If your horse isn’t performing as well as usual or seems to be in pain, Dr. Keith Billstein at Motion Wellness Chiropractic and Anoka Andover Chiropractic in Princeton and Anoka, MN, provides horse chiropractic care to help get them back to normal.
Guide to Chiropractic Care for Horses
If you’re a horse owner, you want to take great care of them. Whether for work or for enjoyable rides in the saddle, keeping your horse healthy and feeling good is essential. Dr. Billstein at Motion Wellness Chiropractic and Anoka Andover Chiropractic in Princeton and Anoka explains below how horse chiropractic care can help.
Why Do Horses Need Chiropractic Care?
Even those who regularly seek chiropractic care for themselves might find the idea of horse chiropractic a bit odd. While that’s understandable, think about a horse and all it goes through. It carries riders on its back – many of whom aren’t sitting properly. They also carry or pull heavy items and run across various types of terrain.
Though their bodies might be designed to withstand more weight than a human’s, it’s not unusual for a horse to sustain an injury or misalignment. When that happens, your horse can’t tell you through regular communication that they are in pain. However, they might show it through the following abnormal traits:
- Poor or lagging performance
- An aversion to letting anyone on its back
- Sensitivity during grooming
- Stiffness
- Abnormal posture
- Overall changes in behavior
- Stiffness
- Head tilt
- Uneven musculature
- Uneven hips
- Keeping its ears pinned back
- Disinterest in doing things they normally do
These are signs that something isn’t quite right. If you notice such signs, an exam with your horse chiropractor should be a priority.
How Can a Chiropractor Help?
Chiropractors who are certified in equine practice can help first and foremost by determining whether there is an issue in your horse’s musculoskeletal system. If there is an issue, a chiropractor can determine where exactly that issue lies.
Once the issue is detected, a chiropractor can employ adjustments and various other techniques that can:
- Restore your horse’s normal range of motion
- Relieve pain, inflammation, and tension
- Stimulate proper nerve function
These benefits can help improve your horse’s performance and allow for many more enjoyable rides.
If you’re concerned that something isn’t quite right with your horse, schedule a horse chiropractic visit with Dr. Billstein at Motion Wellness Chiropractic or Anoka Andover Chiropractic. You can reach our Princeton location and contact us for animal care at (763) 213-5068 or reach our Anoka location at (763) 427-7122.