All about my horses!

CISCO

CISCO is a very well-bred Missouri Fox Trotter. I won Cisco in a raffle. Normally raffle horses are young unstarted horses. But here is a horse that has been started and rode by someone I admire and I saw his sire at a horse show and he blew me and the cheering crowd away!
I won Cisco in a raffle at the Missouri Fox Trotter Super Horse show. The raffle money went to support Special Needs Kids.
Lordy…I’m 68 and got a new horse.

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Cisco and EPM – Stage One 2/8/2018

My horse Cisco was diagnosed with EPM not too long ago.  All 2017, we thought he had a stifle problem.  We were watching his back toes drag and first a limp on one back leg and then both legs.  During this time, I also became sick with internal bleeding.  My recovery surgery was a great success, but my body was weakened.  Cisco and I both needed rehab. 

Cisco improved greatly in the summer and we started riding at James A Reed, short to longer distances.  It was going great.  However, he was nervous on the trek away from the trailer and very concerned at things along the trail, even a butterfly. He would put his head down low and gaze with concern at tree limbs or uneven ground bumps.  

One day he stepped on one of his front feet and pulled off his shoe.  He tottered for about four steps before regaining his balance.  It was scary.  I was most concerned about the loss of the shoe. 

Perhaps he needed the shoe for balance.  Of c?ourse I knew this was a preposterous idea, but it was the best made-up explanation my worried brain could manage.  We got an emergency new shoe.

We went back on the trail the next day.  About a mile later, Cisco began walking in a terrible manner.  His four legs were doing a slow walk pace and it felt like his back legs were dragging. It probably was the most horrifying gait I’ve ever experienced.  We headed back with Cisco dragging his back legs to the trailer.  

We made an appointment for an acupuncture chiropractic session with Dr. Randy Hunenfield, Adrian, Mo., vet.

Cisco’s body was in bad shape.  His poll, withers and one hip was “out”.  His stifles were not in any pain.  Clearly this was not a stifle problem.  Cisco was given the whole chiro-acupuncture treatment.  We were to wait 30 days.  I was to keep a daily diary of Cisco’s condition. Dr Randy told me this is what EPM is like.  I scoffed. Cisco doesn’t have EPM.

The thirty days were awful. I had to ride Cisco shoulder-in at a very slow walk for him to keep his body balanced. But he still occasionally started dragging his hind leg and “tottering” off balance. Eventually, I gave up riding and just played with him on the ground. 

We visited Dr Randy at the 30 day mark and took a blood sample for EPM.  The test was conclusive for EPM!  It was raging high EPM.  

The problems with his vision was explained- EPM.  Stepping on his front foot was an EPM problem.  The dragging back feet is also EPM but appears to be a stifle problem and fooled me for a long time.  I had a lot of “advice”to cut the stifle and enjoy the magic cure.  

I hope this helps other horse owners dealing with mystery lameness.

Winter is upon us.  Cisco looks good.  I both eagerly await and dread riding him again as he might be well or still lame.

Here is the most useful EPM site that I have found.  http://epmhorse.org/

And now I have acquired a new horse.  Why would a seventy plus woman buy a three year old!  We’ll save that for another story!

Cisco EPM Story- Stage 2

Cisco EPM

Great News on the Cisco health story. Cisco visited Dr. Randy Huenfield on Monday, 7/23/18. Dr. Randy was very pleased. Cisco was in better physical shape than was expected. Cisco did not need any acupuncture treatment. All his points were clear. We had some minor chiro adjustment what you would expect from a well horse.
One day of rest and I rode him. There are muscles in his hind leg that are weaker. The EPM affects rear end muscles normally used, so other muscles have to compensate. That has been going on since this started.
He was better when I rode him. His muscles are still weak, but getting stronger.

