What we found with body work

Last night's body work session proved quite interesting. Dustin Hewett adjusted her poll, several ribs on both sides, relieved some tightness in her sacral area with stretches of her hind legs, and the most interesting part was her jaw area. Specifically, he said where her tongue connects was out of alignment on one side and it was putting pressure on her pituitary gland, which controls a lot of things including hormonal balance. After he adjusted her there by pulling her tongue out to the side and having her work her jaw, she released for about 5 minutes, yawning and licking and dropping her head low and relaxed.

I bet that feels much better!

I asked him about her mental/emotional state and he said that she is very guarded, not willing to let anyone in. Past issues? Most likely. We found an oil that she wanted- Angelica. I thought maybe Release but that was a definite NO! Here is what my book says about Angelica: Known as the "holy spirit" oil or the "oil of Angels" by the Europeans, angelica's healing powers were so strong that it was believed to be of divine origin.

It's uses include throat/lung infections, indigestion, menstrual problems/PMS and symptoms of dementia. It's fragrant influence assists in the release of pent up negative feelings and restores memories to the point of origin before the trauma or anger was experienced.

Very interesting that this is the oil she wanted!!! I sure hope it helps her get over what troubles her. He said to apply it 3 times a week on her neck about 4 inches behind her ears.

It is going to be very interesting to see how she does when I work her today. Can't wait!

Delia's follow up body work

Melissa came over yesterday to do another session on Delia. The first session was all about the things that were going on with her head and neck, some of which were affecting her vision. The preliminary testing yesterday showed that that is pretty well cleared up, just a little tweaking was all that was needed there. I guess that layer needed to be done first before moving on to the next issue. What Delia wanted worked on yesterday was her hind quarters. Her sacrum was sore, and a lot of muscles associated with it needed massage. We had a really good session, Delia made it really plain where she wanted to be worked on and exactly how long too!

Another thing about Delia- she really loves the essential oils and will sniff the bottle from each nostril. The ones she doesn't want she will turn away from, and the ones she wants get a good sniff and soft eye.

There was one point during the hind end massage where she brought her head around to her side and self adjusted a bone in her neck- we could hear it pop. Very cool! When Delia decided that Mel had done enough, she walked away and began eating her hay, like "okay, thanks we're done now!" It was about a half hour session.
Josie was standing by watching, and it seemed that the good energy Delia was getting was reflecting in her.

After Mel was done with Delia, Josie stood right by Mel, almost begging for her to do a little work on her too- of course, she obliged with a little work on Josie's poll. She said that horses with a busy, inquisitive mind usually need work on their poll area, and Josie apparently agreed.

I got a side pull yesterday, and the bosal is shaped and ready to use, so today I haul to the arena and I'll try both of them out and see which one works best. Yay- saddle time!

Delia gets adjusted

Delia got her visit from Green Haven Therapy today, and it was pretty much as I called it. Her neck was out, at the axis and C1. Of course, there are connected issues to that, with her teeth needing doing and tightness in her jaw, also tight neck muscles and several other places.

Check out that lip.... Melissa hit the spot!

Throughout all the poking and prodding, Delia was really well behaved, never once offered any cranky behaviour- she was a lady. This video shows Mel trying to get her neck adjusted- she did finally get it a little later.

When we tried the upward stretch, she couldn't lift her head very high, and was limited side to side. Also when she yawned when she got release, at first she couldn't open her mouth very wide. By the end of the session, it was about an inch or two wider.
Next week we will have a follow up session. We are getting rain today and tomorrow, so once it dries up again I'll turn them out again and see if she still drops her head to see- I think she will behave much more normally. There was a lot of licking and chewing and yawning at the end of this session, so I think she is feeling much better.

Ivermectin and dogs

Anybody out there use ivermectin to deworm their horses? You might want to read this.
I'm still looking for an alternative to chemical wormers, using products available in Canada. Anyone have any ideas?
Edited to add the links provided by commenters:
Wrm Clear by Equiopathics
Alpha Omega Para X

Feeding to prevent colds

In the fall, I usually have weanlings, and I've developed a feed program over the years that helps combat the onset of colds due to the weather changes and the stress of weaning. Since the mares get grain while they are lactating, baby has learned to eat grain from an early age, chowing down alongside mama, and at weaning they continue to get grain, and mama doesn't. As soon as the cooler weather hits, I start adding garlic to their feed, as well as dried nettles.

I also top dress with a good mineral mix. The garlic I feed is crushed garlic; this photo shows how much I give them, as well as how much nettles. I call it their gourmet dinner. Nothing like getting horse kisses with garlic breath!

Beamer and Chickory also get this concoction, but they only get about a cup of grain, just enough to mix everything up; they are plenty fat and are loving the hay from this area.

So to those of you who have stinging nettles in your barnyard; don't get rid of them; harvest them! Feed them to your chickens, your horses, your dogs ( the commercial feed I give my dogs has nettles in it) and even yourself!

