Many of you engaged with the story of how I ended up with a special orange rehab project named Ollie – if you missed it, you can read the introduction to this chapter of his life on the blog here (tearjerker warning…)
It’s now been eight weeks since Ollie arrived, and to say I am pleased with his progress is an understatement!
One of the first priorities was to graduate him onto an appropriate diet. He needed to gain some weight and I desperately needed to get some important supplements into him, but a finicky eater at the best of times, it took a while to get the recipe right!
I thought I had found the magic combination, but as I increased the quantity, Ollie stopped finishing his feeds. He wasn’t particularly reactive to the ulcer acupoints, but given the stress of a trip interstate, his weight and the pain issues that brought him here in the first place, I thought it wise to presume we might have an underlying stomach ulcer problem. After a course of Egusin SLH, the natural supplement recommended by Dr Ridgway at last year’s Integrative Rehab course, Ollie has been cleaning up every morsel put in front of him and is really starting to bloom from the inside. Yet again, this product has amazed me!
Once Ollie was eating well, I got away with increasing the amount of magnesium chloride and MSM I could hide in his feed. MSM is a must-have in my horses’ feeds – neither Jack at 9yo, nor Ollie at 10yo, are spring chickens, and with their histories and legs, both have their fair share of creaky joints.
I’ve noticed a huge difference in Ollie’s body and posture as I’ve increased the magnesium. He has had very little bodywork, but his muscles have softened quite a bit regardless. I think the difference is beginning to show in his feet too – pretty important given the problems many of us have managing our horses’ feet in the Yarra Valley!
Speaking of feet, he’s had a couple of trims, as I’ve been going cautiously rather than making any drastic adjustments. Watching how he walks out after a trim is important, as I have numerous biomechanical challenges to contend with and need to strike the right balance between support for the upper body, the existing wear patterns his altered biomechanics have likely created in his joints, and what I can realistically improve in the feet without upsetting the apple cart. This is particularly true in the hind end, however I have the advantage in being able to apply my bodywork skills to assist the hoof balance from upstairs.
I’ve only done a little bodywork with Ollie so far. On a still day, he’s more than happy to relax into whatever I do, but add a bit of a breeze, and he can become quite nervous and spooky. He has also been quite guarded about his upper neck and head initially, so I’ve respected his boundaries and focused largely on the thoracolumbar area to get him accustomed to my touch. He seems to really enjoy myofascial release so long as I go slowly, slowly, and has had some powerful releases over the lumbar region with my hands barely moving at all.
It’s a fine balance, working with a horse who has withdrawn emotionally due to pain. Ollie wasn’t totally shut down to begin with, but he wasn’t far off, either. It’s easier to bring them back to life when there’s still a flicker there to begin with, but you are contending with a great deal of entwined emotional and physical pain, and it is important not to overface the horse. It can be traumatic and frightening for them.
And, going by Ollie’s responses, as much as he likes and benefits from MFR and indirect techniques, he can only handle so much of it at a time, compared to the standard remedial massage techniques which erased so much of the surface tension last time I was involved in his rehab, but didn’t really go deeper.
So, I’ve settled for micro-bodywork sessions here and there, when we are both in the best frame of mind, to ensure it is a positive experience for him each and every time. Sometimes, it’s a 5 minute quickie, sometimes half an hour or more…I’m in no hurry, and I’m happy to be guided by his moods until he feels comfortable letting me do more.
Today, I saw him for the first time since leaving for our honeymoon a fortnight ago, and I was over the moon. He had been quite reserved and withdrawn in the paddock initially, and has slowly come out of his shell as he has started feeling better – obvious by the number of spooks and bucks and hoon sessions, and the newfound attitude at feed time!
It wasn’t just the chance to strip him off and see how he was moving that made me happy. Above all, it was his affection – allowing me to give him proper face scratches and pats for the first time since he arrived, and melting my heart when he reached down to where I was sitting at the water trough, and nuzzled my face with his nose. It was as though he had decided to accept me properly, rather than just tolerate me.
From here…more baby steps.
I’ve not begun any real training with Ollie yet. Physically, I didn’t feel he was ready, so other than a couple of quick trot-ups on the lunge, he’s only had one in-hand session in walk – which he took to very well. My priority is restorative, healing training, at his pace, and keeping his spooky, distractable brain focused and safe.
At this point, I’m satisfied that we can begin adding a little in-hand work to his routine, and I hope to take him over to La Mancha for some guidance from Manolo Mendez in the coming months.
I think that’s about it for the moment, but I’ll follow up with more about Ollie’s specific issues in due course as there are many interesting discussion points…stay tuned!
Disabled and doubly neurodivergent human, former equine anatomist and bodyworker (no longer practicing due to Ehlers Danlos Syndrome complications), experienced equine advocate and educator, and budding disability advocate turning my sights on Australian Government policy and practice while elevating lived experience in research for horses and humans alike.
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