Spinal issues
Misalignments of the vertebrae are called subluxations. When Aine manually performs a spinal manipulation on an animal, she is attempting to correct any subluxation in the spine in order to restore the proper functioning of that animal’s nervous system.
Falls over fences or on the flat can also cause subluxation of the cervical vertebrae in the neck of the horse and misalignment of the withers and pelvis: these are ideally treated by spinal manipulation. More commonly half-falls while jumping or slipping on heavy going, are the usual reasons for a chiropractor to be brought in, to check a horse after racing. These will result in the pelvis becoming "twisted" or misaligned, and tension building up in the lumbar vertebrae (the region located just behind the saddle), causing the horse to move in a way to compensate for this discomfort. Young flat racers may also suffer pelvic problems related to coming out of the stalls at speed at the beginning of a race
Spinal subluxations in horses may be caused by stress, faults in conformation, stall confinement, poorly-fitted saddles or other tack, improper hoof-care, injuries to the horse, etc. If a horse has a subluxation, he will generally experience some form of pain, ranging from moderate to severe.
Symptoms that you may observe in your own horse might include any of the following:
- Seems ‘out of balance’ in his stride
- Difficulty or inability to change leads
- Shows a reluctance to bend or flex at the poll or neck
- Shows refusals at jumps
- Difficulty in lifting hind leg for shoeing or trimming
- Dropping or flinching during grooming
- Uncooperative when being saddled
- Ear shyness and head tossing
- Shows irritability and sudden behavioral changes
- Seems to have a 'hitch in his gait'
- Horse appears to be uncomfortable under saddle
- Poor performance on the track, in sporting events or on the trail