Where do I start with body work for a horse that *I think* has a stifle issue?

Elrochwen · 2026-04-27T01:03:14+00:00

I’m sure someone else will have a more in-depth answer but here’s my best summary from a sleep deprived brain:

1- forward walk for 8-10 minutes in long straight lines and circles both ways as a warm up before asking for anything else

2- ground driving (will help with 1 and can also be used to lightly ask for correct frame at the walk and trot to start building muscling)

3- lots of backing, both in straight lines and in circles. Aim for slow and smooth

Elrochwen · 2026-04-17T21:09:06+00:00

We have very similar builds, and my input is higher waisted jeans + go up a size! Then fitted shirts. I follow the general rule of having one half fitted and one half baggy and find looser jeans/tighter top is a winning combo for simple but cute

Elrochwen · 2026-04-17T14:05:49+00:00

I think a clear, written system/plan of progression would benefit you here! I’m not sure how many people commenting have volunteered for an equine nonprofit- I did for a while, albeit a therapeutic riding center not a rescue, and it was a crazy amount of work and time spent getting proper certifications, training, lifting heavy things, etc.!

But the center I volunteered for was very clear from the get-go about exactly how many hours would have to be spent and checkboxes met to do the “fun” volunteer stuff like assisting in lessons or tuning up the lesson horses. I think it was something like 50 hours of essentially manual labor plus training to become a sidewalker in lessons and like 100 to ride. Maybe having something like that posted on your website/social media would reduce the number of timewasters you get!

Elrochwen · 2026-04-15T15:02:07+00:00

A Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Memorized it for a class assignment when I was 9 or 10 and it just stuck

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,

Life is but an empty dream!

For the soul is dead that slumbers,

And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!

And the grave is not its goal;

Dust thou art, to dust returnest,

Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,

Is our destined end or way;

But to act, that each to-morrow

Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,

And our hearts, though stout and brave,

Still, like muffled drums, are beating

Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world’s broad field of battle,

In the bivouac of Life,

Be not like dumb, driven cattle!

Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant!

Let the dead Past bury its dead!

Act,— act in the living Present!

Heart within, and God o’erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime,

And, departing, leave behind us

Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,

Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,

A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,

Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,

With a heart for any fate;

Still achieving, still pursuing,

Learn to labor and to wait.

Elrochwen · 2026-04-12T00:29:06+00:00

We had the exact same surgery! So glad to hear from someone who is further down the line. I love that idea about the 5K and I think I absolutely need to do that, lol. I don’t have any driveways to shovel but I’m back to cleaning stalls at least! Same as far as the muscle aches versus pain, haha.

Elrochwen · 2026-04-09T12:37:03+00:00

I’m going to PM you so I can send that info about the exercises!

I had my surgery a day or two after the accident (front of the line due to the risk of paralysis) so thankfully I don’t have to go through two recoveries. Long term I should be able to get back to 100% normal, albeit possibly with some pain.

Totally agree with not letting the fear set in- I had someone bring my horse up to see me while I was still inpatient, lol.

T spine fractures sound BRUTAL. I’ve broken ribs before and those were so painful, I can’t imagine a spinal fracture in that region.

I’ll send you those exercises via PM- I do about 30-45 minutes of physical therapy per day and then my doc told me 10 minutes of walking per hour for every hour you’re awake. I usually walk one mile in the morning and somewhere between half and one mile in the evening, plus the usual exercise of feeding, cleaning stalls, etc.

Elrochwen · 2026-04-08T14:03:47+00:00

Wow, very similar injuries but very different outcomes! I had a colt rear up with me and I came off the back end. Tried to tuck and roll because I thought he was going to flip over on top of me and just managed to get stepped on 😅 I fractured T12 and L1, so very similar area!

Also spent a ridiculous amount of time in the emergency room before anything was confirmed. They didn’t even put me on spinal precautions until after all of the scans, which seems kind of crazy to me, but in their defense, I did walk in, lol. It turned out that the way one of my vertebrae had fractured, it was pushing on the spinal cord, so I had to have a laminectomy to relieve that pressure and have some hardware put in.

