I have an incredible farrier who trimmed Daisy for the first time tonight. Her three feet (left front, two hinds) were okay. I had noticed, along with my friend and the equine adjuster, that her right front was not right. It looked too high on the heel, and starting to contract. What happens then is the toe starts to point down more sharply to the ground instead of more forward, causing pain.
My farrier showed me how you could tell if there was pain in the hoof by jiggling the brachiocephalicus muscle - if there is pain or discomfort, then the horse will step back. Daisy's left was okay, but when he jiggled her right brachiocephalicus muscle, she stepped back. You could also see from the front that her right foot looked a bit narrower than her left.
So he worked on that hoof for a bit and opened up the whole area; when he put her foot down, you could see the spread starting. He then jiggled her brachiocephalicus muscle, and she did not step back. I wish I had taken pictures...it was all very interesting, and I need to learn more!
From: http://www.naturalanimals.net/brachio/
"The brachiocephalicus muscle has an action on the cervical vertebrae, and it is has an action on the should joint of flexing laterally and extending the shoulder. It comes into play with sideways movement of the head.
Its origin is the wing of atlas and mastoid process, temporal bone and nucral crest. Its insertion point is the humerus - deltoid tuberosity and fascia on hte shoulder and foreleg. This muscle can affect gait of the horse. If the gait is not level in front and gets worse on circles and turns; or your horse is not going forwards or has choppy strides, this is one muscle you may need to address."
Very interesting...sounds a bit like Daisy to me!
He is also an equine dentist, and said that she has some points, not severe, but needing attention.
I am excited and hoping that by getting rid of all these "pain pockets" Daisy will finally be able to enjoy being ridden!
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