I rode him today, 7/26/18. We started walking over poles for rehab stuff. We are only at a walk. It did occur to me that when I get him all collected and he is walking good, I might ask for a faster gait.
Dr. Randy called and left a message. One Blood tests show Cisco 25% better. The other blood test shows 50% better. He still in the EPM infection stage, but his body is fighting the infection!   I rode Cisco at Erin’s and was impressed with how much better he is. I did poles. I let Cisco go where ever he wanted. He did walk over the poles on his own. We rode 30 minutes at a walk. When he tried to speed up his walk, he limped. I stopped the limp immediately with a few leg yields.

After our 30 minute ride, I used the Red Light the rear end points. He did several things that showed he felt relief when I had the red light on some of his rear end points.
https://shop.photonichealth.com/horse

I’m going to get the magnetic sheet going too now that it is cooler at night.

7/27/18. Rode Cisco in round pen. Not long

7/28/18 rode Cisco at home. Went out of round pen and walked around barn area. We did get some long strides. Less lame steps than before. Is it the poles? Is the pasture uneven ground good for his muscle development?

Rode again and can’t stop the limping.

My Days are Special – Emma, Cisco and Fancy

I just got pictures from Florida showing Cisco’s arrival!

Cisco just traveled 1300 miles in a trailer. Tony Vaught made a special trip to get him. Cisco had gone into laminitis danger with his weight gain on the high sugar grass in Missouri. Horses get a version of sugar diabetes by eating too much sugar which is rampart in Central Missouri grass. This is called insulin resistance in horses.  Horrible pain called laminitis can result which heats up the bones in their foot to the temperature of a 400 degree oven and causes the hoof bones to rotate.  It can be very painful at the worst of it.  Many horses have died or caused their human to put them out of their misery. Our location got the rain that others in the midwest didn’t.  The rain causes grass to fill with sugar. Laminitis plus EPM nervous system disorder is too much.

Cisco will live on Bermuda hay in Florida.  Bermuda is very very low in sugar.  There are people who grow Bermuda hay in central Missouri, but they are hard to find.  Cisco will eat zero grass. There are no grassy pastures at the stable. Tony and Jenny will check his condition and figure out getting him healed as the weight loss happens. Cisco arrived in Florida with his midwest fall/winter coat .He will be itchy until the 90 degree heat makes him shed his winter hair.

Thank you to Tony and Jenny for taking him. They are gifted healers, horse developers with a big heart. Friends and trainer since mid 90’s when I started my journey with Sage and Velvet. (Cisco is related to Velvet also).

Since Fall has started in Missouri, I can exercise outside.  I’ve started walking.  I took Emma and Sulley over to the lake on the turf farm.  I thought maybe I could walk around the lake.  This is the farthest I’ve ever taken Emma outside the home property.  Oh no, she ran far away from me and disappeared.  Both her and Sulley were gone.  I yelled and yelled.  EMMA  EMMA EMMA sixteen to twenty times.  By the time I walk back home and get the car, she will be on highway 7 headed for Harrisonville.  Yes, that happened two weeks ago.

But, Emma appeared.  She heard me.  She started coming to me.  sigh  sigh sigh.  Her GSD trot covers a lot of ground in a short time and there she was beside me.  I was on the opposite side of the lake headed towards home.  Emma stopped every 2 minutes to smell the delicious grass.  Ahead I spotted a large goose “herd”.  They are migrating.  I’d say there were about 50 geese.  Oh Joy!  Won’t Emma have fun chasing the geese.  I walked toward them.  Emma kept stopping.  I yelled at her, “Emma come on!  You have an adventure ahead.”  Emma non verbally told me that the grass smell was way more fun. The grass contained a lot of goose droppings.  She had never smelled so much goose stuff before in her life! We got closer.  I decided to use my scarf as a leash.  Emma and I fought over the scarf.  I won, but the geese were getting leery now and walking away from us.  I let the scarf loose and started whispering to Emma.  I didn’t want the geese to hear.  Emma ignored me.  We got closer to the geese.  Surely she would see the geese now.  Nope.  The geese finally decided we were a threat and flew up and away.  Emma paid absolutely no attention to the flapping geese wings.  Oh wait, there are more geese over to our left.  I crept towards them.  Emma ignored them.  The geese flew away.  Thus ended our adventure walk for the day.  I did so want to see her chase the geese.  sigh…

