Cool Horse Stories

If you’d like to share your horse’s story, please send it (preferably with picture) to: drreneetucker@gmail.com. Thanks!

Lateral movement trouble resolved

Kathy Carroll with Jork (photo courtesy spencerhansen.net)

My Friesian stallion Jork had been experiencing trouble learning lateral movements. A young dressage horse, his refusal to move away from the right leg seemed to be very perplexing to everyone who worked with him. It was almost as if he was two completely different horses on the left versus the right side of his body. He had been imported from Holland at age 3 with no history of major falls or injuries, and with a clean extensive veterinary health check.
A good friend suggested Dr. Renee Tucker to me. At our first appointment, she explained that he showed signs of a significant fall of some type, and the resulting misalignment had caused extensive muscle tightening and spasm. She spent a great deal of time and effort with both my horse and myself explaining the issues involve. Further she gave me suggestions on basic supplement changes that I could make to help my horse recover from his old injury and prevent further problems. In addition, Dr. Tucker proved invaluable in helping me discover what I needed in an excellent saddle fit. Jork saw Dr. Tucker monthly to reassess his condition. Within 3 months, his condition had completely resolved.

More to the point, my horse within the next 6 months learned all the lateral movements including half-pass, developed a fabulous collected canter, and we started the flying changes! What a difference it made to have my stallion balanced and comfortable in his body. I owe a great deal to Dr. Tucker’s skillful assessment.

Kathleen Carroll
Kelso, WA

Horse engaged with life again…not so shut down

I have been blessed in my life to have met a few people with truly remarkable healing abilities, and Dr. Renee Tucker is one of the best. I have so much to be thankful to her for….I have a 17 yr old thoroughbred, and I could tell there was something that just wasn’t right — he was not himself. Trainers would say “Come on, make him do this,” or “He is just being lazy.” We were struggling…. After having muscle work done, various other therapies, changing my saddle and double-checking the fit, still there was something off. We just weren’t back to him being the horse I knew so well. Then a friend suggested Renee. The results were profound — and I watched my horse come back to being his old self. He was able to do what I was asking of him, and he had that engaged look about him, not so shut down…

But what struck me the most were two things. Firstly, the feel that Renee has, she really “senses” what the horse needs, from poll to tail. She works with the complete horse. And secondly, that the adjustments held! I have never seen such big results with such gentle work. I can’t begin to understand what she does, but am so inspired by the results I have seen in Jack. Thank you Renee!

Lucy Metcalf
Portland, OR

Huge Performance Difference

I am writing this letter to recommend the services of Renee Tucker, DVM. I am a lifetime horse owner, trainer, show person, and enthusiast. I was having trouble getting my horse Shadow (10 year old Tennessee Walking Horse gelding) to flex on one side. I knew he was trying but something was holding him up. The trainer/clinician suggested I try looking into chiropractic care, but I hadn’t thought of that direction and I must admit I am skeptical, having had bad experiences myself.

At a recent Expo, I found Renee Tucker’s booth—a Veterinarian that specializes in a unique combination of chiropractic and acupuncture healing. I explained Shadow’s symptoms and she told me to attend her demo in a few hours on “how to know when to call for an adjustment.”

I showed up at the evaluation clinic and the horse scheduled wasn’t available. I was able to bring my horse Shadow for the demonstration. It was a great experience to learn how to evaluate your horse to see if treatment is truly needed. Poor Shadow was a very good example of what to look for in the poll (it was not level), the spine (was stiff 1/3^rd up from the tail head), the ribs (were sensitive), the rear legs (had reduced flexion), and the shoulder. They were all stiff or out of alignment and it was easy to see the issues.

Renee agreed to stay late after the show and help Shadow and myself out. It was fascinating to see how she worked and how the horse responded with relaxation and I think relief. I could see the results during the session as we were able to get suppleness in areas that didn’t move in the spine and alignment in other areas. She told me to give him a few days off then resume riding.

I noticed a difference right away as he moved around in the pasture relaxed and supple. One of the symptoms Renee had describe to me was crow hopping as he ran and he did that a lot before being adjusted. The real noticeable improvements were a week later when I really started riding. It was like a miracle, (no joke) it made a huge difference in his performance, he is much more relaxed, not dropping his shoulder to the inside and will easily flex both ways. I am still working on balance because I believe his muscles had the issues for so long that he developed muscles to deal with the discomfort.

I am overjoyed at this progress and feel relieved that my horse is more comfortable and moving better. However, I am very humbled. I consider myself a very knowledgeable equine person but never thought to consider this type of car for my horse nor that this may be the problem. I have a lot to learn each day and will always include Renee in the care of my Equine partners even though it will be a three hour journey to see her.

I think Renee has a one-of-a-kind, holistic approach to care of the horse. I highly recommend her to any equine enthusiast regardless of breed to discipline or interests.

Belinda Becker
Sultan, WA

Huge emotional results

My Andalusian mare, Damsel, was in pain everywhere and her back could not round up after months with the wrong trainer. A friend suggested Renee and her gentle techniques. The results were stunning. The physical results were my horse was pain free fast. The emotional results were equally huge. Damsel recognized I understood and cared about her pain and the depth of our bond expanded. Renee’s techniques will help any horse: This book explains how. Owners whose love for their horses is both wide and deep will want a copy.

Gail Wells-Hess
Portland, Oregon

Physically couldn’t do it

Almost all of my clients had their horses seen by Renee. I fully believe that she is a huge reason why in 10 years I only had one suspensory ligament issue. I firmly believe it was she who kept my horses that did have soundness issues going and I had more than one held together with “duct tape and a prayer”. I will never forget one of the best days after Renee worked on a horse, probably in 2006. This horse came into my program and DID NOT EVER land the left lead after a jump. I worked and worked to no avail. I convinced his owner to have Renee look at him and in Renee’s words he was “a disaster”. This always secretly excited me as I knew the horses from riding them and felt the same way about most that came in and knew life was about to get better for them. Anyway, the first day I ride him after with his owner standing there he lands the left lead after a jump and several more times. It had nothing to do with a training issue, it was that he physically couldn’t do it. His owner was a made a believer at that moment of the importance of body maintenance for our athletes.

Amy Ruge–Trainer, Vancouver, WA

Old Show Stars

I have lived and trained all over this country and I have never found anyone that so thoroughly helps my horses in training. Renee Tucker has the highest integrity. She loves the animals she works on and they know it. She has taken old show stars that have been left for done and allowed them to have new careers again and again. My personal horses always fall asleep and drool when she works on them. I have never found a horse not improved from the work. Renee has been a huge help with backs and withers from years of bad saddle fitting. I could not be as successful as a trainer without Renee on my maintenance team. Thank you for all you do for me, my clients and always the horses.

Julia Kubicek
Battle Ground, WA

Showing Grand Prix at 19

Hi, Renee! I still have my big, black (age 19 now) Trakehner, Eddy’s Magic– he’ll be showing Grand Prix again. Let me remind you that when Eddy came from Germany four years ago and you first laid eyes upon him, his long back muscles were ‘seized’ from withers to loin. His body didn’t make a natural curve from spine to tummy–those longissimus (?) muscles stuck out like big “dually” truck fenders. You applied your chiropractic skills, and those ‘fenders’ vanished right before our eyes! Only at that moment did we both realize we should’ve taken ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures, because anyone seeing them would instantly become a believer in the value of chiropractic for horses!

Joy Vartanian
Fox Island, WA