Cob Jockey

If you missed Part 1, go back and read this post first for some necessary backstory.

When my vet (an eventer herself and an exceptional sport horse vet) got out to the barn, I started by summarizing the headshaking and my recent findings.  She investigated the sore spot and the same spot on the other side, and pretty quickly said, "I can fix this," with absolute no-question confidence.

Taking conference calls while waiting on the vet.  The best way to take conference calls.

I am totally going to butcher these explanations, apologies to my vet, but I'll do the best I can.

She said effectively, his skull and his body were misaligned. Even when he's standing still, straight and relaxed, his skull hung off the atlas tilted in exactly the same way he rides under saddle, with the top of his head tilted toward his left side.

This is an extreme example, but this is the direction his head is always tilted.

She pointed out that the squishy channel the sore spot sits in (which is an area she referred to as "WAM" for [something]-Atlas-Mandible) was one finger wide on the left side, and two fingers wide on the right side, which is caused by his head being crooked on the atlas.  They should be even.


She said often it's only serious Dressage riders that will notice this condition because of what they ask their horses to do, and that the natural size of the gap varies widely based on breed and training (Thoroughbreds often have a small gap there, while upper level Dressage horses will have a massive gap).  A lot of horses will go their entire lives without anyone noticing this.

She also said that given how small the gap on the left was, it's absolutely possible that something was rubbing or clicking or moving into place when I straighten him out and he headshakes and then goes on my aids.

Ow my head hurts

So that's how Connor got his first bodywork session of his life.  She did his whole body first before starting with his head, and these were her findings:

- Pelvis was tipped to the left (he got wide eyed and picked a hind foot up to kick when she adjusted this!)

- Spinal processes were all tipped to the left

- SI palpated sore (not worrying given he'd done the most collected canter of his life earlier in the week)

- His behind-the-saddle back muscles were so fixed/tight she said she was surprised he went as well as he does (and she has seen him under saddle pretty recently, so she should know.)

- The right side of his neck in particular was so out/tight that when she asked him to turn his neck to  look behind him to the right without moving his feet, he was "convinced he couldn't do it" before she adjusted him.  After, he did it no problem.

- He didn't palpate sore under the saddle at all and she guessed that my saddle fits well

Then she got to his head, and she had me put my hand on his neck only for the bad side to be a counterbalance as she adjusted him from the front.  When she did it, she felt a "clunk" when the bones popped back into place, and there was a lot of licking and chewing and yawning.


She said she's not typically one to recommend regularly scheduled bodywork, but he was SO messed up that she is going to do a follow up session at our already-scheduled October fall shots appointment.

Next, we waited 24 hours and then did a test ride.