Now it is time to head for the stable to play with Fancy.  She is forlorn without Cisco.  I feed her while grooming her.  We load up the saddle and head for the arena.  We played the “Touch It” game.  I point to something and focus on it as I “send” Fancy to it.  It is a cone.  She goes to the cone and chews it.  Good Girl!  I point to the mirror and send her to it.  She admires herself.  We do that with more cones.  She’s getting the idea.  The “Touch It” game is fun and builds confidence in the horse along with having fun.

Our new game is a matching slow walk.  Our front legs must match.  My right leg and her right leg must in unison.  I set the very slow speed.  Occasionally I stop with one leg in front and so must she.  I pick up the front leg and walk it backward. Her front leg must match.  I have a lot of fun with this game.  She’s getting the idea.  This makes us a pair.  We are building a relationship where I am 51% and she is 49%.

Our next game is the circle around me at the speed I want.  We are having trouble with the walk to the first fast gait and maintaining the gait.  She gets it and I ask for the canter.  I canter and she canters.  Mostly I canter in place while she canters around me.  She loves to canter.  She will pick up this game fast.  We then practice on transitions down, up and stop.  It’s difficult.  This is the first time I’ve played this concise of a circle game with the precise transition gaits.  It’s fun for me.  She has to pay 100% attention to me or the game changes suddenly.

Fancy is ready to ride. I missed the Dave Ellis clinic as Fancy had a sore back, possible sore stifle and possible sore mouth.  We will find out what is going on with her physically on Monday.

The first group lesson, Dave had the riders use their halter and lead rope to ride.  I thought, OH boy!  If I had been there, Fancy and I would have done that.  Today I rode Fancy in her halter with the lead rope.  I did use the carrot stick too for guidance. I ask for direction changes with my body, then the lead rope.  If those are ignored, the stick comes to her nose and persuades her to go where I’m focused on.

Well, that was about as much fun as it could get!  I would have lived through that part of the Dave Ellis group lesson.  We did the four barrel clover leaf pattern. We tried to speed up, but had the same negative reaction when I asked her to move faster.  Ears pinned, head up with a non verbal NO.   Erin came in to ride a training horse, so we followed, did a 360 and caught up with the horse…or tried to catch up.

Finally, I thought we had done enough.  We side passed to a “bridge”.  I swung off and did an amazing dismount.  Usually, I free both legs and drop off the horse, but for some reason today,  one leg stayed in the stirrup and my other leg swung down to the bridge.  I have never successfully dismounted like that.  I never thought my legs would be that flexible.

What a great time I had today.  Fancy came home with me and is with her herd at home.  The lead mare lets Fancy stay with the herd, but limits the distance to about two horse lengths.  She is close to being a member of the herd, but not quite accepted yet.  Fancy will get to enjoy a lot of grass and being with a herd.  Monday is her vet appointment to find out what her body and mouth are doing.

Playing with Fancy brought drops of joy into my life.  I thought about how much fun I had without being depressed at Cisco’s EPM lameness.  My joy turned into teardrops of joy. There was mist behind the the joy drops.  I miss Cisco.

Now I’m wondering if I can FACETIME Cisco.  Should I request Jenny to hold a computer up to his head so I can chat with him.  Uh, I don’t think he would communicate with me.  never mind.  Horse women are crazy and we love it that way!

“Powder Perfect” Spring Show 2018

I showed Powder at the 2018 Spring Show. I was thinking about how different it was showing an experienced horse who knows more than me, compared to showing Cisco his first year. At the end of my reining patterrn, the judge summed it all up for my Cisco experience. At the completion of the pattern. I went over to show the judge Cisco’s bridle. He said, “Well, you lived through it.” I lived through Cisco’s first year of showing. That was the goal.

