HISTORY
Like chiropractic, chirovetpractic
began over 90 years ago.Unlike chiropractic, chirovetpractic
diagnostic, and treatment techniques are totally different because
of the differences in the skeletal biomechanics of the biped, and the
quadruped.
Just after the turn of the century, a young race horse
trainer began using the trial and error method to adjust horses. He
developed, and practiced this new knowledge for over 50 years. When
he was approaching the end of his life, he picked out a young aspiring
horse trainer named Jerry, and taught him all that he could about chirovetpractic
and training.
Jerry further developed this new discipline over the
next 35 years before teaching me how to diagnose, and adjust the horse's
skeletal system. It was a hands on experience for close to 2 years before
I began my speciality practice in the San Francisco bay area.
What created my interest in chirovetpractic was the fact
that I, like the other race track veterinarians, was experiencing great
difficulty diagnosing rear leg lameness. I was only treating symptoms
about 80 percent of the time. I was also doing a lot of head scratching.
I now know, I was treating the symptoms of subluxations (skeletal dislocations)
in the lower back.
One day, while performing a neurological examination
on a horse, the owner said, "She has difficulty going up hill, down
hill, and jumping. "What popped into my mind was, those are the
symptoms of hip dysplasia in the dog. I completed my examination,
and realigned the third cervical vertebra, 3 lumbar vertebrae, the sacrum,
the left hip, and the right tibia. Driving home, I began thinking about
where I could get my hands on a dog to examine.
Over the next couple of months, I got my hands on every
dog that I could. When I return to check on the first dog that I had
adjusted, I was greeted by the stable owner. He said, "What in hell
did you do to my dog?" When I could finally clear my throat by swallowing
my heart, I asked in a weak voice what was wrong. He said, "She's 12
years old and running around, acting like a puppy again." Then he smiled,
knowing that he had scared the hell out of me.
When I added dogs and cats to my practice, I thought
that I would be just correcting lameness, and gaiting problems as in
the horse. However, I began doing follow up calls on my patients, and
discovered that I was curing problems that I did not know could be cured.
This caused me to reevaluate the results of my work on horses. The list
of symptoms for the dog and horse was then developed.
Since that time, I have added all four legged animals
to my practice. Which now include over 1000 horses and dogs, 40 to 50
cats, 3 mules, 2 wolves, several llamas and a camel. The list of symptoms
seen in the dog can be applied to all carnivores. I am sure there will
be some variations. The list of symptoms seen in the horse can be applied
to all herbivores. Again, there will probably be some variations between
species.
Personal History
1940 - Born Columbia South Carolina. My father
was a Jockey and Owner and Trainer of racehorses. The family traveled
alot. A typical year would find us in Louisville, KY in the spring at
Churchill Downs race track. The summers would be in either, NY, OH,
or IL. The fall would find us in Lexington, KY and the winters in Miami,
FL or New Orleans, LA.
1952 - I began working on the race tracks in the
summer. Beginning as a hot walker and soon being taught to groom horses.
Dad was a good horseman, and a harsh teacher. During my freshman year
of high school. I went to seven different schools, two of them twice.
At the beginning of my sophomor year, Bloom Township High
School in Chicago Heights, IL, refused to let me take courses that I
wanted to take. I wanted to become a veterinarian. They told me that
those courses were for their perminant students, and that I was a transient.
I quit school, and took a job as a groom on the race track. I thought
that my dream of becoming a veterinarian was lost forever.
1957 - I stepped outside of a stall I had just
bedded down, and lit up a cigarette. The groom on my right did the same.
I was 17. He was 67. The groom to my left was 70. I looked at them both
and thought, We are all getting the same pay. There is no future
being a groom.
1958 - I joined the U.S. Navy in January. I became
a radioman, and worked for Admirals for most of 9 years. I attended
Radioman B school, which gave me the math background I had missed in
high school.
1963 - I was stationed in San Juan, PR my last
3 years in the Navy. I received a GED highschool diploma, and attended
college at night those 3 years. I was honorable discharged in December
1966 with a year of college, with mostly A's and a couple B's.
1967 - I went to work with my father who was dying
of cancer. I applied to U.C. Davis, CA for their preveterinary program.
They turned me down. Stating, that they would not accept the Florida
State credits I had earned while I was in Puerto Rico.
The University of Minnesota accepted my credits. My counselor
advised me that I was on probation because I had not attended high school.
I asked him what probation meant. He said, "You have to maintain a C
average or you will be dropped from the University. I laughed. He said,
"What's so funny?" I replied, "Hell, we're all on probation." He thought
for a moment and said, "You're right. I never thought of it that way."
Being accepted by the University of Minnesota, in hind
sight, was the best thing that could have happened to me. I got a much
better education for practicing veterinarian medicine than I would have
received at U.C.Davis. There were students who failed to get into my
class at the College of Veterinary Medicine, who were accepted into
the College of Medicine at the University of Minnesota. The college
that produced the doctors who created the Mayo Clinic.
1974 - I graduated. The U.S.Army had me for a
few years.
1978 - I began my racetrack practice in southern
California at Hollywood Park, Santa Anita and Del Mar race tracks. I
had been working over a 100 hours a week for a year and a half, before
my wife took my son and left. I was crying on the shoulder of one of
my veterinary friends when he said, "How long were you married?" I replied,
"6 years." He said, "You'll be getting a divorce about every 5 or 6
years as a race track veterinarian." I question a couple other vets.
The said the same thing. I decided then that I wanted to do something
else for a living.
1984 - I dropped out and sailed the Bahamas as
the navigator, ships doctor, assistant cook, head cleaner and the chief
anchor yanker. It was a wonderful time. The Bahama waters are the most
beautiful I have seen. The people although mostly poor were friendly.
We just had to stay away from the guys that wore heavy gold chains around
the necks, the drug runners.
I studied, philosophy, psycology, the world religions,
self help and metaphysics. I put on siminars on how to improve all relationships,
business and personal. I wrote a couple of books that remain unpublished.
Best of all, I learned alot about myself.
1990 - I returned to the race tracks in southern
California, and met Gerald Knight. The man who taught me how to diagnose
and adjust horses.
1991 - I moved to the San Francisco bay area to
begin my Chirovetpractic Practice. During the next nine years, I learned
the symptoms seen in horses, dogs and cats. This allowed me to create
this website. I began getting more requests from Florida for work than
I was getting in California. My practice had moved before I had. I tried
many different things to be able to stay in California, my lady did
not want to move to Florida. What ever I tried to improve my business
in California failed. The doors were closing in California and opening
in Florida. I was really torn. My business sense was saying, "Move to
Ocala, Florda." My heart was saying, "No! No! No!" I finally took a
medative walk. The first thought that came to my mind was, "You don't
trust God, do you?" They had me there. I said, "Alright, I'll trust."
2000 - I moved to Ocala, Florida. After speaking
to the Florida Farm Managers Association, I had an instant practice.
Business has been good ever since, and is still growing. Since I began
working on foals as well as older horses, I have discovered and added
several symptoms common to foals. See the horse and click on symptoms.
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