Performance animals benefit from alternative therapies

Happy summer! The beautiful days are officially here and my boys and I are loving it. The past few weeks I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working on several high performance horses. These gorgeous animals are barrel racers, jumpers, dressage, endurance riders, and I’ve even met some search and rescue horses. I’m not going to lie- previous to being an animal chiropractor, my only experience with large animals was visiting my mom’s horse who she used for western style riding. Jericho was the sweetest horse and I loved giving him treats. Fast forward 10 years and in pursuing my postgraduate small animal chiropractic education for dogs and cats, I also learned equine chiropractic. While many of the adjustments are the same, some of the chiropractic adjustments are specific to canine or feline as well as equine.  Basically, not all spines move the same, and just because you can adjust a human one way doesn’t mean you can adjust a chicken or horse the same way. As I meet more of my equine patients I’m amazed at what these animals can accomplish with their very specific training. 


Barrel racing horses run a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels. The goal is to run the pattern in the fastest time. Knocking over a barrel results in a five second penalty. These horses are cutting around corners so fast that I often find tension and misalignments between the shoulders, lower part of the neck, and into the front limbs. A barrel racer owner I met with this week mentioned that her horse was able to turn faster and smoother after being adjusted. On a follow up visit, I found less tension in the muscles of the lower neck and shoulders. 


Dressage is a beautiful discipline. I remember the first time I saw a dressage horse perform. I couldn’t believe how fluid the horse’s movements were and how in tuned the horse and rider were together. When training dressage, the horse must have three free balanced gaits. We learned how to analyze these movements in chiropractic school: a four beat walk, a two-beat trot and a three beat canter. Before having more hands on experience this seemed overwhelming. But after observing different horses perform, it truly made sense. Dressage horses definitely benefit from chiropractic care because a horse that feels good and isn’t experiencing tension or pain can perform with greater mobility. Dressage looks so effortless and graceful that it’s been described as equine ballet. 


Endurance riding horses have to be able to go the distance. In the United States, most endurance rides are either 50 or 100 miles. Generally, horses and riders have 6 hours to complete a 25 mile ride, 12 hours for a 50 mile ride, and 24 hours for a 100 mile ride. Both the owner and the rider have to build up endurance and strength for these races. Oftentimes I find tension in the withers of these horses where the saddle puts the most stress on the horse. As well as T18, another spinal transition area for horses. 


I’m often asked why horses benefit from chiropractic care and how an owner can tell their horse many need an adjustment? Horses work hard. Like us they perform better and are more focused when they feel good and move good. And horse owners are truly in tune with their animals and can pick up on changes in their friend’s movement, attitude, and willingness to perform to their highest ability. Happy summer all! Enjoy these beautiful days.