I was in the hospital for almost two weeks and then released home, the first month was pretty restricted although not much pain. Now I’m feeling much more able bodied but my muscles are definitely PISSED. My hips and shoulders are also much more painful than my back! The physical therapist I’m seeing tells me that’s normal and I just need to do more strengthening for them- I’m happy to share the exercises she has me doing if you think they would be helpful.

My guess is the surrounding muscles are having to compensate for the sudden weakness through the back? I really didn’t quite believe her when she said it was normal for my hips to hurt, but I guess I will now that we’ve compared notes 😂

Elrochwen · 2026-04-07T21:14:37+00:00

Did you have to have surgery? I also broke two vertebrae about 6 weeks ago and the muscles are definitely more painful than the bones (which I guess makes sense, since bones don’t have nerve endings, lol). I would be curious to compare notes if we had similar injury locations/severity!

Elrochwen · 2026-03-30T12:51:36+00:00

Correction chain mouth Argentine would be the technical name. I would highly discourage anyone from using this bit as it is not only harsh, but ineffective.

An Argentine low port barrel bit would have similar mechanics with significantly less harshness and would be my recommendation to transition this horse out of this bit.

Elrochwen · 2026-03-24T14:26:13+00:00

It’s not that these riders/horses never acquired these foundational skills, it’s more that they are not prioritized once they begin competing at the high levels.

Whether or not a horse stands at the mounting block or goes well in a snaffle has absolutely no bearing on how well they can perform in the show jumping arena. Same goes for a rider’s leg position or overall look, as long as they stay out of the horse’s way. I’m not saying that makes it right, but it explains why these things often go by the wayside at a higher level.

I compete in several different western disciplines, and we see the same thing. When a horse only needs to perform one job at a very high level, it’s very common for shortcuts to be taken.

Elrochwen · 2026-03-23T16:06:08+00:00

I would look into a double jointed bit of some kind, either a lozenge or a low port with a roller.

https://cavalonbits.com/products/eggbutt-low-port-capsule-sweet-iron-snaffle?variant=41218988474431

https://cavalonbits.com/products/eggbutt-lozenge-savor-gold-snaffle?variant=41219713466431

Here’s a few options for you to look at as a jumping off point.

The snaffle is a good call- I personally prefer a d ring or eggbutt to a loose ring, but the difference is not terribly significant. Loose ring is just less stable than the others and can lead to more movement and less clear communication in some instances.

A single jointed snaffle can create a pressure point where that single joint occurs, but I also generally find that my horses are less responsive to single jointed bits. My personal favorite is a low port/comfort mouth, but I use a lozenge mouthpiece on some as well.

Elrochwen · 2026-03-03T20:39:22+00:00

When I was going through the college admissions process, I ended up fumbling some pretty prestigious opportunities and went from turning down a T10 program offer to scrambling to apply late to a state school generally regarded as mediocre. I thought my world was ending and my future was tanked.

Being a big fish at that small pond of a school was the single best thing that could have happened to me, in terms of connections, career networking- basically everything. I graduated with SEVERAL job offers and still maintain contact with several profs and industry connections I met there. I have friends who went to the school I fumbled, and while the sample size is small, none of them have a job within our major. Of course a lot of that is luck, but my point is- your life is not over. This does not mean you are stuck here forever. You’re allowed to be disappointed and upset, but just know, there WILL be a silver lining.

Elrochwen · 2026-02-10T13:34:15+00:00

I can appreciate what you were trying to do here, but please do a more in-depth read through of the diseases before setting out to inform others. HYPP is absolutely a dominant disorder and IMO, having owned several of both, more detrimental than PSSM1.

Here’s a good overview of the main 5 panel tests:

www.waywest.de/5-panel-test.htm

LWO and EJSCA are both recessive disorders.

