Equine Treatment
Chiropractic care is an important part of keeping your horse's health at it's best. It can be beneficial to any horse, whether it is young or old, healthy or injured.
For injured horses, treatment should be given as early as possible to help aid in the recovery process. Faulty movement patterns are more difficult to correct the longer they are present, so early treatment is recommended in order to help prevent these patterns from remaining.
Competition horses often benefit from regular chiropractic care to enhance their performance. No matter what your horse competes in, chiropractic can help to alleviate discomfort and promote freedom of movement, helping to maximise your horse's potential.
As well as performance problems when riding, unridden and geriatric horses can also be helped with chiropractic treatment. Like humans, they can suffer from joint pain and arthritis. Chiropractic can help to keep the joints as mobile as possible and keep your horse comfortable.
Young horses and foals can benefit from treatment as they grow to help prevent compensation and faulty movement patterns from developing, in order to reach their optimal potential. Young, playful horses can get minor injuries in the field, so having them checked before they are backed may also be favourable.
Mares often benefit from chiropractic treatment within 8 weeks of foaling. As the pelvic ligaments stretch in preparation for labour, the area becomes hypermobile, which can affect the biomechanics of the surrounding joints. Chiropractic can help to relieve discomfort and improve movement, therefore aiding the recovery process. While already there, the foal can be checked too!
It is a good idea to have yourself checked, as unbalanced riders can force your horse to compensate in order to maintain symmetry. External factors such as poor saddle fit and shoeing are also common causes of compensatory patterns.
As animals can't always tell us when they are in pain, here are a few common signs that could mean they are not at their best :
- Negative behaviour changes
- Stiffness
- Tender areas/flinching when being touched
- Reduced performance eg. can't halt square, clipping poles
- Abnormal gait, lameness or shortened stride
- Feeling unbalanced or difficulty flexing when ridden
- Difficulty with transitions or taking a lead
- Difficulty with engagement or flexing at the poll
- Postural changes eg. dipped backs
- Resistance to being ridden/bucking
- Head tossing
- Assymetrical or reduced sweating/perspiration
Lameness must always be examined by your vet prior to a chiropractic appointment.