Horse Chiropractor in Rome, GA

Does Your Horse Need a Chiropractic Adjustment?

Your horse can't tell you that something doesn't feel quite right. His body, however, speaks very clearly.

From time to time, we get a call from horse owners in and around Rome with that familiar comment, "It's just not right." Is the horse having short strides on the left? Maybe he's pinning his ears when the saddle is set and never has before? Often the horse owner is the first person to realize something is wrong.

Common symptoms that horses present for chiropractic care include the following:

• Uneven gait, unusual head bob
• Difficulty in bending, collecting, or picking up a particular lead
• Resistance in the form of flinching or head dipping when you rub down the spine
• Changes in behavior that result in bucking, refusing to jump, or being cinchy
• Carrying the tail to one side or crooked hindquarters

Some horse owners in the North Rome area have been working with trainers on particular riding issues, like lead changes, for weeks, and have not seen a noticeable improvement in the horse. They find out that the horse had a rib that was stuck or a pelvic bone that was shifted to one side. Once the bones are adjusted, the "training problem" goes away after one visit.

Is it a chiropractic issue or something else? You may not be sure. That is very common. If there's a lameness issue, it can seem as though the lameness has come on for no good reason. If your horse has lameness issues or is very sore in certain areas, he can be stiff in the joints. That is one way to tell. There is a way you can quickly test it at home. Stand behind your horse and look at the muscles in the back. One side is more defined than the other, so he must be using them differently. That is another way he is compensating for pain that he has in a specific area.

When horses have a problem with their back, they can often be shown to be very uncomfortable in standing in the square position when halted; they may want to stand with a hind foot rested. That is a sign of a problem with the horse's back. Don't think of it as the horse being lazy or refusing to perform a task. He is just in pain.

The faster these signs are recognized, the more quickly a horse can be helped. If a horse had an adjustment just last week, a visit should correct it. If the problem has been there for six months, he will need several visits because muscles have been compensating for the misalignment. If your horse seems to have this problem, you should seek the help of a local horse chiropractor before the injury gets worse.

What Happens During a Horse Chiropractic Adjustment?

Many people think that it must be dramatic. It isn't.

A visit for chiropractic adjustments usually begins with watching how the horse walks. The horse chiropractor will come to the horse's home, or wherever it is located in Rome. We will ask the horse owner if the horse moves differently, then we will ask to have the horse walk, trot, and turn a few times to get an idea as to how the horse moves. Then we look at the horse's motion, the shortening of the stride, and if the horse drops or raises the head at any point. We almost always find something which the owners have thought of.

After the examination of the gait, we proceed to an examination by touch in which: (1) the entire horse from poll to sacrum is evaluated for heat, tight muscles or discomfort; (2) range of motion of the neck, back, pelvis and large limb joints is assessed; (3) segments that have a restricted range of motion are identified; (4) the segments that have a restricted range of motion are carefully adjusted via a quick thrust of the hand and; (5) range of motion is re-tested to movement has improved. The treatment is very fast. A quick thrust, the tension is released; and occasionally, the adjustment may produce an audible "pop". The horse may lick, chew, lower his head or let out a heavy sigh. It is always encouraging and a positive sign when this happens as it indicates the nervous system response. In all our sessions in the Etowah River valley we see this response to the adjustment.

The initial appointment is typically between 1-2 hours as we will do a baseline exam and look at comprehensive history before doing any work. Some horses need work restricted to the mid-back, while others have problems throughout. We work only in the areas where your horse is restricted, we do not just go through a rigid routine. And there is more; we will discuss our findings with the owners: What areas have the restricted movement, what may have been the cause and what are the signs to monitor until the next treatment.

According to the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association, "Veterinary Chiropractic treatment does not replace traditional veterinary medicine; however, it can provide additional means of diagnosis and treatment options for spinal problems as well as biomechanical related musculoskeletal disorders. Veterinary Chiropractic can often eliminate the source of acute or chronic pain syndromes." [1]

Credentials You Want for Equine Chiropractic in Georgia

The gold standard in animal chiropractic services is IVCA certification. The IVCA (International Veterinary Chiropractic Association) only certifies people who are also certified as chiropractors or veterinary doctors who have over 200 hours of training and certification in animal chiropractic. We are certified by IVCA. This means that we have a much deeper understanding of horse anatomy, not just from a seminar, but through certification in the location of each vertebra and the movement of each vertebra, how normal motion should be, and what is abnormal. In Georgia, by law, animal chiropractic can only be performed by a chiropractor or veterinarian who has received additional training in animal chiropractic. Any one who shows up to your barn in Rome who has no license should be questioned. Find out more about how an IVCA Certified animal chiropractor can make a difference with your animal.

