From: Dan
Dear Jessica, horse sense is an incredible resource, thank you for your knowledge and great generosity. I am hoping that you will be able to help me in two ways: I need some information about equine chiropractic, and I need to know how to say "No thank you" to my instructor without hurting her feelings. I have a twelve-year-old gelding that I foxhunt and occasionally event, and lately he has been having some back and shoulder problems. My instructor is very experienced, and I don't want to contradict her, but she has repeatedly suggested that I call a chiropractor, and I am very hesitant to call him. It seems too much like magic magents or psychic crystals to me! But, as I said, she is very experienced, so I don't want to discount her advice. What can you tell me about this sort of "medicine" and how do you think I should handle this situation? I don't want to come right out and say "This guy probably got his degree by mail order" but what if that is the case? What do you think, and if you agree with my worries, what should I say to my instructor? I need some of your famous diplomacy here!
Gratefully yours,
Dan
Hi Dan! Your instructor may well be on the right track. Equine chiropractic is not in the "magnets and crystals" category; it's a legitimate form of therapy, and many veterinarians regard it as an "additional therapy" that may be a perfectly appropriate alternative or adjunct to medicines, etc.
My advice: call your vet and have your horse looked at. Tell him what your instructor has said, and ask whether he knows this practitioner, and whether he would recommend chiropractic in this horse's case. If he agrees with your instructor, you don't have a problem. If he recommends a different practitioner, you still don't have a problem -- your instructor will certainly understand that you need a "team" working on your horse, and that the members of that team need to trust and communicate with one another. Your vet will be involved here, because the chiropractor won't just walk in and make an instant adjustment to your horse's joints, he will want to take a case history, see previous X-rays, give the horse a thorough going-over, and basically learn everything he can about the horse and its medical history. Your vet's help will be important, as his records will show the horse's history complete with previous diagnoses, treatments, and medications.
Don't worry about snake oil and witch-doctors -- or crystals. ;-) Call the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association and verify that this particular practitioner is certified. Certification doesn't come by mail, or with box tops -- the AVCA is a reputable, international organization, recognized by the American Association of Equine Practitioners. A certified equine chiropractor will have completed AT LEAST 150 hours of post-graduate work in the specialty, and some complete twice as many hours. This isn't trivial. And BEFORE that person can become certified in equine chiropractic, he must be either a licensed veterinarian or a licensed chiropractor. Your vet can probably recommend an equine chiropractor who is also a veterinarian -- ask!!
It's a good idea to ask for references -- past and present clients, in your area if possible -- just because it is ALWAYS better to know as much as you can. Get references, call them, and find out as much as you can about ANYONE who is going to be working on your horse -- vet, chiropractor, or farrier. It's a sensible precaution, and no reputable professional will mind at all.
When your horse is being worked on, be there, ask questions, and learn exactly what the chiropractor is doing, and why, and what he expects the effect to be. Then, when the treatment is over, find out what YOU can do, in terms of exercise, massage, changes in riding -- even tack adjustments! -- to sustain those effects. In principle, a misalignment would be "fixed" when the proper alignment was restored, and then the body could go on to heal itself. But in practice, and particularly when the body in question is that of a riding horse, your participation will be important. The effects of a readjustment can be fast and amazing, but DO remember that when bones and joints are out of alignment, it's a good bet that the horse's own muscles are what moved them there. Unless the muscle problems are dealt with -- stiffness, tightness, uneven development, whatever the underlying problem may be -- the effects of a chiropractic adjustment may be no more than temporary. Get the best information you can, enlist your own vet, get recommendations and references, and then watch, ask questions, and do the best you can.
One more thing: If possible, ask your vet and chiropractor to help you evaluate the balance and fit of your saddle. A horse that is uncomfortable because of a saddle that doesn't fit well, isn't positioned correctly, or perhaps has a twisted tree (for example), will try to protect its back by overusing some muscles and underusing others, and that's a burning formula for trouble. And check your riding position! Sometimes a "saddle problem" turns out to be a RIDER problem -- a rider with one very tight hip, for instance, will sit unevenly in the saddle, putting more weight on one side than the other. Or -- and I've seen this on more than one occasion -- the rider's body is balanced, and the saddle is in good shape and fits well, but there's a problem when the saddle and rider are ON the horse, because the rider has forgotten to switch the stirrup leathers each week, and as a result, the left leather has stretched out much longer than the right one (even though both are on the same numbered hole). With his stirrups uneven, the rider is sitting with much more weight to one side.... you see the problem! It's very common, and fortunately it's the easiest and least expensive problem to fix. ;-)
Jessica
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