet was carried out in an attempt to help the hocks and SI. He had 3 bowen treatments over a period of 6 weeks which were sufficient to get him sound. Then the rehab program started. He spent the next 3 months walking and trotting in a long and low outline enabling him to use his body correctly. Once his new posture was becoming well established he was able to build up his work and 6 months after the initial treatment he successfully returned to eventing going double clear in his first outing. Treatment was given throughout the rehabilitation period to ensure that he could remain relaxed and working correctly as he changed the way he was using his muscles.
Its great to see this horse back in work and much happier now the pain has gone.
He was thermal imaged in April 2014 and this revealed that there are no hot spots anywhere on his back.
He is now competing at BE Novice level and will continue with his eventing in 2015.
Sprout
Sprout is a promising young event horse who has progressed to advanced and 3* level very quickly and easily. I initially treated Sprout early in his career when his muscle over his right shoulder was more developed than the left side. He was finding medium canter hard becoming disunited.
He was not symmetrical over his hindquarters in walk and his tail looked quite tight.
After two treatments he was feeling stronger in his movement and his hindquarters were moving more symmetrically.
A knock on a cross-country fence was quickly followed up with a Bowen treatment to ensure there were no longer term effects.
Since then Sprout has received regular treatments to ensure he stays in good shape, addressing any small issues before they become significant. In particular it has been important to work with the farrier on the hoof balance of his hind feet as clearly the correctness over the hind quarters is important to his long term soundness and performance in this sport.
Strider
Strider was initially treated when he was age 5. He had successfully started his eventing career and his rider wanted to give him the most help he could to ensure he could be sound and successful throughout his eventing career.
In his flat work he was finding the right rein easier. He was reluctant to hold inside rein contact on the left rein and had a tendancy to tip his nose to the left. Over fences, he would land with more weight on the right shoulder. He was also quite worried about having his saddle on.
His walk was reasonably symmetrical but he was moving wide behind and there was not much swing to his steps. Also his right hind had developed more muscle.
After two treatments, his rider reported that he was feeling much freer in all his paces and had become quite cheeky. There was a marked improvement in his walk indicating a much greater level of freedom and softness in his muscles throughout.
After three treatments Strider was much happier in his work. Maintenance treatments throughout the event season enable Strider to remain in good shape.
Limerick
imerick was a 10yo advanced event horse. He has always had a rather stiff and stilted gait, but about 4 months prior to starting treatment, his rider felt there was something not quite right. The horse was giving the feeling that he was holding himself tightly over the bigger fences giving the impression there was pain present. The vets investigated the problem and concluded that Limerick had "Kissing Spine". Injections were given around the affected area, and the vet also advised that additional complimentary therapy might be beneficial.
When treatment commenced, the horse was also suffering from an infection in the fetlock joint on the off hind which has also been treated by the vet, but had residual swelling. After 3 treatments a significant improvement had been seen. His rider commented that "He feels very good. He is much looser and now jumping very well. He came Sixth in his OpenIntermediate competition last weekend, the best result he has had all season." She added "The swelling in the fetlock is also much better".