Sore Hocks

calatar · Sore Hocks

Well Calatar seems to be slowing down. He's 15 now and this past year he seems to be having some hind end weakness. I've also noticed him standing camped out behind when I get him from the pasture. My vet is coming out in early October but I wanted to see if anyone here has experience with this.

Mandy'sMarty

My mare Mandy had sore hocks. She's 16 now. I learned how to release her hocks last year. Since that day, she stopped presenting various behaviors apparently caused by her pain and discomfort. For example, she began recruiting her hind end to power herself in ways I had never experienced during the previous 4 years of our relationship. Her way of moving changed and her 'paddling' of her rear feet as she moved dramatically diminished. She began to enjoy jumping and her constant grunting as she jumped stopped completely.

I also released the hocks on a friend's gelding. She had been having one of his hocks injected for years. I believe she had owned him for about 11 years and that he was 13 at the time. After the hock-release, she told me that he moved in ways he had never performed for her previously. She was thrilled.

Note that in both these cases, the sore hocks were compensatory issues and the result of a series of physical body imbalances that had originated in the front end. Both horses had apparently been sore for years. And in both cases, I had spent multiple sessions with each horse identifying the primary physical issues and then methodically addressing and releasing the primary, then secondary, and the subsequent compensatory body issues. In other words, it's a simple task to 'release the hocks', but they may not be the primary issue and may soon return to imbalance if the primary issue is not addressed. Also note that I can probably achieve the same results today in perhaps one long session, now that I have been taught about the hock release.

calatar

An update. I had the vet out at the end of last month and she recommended I try Adequan. He's had six of the seven shots and is showing noticeable improvement. Most noticeably he is no longer standing out behind in the pasture. Under saddle he has improved as well. I plan on having a chiro out sometime in the next month.