"This old horse"

Instead of sharing news with you this month (September 2014), which is full of WEG (World Equestrian Games) and Burghley, I thought I'd share this poem I came across, which pulled at my heart strings, and I'm sure at the heart strings of many others...

"This old horse"

This old horse, the Rancher said,

she’s seen some better days,
she’s eating up my profits,
and costs a lot for hay.

Another horse would suit me,
a stronger one at that,
shes seen a lot of miles
just like my cowboy hat.

This old horse, the Rancher said,
she helped me herd my steer,
I’m pretty sure shes magic,
I know I hold her dear.

Another horse would suit me,
one that can run fast,
maybe one that’s younger,
or maybe one that lasts.

This old horse, the Rancher said,
she’s long and far in tooth,
my children do remember,
her fondly from their youth.

Another horse would suit me,
a gelding in his prime,
one that needs less fixin’,
that helps me save a dime.

Why, they asked, then keep her?
Why not trade her now?
Bring her to an auction?
Replace her with a cow?

The Rancher's brow grew heavy,
he took a staggered step,
his eyes did show his hardships,
in wrinkles, as they crept.

His breath, he took in deeply,
as he poised to say his words,
it’s as if the earth grew silent,
that his message should be heard.

This old horse, the Rancher said,
has given me her life,
I wouldn’t trade for anything,
nor either, would my wife.

Another horse would suit me,
and perhaps someday will come,
but this old gal, I love her,
she is the chosen one.

This old horse, the Rancher said,
her service she did lend,
her and I, have seen the years,
this old horse, she is my friend.

Another horse would suit me well,
but her home is here to keep,
I owe her sanctuary,
my love for her is deep.

Another horse would suit me well,
and younger days for me,
and I will keep my promise,
until our last breaths, set us free."

Poem by Jess Vee

Sticks and Stones

"Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words can never hurt me." 

If only that were true! As a race we are exceptionally good at interpreting things in a manner different to how they were meant to be interpreted. Communication is all important. A current issue that is close to my heart, as you may well be aware, is the lack of protection of title for animal physiotherapists. For anyone who is not aware of this, although the title 'physiotherapist' is protected (in the uk), as soon as you put an animal related word in front of it (for example, the title 'equine physio' or 'veterinary physio'), the title is no longer protected, meaning that anyone can set up as a veterinary physio without any qualifications, if they were confident enough in themselves! 

Something that every Chartered Veterinary Physio knows is that in the animal field, physios are not allowed to diagnose the cause of a problem, only a vet is legally allowed to do this. It's tricky, because of course as an owner, you want to know what's wrong with your horse. Your physio is not able to tell you. She can tell you where your horse is sore, or tight, or lacking muscle, or uneven, but she can't tell you why. There are always multiple potential causes, and without X-ray vision or the ability to scan, you cannot know for sure which of them is the problem. 

Thankfully, as long as a thorough assessment has uncovered all relevant factors, the treatment is often similar, irrelevant of the underlying cause. In very simple terms, reduce inflammation, reduce soreness, free up tension, build muscle tone - all of which contribute to promoting evenness. In the human field as well as the animal field, it is often more prudent to go for the conservative (non surgical) treatment approach initially, and only consider the surgical approach if the conservative one doesn't work. This doesn't by any stretch mean don't get the vet involved early on - having a diagnosis means you can focus your conservative treatment on the affected area, and medication if necessary can speed recovery. I'm lucky to work with a great veterinary practice, Pool House in Staffordshire, who are very approachable and have excellent diagnostic facilities. It's exciting working as part of a team all doing our best for the horse as well as the owner.

Back to the original thought of how important words can be, I wanted to share with you some recent learning from a book called 'The Chimp Paradox'. The author suggests replacing the word 'should' with 'could', 'must' with 'might' and 'how' with 'why'. Try it - for me it was profound.