Crothers Way Philosophy
Being "Pain Free" is a Totally New Concept for You and Your Horse
No gimmicks, no tricks, no special tack and no expensive equipment needed. Ed Crothers, the Equine Analyst, will teach you how to recognize pain in your horse. Drawing on 25+ years of experience correcting problems and rehabilitating horses, Ed strives every day to help all horses become strong and well-rounded once again. The knowledge he has gained over the years leads Ed to estimate that 90% of disrespect is pain, and that there is no such thing as a bad horse. Horses don't go bad overnight. They are trying to tell us something is wrong.
My school horses LOVE Ed Crothers. His quiet, kind, confident way sets them immediately at ease and they arrive at their next lesson feeling and moving as if they were 10 years younger - my students always comment on how loose the horses feel after Ed has been out to the barn." -- Jessy W., Director of Green Acres Equine Center
Introduction to The Crothers Way
Determining the Problem
Over the past 25+ years, the same problem has repeatedly been brought to the attention of Ed Crothers: A well-trained horse and wonderful riding partner has developed a disrespectful relationship. This is what Ed calls The Good Horse Gone Bad. Using years of breaking and training experience, combined with working hand-in-hand with veterinarians and equine chiropractors, Ed has discovered that pain is the true reason a good horse goes bad. The methods of analysis and treatment Ed has developed show the affects of short- or long-term chronic pain on a horse's attitude and performance.
Ed's knowledge of horses stems back to his childhood, and has grown throughout the years with his work on several of Ohio's top thoroughbred farms. However, it was not until around the year 2000 that Ed started looking for the cause behind the disrespect he was seeing. This is when Ed first started looking at horses in a different light.
Pain Free Horse Program
From 2000 to 2003, Ed watched and took notes on every horse he worked with. Over that 3-year span, Ed analyzed over 500 horses. Throughout his study, Ed would look over every vet work-up chart and chiropractic chart, and he noticed that many horses acting with the same level of disrespect also suffered from the same level of pain issues.
I was your late night visitor a couple of Saturdays ago with my barrel horse, Jet. You had told me that Jet was in pretty bad shape and that he would feel like a new horse after you adjusted him. Well...You were right. My first run was a 17.048 which was a pretty good time for me. A little faster than what I had been running. Then my second run, he ran a 16.853. I was pretty excited about that. Then my final run was a 16.369! What a ride! You were right about him finding out that he wasn't in pain anymore and that he would get better after a few runs. Wow! I just wanted to thank you for fixing my guy. I truly appreciate it." -- Renee J.
From the knowledge gained in these studies, and knowledge gained from the horses he still works with on a daily basis, Ed is able to quickly evaluate a horse. This enables him to find the cause of the pain/disrespect so the problem can be addressed. Ed knows that when a horse is in pain, you have to first fix the pain issue, then retrain the horse's mind to accept that the pain is no longer an issue.
Evaluation and Treatment of a Problem Horse
Ed uses his Equine Problem Chart to analyze your horse's problems and give you the best approach to correcting the problem. If you would like to learn more, check out the 3-disc DVD set of Good Horse Gone Bad created by The Crothers Way. Learn to evaluate why your horse misbehaves, and learn what you should and should not do to get them to where you are riding again. In the DVD set, you'll watch as Ed, a veterinarian, and a chiropractor, join forces to evaluate and help three problem horses.
