Chiropractors?

MontyandZoom

MontyandZoom

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I had a chiropractor look at Zoomy yesterday. It was on a bit of a whim since I didn't know that other people had booked him but he has a great reputation with some of my friends so I asked him to look at her since I was there.

After years of high goal polo, Zoom finds it hard to relax and stretch through her back. I would be interested to hear if people who have used chiropractors before have had positive results?

He seemed very compotent and all the tightness he found was consistent with her way of going.

Opinions on chiro please
smile.gif
 
As you asked for positive responses... I will only go so far as to say I had much better results with physio. Personally, I would only use a chartered physio, someone who did people first and now does equine. Anyone like that who treats your horse should get permission from your vet first - mine always rings my vet after I've asked her to visit.
 
Negative responses are also fine. Why would he need permission from the vet? Might be a silly question but I don't understand.

As it happens, Zoom doesn't have a vet yet. Her old owner was a small animal vet and would only get the 'proper' vet out under extreme circumstances (whole other post there). She did have an MOT by an equine vet a couple of months ago though.
 
Your vet is whoever you use for jabs and teeth. I only have a vet properly now (as in someone I've had to use for more than teeth and jabs) because my horse went lame in June, before that I've never had a regular vet really, just whoever the practise sent for teeth etc. You can have problems with your insurance if someone treats the horse without your vet's permission I believe but physio/chiro/whoever should call your vet first to make sure there's no reason they know of that prevents them from treating your horse. My horse is under vet ATM because of his spavins, so my physio calls him to make sure he is happy for treatment or if he thinks it might require vet visit again. For me, I also like my vet and physio (and farrier) to talk to each other. I wouldn't get a vet out for every little thing and with my last horse, I only saw my vet once a year.

I won't go into the negative experience but suffice to say I'd never use a chiro again. I'm afraid I have no time for people who claim that a little tap on a horse's spine can manipulate bones or "put his pelvis back in". A horse whose pelvis was truly out wouldn't be able to walk. What they mean, 99% of the time, is that the horse isn't evenly muscled so looks a bit odd. The chiro also hit my horse so hard down his spine that I thought she had broken him. Osteopath was ok but didn't do much that physio doesn't do, bar charge me twice as much, though my vet tends to recommend osteo first and then physio.
 
My mare has had numourous treat ments and she has improved no end! I think it is a fantasitc thing and like all things works with some horses, not with others.

My Old horse also responded fantastically with chiropratory and every horse Ive know who has had the treatment, has benefitted from it.

I like to use it along side sports massage, and the mare will be getting a massage shortly.

Lou x
 
Jabs - owner did them herself, teeth - dentist. Monty has a vet so I guess they are Zoom's vet now but I suppose they wouldn't know anything about her history anyway but can see why it would be necessary if they did. Han't thought of the insurance aspect either.

That certainly doesn't sound like a positive experience! I agree that 'putting the pelvis back' doesn't sound medically possible. Hmmmm, maybe a waste of money?
 
cc a question for you.

(I generally have my chiro do my horse.)

why is it then that even me with my non expert eyes can see that frank is not level when he walks, he will walk with it much lower on the (normally) left side and after treatment he walks fine, both hip bones level? With minimal if any muscular massage? Genuine question, because if I can see it, without any prompting it must be pretty damn obvious

He actually looks more wonky walking than stood still but will still be out competing/jumping when he gets like this.
 
Yup but like anything, I'm sure there are good and bad ones in the profession. I was just unlucky and got a bad one.

Re the insurance, AFAIK it's because if you had treatment without the vet's permission and the horse got hurt, you may not be covered. I used to say the same thing to my physio about my last horse - the vet doesn't see him apart from teeth and jabs so they don't know his history, but she used to call anyway.
 
Anyone who says they have "re-aligned your horse's pelvis" or anything similar to that, is not to be touched with a bargepole.

Firstly, as previous stated, a horse with a mis-aligned pelvis would be in agony and unable to walk.

Secondly, if a pelvis was to be manipulated it would require a general anaesthetic and a JCB. not a wiggle of a hindleg or a massage.

Physio/soft tissue stuff is much more sensible, some therapeutic ultrasound or stretching exercises, but anyone who seriously thinks they can alter a horse's skeletal system without a mallet or a tractor should go and spend some time dissecting cadavers to see how impossible that would be.
 
polygon: see my post above

though when his pelvis is out (and mine for that matter) I do consider it muscular rather than skeletal.
 
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