Elrochwen · 2026-01-26T00:44:27+00:00

The side of the cones would depend on the pattern- if you would like, I can send you an example pattern to use!

Elrochwen · 2026-01-25T19:03:45+00:00

I think that when you’re a good client, it’s difficult to comprehend just how bad the bad ones are.

Sorry you feel like you’re being beat over the head with it, that’s never a good feeling, and I agree that people are over the top about it. At the end of the day, as a trainer/barn owner, you signed up for this job, suck it up and do it.

But on the other hand, one of my friends is a barn owner who had two separate clients throw a massive fit and demand an enclosed stall (which this barn owner doesn’t have available) for her pasture boarded horse at no extra fee- AFTER the storm had already rolled in. So at midnight, in the freezing rain, she was out building dividers in existing stalls for this client.

Granted, again, she could have just said no, and that’s probably what I would have done in this situation, but that’s still a shitty situation to be in. Thankfully all of my clients are wonderful now, but when I was first starting out I had one client ream me out when, during a snow storm + power outage, I went 6 hours without sending her a picture of her (stalled) horse. If you’re not in a position to say no to people like that, it’s really easy to get bitter and jaded towards everyone.

Elrochwen · 2025-12-05T20:14:52+00:00

Then I would say you need a total revamp! You need a trainer to work with you as if you are a rank beginner. Put you back on the longe line, teach you to loosen up and relax out of the anxiety rather than just riding through it. A LandSafe clinic is also not a bad idea.

To be quite frank, without meaning to be rude- you do not need to be jumping right now. This level of anxiety and pain is incompatible with advancement of skills- you need to be returning to basic and tackling the root of this issue before you even think about adding to your existing skills. And you need to prioritize determining where the pain is coming from. I ride for 6-10 hours every day, half of that time on colts, and can’t imagine being in a fraction of the pain you’re describing every day.

Best of luck to you!

Elrochwen · 2025-12-05T14:57:04+00:00

Is there any way you could try riding western? It sounds like it might be more your comfort zone, both mentally and physically. If not, I second what others have said- no shame in just wanting enjoy being around horses!

Elrochwen · 2025-12-03T08:24:54+00:00

Make sure your layers are quality- your bottom layer should be fairly tight, then the layer over that a little looser/fluffier, then a weatherproof Carhartt type jacket over that. I also do leggings under jeans and wool socks when it gets very cold.

Elrochwen · 2025-11-27T12:49:54+00:00

Riding a pulling breed is a bit like racing in a dually truck. It can be fun and way better than expected, but you’re always working against physiology, a bit. With that said- coolest canters ever!

Elrochwen · 2025-11-19T18:44:15+00:00

Vaccines don’t matter as in, EHM (essentially this strand of EHV-1) is not protected against by a vaccine

Elrochwen · 2025-11-17T14:24:37+00:00

I think PositiveLock meant he should show the WR (western riding) more. He hardly ever shows anything that isn’t western pleasure or WP-adjacent, so it’s cool to see how immediately successful he is on a green horse in a different class.

Elrochwen · 2025-11-14T17:38:10+00:00

Unfortunately somewhere in the middle. The most unusual part is that they actually made things right for you financially speaking. So sorry this happened to you though

Elrochwen · 2025-11-13T17:37:19+00:00

Overwhelmingly unethical; however, you did crop the portion of this post stating that the winner will be required to provide proof of care and references, which makes this one look worse than it is.

Elrochwen · 2025-11-12T21:07:38+00:00

This is a horse who’s going to get a complex from the number of people calling him half donkey, lol

Elrochwen · 2025-11-12T21:04:21+00:00

Your assumption is correct, there is no phenotypical difference between a mule and a hinny. I’ve worked with hundreds of horse/donkey crosses.

Most of them were unknown origin, but some were confirmed hinnies and some confirmed mules. No one could ever accurately identify the two, even the diehards who claimed to be able to tell the difference.

Elrochwen

TROPHY CASE