Mctimoney?

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Charem

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Evening all.

I have an ex racer, he raced as a 5 yr old, had about 6 months off and then I got him back in June last year. We've been taking it steady, lots of hacking, gentle schooling and popping little fences. He is an absolute darling and I couldn't be more pleased with him...
**except**
When I first got him he had a thing about changing behind in canter, going disunited ect. I got him looked at by a vet, nothing was found so we just continued with our gentle schooling and he's now at the point where he only does it doing a downwards transition from canter on the right rein. He never looks uncomfortable working, and is at the point now where I can ask him to take more weight behind which he is doing willingly. He's the type of horse that is very vocal if something is a bit of an effort for him, for examble he let out a little groan when useless jockey got a bit deep to a little fence the other day:rolleyes:

So long story short; he never looks in pain but I still worry. A friend reccomended that I have him looked at by a Mctimoney person. I guess i'm one of those sceptical people when it comes to these sort of things so I just wantd to hear your experiences and opinions on whether you think it would help?!

Thank you
 
i really rate McTimoney, use them regularly on both my horses and myself. have used quite a few over the years when i've been in different places, and never had a bad experience.
i've used Bowen Therapy too, more recently, and been impressed with the results, but it's different. For a horse showing the symptoms yours is, I would go with McTimoney first. if you say whereabouts you are, someone might be able to recommend someone. good luck with your boy, hope it helps him.
 
Hi!
I've only got positive things to say about the McTimoney practitioner that I have used for 5 years or more. I too have ex racers and he has worked wonders on them, particularly my first TB who changed legs a lot behind and was a long lanky boy. When I get a new horse, I always have them checked by my McTimoney person to make sure they're fit for purpose before I start reschooling. If you have doubts about your horse, get him checked. Can anyone you know recommend an individual?
 
I would definitely recommend the treatment. We have a Mctimoney guy to our horses fairly regularly and after particular issues iwith my horse over the years, I have noticed vast improvements after treatments.

We have also had our dogs treated. One very good example of how well it worked was out 5 yo GSD x was limping on an off a few months back - we thought she'd just pulled something. However, it continued until it was everyday and worse after she'd rested following a walk. We took her to the vet, they diagnosed ligament injury so gave painkillers etc and said to do steady walks etc. It didn't really improve. i can't remember whether we actually sent her for x-rays - I think we did.

Long story short (it was her front leg she was limping on) mum took her to see our Mctimoney guy. he quickly diagnosed that she had injured herself right back towards her pelvis and compensating for this had caused her to exhibit the lameness in her front leg and be really tight across her shoulders (even I had been able to feel that). She really was very lame. Amazingly after that one treatment and allowing her to take it easy the next day, she hasn't been lame since! i was even shocked how much of a difference one treatment made.

So, i would definitely go for it. My horse can go disunited behind and this has in the past been down to him tweaking something in his back but he will always just get one with it so doesn't really give any other signs that hs is in discomfort. you certainly notuce the difference after treatment though!
 
i have a mctimoney lady out to my horse, she's been so helpful with him and my youngsters (who she's never worked with/on), if i have any problems then i know i can discuss them with her as she knows him almost as well as i do and normally she can give me a different way of doing something/riding.
my horse loves it when he sees her, he knows he's going to get pampered and treated like royalty! lol
 
Another fan! My horse went very short, uncomfortable and lost weight etc. Had him looked at by a Mctimoney therapist and the results were fantastic in weight gain, movement and overall condition. She is brill and my horse loves it too!

I am one very happy customer so would highly recommend it!!

: o )
 
I think you may find that the fans will be drawn to your post, but I would say remain cynical!! Had it for both horse and human, what a joke! There is nothing that was done that I couldnt do myself on my horse and I wont even go there when it comes to my OHs treatment. I think in many cases the horses would have improved anyway and interestingly I rarely see any of the other livery owners have repeat treatments regardless of who the practitioner is.
 
Thanks all.

I probably should have said in my original post he's all booked in for Tuesday at 12.30 with a lady who does my friend's horses and her dressage trainer's horses so she comes well reccomended. Can't for the life of me remember her name though :p

I spoke to her earlier this evening and she asked lots about my horse, his background, way of going, condition ect. Need to speak to vet tommorow to get permission. Find it quite odd that all I have to do is ring and ask-not have any proof of permission but hey ho.....
 
