Medicine Hat Animal Chiropractic
Located in San Diego County, Serving All of California
DOES MY HORSE NEED CHIROPRACTIC CARE?
Every day most horses are exposed to situations that can cause trauma to muscles and joints:
- Trauma: Caused by falls, trips, slips or being cast
- Performance: Every discipline strains the spine in a different, specific way
- Narcotics: The entire sedation or anesthesia process can cause problems
- Rider: Problems with the rider's seat (e.g., crooked seat) can lead to spinal problems
- Transportation: Long transportation times, accidents, poor shock absorption in the trailer, and unsympathetic driving can cause damage to the spine
- Shoes: Poor hoof care and incorrect trimming/shoeing interferes with the horse's movement, resulting in joint fixations of the spine and extremities
- Birthing: Difficult births where the foal is forcibly extracted can cause problems in both the mare and the foal
- Saddle and tack: Poorly fitting saddles and tack are one of the most frequent causes of spinal problems
- Lack of movement: Small stall/paddock doesn't give the horse enough opportunity to ease tensions by bucking or rolling
- Age: As age increases, the effects of previous small and/or large traumas to the spine become more apparent
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
Horses
attempt to compensate for pain by changing their posture and way of
going, but these adaptations can result in other problems such as joint
changes. The following symptoms may indicate pain and discomfort that can be helped by chiropractic care:
- Reduced performance
- Abnormal posture
- Snapping and pinning back its ears when being brushed or saddled
- Misbehavior while being ridden
- Throwing the head up or hollowing the back while under saddle
- Swishing the tail or kicking out
- Disobedience when jumping
- Difficulties with collected or lateral gaits
- Sudden changes in behavior
- Frightened or painful facial expression
- Sensitivity to touch
Subluxations
of the spine can affect muscle coordination and mobility of the horse,
thereby causing decreased performance, and you might observe the
following:
- Abnormal gait rhythm
- Irregularity of gait that can't be attributed to a particular leg or gait
- Stiffness when your horse leaves the stall
- Stiffness in general posture or when bending
- Muscular atrophy
- "Brushing" or interference of the legs and/or hooves
- Difficulty engaging the hindquarters
- Difficulty working "long and low"
- Shortened stride in one or more legs
- Overall decreased range of motion in gait
- Difficulty flexing the poll
- Lameness
- Pulling or hanging against one rein (or "rein lame")
- Your horse's back does not swing freely
COMMON RIDING DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS
- Show jumpers with subluxations in the lower thoracic and lumbar vertebrae have difficulties rounding their backs. They often land in cross canter and have problems changing leads at the canter
- Gaited horses with subluxations of the sacroiliac joints have an unlevel gait rhythm and difficulty with transitions. They also have a tendency to lean into the bit and run off. Their backs may be tense; muscular atrophy may also be evident
- Endurance horses with subluxations in the thoracic and cervical spines often demonstrate soreness in the back and an uneven gait rhythm. Further effects are a noticeable drop in performance as well as a stiff neck
- Western horses with a restriction in the lumbar vertebrae and the sacroiliac joints have difficulty in bending laterally and show single-sided problems in turns and spins, as well as undefined lameness in their front limbs
- Barrel racing horses with subluxations of the neck demonstrate troubles "torqueing" their necks as they charge from one end of an arena to another, at a full gallop, "hit the brakes," while making incredibly tight turns with the rider reining to turn the horse. This activity also places a lot of stress on the shoulders and hocks
- Dressage horses with subluxations in the lumbar spine have difficulty bending correctly and executing lateral movements. Further consequences include poor engagement of hind limbs and a lack of suppleness
