Horses being the big, active animals that they are often sustain injuries or develop diseases that affect their ability to move in a free, painless, and coordinated way.
Strains and sprains caused by overuse or excessive use of the affected muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joint structures stretch the muscle fibers. Injuries severe enough to cause muscle strain often strain ligaments and tendons as well. Joint injuries involve stretching or tearing of the joint capsule and its supporting ligaments.
Improperly fitted tack may be a factor. Stiffness, pain, dragging of hind toes, and muscle spasms are indications of this kind of strain.
Musculoskeletal diseases and conditions such as arthritis also affect a horses ability to move and perform in a pain free, flexible manner.
As with strains, sprains, and arthritic conditions in humans, rest, relief of pain, and support of the affected areas usually enable the horse to return to regular activity level.
Unfortunately, these recognized treatments don't always work with a horse and over a period of time, the horse may begin compensating for the change in body mechanics which puts extra stress on the body part that begins to work overtime to relieve pressure or pain.
Painful movements lead to sedentary habits and overall muscle loss, generating cycles of pain and inflammation. Conversely, if pain is removed, then movement is encouraged and muscle strength builds. Joints remain well supported by healthy muscle tone and moving joints continue to self-lubricate and self-nourish.
More and more, horse owners and veterinarians are turning to chiropractic adjustments to relieve pain and help the horse's body overcome mobility problems before they become chronic.
The idea of making chiropractic adjustments on an animal as large as a horse may be alarming, but as with treatment of human patients, the chiropractor identifies what is causing the problem and zeroes in on that particular body part to do the necessary adjustments.
An equine chiropractor will perform a complete examination of the horse including a case history, previous veterinary work, posture and gait analysis, and careful palpation of the spine and joints, as well as muscle palpation to identify sensitive areas.
Once the initial examination has been completed, the animal chiropractor will perform an adjustment on the area of the spine affected, so as to return the joints to normal motion, and to alleviate any muscle spasms and pain.
If the problem has become chronic, several adjustments over a period of time will need to be made.The horse's age and physical condition are important; young healthy horses will generally require fewer adjustments than older horses or those with serious health problems