After ACBRA finals, Rocket was pretty sore from running 2 days back-to-back (which we don’t do very often) and just feeling off. He is 22 and we have been running hard for the last 3 years without really showing me that he was hurting that bad. I made an appointment with the vet for a lameness exam to see if we could figure out what was going on. The doctor figured out that Rocket was really sore in his back and his hind end. We had several options and decided to try acupuncture and the Aculife patches before hock injection.
Today we had our first run after the first acupuncture treatment and Rocket felt great. I was still somewhat tight in his back and hindquarters, but ran better today then he did during finals. I have learned something about my horse the last few months; he has a big heart and no matter how much he is hurting he gives me his all every run.
Over the next few weeks (we have one more race left in our season), I will continue with the acupuncture, the patching and having a chiropractor out to adjust Rocket. This horse has been my solid go-to pony for the last 6 years. He deserves for me to treat him will and get him back to the top of his game because I believe he still has a season left in him. However, if at anytime during our journey, he shows me a sign that he is ready to quit, I will fulling retire him to the pasture where he will spend the rest of his days hanging with his girls and bringing up my babies. I may even just haul him to a race or two once in awhile to babysit the colts.
I take pride in taking care of the horses that take care of me. I feed the best feed (hay and grain) I can, I keep up on
the advances of supplements and practices for keeping my horses happy, healthy and at the top of their game and in peak performance (Formula 1 and Aculife patches) and my after race care is the best I can do. My horses get their front legs wrapped with Cool Cast, quilts and standing wraps, hind legs are Ice Tight-ed and when a run has been particularly difficult, I will give my horse a liniment bath.
Our horses are what keep us going, take the best care of them that you can! Share you tips and tricks for keeping your horses happy and healthy!
