Trusted Professionals?

I would like to share with an extract from a case study in the recent Saddle Research Trust newsletter.

“Despite having passed a pre-purchase vetting with flying colours I had been having issues with my recently acquired 8-year-old mare since purchase; primarily napping, grumpiness and showing signs of discomfort being groomed and tacked up, and then progressively difficulty picking up canter in the school. My local equine vet, instructor, and equine physio were not overly concerned with my mare’s behaviour because she looked sound when trotted up, and doing flexion tests etc… my vet thought the horse’s behaviour was most likely her just being a ‘chestnut mare’.”

I hasten to add that the owner then went onto to consult a member of the SRT who helped to resolve the problem!

But it bought home to me that the message in “Understanding Horse Performance Brain, Pain, or Training?” is so very pertinent. We are living in enlightened times, with unlimited access to knowledge and the opportunity to learn and improve ourselves. The vet mentioned here will have had at minimum 5 years training, plus CPD in the following years, and the best he could come up with was – being a chestnut mare!

We talk about surrounding ourselves with professionals, but they must be good professionals, who are prepared to look beyond what is directly in front of them and to dig a little deeper into helping you resolve the problem. Trust your instinct, if you think there is a problem and your professionals don’t, ask around and get a second opinion. You know your horse, make sure you know your professionals too!