Another great piece from Madalyn Ward – a fantastic resource for holistic horsekeeping. In her latest piece, she details how she evaluated a horse (Dani) and considered different aspects of the horse in both diagnosis and treatment. It may not always be a case of supplements and water…but environmental changes as well! Great work Madalyn.

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Horse Temperament: Dani, the Lonely Fire Horse

Dani is a Warmblood mare who is a new addition to a jumping horse program. She is a gentle and willing Fire horse temperament but not quite strong enough yet for jumping. Her trainer is working with her to help her get more balanced, but Dani is weak in her hind end and not able to hold a canter. Her trainer would like for Dani to be less quick in her gaits and shift her weight to her hindquarters, but if she takes hold of her head at all then Dani rushes more.

Examining Dani 

I first saw Dani on May 9th 2013 and it was obvious she was sensitive. On exam I noted several osteopathic issues in her hind end and head. Dani was tight in her poll and jaw. After her adjustment she seemed more relaxed.

I saw Dani again on July 23. Her trainer reported she was working well, but still seemed weak in her hindquarters. On exam the issues in her hind end seemed better, but Dani was still tight in her poll and jaw. She also had some congestion over her left kidney. It turns out that Dani is not a good water drinker at all and her trainer worries about her becoming dehydrated in the summer heat.

Dani’s Treatment

I did a network chiropractic treatment on Dani and found her to be stuck in a phase 2 pattern. This pattern suggests an emotional concern about the future. I got the feeling from Dani that she was not sure she was going to make it in the training program. As a Fire horse temperament, she was very concerned about pleasing her trainer, but her muscle development was not adequate to carry weight on her hindquarters the way her trainer wanted. Fire horses may not be as strong as other temperaments so it takes much longer to develop their ability to work in self carriage.

The other sense I got from Dani was that she was lonely. Fire horses love personal attention and grooming. Dani’s stall was at the far end of the barn and she rarely got attention other than for her training sessions. In addition to my chiropractic work I decided to try some acupressure points to help balance Dani so she would be stronger in her hind end and feel better about life in general.

I choose HT 7 as a point to calm the mind and relieve anxiety and worrying under stressful conditions. KI 3 was used to strengthen the bones and lower back. SP 6 was used to calm the mind and nourish the blood. I also choose SP 6 in case Dani had any underlying dampness issues that might be causing her to not want to drink water. ST 36 was chosen as a general strengthening point and as a local point for possible stifle pain. CV 6 was used to tonify the kidneys and GV 4 was used to straighten the lower back.

Dani’s Results

Dani’s trainer was very willing to make some management changes. She moved Dani to a stall that is closer to all the activity to make sure she gets some personal attention other than training sessions. Since the move, Dani has been more relaxed. She is still quick in some of her movement under saddle but getting more steady every day. Dani is also now drinking twice as much as she was before treatment.

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