Friday, March 13, 2015

Chiro, More Jumping & the Universe



On Tuesday Hemie had his first chiropractic/acupuncture/acupressure appointment with a highly recommended vet.  It was a shocking experience for me. In fact, I got a little nauseous and had to sit down halfway through the appointment!

He started with palpations all over the body, quite hard. Hemie expressed a lot of grumpiness and it pained me to see him so bothered. The vet explained that these were specific trigger points that indicate issues in other parts of the body. For example, Hemie showed discomfort at a point in his left shoulder which the vet said indicated a problem in his leg. I admit I was skeptical.

Then the vet did manual therapy, including some very solid yanks and shoves (technical terms, I'm sure). He maneuvered and yanked the left knee, and then palpated the shoulder spot again - no negative reaction! I was impressed.

But I must say it was hard to watch. And listen to, with the sound of joints popping left and right! Seriously if he hadn't been (a) a vet, and (b) come highly recommended by people I trust and respect, I would have flipped out and told him to stop. Hemie didn't seem bothered by the therapy though. After the manual therapy the vet did all the palpations again, still quite hard, and Hemie showed no sensitivity at all.


Then the acupuncture was performed along specific points of the body. Hemie showed no discomfort with the needles or the B vitamin injections, and in fact looked pretty relaxed and zoned out within a few minutes. The goal is to stimulate specific healing functions in the body.

Overall it was a very unique experience and I'm interested to see how Hemie feels once he's back in work (the vet gave us recommended rest of days, light work days, etc).



Then I got another jumping lesson on Justin. Happily, I was a much better rider than on Saturday. It helped that we did some courses with short bending lines that forced me to ride in the moment and use instinct and feel. I didn't have time to get nervous and over-think. Justin was a trooper but did have a few bucks in his system. It was a confidence boost to not only get us through some courses, but deal with the minor shenanigans without issue.





The Universe has been moving things into place in regards to Hemie and me. Opportunities have come up for both of us that are too good, and too timely, to ignore. The details are still being worked out but I hope to have some news in the coming week or so. Thank you again for all the positive thoughts sent our way.



18 comments:

  1. In a way, I bet you are relieved that the vet found something!! But at the same time, I can certainly echo your slight sadness at his discomfort. At least he is getting help now :) Hopefully things improve for you both riding wise now!

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    1. Yeah it's kinda double-edged, but ultimately I hope it makes him feel better and that's the most important thing.

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  2. Excited to hear what the universe is bringing!

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  3. great to hear everything in this post!

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  4. Was this Dr Muller? I think he does work up and down Cali. My old trainer up north used him all the time for and many appointments fit your description. He is awesome.

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    1. No, a different vet. Luckily we have a good selection here in California.

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  5. It was uncomfortable for Laura's mules and Lucky at first too, after it was done it had great benefits for their bodies. Something the chiropractor she uses says is that using it multiple times is helpful. I'm glad that things are going well for you!

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  6. So happy to hear things are falling into place for you!

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  7. Henry loves the chiro!!!

    Can't wait to hear what's going on and hopefully its great news for you both :)

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  8. Hmmm so much suspense in that last bit. :) glad he liked the chirp work

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  9. i'll be super interested to hear your thoughts about how Hemie is doing when he comes back in to work-esp as i've been considering acupuncture for my mare... anyway tho i'm excited to hear what the universe might have in store for you!!

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  10. OMG that sounds SO scary with the chiro/acupuncture treatment! I would have felt a bit dizzy too I believe... Hope it works out well! :) /Ida

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  11. Oh, Sarah! I am laughing so hard!!!!! I thought you'd totally dig the process. Sorry I didn't give you a clear enough picture. :0) I am eager to know if Hemie feels better. My boys ALWAYS feel better after a day or so. Let us know soon. :0)

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  12. So, Archie has been seen by two different chiropractors. The first one, Dr. R, was the sort like yours: sharp yanks, tennis balls all over the place, pens in the spine and just.. force. The second, Dr. V, was much gentler in her manipulations. Easing the joints into alignment or whatever.

    Honestly, Dr. R had quicker responses. Archie was chewing and yawning almost immediately, whereas Dr. V took several visits to illicit the same response.

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  13. Glad to hear things are moving along. Looking forward to hearing what is in store!

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  14. I hope we like Mr. Universe! <3

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