When choosing a practitioner, consider asking:

• Are you IVCA or AVCA certified in animal chiropractic?
• Do you have a valid chiropractic or veterinary license in Georgia?
• How many horses do you perform chiropractic adjustments on per month?
• Do you have local references from barns or trainers you've worked with?

We adjust horses on a regular basis here in Rome and barn owners around the Berry College area recognize us. We also have established a good working relationship with local vets who recommend us since they are familiar with the training we have undertaken to deliver the results we have. It is not someone you want on your horse's back if they can't respond to these questions. Chiropractic certifications aren't merely pieces of paper, but evidence that the person has gone through the training necessary to perform safely and your horse wouldn't let you know if something went wrong while being adjusted, although a correctly trained chiropractor would.

Learn more about what an IVCA certified chiropractor can do.

How Often Your Horse Needs to See a Chiropractor

This will be unique to your horse, not a schedule for a horse from the internet. We treat equine chiropractors for horses in Rome who have different schedules. For example, a barrel horse that is competing every other week would need more frequent visits than a retired horse that is on 10 acres in retirement. It may seem logical, however it is surprising the number of owners that look up "horse chiropractors near me" and then follow some generic timetable. A horse's training level, age, history of injury, and performance discipline, among other things, determine the appropriate frequency of chiropractic adjustments for your particular horse.

We suggest that for most working performance horses, a visit every 4-6 weeks should be considered during the competitive season in order to keep the spine moving freely and avoid small problems escalating into larger issues. Eight to twelve weeks between visits is usually sufficient during an off-season. For performance horses in light work or partial retirement, quarterly visits should be good. We explain this to those asking us about appointment scheduling in Lakemont:

• Your young horse can benefit from monthly visits during the first year of training under saddle.
• Horses with an existing problem may require weekly visits for the first 3-4 weeks.
• An older horse with stiff chronic symptoms usually finds a 6-week schedule works well.
• Breeding mares respond best in late gestation and post foaling.

In addition, your horse should be able to inform you if it's time for a visit. We observe this all the time. An owner will come in for an appointment, and the horse will respond well. Six weeks later, the horse will exhibit some of the symptoms from which they were suffering originally, such as head tilting or difficulty in cantering on the left lead. This is your horse letting you know it's time. Pay attention to what your horse has to tell you. It can be more dependable than a calendar! Some owners in Rome only come in if the situation is clearly wrong, that is also acceptable. It is better to call us whenever you feel something has changed in the situation than it is to wait until your scheduled date while your horse compensates and suffers secondary effects. If you don't know if you need an appointment, just give us a call. We will ask you a few questions to see if it makes sense to come out or if you should wait a few more days. Horses that are seen on a regular schedule and not only in crisis tend to work better and stay sound longer. This is a trend that we see with nearly all the barns we visit.

Preparing Your Farm and Horse for a Chiropractic Visit

We drive quite a bit all over Rome to be able to see horses and visits go a lot smoother when the owner has taken 10 minutes prior to have the visit going smoothly.

The horse does not need to be bathed, but it does help to have the horse brushed in the areas where we need to palpate. If your horse's neck, back, or hind end are muddy, brush off the hair to give a better indication of any tension in the muscles. If they have been stalled, it is best to allow them some time to get moving as cold muscles make an adjustment more difficult on the horse.

This is what we will ask from you:

• Make sure there is a place for us to work with good footing. A gravel pad or in a clean barn aisle is fine but not soft mud or on a hill. We need the horse to stand square.
• Halter and Lead Rope. The horse needs to be held by someone and not be tied. We have to ask you to have another person lead the horse during the visit as horses tend to move more during the adjustment and they may become anxious when tied.
• Keep the area where we will be working clear of other animals such as dogs or other horses that may get in the way.
• Let us know the horse's history such as any soreness, lameness issues, behavior changes, or changes in the environment such as new saddles or food. Please remember that small changes can lead to big differences so feel free to tell us everything! If the owner tells us that "oh by the way, he stumbled a few times last week," this often is the difference in us being able to treat a horse and not just putting them in a band-aid treatment.

If you are on the North Side of Rome or near the Oostanaula River, the horse tends to be a lot calmer in the morning so we often prefer to be out on a visit when the horse is not stressed by heat and flies.

If you plan to come out on your regular day off for a visit, please do not workout that horse. It will be very beneficial for your horse to have turnout time that day but not a long trail ride or arena work as that is like receiving a deep tissue massage after you just worked out at the gym or ran a half marathon.

If you plan to sedate or tranquilize your horse, please do not do this unless otherwise prescribed by the doctor and do not do this before the visit as we need the horse awake in order for us to be able to understand what it is that the horse is feeling and where the problem may be.