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Chiropractor Experiences

4K views 20 replies 10 participants last post by  msuhighfrequincy 
#1 ·
I am having an issue with my 7 year old gelding.

He initially had an injury to the coronary band early March and as it was healing and growing out he developed laminitis either from grass or from standing off balance. Could be either.

Even knowing this I still think he's out of alignment from being off balance from the injury or laminitis. Among other things I've noticed that he will hold his tail off to the left quite a bit, not all the time, but too often.

What I would like to know is how was your experience with a chiro for horses.

The man I am having come next Monday is a human chiro who also does horses.

Good or bad experiences?

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
I have the chiro come out at least once every 6 months and adjust my OTTB. The last time, he did not really needed an adjustment so he is finally building up the muscle and holding it all in place. I like to use the chiro because he is just getting really started under saddle, and I am a heavier rider so I want to make sure his back is taken care of while he is gaining weight and I am losing :)

The first time I had her out, it was because he was lame in both hind but after one visit by the chiro his lamness was gone. Im not saying that is a typical reaction, but I swear by the chiro now.

He also would hold his tail to one side before she came out the first time.
 
#3 ·
i have had the chiro out 3-4 times and has helped for sure.. Maddy was just generally "off" and we did everything from hand walking to x-rays and our last resort was the chiro and it worked wonders.

just make sure the person is legit! :)
 
#4 ·
As with all things horse related, references and word of mouth is the best way to find a good equine professional.

Good chiropractors are definitely helpful when your horse needs them. I have worked with a couple in the past (he/she did chiro, I did massage at same barn) and I haven't met one that seemed "off" yet.
 
#5 ·
A good chiro/acupuncturist is awesome.
I have mine checked at least yearly, though I would prefer every 4 to 6 months.
I had my 2 yr old unbroken stud checked over in Feb and he was out in a hip, a shoulder, and 2 ribs. He had had several traumatic incidences with the people I got him from - flipping over, roped and dragged into trailers, etc, etc..... - so I wanted to make sure he was aligned prior to riding.
 
#7 ·
You need to have an equine chiropractor. NOT a human one. Very bad.

In most states human chiropractors that perform on horses are working outside the law. They are NOT qualified to work on horses. In Oregon they are not allowed to work on horses at all.

Be very very careful. It's so important when you have someone do this kind of work that they are a licensed equine chiropractor. Mine is great. He has to stand on a hay bale because Solon is 18 hands but just does wonders.
 
#8 ·
Thanks to all of you.

I got the name of this person from a local barn, they use him and are real happy with him.

I also called a lady outside of the barn who couldn't sing his praises enough.

As far as I know, he is only licensed as a human chiro. He may be licensed as an equine chiro for all I know.

I was just happy to locate one at all. He is an hour away from me as it is.

I am so happy to hear all the positives that have helped all of you and your precious equines!

I only hope that I have the same luck.

I will for sure be asking him more about his credentials when he gets here.

I sure wish I would have asked this question before I called him. Although truthfully I probably would have tried him with or without at this point.

Like I said, I am not even sure he's out of alignment, it could just be laminitis clinging on for dear life that's giving him the problem, in which case, the chiro wouldn't help that.

If the chiro is good though, it won't be wasted money, I think we all could benefit from a chiro now and then.

Many thanks to all of you!

I'll check back in with you after the appt. but for now, you've eased my mind.
 
#9 ·
You should call him before he comes out and find out if he's licenses for horses. Horses aren't the same as people which is why most Board of Chiropractic Examiners do not want their people working on horses.

It does work nicely. Our guy has us wait 3-4 (sometimes more) after an alignment before any regular riding.
 
#10 ·
LOVE THEM! Just had my two horses as well as myself and my husband done yesterday. My guy comes every 4 months or so and does the whole family. He is licensed as both a horse and human chiro. Im surprised to hear what Solon posted...because in the state of Texas you MUST be a certified vet or human chiro to get the certifications for horse work.

As a side note I wanted to add...after he finished at my house my chiro was going to adjust rodeo bulls! Strange things... I was wondering...how do you know they're "off"...bucking a little less enthusiastically :)
 
#12 ·
As a side note I wanted to add...after he finished at my house my chiro was going to adjust rodeo bulls! Strange things... I was wondering...how do you know they're "off"...bucking a little less enthusiastically :)
That is funny Hotreddun!

I called his office but they were closed for the day.

Solon, I did a general search for an equine chiro and came up with nothing, that's when I called the Horse Barn, do you know of any place that I could search for one that's certified? I would appreciate it.

If not, thanks anyway. :)
 
#11 ·
Here's the exact wording:

The Oregon Board of Chiropractic Examiners in consultation with their legal counsel at their 1996 September meeting determined that "treating animals is not within the scope of chiropractic in Oregon....even with a referral from a veterinarian. The Board advises that chiropractic physicians refrain from the treatment of animals.". The unqualified veterinarians attempting equine chiropractic are practicing within the law, but their lack of chiropractic knowledge leaves question as to their abilities.

This is from, Understanding Chiropractic Care for Your Horse, booklet by Michal Partington DVM, Certified Veterinary Chiropractor.

For awhile he was one of a tiny handful of equine chiro's. The stories he told of regular chiro's working on horses and the bad results would curl your toes. Now thankfully there are more equine certified.
 
#13 ·
#15 ·
I've had an equine chiropractor adjust my horses twice with good result. But... if the muscles around the misalignment still hold the wrong position, it's likely that the misalignment will occur again. Therefore it's best to get an equine massage practitioner out to massage the horse - if possible - before and after, the treatment. There are different opinions out there, but it makes sense if you think about it. The muscles tighten and go into spasm to maintain balance with the misalignment. Once that's gone, the muscles do not automatically 'spring back' to normal...
 
#16 ·
The chiro just left after doing an adjustment on Tucker.

I really liked this guys work and Tucker actually trusted him. No snorting or jumpiness.

I told him that having no experience with laminitic horses that I really don't know if his lameness is an ongoing laminitis thing or if he's out of adjustment.

He said that even though he didn't have a hoof tester that he pressed pretty hard on his feet with not a problem that you would see on a laminitis horse.

That confirms my belief too.

He was out of adjustment and he says that I should now give him a 30 minute stall rest and then to let him out and go about his day as usual.

Tomorrow I am to exercise him on a lunge line or free lunge him at a walk each way for 5 minutes and then add trot for 5-10 minutes if there are no signs of stiffness or pain.

On the third day I can resume normal exercise. If horse is stiff, progress more slowly back into normal routine.

I have high hopes that this will get him back to normal. He is so close, but still not 100%. I'm praying by this time next week I will have my old boy back!
 
#20 ·
Depending on how long he was "out" may determine how long it will take to get him back. If it has been a long time, then the muscles may pull it back out of alignment. My barrel horse took 3 visits and corroboration between the chiro and farrier on the last visit to get him to stay aligned. We used liniment on him to help relax the muscles after the first adjustment, I put him on dac Herbal Respond for a couple of days too.

My two younger horses needed slight adjusting on the second visit and were 100% when she checked them a third time. Visits were 7 to 10 days apart.
 
#21 ·
Make sure he knows what he's doing. They can make things worse. That said, I have a horse that was short stepping in the hind end. The first vet thought it was in his hocks and after 800 dollars in bills we saw no improvements. He stayed off for an entire year, couldn't ride him, until my daughter convinced me to try the chiropractor. After two weeks and two sessions he was back in the show pen winning Western Pleasure again. I was amazed! He had one adjustment last year (just maintenance, was not off at all) and didn't need one this year.
 
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