Nigsha said:
I think you may find that the fans will be drawn to your post, but I would say remain cynical!! Had it for both horse and human, what a joke! There is nothing that was done that I couldnt do myself on my horse and I wont even go there when it comes to my OHs treatment. I think in many cases the horses would have improved anyway and interestingly I rarely see any of the other livery owners have repeat treatments regardless of who the practitioner is.
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Agree this often happens but I guess I havn't really got anything to loose other than a few quid. Guess i'll just have to cut back on the wine and chocs for a bit if it's a waste of money!:D
 
Nigsha said:
I think you may find that the fans will be drawn to your post, but I would say remain cynical!! Had it for both horse and human, what a joke! There is nothing that was done that I couldnt do myself on my horse and I wont even go there when it comes to my OHs treatment. I think in many cases the horses would have improved anyway and interestingly I rarely see any of the other livery owners have repeat treatments regardless of who the practitioner is.
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Ah, maybe you've not had the right person!

I have definitely seen improvements in my horse and I have owned him for 15 years so know him inside out so know when he is not right and the change when he's been treated is quite remarkable. We try have Tim out every 6 mths (beginning and end of comp season really). If there's no lissues with the horse he will not do anything really treatment wise and will not charge a full treatment fee (the horse normally just sort of has an all over massage as it were).

I certainly will keep using him anyway.
 
i should have said that why i started to use one!
she came to the yard to see another old boy, he was a grumpy gelding, had real attitude, the vets said that he was most likely hurting through his back (muscle) so advised this person, she came out and i watched her work with him.

within 30 minutes he was totally relaxed and chilled out, when let out in the field again he was happy, not grumpy, he was also moving better.

after my lad got liver fluke i wanted to 'treat' him to a massage and called the person up, she came out and did a few things with him, noticed he was tight in places, pelvis misaligned and a few other things, he had a couple of days off afterwards and then i rode him gently for a couple of hacks, he was striding out lovely which was unusual. up until then i just thought she relaxed them through massage (hence the chilled out horse!) but something she did worked on my lad.

anyway she comes out each year as a regular appointment but if there's any concerns with him she will come out sooner, a few people on the yard have used her and all had her back again.
but make sure you have vets authorisation for a mctimoney person to see your horse, most practitioners will want to speak to your vet before hand just in case!
 
Charem said:
Thanks all.

I probably should have said in my original post he's all booked in for Tuesday at 12.30 with a lady who does my friend's horses and her dressage trainer's horses so she comes well reccomended. Can't for the life of me remember her name though :p

I spoke to her earlier this evening and she asked lots about my horse, his background, way of going, condition ect. Need to speak to vet tommorow to get permission. Find it quite odd that all I have to do is ring and ask-not have any proof of permission but hey ho.....
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yes I was asked all that! I didnt have to speak to my vet as apparently 'they are happy for her to work on my horse' when I asked the vet they just rolled their eyes. They are not going to actively oppose anything unless it is proven harmful TBH. Good luck and hope it goes well.
 
ladyt25 said:
Ah, maybe you've not had the right person!

I have definitely seen improvements in my horse and I have owned him for 15 years so know him inside out so know when he is not right and the change when he's been treated is quite remarkable. We try have Tim out every 6 mths (beginning and end of comp season really). If there's no lissues with the horse he will not do anything really treatment wise and will not charge a full treatment fee (the horse normally just sort of has an all over massage as it were).

I certainly will keep using him anyway.
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But you need to keep calling them back, why would it be needed every 6 months??
I have used or seen used many different types of practitioners, I feel it is a very fashionable thing to do, but if you feel it works then good. If my horses need a massage or a stretch I can do it myself, there is no mystique to it.
 
Nigsha said:
But you need to keep calling them back, why would it be needed every 6 months??
I have used or seen used many different types of practitioners, I feel it is a very fashionable thing to do, but if you feel it works then good. If my horses need a massage or a stretch I can do it myself, there is no mystique to it.
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The reason you call them back is to maintain your horse in the best physical condition for the job you require him to do. Some horses do have a tendency to tweak themselves more often than others and require treatment more regularly. My last horse was a real trier and a big lanky beast and did have more niggles than my current horse who is far more compact and balanced. My McT person is straight as a die, and if they don't need doing, he will tell you! When he does treat your horse, he gives you the program to work to, he isn't trying to book in lots of extra visits to get more money!
 
