Up North fall equine adjusting

What a beautiful fall we’ve had this year. The leaves have had a wonderful opportunity to change color, and it’s been surprisingly warm. Even though fall is bittersweet with summer coming to an end and preparing for the winter, it’s honestly my favorite season for adjusting horses. There’s hardly any bugs, not too hot not too cold, and my morning drive to barns is breathtaking. The horses respond well to getting adjusted before the cold weather officially sets in and their joints stiffen up. 

Someone recently asked me if I think horses actually need to be adjusted. I can say with 100% certainty that yes horses benefit greatly from chiropractic care. Horses' bodies are naturally wired to survive by masking any signs of pain or discomfort.  Sometimes this makes it hard for the untrained and even the trained eye to understand what a horse may be holding onto. As humans, we often complain about a sore back or a stiff neck and usually do something about it. Horses don’t. Instead, they block the discomfort, protect the body, and carry on as best as they can. This often leads to compensation.

What’s amazing is during sessions that include bodywork, Chiropractic, PEMF, kinesiology tape, massage, and other modalities, we start to notice changes in the animal’s behavior. This is a horse's way of communicating a release of tension. Examples may include yawning, sighing, licking, chewing, snorting, lips drooping, scratching, softening of the eye, etc. Horse owners are the absolute best at looking at their animal and saying—- wow, they’re really enjoying their adjustment, look and them chew, look at their head drop, etc. It’s amazing what an animal can say without using any words at all.

This change in behavior is actually caused by a shift in the nervous system. Humans and animals both have a sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system blocks out pain and is in charge of the fight or flight, also known as a “stress” response. This is the system that reacts quickly to help us move out of a dangerous situation. The parasympathetic nervous system is in charge of healing, rest, and digestion. This system helps us put on the brakes. Chiropractic adjustments and other body work shifts humans and animals from this go go go setting to being more calm. 

By learning to bypass a horse’s natural barrier and instinct to block and protect themselves, we can help them become aware of their tension and help release what they’ve been holding. Honestly the results are incredible. We have worked with rescued horses that after an adjustment they’re trotting and playing again, they’re rolling on their backs, they’re simply enjoying life again. Seeing these moments is why I love doing what I do.