| Fezzywig, my gentle giant adopted warmblood gelding | | | | castor oil is an old Edgar Cayce remedy that works |
| with the roached back, is definitely feeling much better. | | | | well on joints. I have to mix it with DMSO because |
| He has had a ton of bodywork and been given my | | | | castor oil is very thick and does not penetrate through |
| special nutritional Horse Goo until it's coming out the | | | | hair and skin very well. The DMSO helps it penetrate. |
| other end (yes, during the cleansing process he is a bit | | | | 2. Roach Back Horses Might Have Bony Backs So |
| "methane-powered"). | | | | They Need Backing |
| He's also running around like a wild man with my other | | | | When I knew I was going to bring Fezzywig home, I |
| gelding, Walker, and doing flying lead changes with | | | | immediately went online and did a bunch of research |
| ease in the pasture. Oh yes, and he also managed to | | | | on roach back horses. Most of the horses I saw had |
| take down the gates twice and cruise our little town | | | | the typical roach, a humped back, but that was it. I |
| once. But being the gentleman that he his, he came | | | | didn't see a single picture of a horse with a bony back, |
| right home on his own! | | | | a back where the lumbar vertebrae literally stick up, |
| Horse Health Care: 3 Things to Do for the Roach | | | | like pointy spires. Yikes, what does that mean? |
| Backed Horse | | | | I posted frantic requests for help to the Horse Health |
| So Fezzywig is definitely feeling better, but he's | | | | Forum. I wanted to know what all those spiny ridges |
| nowhere near totally healed, and I have learned a lot | | | | meant. The answer? It means that Fezzywig does not |
| about the horse health care needs of these kinds of | | | | have any muscle development over those vertebrae |
| horses. I have been in constant communication with | | | | because (surprise, surprise) he hasn't been using his |
| my veterinarian, good friend, and font of holistic horse | | | | back or hindquarter properly. Whew! |
| care wisdom, Dr. Madalyn Ward. Between my | | | | To take care of this and help Fezzywig develop |
| consults with her and my daily interaction with | | | | proper muscle over his hindquarters and spine, I have |
| Fezzywig, I've learned the following: | | | | started backing him. Backing him will help him learn to |
| 1. Roach Back Horses Don't Use Their Backs Properly | | | | use his hindquarter properly, and will also help him |
| This is no big surprise because their backs aren't | | | | develop muscle in the right places. I will eventually back |
| formed properly. A horse with a roach back has some | | | | him in circles to develop some lateral muscles as well. |
| developmental difficulties. For instance, Fezzywig hates | | | | We've already started the backing exercises. He has |
| to have his stifles adjusted with Bowen-type moves, | | | | no trouble with them although he has no clue why we |
| or any kind of serious physical maneuvers. He loves | | | | keep doing it! Luckily, he's a pretty willing fellow, and will |
| energy work on his stifles, which doesn't involve | | | | do almost anything for food. |
| moving any parts of his stifle around. He has also | | | | 3. Horses Who Have Suffered Trauma Need Special |
| started getting "stuck" in his stifles occasionally, where | | | | Help to Heal |
| it takes him a minute to figure out how to move his | | | | My last question to Dr. Ward was this: Fezzywig has |
| back leg from straight to bent. Dr. Ward tells me this is | | | | been in his roach backed pose for so long... what I |
| because the bodywork is changing the way his spine | | | | more can I do to help him shift out of this paradigm |
| and haunches are formed, so he has to "relearn" how | | | | and into a healthy stance? |
| to use various parts of his body. | | | | Her answer? herbs. There is this new herbal product |
| Because Fezzywig has not been using his back | | | | that apparently helps horses who have suffered |
| muscles and hindquarter properly because of his roach | | | | trauma (physical, mental, or emotional) to "break the |
| back, he has probably been propelling himself around | | | | mold" and shift into a new healthier paradigm. In |
| using his hind legs from the stifles down. In other words | | | | scientific terms, it helps them shift out of the |
| he was not using his back muscles or his rump. This | | | | sympathetic nervous system. A horse like Fezzywig |
| explains why he is having so much trouble with his | | | | has basically been in a traumatized roach back state |
| stifles. They are probably perpetually sore. In addition, | | | | for so long he has been operating from his "fight or |
| when he move his back legs, his joints make a sound | | | | flight" sympathetic nervous system, which does not |
| like similar to that of sticky tape being "unstuck" from | | | | promote healing. The Eleviv will help him shift back into |
| something. It is most likely that all that improper use of | | | | his parasympathetic nervous system, which is |
| his hind legs has affected those joints. | | | | associated with healing, rest, relaxation, and |
| To help alleviate the pain in his stifles and hind leg joints, | | | | rejuvenation. |
| I've been doing the following: | | | | So Fezzywig is now getting, in addition to the beefed |
| - feeding him extra wheat sprouts, which are great for | | | | up Horse Goo, two capsules of these herbs a day. |
| joint issues | | | | Fezzywig loves it. He tries to eat the syringe. I take |
| - beefing up his mangosteen juice and blue-green | | | | that as a good sign. |
| algae to speed healing | | | | So that is what I have learned so far about the best |
| - rubbing DMSO and castor oil on his leg joints | | | | horse health care methods for roach back horses. |
| - doing a little energy work on every hind leg joint at | | | | Fezzywig's posture continues to improve, and he is |
| each feeding | | | | running and playing more than ever (as evidenced by |
| He seems to like all of this extra care and his stifles | | | | the cruise around the neighborhood). |
| are already less sore. In case you are wondering, | | | | |