Riding Powder was an experience on the other side of the scale. Powder has skills that I lack! My stress was being good enough so that Powder could be perfect in the arena. I had about thirty days with Powder to work on transitions, gaits, and cues. I did not have to worry about Powder getting nervous or spooking. That was really cool. I had a two day clinic with Jennifer Vaught and two group lessons with Erin Patterson in that thirty day timeline.

I’d like to report that I did as well as my skill level allowed. Powder and Jennifer Vaight’s expert coaching allowed me the cross the line and see what versatility show-ring finess is all about.

A third side to all this is being grateful that I am able to ride. I remember bragging years ago to friends about Sally Scott, hero to all of us in the Versatility world. I said, “Sally is still showing and she is in her 70’s”. I realized this year that I’m still showing and I’m in my 70’s. Seventies is not old! Scream!

Love, Language and Leadership – Not There Yet with Fancy!

Those are the three core words that guide my life with horses. This is a story about the invisible feel and bond between my beloved Cisco and I.


Fancy is in round pen training with Cisco and I. Cisco and I show Fancy how to respond to my “language”. My desire is for the horse to come to me from several feet up to 20 feet from me. My signal is to bend my head to the side and focus my eyes at the flank area. My focus should communicate my desire that the horse turn towards me. Then I walk backward with shoulders positioned back communicating my desire that the horse come to me. As the horse walks to me, I turn around and walk away from the horse. The hope is that my horse will understand my language, feel the leadership and want to be with me. We end up walking side by side. Yes, it is magic.

Cisco and i demonstrate this to Fancy. Her attention was not riveted on us. Then I started communications with Fancy. We broke down the process to its small components. I could tell Fancy was not intrigued with my attempts at communication. I mistakenly thought the process was working. I told Fancy to move around the roundpen fence. Then I made a breathtaking Olympic non verbal body language communication with Fancy and was completely ignored. Fancy did not turn toward me nor made any effort to join me. I tried again with a gold medal performance when I felt a presence next to me. It was Cisco! He had come from behind me.

Even though I was not directly communicating with Cisco, he recognized the language. He came to me and stood next to me.

Oh Lordy, I love this horse. We have Love, Language and Leadership..

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Farrier Day for Cisco and Fancy

Farrier Day! We did not have a Fancy training session before the trim! She did argue just a bit when he was holding her front leg. When she argued, she was off balance and fell on her front knees. That was a huge learning lesson for her. She did not argue at all during the back leg trim. Fancy was in the round pen for a long time during Cisco’s trim, Tony rode Cisco and after, he reshod one back hoof.

I let Fancy out of the round pen and was hanging around. I got on the safe side of Cisco-away from Fancy. She got behind us about 30 feet and started running at Tony with her ears back. He had the stick and threw up his hand. She swerved and trotted by him. He swatted her with the stick. “Don’t come at me with your ears back.” Then she cantered on and he admired her canter. Fancy learned a lot today!

When Tony rode Cisco, he did drag his right hip/leg, but recovered. They trotted and cantered. The last time I rode him, he drug that right leg and then teetered off balance on all 4 legs until 2-3 steps to recover. He is better. We have gone through this stage before….but before the treatment for EPM. We just started inflammation treatment. Next week is another EPM test.

Cisco and Susan in the Park

Cisco and I have been fortunate to get a trail ride partner. Hope is riding Lucky Star and I’m riding Cisco. Cisco and Hope are being rehabbed.

Cisco was rode for three years by his past owner. He was rode alone, along roads etc.. He was in trail training until his wildest spooks were the sudden stop and bracing his front legs. Then I won him in the raffle and he became my arena horse. It’s been about three years of both indoor and outdoor arena riding with a few trail rides.

Did he change? Nope, he still braces to a stop spook in place. He is nervous out in the wild, but he is a right-brain extrovert and gets anxious in unfamiliar places. He gets more anxious if he has to stop and stand still. Standimg still is not possible.

