The chiropractor came out tonight. Isis was sore (who knows from what). Maye she had been running out in the field and pulled something. Maybe she was sore from being worked (althoug once in a week wouldn’t seem to strain her).
Isis has learned a trick: if she hops her hind end up, the accupuncture needle won’t go in. These needles are long and very thin. You barely feel them when they are inserted. When the chiropractor went to insert an accupuncture needle, Isis jumped even before anything touched her. Smart little girl she is.
The chiropractor told me to hold Isis’ front foot up. Imagine the position: bent over holding a front left hoof with one hand and with the other trying to hold the mare’s head so she understands she doesn’t have free rein. (I’m really lucky she is well behaved. Most of the time.) One leg off of the ground and she *still* managed to bounce her rear end up when the chiropractor just tapped her rump. We laughed at that — this is one balanced horse.
We ended up getting the needle into the right location and Isis eventually cooperated. She is a silly critter.
Rajiyyah was ancy– she is in heavy heat and didn’t feel like standing still for anything. One of her don’t touch me unless you are a stud days. For the most part she was good about things. She has always been touchy about her neck. She is stiff in her neck — possibly from an old injury.
Normally with Rajiyyah you just speak to her and she understands. This time, whether it was hormones, bad day, wrong moon phase or what, she did not want to have anything to do with treatments. For the first time ever with her, I had to use a mild twitch (fingers placed on both side of her upper lip and squeeze — releases endorphins). I used a finger twitch briefly while we inserted the needles into known trouble spots on her neck. I released her lip and she was quiet, mouthing her tongue and relaxed. The needles really do help her. You can see it in how she relaxes and moves freer the next day. She just some times fights us when we are trying to help her.
The treatments we’ve been using with her have made a real difference in her performance under saddle. She doesn’t hurt when she moves now. Her feet are not sore. She is reaching out and getting under herself very well. Every now and then she just gets in her moods…
Overall they were both very good. I hated that I had to briefly twitch Rajiyyah, but better that then fight with her and have a bad experience.
