Re: palpating for soreness

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated 98-08-25 16:12:23 EDT, flemmerl@rcbhsc.wvu.edu writes:

<< If the horse is ticklish & always moves away from your light touch, you may
 need to ask them to bring their back up between checks. >>

Regarding being "ticklish"--I have often noted that backs that concern me on
check-in at rides are often accompanied by riders who comment that the horse
is "ticklish."  After an auto accident last year, I was a frequent visitor to
my chiropractor for quite some time, and noted initially that my own back had
become ticklish--not something I was used to.  He stated that he sees that
quite frequently in stressed or injured muscles, and that it is due to lactic
acidosis or other chemical changes in those muscles right under the skin.  So,
folks, if your horse is "ticklish" it may not "just be him"--he may be telling
you that there is a  subclinical problem cooking, and you should be looking
for causes.  I'm not talking about a horse being startled by a light
touch--one can do that to the most stoic horse if one surprises him.  But the
one that continues to be ticklish as you continue to touch may well have a
problem.

Heidi Smith, DVM--Sagehill Arabians (Oregon)