Stiffness when riding
Kasane has always been a very limber girl. She can reach for a treat all the way back to her hip almost at her croup. All I have to do is show her the trip, tap her hip, and she reaches around for the treat. She’s done that since she was two. It’s a way to get her to stretch her neck and reward her after a ride.
For the past three weeks, she’s reached around like a champ on the right side. She hasn’t been as flexible on her left side. It’s taken several minutes of coaxing her to reach around even past her shoulder for a treat. When we’ve ridden, she’s been stiff on her left side.
She’s never made faces when I’ve asked her to bend or to carry herself. She hasn’t given any outward sign that her neck was bothering her — except for her reluctance to reach around for a treat.
After several weeks of her flexibility not improving (even with multiple rides and even a clinic and lesson), I called the chiropractor.
Kasane was adjusted this morning. Her atlas joint in her neck and four vertebrae on her left side were out of alignment. The chiropractor said that Kasane would be feeling a lot better now. After 72 hours of rest, I’d be able to ride and see how she felt.
When I walked Kasane in before her appointment, she walked at a normal speed. Relaxed and not hurried. After her appointment, she felt a lot better. She trotted in place while we walked back out to the field. She felt so much better.
I can’t wait to ride her this weekend.