Case Study - Rufus

Rufus is a 7-year-old thoroughbred type gelding, 16hh. He has been with his current owner for the last 3 years and bought in from a dealer, originally he was going to be brought on and sold but things did not turn out quite like that. He had previously been a case study for the use of calming herbs. Although they had been of some benefit it was not sufficient for the owner to feel that they were worth continuing.

The main problems were: -

1. A very tender back especially in the croup. He would flinch even as a hand was brushed across it or fingers run down the side of the spine.
2. Very difficult to stop between jumps. Well known on the circuit for being a horse no one would dare ride.
3. Head shaking.

On the initial scan I picked up several areas of interest; the croup was the obvious one but there was an ache running down the back legs in the muscles to the hock. I also noticed that the croup was tucked right down and under forcing the rest of the back to roach. The shoulders were also aching and there was a strong pull through the top of the neck, throat and ears. I worked on releasing this. He had been rested for five days prior to my visit so was a little fidgety. I recommended some gentle work during the next week according to how he felt.

The second treatment proved altogether more challenging. He had been very quite for the 2 days following my first visit but his back had still been very tender and the owner was loathed to work him in this condition. He came in from the field wet and a bit cold so he was looking extremely roach backed. He was very fidgety and was not amused at me trying to put my hands on him. I worked in the energy field and he settled down a little. The owner told me that her friend had said that he would never be quiet long enough to tune into any sort of healing but I did feel he was taking some energy and persevered. He wee’d twice during the treatment, which was a sign that he was letting go of some of the toxins. The ache in the back legs had gone and the pull through the neck had also eased.

By the third visit we had a breakthrough! When he came into the stable he was much quieter and more relaxed and stood still for longer periods to let me work on him. As the treatment continued he stood for a time with his ear completely relaxed and gently nodding his head in total submission to the energy! The owner was pleased with his progress, he had come back into work and she was now able to pull him up between jumps, albeit small ones but he was getting the right idea. The croup was much less sensitive and appeared to have released, being much more level. There was no sign of the discomfort in the back legs, or through the neck. During this treatment the owner told me that he had hung himself some time ago over the stable door. This time he took a lot of energy through the Solar Plexus, which is the seat of the emotions.

Conclusion. In the following week Rufus was worked more, he is much more sensible when being ridden and the owner reported that he has much more spring in the back legs improving his jumping and releasing the potential she could see that he had but was unable to tap. The head shaking has eased also. On the first treatment I noticed that the shoulders apart from aching were also looking a bit week and underdeveloped. The back was also affected. After the last treatment the owner pointed out to me how the shoulder were developing and the back was much more muscled.

The owner is very happy with the improvement. Physical problems go hand in hand with psychological/behavioural problems. Sorting out the physical does not always clear the psychological but there is a much better success rate when you clear the psychological problems first. You gain a rounded individual who is capable of doing what horses like most pleasing their owners.

This article is kindly provided by Alison Hastie MGCP. MAR. PCR. TATh. For further information please click here to visit Alison at Sandford Therapies. Alison will be very happy to answer any questions you may have