There are good reasons to utilize the services of an equine chiropractor, just as there are for humans. However, there is one thing you must know before calling an equine chiropractor to get the most benefit for your horse and to keep from wasting hundreds and maybe thousands of dollars on treatment.
Chiropractic adjustment will not solve all problems, and even when used properly your horse is not cured when the practitioner drives away from your barn. There can be immediate and astonishing changes in your horse both physically and visually from chiropractic treatment; what few owners understand is the difficulty of maintaining these changes. The one thing horse owners need to know before calling the chiropractor is that treatment is only the first step in the horse's recovery.
Once your horse has been adjusted, you must decide if you are willing to make the investment in time and effort that is necessary to make the correction permanent. The horses of owners who are unaware of the need for rehabilitation experience little benefit from adjustment. These owners often end up relying on repetitive chiropractic care to keep their horse in work, racking up big bills weekly or monthly.
Other owners decide it is a worthwhile investment to have their horse treated regularly by a chiropractor. Many training barns have horses adjusted monthly. The economics of keeping a performance horse in competition sometimes make this a sound financial decision. For most owners, however, failure to properly rehabilitate their horse results in hundreds and thousands of dollars of unnecessary expense, which few of us can easily afford.
Unless the problem your horse is experiencing is a recent trauma, its joints and muscles have become used to their improper alignment. The chiropractor may put the joint back into proper adjustment, but the memory of the muscles and the habits your horse has developed to compensate will probably result in the joint returning to what it considers a 'normal' state. An effective program of rehabilitation will help your horse to maintain the new and proper alignment through a progressive exercise program that allows the changed muscle positions and correct movements to become habit.
Rehabilitation exercises should begin slowly using mostly straight work with only minor bending and broad changes in direction. Ask your chiropractor or veterinarian how to properly plan these exercises. The longer your horse has been out of correct adjustment the longer the rehab period will be.
Muscles need time to develop strength, mass and flexibility. If you have ever had a broken leg or arm, you know that the muscles of that limb atrophied and didn't return to normal as soon as the cast was removed, but only after an extended period of carefully planned physical therapy. Remember this when you plan the recovery of your horse after chiropractic treatment.
Once your horse is rehabilitated, you may need to make changes in training methods, equipment used or lesson routine to help keep your horse comfortable and able to perform. Buy the best saddle pad possible. It will easily pay for itself over time by keeping your horse from soreness or injury.
Whenever your horse begins to show new signs of irritation, stiffness or unwillingness, the first thing you need to rule out is physical discomfort. Practice balanced riding, working your horse equally in both directions. Perform warm up exercises before every lesson. Attentive owners know when their horse seems to be 'off.' You need to listen to your horse every bit as much as they need to listen to you.
Now that you are an informed horse owner, if you have a need to call an equine chiropractor, be ready to ask them for a rehabilitation program. Get the most out their service for both your horse and your budget.
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