Using Microcurrent to Gain Trust of Rescue Horse

A rescue horse named Oliver was brought to me for therapy and training at the end of July 2019; when he arrived, he was extremely skeptical of anyone touching him other than his owner, who had owned him for about 2 years. When he was rescued from auction, no information was given about him, but he did have an unusual gait in the hind end. Oliver’s owner had a veterinarian out to check him over, and he was diagnosed with fibrotic myopathy on his left hind. When he walked, his left leg would kick up underneath himself unnaturally and then slap the ground. His back would also arch up and contract unnaturally while he was moving. The first time I tried to work with him, he didn’t want to be caught and was terrified of me touching his back and hind end; he even kicked out towards me out of fear. I didn’t know how to work with him, let alone hook him up to the microcurrent with all the wires and hands-on work to help his body!

I decided the safest approach to help keep Oliver calm was to use the Silver Knit Gloves with the Best-Vet on Low Relax. I wanted him to learn that human touch could feel good and that I was trying to help him feel better; I wasn’t going to hurt him or put him in scary situations he wasn’t ready for. In the first 3 treatments, I stayed up by his neck and shoulders because these were the areas he was most comfortable with me touching. By the 4th treatment, he gave me a small nicker when he saw me approaching his stall to do our next microcurrent session! When I was finally able to touch his hind end, I understood why he was so guarded. Poor Oliver had horrible scar tissue running the length of his hamstring, and the muscles felt like tight guitar strings. 

I have done many all-body microcurrent sessions using the back pad and leg wraps because his whole body has compensated for this injury for quite some time. I also used the roller on his hind end to help break up the scar tissue and the SoundWave (Qi Machine). For the first time since he has been at my barn, he could buck while he was turned loose in the arena (Week 7). When he first arrived, he could hardly trot or canter for any time due to how compromised his body was. Now, he is frisky and happy to move around on his own. He still has a way to go, and we don’t know how far we will go, but he is more sound, happier, and friendlier than before! His scar tissue and bound-up muscles are better, but it will take time to undo this much damage. We can now introduce him to new things on the ground to help build his confidence and trust in people working with him. We wouldn’t be this far this soon if it weren’t for the microcurrent! These therapy tools have helped Oliver trust people again; it is nothing short of a miracle! 

Oliver’s Microcurrent Schedule – 3x Per week:

• Week 1 & 2 – Microcurrent Glove Work w/ Best Vet
• Week 3, 4 & 5 – All Body – Back Pad & Leg Wraps w/ Best-Vet (wetting the whole left hind end including inner & outer leg, hamstring & stifle to help draw current to compromised area) + Light Therapy with SL-50 Laser 1-2x a week.
• Week 6, 7 & 8 – All Body – Back Pad & Leg Wraps w/ Best -Vet + Roller on Hamstring 1-2x a week & SoundWave (Qi Machine) on Hamstring 1 -2x a week