Here’s a little bullet story of how Cisco is doing

First Ride: nervous, wants to speed down the trail away from other horses. Rabbits, blind corners in trails where he can’t see, colverts, and anything else makes him ready to pop. He will follow behind another horse and control his forward speed. I use the reins often and they are much ignored. I try to let reins go loose between attempts to slow him down, but I’m nervous too. Halfway through our short ride, my knees hurt. Oh great, I’m bracing my knees in fear. We get back to trailer and my knees really hurt when I dismounted and landed on earth.

2nd Ride: Cisco just a little more relaxed. I am able to recognize when my knees are bracing. The knee pain is lessened. When I dismount, there is no knee pain.

Third Ride: I don’t remember the third ride

Forth Ride: That was when Hope and Lucky were arrested and ticketed. Someday, that story will be made available to all.

Fifth Ride: Cisco was calm and relaxed the entire ride. We rode with a nice calm horse named Storm. I believe he took all the burden off Cisco.

Sixth Ride: Cisco nervous again. No popping to a stop. Unable to stand still. Knees absolutely never hurt one minute. I’m getting relaxed now.

Cisco Buddy Sweet

Everyone calls this Buddy sour, but that is so negative for a dependence problem. Cisco has a personality that lends him to be dependent on others…usually a horse. Cisco and Lucky were boarded together this summer. I’ve been trailering Cisco and Lucky lately to a park where my friend got to ride Lucky.
At no time was Cisco able to let Lucky out of his direct sight. If Lucky walked behind a trailer, Cisco went hysterical. I had to saddle Cisco where he could see Lucky. If not, Cisco became immediately a basket case of nerves. Saddling him was nearly impossible as I didn’t exist as he swung his body around trying to see Lucky. I would have been stepped on or squished or the unsecured saddle would have been launched into space.

I just went with it. I also made darn certain that Lucky was in clear view when I mounted Cisco. I need a horse to stand still like a statue when I get on.

One day I delivered Lucky Star to Hope. When the truck and trailer came home an anxious Cisco was waiting for Lucky. I told Cisco he now owned two mares. Delta spoke up and contradicted that. She said Lucky Star was her boyfriend and if Cisco thought he could boss her around he would feel her teeth!

Trail ride date was upon us. Cisco and I got there first. Cisco had never seen Hope’s trailer. When she came lumbering into the parking lot, Cisco screamed and screamed and screamed. Finally the trailer came toma stop and we could see Lucky Star. Cisco relaxed. Life was good.

Until the end of the trail ride

We tricked Cisco. Lucky stood by our trailer when Cisco went in. The door shut and Lucky walked away. Cisco became frantic. I had to jump into the truck and move. Horses have to brace themselves when the trailer moves. That stops the frantic movement.

Yesterday was our next meeting. Hope and Lucky got there first. Before we came into sight of the parking lot, Cisco started screaming. He knew where he was and thinks Lucky lives at the park. We screamed until I got parked, let Cisco out and we saw Lucky.

Just Another Trail Ride by Hope Robinson


Our ride began on a lovely tree lined, shady trail until we encountered LIMBS DOWN. Ugh. No way to get through. We guffawed at the thought of getting OFF our horses to lead them through the branches. Get OFF? Then, remount FROM THE GROUND? Seriously? Nope.

Susan and I are loath to back track, but that was our only option. At the fork in the trail, we turned north. Low ground that had turned to ribbons of algae slop caused Cisco to LEAP across to save himself and Susan with him. It was SPECTACULAR! Cisco put much more effort into his launch than he or Susan needed. They lived.

Then, we followed a mowed trail into a sunflower field. Sunflowers weeks beyond their prime. We watched as herds of deer, hiding in the tall flowers, leapt to their feet to flee the field as we rode deep into their resting area. We retreated the way we had come.

“Run little possum!” Nope, he stared us down from the side of the trail. Did not budge. It could have been all over if he’d chosen to chase us!

