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Loftur - training and rehabilitation
Loftur came to us with a problem. We were told he bolted with his rider and we bought him as a rehab, with no guarantees for his future. When we got him, we gave him some time off, but immediately noticed that he seemed not at all "spooky" in the normal sense. Instead, he would jump at odd times, appearing to startle, but it dawned on us that he might be having random spasms of pain. We called a chiropractor, who confirmed that he was indeed tight and locked up in about every joint of his body. We later took him to a vet who does acupuncture and traditional medicine, and he recommended a person who does acupressure and massage under his direction. After a few sessions of acupressure/massage bodywork, he was improved enough for the vet to make a full examination. It appeared that his pain was centered around a castration scar and an old injury around his withers. Thankfully, the x-rays showed no broken bones around the withers - we were afraid he might have "kissing spines." So, the vet injected this withers with cortisone, and with a couple more acupressure/massage sessions, we have seen miraculous improvement. Loftur loves kids and appears to be on his way to becoming a wonderful trail horse. Because of his past traumas, Loftur is not for sale. He's found a home here with us.
These pictures show the exercises we did to help his back (belly lifts, tail pull, trot poles, and stepping up on the platform) but some also show that he's just an easy, laid-back, non-spooky kind of guy! By the way, the "bridge" is actually a teeter-totter, raised slightly in the middle so it flops like a see-saw. The hoola-hoop necklace...? - just for fun!
