October 2013

   Equither received a lengthy letter follow-up about several horses at Kohlmann Farm and I have tried to condense it below: 

We at Kohlmann Farm have 5 different horses that Kelly Flowers worked on.  Each horse had different issues but Kelly was able to find and address each problem area and able to improve mobility on each of the five horses.  For some time prior to Kelly working on them, each horse had their feet properly trimmed, under vet care, and been slowly worked and in training for a different specific job.  With all of this each horse still had a problem that was not improving.  We called in Kelly for equine PT, massage therapy and chiropractic care.

ANNIE: AQHA 4 year old mare, has issues in one front hoof but was dragging both front feet so badly I thought we would have to put her down unless she could improve.  Annie had won alot of money in pole-bending competitions until she went lame with improper trimming, long heels and pre-navicular syndrome in one front hoof.  With a Natural Hoofcare vet working on her feet, we came to the conclusion that there were tendon , ligament and muscular issues.  We called Kelly to work on Annie, and after one initial treatment session, within days, she jumped out of temporary fencing and galloped up the long driveway to my neighbor's farm.  I knew Annie was better!  Annie now walks fine up the hill when it is time to come in from the pasture.

TAFFY: a Chincoteague 14 year old mare who was a top dressage pony in Lexington Pony Club some years back.  Taffy came to me with very stiff and stilted gaits, no longer wished to jump, bucked off riders and could not canter properly (she threw herself into the canter with both hind legs hitting the ground at the same time, bucked and did not have a true 3 beat canter).  Taffy looked locked in her lower back and hips.  Amazingly, the same night Kelly did the initial work on Taffy I put her in the round pen.  She walked, trotted and cantered freely for the first time, and had a 3 beat canter with her rear legs working independently.  Subsequent treatment from Kelly has Taffy improving even more in her shoulders and hips and she has started to move like a dressage horse!

SONNY DEE: 12 year old AQHA gelding who was off in the trot, but the vet could not pinpoint why or where.  Kelly examined Sonny and asked if he had trouble in the canter. I said Yes! he has always preferred one lead over the other, frequently cross-cantering or switching to the wrong lead.  And in the trot this gelding did not seem to flow evenly, no matter the direction.  After Kelly identified and addressed the problem, the past two weeks Sonny canters both leads easily and properly and his trot is more even.

We are very pleased with the assessment and work Kelly has done with each of our horses and we highly recommend him for any breed, style of riding or work, from trail to showring.  In addition to the work on the horses, Kelly shared important saddle information that I now use whenever I saddle a horse.

Audrey Kohlmann

May 2013

Update on Dandee!  

Today, May 11, 2013 is the two year Anniversary of Dandee's near fatal injury. It was just about this time that night that my veterinarian finished treating him after trying to convince me to euthanize him. She gave Dandee a one percent chance of survival and pushed me very hard to let him go. However, I knew what a fighter he was, and I knew he wanted to live. I knew that he had survived severe neglect and starvation at the hands of another. I had witnessed that night how he fought to live, how he screamed for me when I found him in the pasture and how he struggled to rise on unstable legs with a body that would not cooperate, and how he fell to the ground after fighting to rise as I ran for the house to get my phone. I knew his spirit, and I would not give up on a horse who would not give up on himself. What I didn't know and what Dandee couldn't tell me was that he had run head-on into something, and that he had sustained a severe concussion, had broken a vertebra in his neck, and had compressed and bruised his spinal cord badly. Future complications would include facial paralysis of the entire left side of his face and lips and two different ulcerations of his left eye. Dandee needed a miracle that night, and God gave us many over the weeks and months that would follow.

Thank you to my neighbor Susan, who came running when I yelled for her help, even though she is frightened of horses. She held Dandee as I worked over him before the veterinarian could arrive.

Thank you to Sarah Oakley and Shawanda Holbrook , who rescued Dandee from his neglect situation and to Sarah and her Father, who saved his eye and his life by taking him and treating him when I was exhausted and overwhelmed and had nowhere to turn.

Thank you to Larry and Robin Kihnley, who surprised me with a remodeled a stall for Dandee's recovery and who not only drove the truck to Lexington, KY went with me to get him the first time, but also helped me bring him home after his month with Sarah.

Thank you to Kelly Flowers of Equither, who accepted a huge challenge and massaged and adjusted Dandee back to physical health and usefulness. He took a crooked little horse who could not walk a straight line, who could not balance himself, who could barely stop himself once he gained momentum, and he gave him back his life. Kelly also recommended other healers, Dawn Darnell and Betty Boswell, who played important roles in Dandee's recovery as well. I cannot speak highly enough of the role that Kelly played in Dandee's recovery.

Thank you to Dawn Darnell, Equine Dentist, who worked with my crooked little horse who had no desire to receive more treatment, and who fought her. Dawn worked with Dandee gently until he accepted treatment, and she worked miracles on his teeth, which had become unbalanced because of the facial paralysis which did not allow him to eat or chew normally.