Susan and I continued riding towards the road. Trees lining both sides of our trail, opening onto the road ahead. ZOOM! No sound. ZOOM! For a blink we see a bicycle/rider cross from left to right at sonic bicycle speed several strides ahead. Both horses saw the bicycle missile, thought to save themselves, and us with them! Good Susan Engle trained horses, reacted big, but mostly in place. After we assessed ourselves, we asked, “Are you OK?” Then, laughed. WE LIVED!

EPM NOT Stifle Horse Problem for Beginner Human Understanding

Turns out Cisco has EPM. It is a neurological disease. All info below did not apply to Cisco. We are in the midst of fighting that disease now. We are expecting 100% recovery.
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5/8/2018 More EPM Learning- more than a year has passed

Cisco remains lame when I ride him. Finally I got to take him to Dr. Randy again. Yes, most of the limping is on the right rear. But here is the deal:

The muscle in the hind end that is most affected by EPM has gotten weaker. Other muscles have to pick up the slack. On Cisco it is his hamstring muscles (which start above the tail and then splits up and goes down each leg) and the muscles of his stifle (which looks like the knee on the back leg).

The stifle soreness is amazing as we thought this was a stifle problem in the beginning. In the beginning, we finally determined his stifles were not sore and the problem was neurological EPM.

When this all started, it became difficult to get Cisco to pick up his back feet. Well, now I know his hamstring muscles were affected by this horrid disease.

Cisco had a chiropractic adjustment. He had a lot of out-of-place parts of his head, neck and rear body parts.

Next was his teeth with a power float. He had lesions in his mouth, so that had been uncomfortable.

After his teeth were smoothed, Dr Randy injected pain killer in all the “points” of the body where the hamstring and stifle muscles run. There was a bunch of shots into that black body which he didn’t feel because of the sedation.

Also, Cisco’s tear ducts had gotten plugged and his “eyes have been draining/running” for a year. Dr Randy unplugged the blockage. Insert an instrument into his nose which squirts water up till it comes out of his eyes. This is a layman explanation. The nose is a conduit to esophagus and tear ducts. Good Lordy!

Last, Dr Randy drew his blood for another EPM check.

I’m to wait 5 days and then ride him. I feel that Cisco was in a hurricane of pain relief!

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I was a beginning human in “stifle” when Cisco became lame on his right back leg this past February. Lame means limping in this instance. I had confusion about where the stifle is located in the horse. It was explained to me it was the horse’s knee. I’ve always been confused about the horse’s knee and the hock. I thought they must be the same, but from millions of conversations, I had my doubts. I always just pretended to know the different parts of the horse’s hind leg. Being in horses 20 plus years would make one assume that they understood horses’ joints. I was just too embarrassed to ask anyone about my knee and hock confusion. Normally I don’t mind showing my uneducation, but not on this subject! It sounded so easy. Oh was I dead wrong!

Here are parts of the horse-labeled

Here is a good article to start with except it doesn’t have a picture of a real horse. This article is just slightly frightening!

Here is the best article so far that I have read by immensely respected Nancy S. Loving. And it is frightening….

Here is an article with pictures and beginner understandable language. This article is followed by many many links to other informative stifle articles. Also this article has pictures which really help our beginner understanding.

Here is a detailed written explanation of how vet medicine is coming along with stifle lameness.

Here is the web site of a human and horse physical therapist who specializes in rehabilitation of the horse stifle. I bought her DVD and now understand more of what is going on. Also there is a great discussion amount different people who have tried most of the treatments that are done with the stifle. These treatments are what your vet will recommend for your horse. Horse and Hound Physical Therapy

The stifle lameness took me highs and lows from February to August. Lameness and seemingly recovery and then lameness again. Plus I was sick during this time. I was found to have an internal blood leaking problem which I self-diagnosed as a vitamin defiancy until I thought my heart would explode and went to emergency room! It has been a rough first half. There were tears about Cisco. Stifle! I hate that word and all the anguish.

Thank you good friend Mindy who guided me to The Horse and Hound DVD and now finding and reading these articles above. Thank you Tony Vaught for continue to improve Cisco’s body and leg balance with his shoes. Tony is a Healthy Stride Farrier and works with Linda Parelli’s horses when they are located in Florida.
I think we need to keep Cisco’s shoes on this coming winter!

