We finally had the chiropractor come out to work with Curly on Thursday afternoon. She found a couple of painful spots at the top of his head/neck, as well as further along his neck, a couple of ribs out of place, and then a spot on his right hind leg that gave her a bit of concern. She said it felt like something was pinching some nerves back there (midway down his leg) - or something like that. I have to admit that we talked about so many things that some of it is now a jumble in my head.
Anyway, she manipulated his body a bit and said that perhaps she might be able to help him. But perhaps not. She really isn't sure that his physical ailments can be fixed - but also offered that she didn't think it was time to give up on him yet either. That fact that Curly is a generally kind and well-behaved horse makes everyone who comes in contact with him want to help the big guy out.
We talked about what's been going on and Curly's conformation (not all that good) and what this might mean for his future ride-ability. She felt that he probably can be brought back to being strong enough to handle child-sized riders, but she is not so certain about his ability to ever being able to handle an adult's weight. The way his legs cross over in the back has created prolonged strain on is hips and back. And there may be permanent damage.
But all of this is just supposition at this point - we really won't know what Curly will be capable of until we start trying him out.
So, I've asked her to work with him each time she comes out to the barn (every 4 to 6 weeks). I will be more aggressive in our ground work, trying to strengthen his back and bring him up to a better level of fitness in general. And then we try riding again.
Now I just need to find an experienced, light-weight rider..... ;)