Thank you to Sharon Micheal, Dandee's breeder, who has given me so much encouragement and wisdom in working with Dandee .

And thank you to all my friends and family, who have strengthened my knowledge of horses over the years and gave me the ability to deal with the challenges this situation presented, and who have held me up over the past two years of Dandee's recovery. God gave me the miracle I asked for, over and over again, and delivered it through the people he has brought into my life. Dandee and I both thank yoothers.u all. — with Susan Vuturo and 28

March 2013

Dusty and Melissa

Feb. 26, 2013: I just wanted to follow up with you. I have now gone on four rides since your treatment on Dusty. I noticed an enormous difference in him on the first ride, before we even left the driveway. He has ALWAYS been a pokey horse falling behind the other horses. I have always had to prod him to keep him caught up. Even on the short walk from the barn to the road I noticed he was not only staying caught up, but he was pressing the horse in front of him to move faster! Its amazing. His walk feels totally different and is much smoother, and his trot is very different as well. He is stretching out farther on his front end instead of a stubby lazy jog.

March 4, 2013: Every time I work with him I am noticing more and more. This is so fantastic! When he yields his front end now he actually sits back on his haunches instead of walking his front end around, and he is running at a side pass now with barely any pressure from me, instead of barely walking it with alot of pressure. Completely different horse!

Thanks,
Melissa

October 2012

Karen Lynd and Dandee

Royal Geym Dandee is a 4 year old Arabian/Connemara cross. He suffered trauma to his neck in a pasture accident on 5-11-11, resulting in a transverse process broken off of a mid-cervical vertebra and swelling which caused spinal compression. He suffered severe neurologic complications (ataxia) and could barely walk or stand with stability. My veterinarian gave him a 1% chance of survival. He then injured his left eye due to his instability. He has also suffered Bell's palsy (paralysis) on the left side of his face. This paralysis affected his lips and left eyelid and caused a second ulceration from exposure of the recently healed left eye.

Dandee LOVES his appointments with Kelly. Kelly, who has worked miracles on Dandee, said he had to check twice to make sure he had the right horse because of all the positive changes in the last 3 months! You can see the left side of Dandee's face in the picture. The paralysis of this side of his face is almost healed.

Dandee stretching during his chiro/massage appointment.

I had Dr. Thompson out today for a routine wellness check/shots, and his prescription for Dandee was more sessions with Kelly Flowers!! He was very impressed with Dandee's recovery. I will set something up soon. :-)

September 2012

Lori Kostbade Wood and Rogan (Briarmeadow Stables; Evansville,IN.)

Kelly has been working on Rogan for about two years. In a previous life, Rogan evented. Once he came into my life, he was ridden incorrectly, by me, for an extended period of time, which I now fully understand is extremely hard on a horses body. It literally takes a group of people committed to a horses health to make postive strides, even in a middle aged horse that is only going to be pleasure ridden!

Initially, Kelly went directly after several areas of concern on Rogan and I did see a difference right after his treatments. When we purchased Rogan, I was injecting Rogan's hocks regularly due to need and recognizing that he would become sore in the neck and back. Once Kelly was able to release some of the baggage that Rogan had been carrying for sometime and through Kelly's therapy, Rogan's trainer and my instructor, good footing at the barn, farrier, vet and staff at the stable, we all recognize a change in this horses overall behavior. Rogan can now carry himself longer and can easily and properly round with very light contact, comfortably. Kelly has been an angel from heaven for Rogan.

Recently, I had someone ride Rogan that had been on him in the past and the first comment she said was, "Wow, his hocks look great!" I had to smile and I thought to myself, he's only been injected once in the entire last year! I've had him work on my other horses and also I have him check my saddles periodically to make sure that I'm not causing more problems. Kelly is very honest and will tell you when he feels that it is more of a vet issue than something body work can address. Even if your horse has been treated by Kelly in the past and is holding, I would have Kelly maintain them and check your saddle on a basis that he recommends. It will save time and money later! Rogan sends a big thank you to Kelly! Kelly has been an important piece in the puzzle in getting Rogan back on track and comfortable.

August 2012

My distance horse Jammer was having some subtle issues through several 50 mile rides. The ride vet said I needed a chiropractor. I had someone come out and adjust Jammer's pelvis but he was only marginally better.

While Kelly worked on my horse he was more co-operative than he usually is. It seemed as if Jammer and Kelly were having a conversation; it was beautiful to see the horse knowing that Kelly was helping him.

After Kelly left I had a different horse. 4 days later I presented him to the same vet and she was surprised and impressed to see the improvement! We finished 1st place and Reserve Regional Champion! What this means to me and the people who know my horse is beyond words. My horse would still be having problems if it were not for the muscle work that Kelly does along with the adjustments. His follow-up advice and strengthening exercises are all part of the whole treatment.

If you just want the body parts put back in alignment, call the other guys...if you want your horse to perform better, without pain, call Kelly.