Obvious Candidates for Chiropractic Care
Horses with diagnosed neck or back issues are obvious candidates for chiropractic examination and possible treatment with chiropractic care and/or acupuncture. Even horses with mild radiographic findings can experience increased comfort and improved performance when spinal mobility is optimized.
Lameness
Lameness is one of the most common reasons our horses fail to remain sound over time.
Far too many horses are euthanized because they become unfit for use due to recurring or chronic lameness.
Many of these horses show no visible radiographic changes, yet they might have been helped if their spinal function had been examined earlier. Spinal dysfunction often causes the horse to compensate, which in turn overloads the limbs.
When a veterinarian has identified pain in a joint (for example, through diagnostic nerve blocking), that joint should of course be treated appropriately — with joint therapy, corrective shoeing, rehabilitation, and so on.
However, to give the horse the best chance of regaining full athletic function — and to reduce the risk of recurring leg problems — it is crucial that the horse’s biomechanics are working properly.
Both veterinarian and owner should be aware that horses with intermittent or recurring lameness, as well as injuries in the supporting structures (such as suspensory ligament injuries), may not only suffer from training issues but also from poor coordination and control originating from the spine.