Nigsha said:
But you need to keep calling them back, why would it be needed every 6 months??
I have used or seen used many different types of practitioners, I feel it is a very fashionable thing to do, but if you feel it works then good. If my horses need a massage or a stretch I can do it myself, there is no mystique to it.
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I use a mctimoney person every 3 months or even this time around a month after she came out need her again rang vet first he said get her out. So not every vet is against them, in-fact vets were so sure nothing wrong with mare in first place in her head with lameness issues. She picked the issues up straight away, suggested gastric ulcers a year later which was correct, offers support and suggested other people to try as well. So changed to different vet and the reason she has so many visits is she is always hurting herself, falling over, different infection etc, just had cellulitis on her back and is sore in that area. Hence vet saying get her to come out and work on her again.

Everyone will answer differently and horses dont always react the same way to treatment but for me it works and as my horse likes her and hasnt tried to kill her works for her as she doesnt like many back people or vets.
 
ditto, i echo what kirstyl says.
Nigsha, i appreciate it isn't for everyone, but i firmly believe they are not charlatans.
i had someone working for me this summer, i started teaching her and when riding she was looking down all the time, more than most do, literally staring at the floor just past the horse's right shoulder all the time unless i'd just reminded her...
i paid for her to have a McTimoney treatment, it turned out that she had very limited movement of her neck, she couldn't look up at the ceiling when he asked her to before starting the treatment. after a gentle treatment, her neck was so much better and she rode differently from then on, no longer needing constant reminder (as in, every 5 seconds!) to look up and look around. this is the most black/white reaction i've ever seen to McTimoney. that was from just 1 treatment.
also, it is brilliant for alleviating sciatica (depending on the cause, obv) - my chronic sciatica very rarely rears its ugly head nowadays, and i know of a McTimoney stretch (taught to me by my McT lady) to alleviate it myself now. not exactly designed to get as much money as possible out of me...
 
kirstyl said:
So do I! What good choice we have.
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We certainly do have good taste I reckon!!! Lol

As for the other post - I do not need him out every 6mths but we tend to try get him out once or twice a year. We showjump and do a bit of eventing (low level) plus my horse has on occasion broken in to the stabl yard several times by crawling under the fence! the 2nd time he did this he must have tweaked himself by maybe slipping and falling i the process as was not good for a few weeks after so we had tim out. He has also slipped and fallen on the road (i broke my collar bone). I was certainly sore and stiff after so i felt it was fair to assume my horse may well be.

We have 5 horses, mix of old and young and I think now we have got in the habit of having the Mctimoney guy out the same as we have the dentist out really I guess. It does seem to help the horses, it's not particularly expensive and it is reassuring to know if there is something wrong with your horse and equally if there is not.

Each to theor own i guess. If you've never had any problems then great but, if you do have issues that just don't seem to resolve through normal work and even vet help but then are helped by this sort of treatment then you do get into the habit of using it.
 
Well, I actually had all manner of issues with my one horse that noone seemed to be able to get to the bottom of. Finally got a McTim person in and after 10 months or so of work (about 6 appointments in that time and stuff that she left me to do with him), I saw a huge improvement. He became a much fitter, more muscular horse (in his back) and far happier and more able in his work. I also got her to look at my ex- racer, just for the hell of it, and she said that there was absolutely nothing to treat back wise with her. So, she certainly isn't out for your cash! No, I trust her and respect the results, and in the first sessions you could actually see where my horse was sore (he was reacting to things that she was doing), and yet the very same things months later got no reaction whatsoever as he was improving.
 
Nigsha said:
But you need to keep calling them back, why would it be needed every 6 months??
I have used or seen used many different types of practitioners, I feel it is a very fashionable thing to do, but if you feel it works then good. If my horses need a massage or a stretch I can do it myself, there is no mystique to it.
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TBH, if all is going well/ fixed, I understand your view on the fact that practitioners have to come back after 6 months, however my mare, no matter how well she is going pulls herself out of synch over time, only slightly so you wouldn't really notice and it happens over time, this is for a number of reasons, mainly acting like a berk in her stable (if she is in) by rearing and box walking and by being over enthusiastic sometimes when ridden. I too have the same problem, the muscles in my back and neck tense and knot, I treat myself to a massage from time to time and feel fabulous for it. Now I would have to say that I could give my mare a damn good massage if I wanted to but I could not do what a Mctimoney practitioner did for my horse! Do I give it the thumbs up? Yes. Do I use a practitioner often? No, I have only used one once, she visited my yard and I booked my mare in, I am glad I did, because not much seemed wrong with my girl, but when I brought her in from the field the next day (still feeling a bit sceptical) her gait and carriage was so different, I was astounded. I would not hesitate to use one again, or reccomend one.
 