I am still confused, but Cisco is now 85% sound in my opinion. I might be an intermediate beginning stifle learning human now.
Note: I was riding Cisco and put my feet out of the stirrups and pretended to ride bareback. Immediately, my toes went up and heels down. Then I felt it! I felt the wobble at the right leg stifle. Aha! Now I can feel it when my feet are in the stirrups. Try it.

Trail riding was going great with Cisco. His gaits were strong. I felt no wobbles for around a month. I left town for 10 days. His pasture situation is static. He and other horses walk occasionally about a football field to graze twice a day.
When we had our first trail ride his back feet were slipping like a very short slide stop. Hmmmm. Second ride we increased our distance from 5 miles to 7 miles. We were on about 4 miles when something went very wrong and a lameness napped for about 4 steps. He recovered, but I thought I felt a slight wobble. On the third ride at about a mile, he started laboring to walk. It didn’t feel lame. But it felt awful. We turned around and headed back to,trailer and he commenced to pace at a regular walk. That is an awful feeling.
I became hysterical. At home I saw him dragging his back toes. Stifle was back!
I called our local Magna wave person and after his treatment, his toes no longer dragged. He was using his hind end and picking up his feet. Yesterday I had the she replaced. Today is a massage.

I asked a Facebook horse friend group to tell me their stifle experience. Here goes:
>I had a little horse who had stifle issues and had the tendons in both hind legs cut. he was 7 or 8 when we had the surgery he did great lived to be 34 and never took a bad step after that. I used him for competitive trail rides and then my nephew rode him and then my niece rode him.

>I have a liitle mare with a stifle problem. It comes and goes. Right now I am using Magna Wave Therapy on her. It still comes and goes, but, it has really helped and so far she hasn’t been a candidate foe surgery or shots.

>my vet says cut it there will be no issues later no more then there is in any old horse they all get some arthritis he has never had any horses with issues later down the road i do believe this cause my barrel horse was clipped he did so good afterwards and my uncle bought him from me yrs later, he rode him in the mountains hunting then yrs later he was sold to a family to be a kids horse he never had any issues. yes gaited horses seem to have it more i have snip a couple it healed in a couple days and was riding in 4 days

>I know several that had the tendon cut and never had problems because of it. A couple lived to 30 and didn’t have arthritis in their stifles and several are late 20s now

>Chatted with a fox trotter show horse owner who had the tendons cut on their horse. Horse was soon recovered and doing great. The horse relapsed when shown in a small arena. Later horse was shown at World Show and won ribbons.

Talked to another that had stifle tendon cut. Horse is also a show horse and is doing great.

Chatted a couple months ago with a person who had gaited horse tendons cut. Horse went thru a lot of rehab and finally ended up with a rideable horse with a correct, but short stride.

>Dr. Frees at Wilhite and Frees veterinary is one of the few vets skilled at treating upward fixation of the patella. Instead of cutting the tendon horizontally, it is cut vertically in small inscesions: Medial patella ligament splitting .Works very well and the horse is still able to lock its leg at rest.

9/25/2017. Took Cisco to Dr Randy today. I was expecting Open heart surgery, kidney transplant, and brain surgery.
Instead he had a chiropractic treatment.
His left hip was locked. He had TMJ. His lower neck acupressure point tested positive.
All his muscles are tense. Back legs are stiff.
We are to switch to lower starch feed, start a magnesium supplement, exercise starting Wednesday, keep a diary and come back in a month.
I’ll let you know what feed we switch too later.
I’m not to expect immediate change for a week, so arena riding will work best. Also his history that I have recounted might signal EPM. (Don’t worry about that. I know it’s not EPM.). No pain was felt in stifle. Dr Randy asked me why stifle was diagnosed. He hasn’t cut a stifle for years. (It is the gaited horse magic cure.)


I’m having an extra large margarita in Celebration

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