What should i do first?

[Confuggled!]

What is the difference between a Chiropractor or a Physio??

My boy seems very stiff through his left side, keeps running out through shoulder and has a very blantant stiff hind (although i know there is some arthritis there)

Should i get a vet out first or a back person?

[Confuggled!]

anyone?

[alia]

I would get a physio.You need to advise your vet though as the physio needs vet consent to treat.I usually just tell the vet I am getting the physio rather than asking for consent but if you are intending claiming on your insurance you would actually need the vet to refer you. if this is the cast the vet would need to have a look first.

[eskimo]

I got the small paragraph below from another site. I always use a properly registered Chiro for my horses (not Mctimmony). My Chiro is brilliant & does sort out problems like you describing, she keeps my old boy happy with 2 visits a year. I suppose if you found a good Pysio then they should be effective to. It does come down to the quality of the person your employing to do the job.

Also any practitioner worth there salt will want you to ask your vets prior to any Treatment. My Chiro wouldn't treat any of my horses until i had spoke to my vet.

Copied-
Chiropractors mainly manipulate the spine and joints or 'click everything back into place'. When the chiropractor isolates the source of the problem, a manipulation can give instant relief of pain and stiffness!
A Physiotherapist also treats pain and stiffness, among other things, and can use manipulation/mobilizations as one of the many treatments options available.

Hope this helps your decision.

[bicky]

Hi, I am no expert in either of these two areas but your horse is displaying the same symptoms as mine has recently.

She was very stiff on her left side and had problems schooling on the right rein as she couldn't stretch the left side to bend to the right.

I got a McTimoney Practitioner to look at her and since that treatment she has been 100% improved. Hope this makes sense and helps!!

[Confuggled!]

Hmmm, so both really?? Ive rung my vet and he suggested he come out first to check him over due to his arthritis he said it could be whats causing the whole problem and affecting the stiffness. Damn it, was trying to NOT have a vet visit this month as ive ended up having one every month so far! Hey ho, so be it- cant come out until next Tuesday.

Ive already arranged for my Saddler to come out on the Monday to check my saddle (Incase it is casuing problems as i know it needs reflocking anyway) it wont interfer will it? (Ie. his stiffness wont interfer with the saddler correcting the saddle?)

[Confuggled!]

Hi Bicky, how quickly did you see a difference?

[amelia]

please get the vet out first - or at very least speak to him. Any decent physio/chiro won't treat your horse without vet's referral anyway as it is against the law. As for whether to use a physio or a chiro it's a matter of personal preference. I have a fantastic veterinary physio as a friend who really does work wonders

[amelia]

oops sorry took so long typing that and now i've seen you've already called the vet :-)

[bicky]

Well, after she treatment she wasn't worked for 4 days (as advised) then I hacked her only for 2 weeks. I started schooling her after this and noticed more or less straight away.

I kept things simple at first ( no tight circles) to give her a good experience and I gave her the time to realise it wasn't gonna hurt anymore. I obviously felt she was going much better and since then we are back to our normal schooling sessions and have started lessons again. She is a heavyweight cob but can perform great when she works well. It's been hard work but I think we are getting somewhere (she doesn't find this kind of work easy, bless her!!)

The symptoms she displayed included running out through the shoulder, stopping dead and rearing up to avoid a right hand turn. Not fun when your horse is built like a bull!!

Good luck.

[Confuggled!]

Lol, mines no bull (see grey in sig) and he has never refused a jump or reared or stopped dead..

Just the running through shoulder, a little reluctance to enter canter at certain times (not always) and hes been swishing his tail alot recently and when i put the saddle on he throws his head in the air.. he also does this when i do his girth up although i KNOW i dont do it too tight and i espec invested in a wintec chafeless girth to save any unessecery discomfort!

This has all got progressive past week or two but when he did the shoulder thing twice in two days i decided enough was enough and clearly somethings up or gotten worse and hes trying to tell me about it.

[Confuggled!]

could his hind leg really be causing all this?