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Discover The Art & Science Of The Horse
Science always leads to the negation of traditions. It is through research and development that fact is created from theory. Less than three hundred years ago bloodletting was a common treatment of the ill, as well as garlic worn around the neck to ward off disease. These are just two examples of unsubstantiated traditions practiced by an entire civilization which were eventually replaced by the substantiated development of infusion and penicillin. There are always those that find comfort and cling to what is widely known but like anything else in life, logic and reason eventually dictate.
Science is the statistical hand of evolution.
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EPM Study
by: The Horse Staff
May 25 2001, Article # 1163
Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a serious
and often fatal neurologic disease of equids. Animals
affected by EPM can demonstrate a variety of clinical
abnormalities, and signs can vary tremendously in
severity. Classically, horses with EPM develop a
variety of asymmetric neurologic deficits including
gait abnormalities, ataxia, weakness, and muscle
wasting. However, symmetric neurologic abnormalities
are also seen frequently.
EPM - Sllent Killer of Horses
Microbiology and Bacteriology
The world of microbes
http://www.bact.wisc.edu/Microtextbook/index.php?name=Sections&req=viewarticle&artid=167&page=1
Lil Ray was a cutting horse futurity prospect stricken
with EPM while at a trainers in Texas. She had sever
wasting of her right hindquarters and her left was not
much better. She had stifle issues and very limited
range of motion with her back right leg. Her
prognosis was grim at best.
Treatment took 2 months and consisted of only muscle
rehab. No chiropractics or acupuncture. Not that I
am against either of these forms of physical therapy,
in fact, I conjoin equine rehab and physical therapy
quite often. It simply was not needed in this case.
Lil Ray now resides in Oakley Utah. EPM did bring an
end to her cutting career (her timing is a little off
on her right side), however, she is a solid trail
horse and is currently in foal to one of the top
cutting horse sires in the world.
For more information on prices and availability, visit our contact page.
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Max Study
by: Max's Owner
My relationship with Max over the years has been a roller coaster ride of hope and heartbreak. All those ups and downs of really making progress and getting excited about what Max was showing us he was capable of, and then all those moments when I knew I had to just get off him and start over because he was in pain. Even just this past fall I was afraid every day that he was worked that this would be the day when the bad symptoms started to show up again. He worked continuously longer and harder than he ever has this fall, and is without a single negative indication.
I originally bought him because his athleticism and love of jumping was apparent to me in the first twenty minutes I saw him. He’d had essentially no training except for the racetrack training, but when the woman selling him jumped on and pointed him at a three-foot oxer he jumped it without hesitation and with plenty of room to spare from the trot. Maybe not the wisest choice on the woman’s part, on such an obviously green young horse, but it was the moment that sealed the deal. Max has never been particularly easy – I won’t tell you he’s a sweet, cuddly, teddy bear type of a horse. He’s not interested in being your cute little lap dog, but he does want to please, and nothing pleases him more than showing you what he can do! He’s opinionated, egotistical, and smart. On the ground, that makes him absolutely exhausting to handle (i.e. grooming, farrier, vet, etc.) – he’s like that kid who just can’t sit still in a classroom, and is constantly testing you and pushing your buttons.
But I always laugh and say that that’s the price of getting to ride him, because he is just so much fun to be on! All of his smarts and attitude make him who he is, including the great athletic and mental effort he gives when you’re on him – and that’s worth every minute. I share all of these details only to highlight that Jen is not only an excellent physical therapist, but a patient, highly positive person who’s connection to horses is evident from the first moment she walks in your barn. I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that Jen’s program saved him from an extremely premature physical retirement, which would have killed this particular horse mentally. I am on such a high just seeing him sound and so incredibly fit – I feel so grateful just to have Max back as his strong confident self, because there is no doubt in my mind that he’s happier too, and whatever happens in the future beyond that is icing on the cake.
We’re planning to progress him to competing this summer, and that would really be amazing considering his prognosis from the fall of 2004. I am indebted to Dr. Charmian Wright for taking the time to thoroughly consider his issues and why they existed, and for recommending Jen Hegeman and her Balance Breaking Program. I am SO grateful to Jen not only for her excellent physical program, but also for being so kind and loving with Max (despite his button-pushing) and recognizing what would and would not work with his personality! I am also indebted to her for recommending, in turn, trainer and rider Liz Peet. Liz’s knowledge of Jen’s program, combined with her own excellent understanding of proper equine conditioning for competition, and her talent as a coach and rider, enabled Max to return to the work he loves. I have been SO lucky to have learned so much myself along the way - and now look forward with hope to Max’s future and our continued education together.
For more information on prices and availability, visit our contact page.
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©2005 Jen Hegeman. All rights reserved. No part of this web site may be reproduced in any means without the express written permission of the owner. Penalties may include lashes via horsewhip and a mashing into tiny pieces by a 1,500 pound horse named Matrix.
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