Bugged by bugs

When I was working with the fillies today I noticed that they are starting to get bot eggs on their legs. No wonder they are rolling so much. I caught this video of Sparkle's dust bath, about halfway through:

She sure was enjoying it! It is still hot and dry here, and there are a few small forest fires from the lightning strikes a couple of days ago. Ted has gone firefighting , as things were slow at work for him. He is putting in long hours, and I pray for the safety of all those who are fighting wildfires.

Chickory is healing nicely, the swelling is nearly all gone and the wound is drying up.

Coyote Belle's is all good now too. Gotta love the oils!

I've been working on the Sunday Stills assignment, it sure makes you pay attention before you snap the shutter when you think about the balance of the composition. I have some good ones, though, I think. Looking forward to this one, there are such good photographers that contribute, and they sure are inspiring.

Hydrotherapy

On these hot days I could use a little hydrotherapy (like going swimming) but the hydrotherapy yesterday was for Chickory and Coyote Belle. They both got their legs cold-hosed, to reduce the swelling. I wasn't sure how Chickory would handle being sprayed, but she was pretty good. She actually loved it when I wet her down all over.

You can see the gash in this photo, right above her ankle, and the one just above it is only a scrape. I checked them both this morning and the swelling is going down and the wounds are clean, so I'm not going to go to the expense and trouble of giving them penicillin. Instead, here are my weapons of choice:

I use essential oils for nearly every medical condition that arises, from cuts and scrapes to digestive problems, colds, stress, pain and inflammation, etc. Even the dogs and cats get treated with them. I haven't used any pharmaceutical products on myself for 5 years.

Busy Beamer and chiro for Sparkle

Sunday was a busy day for Beamer. After Coyote Belle was bred (she was better behaved for him), he had a little rest, then I brought in the mare we have in for breeding, Honey, for him to tease. Last year she was really easy, but this year she is rather crabby with him. I'm pretty sure that it's because she is fixated on Coyote Belle and her baby;she spends a lot of time gazing at them over the fence, and gets upset when she can't see them, even though she is pastured with Chickory. She came in heat on Saturday night, but it took her about 10 minutes of teasing for her to display to him. Poor Beamer! He is really having to work with these mares this year. In the evening, he got to breed Honey, but again, had to tease her for a while before she showed that she was ready. I'm so proud of my boy, he is doing a great job. Not every stud can be used for breeding and teasing both, and he is being really well behaved. Good boy!

In the evening the horse chiropractor visited the farm to do another mare that's boarded there, so I had her look at Sparkle. If you recall, Sparkle was dropped on her head during foaling when the mare stood up after passing the shoulders, and poor little Sparkle landed in a heap on the stall floor. So we found that her neck needed adjustment, and that her hips did too.

I usually massage her neck a little every day, which she loves, and that helped this feisty filly to stand still for her treatment.

Sparkle seemed to enjoy the treatment for the most part, but she did stamp her front foot a few times. Did I mention she's feisty? We'll do a follow up next Sunday, and meantime I'll continue to massage her. We'll have to change things a little when we breed Belle this morning; instead of tying Sparkle to the post, we'll build a small pen in front of mama to put her in, so that we don't undo the good we did on her neck.

Christmas Giveaway Contest

Once again it's giveaway time! This is a great book that every horse owner should have; it explains in detail how a horse's body works with focus on the digestive system and all the conditions related to it- everything from colic, laminitis, allergies, diabetes, etc. And that's just the first few chapters! Marijke gives solutions based on natural health and homeopathic remedies.
She includes case studies, has do and don't lists, and in the last chapter a table for different conditions, with symptoms, and herbal remedies, feed programs, or supplements for each one. If you have ever had a horse that has colicked, been mysteriously lame, depressed, anxious, overweight or underweight, nervous, etc, then this book can help you understand what may be going on with your horse.
To enter all you need do is leave a comment on this post; I will be making the draw on Wednesday so that I can get the book sent in time for Christmas.

More Chickory and an upcoming contest

I am happy to report that things are moving along quite smoothly with Chickory. She now willingly gives me all 4 feet without pulling back, and is allowing me to put her front feet between my legs like the farrier does (won't he be happy!). I almost was able to walk up to her and catch her today, out in the open, but when I went to tie it, she wheeled away, so I had to walk her down- the good news is that she let me put it on out in the pen, and not by cornering her in her stall like we have been doing. Also, she is walking much better and is weight bearing on her whole foot, and her limp is barely noticeable. I think another week and I will be able to take the support bandage off. It has been twenty days since her injury, so I think that she really responds well to the use of essential oils on her; I am using lemongrass and lavender on her tendon, and wintergreen on her ankle. The lemongrass helps repair the tendon, lavender regenerates tissue that has been damaged, and the wintergreen helps with any joint or bone problems that may be associated with the stress of the injury. I am also using a blend called Release, which aids in the release of negative emotions caused by bad experiences; I put this oil right in front of her udder on the thin skin there. Since I started doing that, she has become much more willing. She is so much more relaxed now, she is so different from when I started working with her. Yay!
I have decided to do a Christmas Giveaway Contest; keep an eye out for my post on Monday, and I will tell you all about it! Here is your chance to get a free Christmas gift, to keep or pass forward!