Grace had her first chiropractic assessment and physical adjustment last week. Grace was 8 years old in April. She is a wonderfully powerful Dutch Warmblood who came into our lives 18 months ago.
Since her grand entrance nothing has been as i had planned. All for the better, and more of that another day.
She recently met with Margrit who described her as a journalist - observing, noticing and offering commentary on everything around her. A confident horse who had a loving start to life and is literally full of love to give having received enough as a foal, through quality time with her mother. Wow!
I wanted her to meet Sue for a chiropractic assessment as Margrit had detected some neck pain. From her ridden work she tends to set in her jaw and i wondered if the two could be connected.
Sue's assessment and treatment confirmed some neck pain which released before my eyes with Grace quite literally 'giving to the process' and physically 'asking' for the stretches Sue performed with her. As an aside it was reassuring to hear Sue talk to Grace before all moves and at one point reassuring Grace with the words " you know what to do".
As part of her physical assessment Sue asked to see her move on the lunge. After a warm up, walk, trot and canter on both reins Sue had seen what she needed to. Grace 'hops' from walk into trot (which i had mistaken as a learnt habit and blamed myself on poor riding as being the cause). Sue also noticed stiffness in the neck on one rein. Everything seemed consistent.
What i didn't expect was a further observation Sue made and what happened next. Bringing Grace back from canter to walk, Sue declared we were done. At that point she walked towards me into the centre of the circle Grace was still walking on. As she approached me she mentioned that Grace looked a bit locked up in her lumbar region. I was just about to ask why that might be, when Grace quick as a flash voluntarily broke from walk into canter. It was no ordinary Grace canter - which tends to be either the absolute minimum she can achieve or 'the barry sheen circle of death'. Instead she cantered actively, in outline on a small circle around the pair of us full of life. Within seconds Sue declared "strike that last comment" there's nothing wrong with her lumbar!
Now I know that human words aren't supposed to be understood by horses. But crikey-bobs - its hard for me to believe that with such an instant and clear expression of 'ill show you" demonstrated in front of our eyes. Sue and I both found it amusing. I must confess its stayed with me as more than just amusing. I really am left pondering how much of what we say do our horses 'get'?
So to all humans interacting with horses - if you have something negative to say about your horse please don't say it in ear shot. Unless you have a horse like Grace who likes to make it very clear when your are wrong!
Since her grand entrance nothing has been as i had planned. All for the better, and more of that another day.
She recently met with Margrit who described her as a journalist - observing, noticing and offering commentary on everything around her. A confident horse who had a loving start to life and is literally full of love to give having received enough as a foal, through quality time with her mother. Wow!
I wanted her to meet Sue for a chiropractic assessment as Margrit had detected some neck pain. From her ridden work she tends to set in her jaw and i wondered if the two could be connected.
Sue's assessment and treatment confirmed some neck pain which released before my eyes with Grace quite literally 'giving to the process' and physically 'asking' for the stretches Sue performed with her. As an aside it was reassuring to hear Sue talk to Grace before all moves and at one point reassuring Grace with the words " you know what to do".
As part of her physical assessment Sue asked to see her move on the lunge. After a warm up, walk, trot and canter on both reins Sue had seen what she needed to. Grace 'hops' from walk into trot (which i had mistaken as a learnt habit and blamed myself on poor riding as being the cause). Sue also noticed stiffness in the neck on one rein. Everything seemed consistent.
What i didn't expect was a further observation Sue made and what happened next. Bringing Grace back from canter to walk, Sue declared we were done. At that point she walked towards me into the centre of the circle Grace was still walking on. As she approached me she mentioned that Grace looked a bit locked up in her lumbar region. I was just about to ask why that might be, when Grace quick as a flash voluntarily broke from walk into canter. It was no ordinary Grace canter - which tends to be either the absolute minimum she can achieve or 'the barry sheen circle of death'. Instead she cantered actively, in outline on a small circle around the pair of us full of life. Within seconds Sue declared "strike that last comment" there's nothing wrong with her lumbar!
Now I know that human words aren't supposed to be understood by horses. But crikey-bobs - its hard for me to believe that with such an instant and clear expression of 'ill show you" demonstrated in front of our eyes. Sue and I both found it amusing. I must confess its stayed with me as more than just amusing. I really am left pondering how much of what we say do our horses 'get'?
So to all humans interacting with horses - if you have something negative to say about your horse please don't say it in ear shot. Unless you have a horse like Grace who likes to make it very clear when your are wrong!
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