My horse has this problem !!

Disuniting on the right rein!

I have sorted it by as soon as I feel the rhythm change keep outside leg behind girth and keep him coiled and upright and every time he does it we carry on in canter for a length so he realises it's more comfortable on the right leg my horse rarely does it now
 
I too am a convert to Mctimoney, Our ex-racer has regular treatments. Even when nothing actually seems amiss beforehand you can see the difference in him after a session, he just works that bit better. Definitely worth a go :).
 
By the way, I disagree that any of us can give our horses a massage. If it's done properly (not just a tickle, a deep, penetrative massage) then you REALLY have to know what you're doing as the horse can well end up worse than he was before. Likewise with stretching, there is a technique and know how is required to ensure that no damage is caused through the procedure. I'm sure some horse owners have enough experience with this, but I would argue that plenty of good horse owners wouldn't actually. I wouldn't want my nextdoor neighbour working on my neck and back I can tell you!!!
 
showqa said:
By the way, I disagree that any of us can give our horses a massage. If it's done properly (not just a tickle, a deep, penetrative massage) then you REALLY have to know what you're doing as the horse can well end up worse than he was before. Likewise with stretching, there is a technique and know how is required to ensure that no damage is caused through the procedure. I'm sure some horse owners have enough experience with this, but I would argue that plenty of good horse owners wouldn't actually. I wouldn't want my nextdoor neighbour working on my neck and back I can tell you!!!
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This is kind of the point that I was trying to make, although not so eloquentley! :) We can massage etc, but not to any great positive effect, I used to massage my old pony, his back used to tense up from his jogging and stargazing, but I was shown how to do this, but I would never look at my horse and think that I as a lay person could sort out any problem in a horse, I wouldn't dare. For me it was £50 well spent on making my horse feel excellent.

Kisrty and Java: I responded to your previous post regarding your horse, my view point still stands... you would not have to keep correcting your horse if he was going correctly. This problem really could stand a good chance of being sorted with a little tweak. Saving both you and the horse the hassle of pratting around with this, if you can find a reccomended practitioner in your area, they really are not that expensive and could find a solution where others/ vets etc have not. :)
 
queen bee -

he is perfectly fine just lazy! i dont want to start another argument especially on someone else's thread, however I know my horse, I have a lesson with him once a week with a very very good instructor, who really knows what she is on about anybody on my area would reccomend her and she has almost sorted it, if there was a problem with him physically then he would do it all the time, he does it more when he is being a bit lazy and not concentrating, once he is one the bit he is fine. His last owner didnt sell him to me directly she sent him to a livery yard to be sold as she couldnt face him going and the yard owner competed him and rode him 4-5 times a week and she said his last owner let him get away with it its just his habit, now he knows not to do it he doesnt.. i do know my own horse
 
i use mctimoney on both my horses & they both definitely go better. one is seen every 3-6 months depending on workload (more often in the summer when he is ridden more) & the other has a check up ever 6 months, but is probably only properly treated every year.they have sports massage every so often too, as a friend of mine does it and often treats them as a favour for me & i definitely notice a big difference in them both after both mctimoney and sports massage treatment sessions. although i have been some massage techniques to do myself, the massages that i give are more of as nice, relaxing bonding session - rather than a treatment that she would give. :)
 
Kerrili that was very kind of you paying for your employee to have a session, makes me think maybe I should book myself in for one if it all goes well. I have straightness issues myself as I have a very bad habbit sitting crooked whilst driving (bein gangsta n al dat) :p

Roughly how long do they need to have off after treatment? I'm thinking of taking him to his first stressage party which is a week and a half after his session. He needs to do some slightly more proper work for at least a few days before I go otherwise I fear entering at A and being dumped at X!
 
i think it will depend on how much & what treatment is given. usually, i have to give mine a day or two off, then a couple of easy days (hacking for example) and then back into work as usual. he/she will let you know though - i'm not sure what other mctim therapists do, but i get given a written report of the session with all aftercare details on too.
 
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