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Story and Photos By Bill Ormstrom

What Benefits Does My Horse Get from Being Well Adjusted?

Improved Natural Defense System. Every adjustment provides a boost to your horse’s Immune System. Studies have shown that well - adjusted pa�ents have as many as 4 �mes the number of circula�ng cells that help fight disease.

Nervous System Op�miza�on. The nervous system controls every func�on in your horse’s body and the goal of the chiroprac�c adjustment is to detect and remove any impingements to op�mal func�oning of communica�on between the brain and the rest of the body. Realiza�on of Full Biomechanical Poten�al. Movement of your horse’s spine begins at the base of the skull. If this joint is not moving properly, it blocks proper mo�on in other joints of the spine, especially in the neck. Without proper mo�on of the spine, your horse is unable to express its full athle�c poten�al, even it that is just walking around the pasture.

Posi�ve Brain Changes Experienced. The chiroprac�c adjustment improves the brains’ ability to handle ac�vi�es that are occurring in the background or subconscious of the horse’s brain. This includes func�ons like breathing, diges�on and just the ability to interact with gravity in an appropriate manner.

What Happens when My Horse is Out of Alignment?

Altered Body Func�on. Any �me movement is reduced, the body automa�cally goes into protec�ve lock-down measures to prevent further injury. These include swelling, heat, loss of func�on, redness, and pain. Research studies have shown that the weight of a feather on a nerve root may cause 40% loss of func�on within a few minutes. Unbalanced Nervous System Ac�vity. The autonomic nervous system that oversees priori�zing func�ons of the body gets unbalanced. The fight and flight side gets excited and doesn’t allow the rest and relaxa�on side to do its job. This makes learning and reac�ng to the environment difficult.

Muscle Asymmetry Develops. One normal step for your horse requires that every muscle and joint move correctly. This movement requires balanced symmetrical muscles. Muscle loss occurs when the muscle isn’t being used or the muscle loses proper innerva�on. Being out of alignment causes a decrease in innerva�on which leads to lack of use.

Timely Rechecks Are Important for Health and Well Being.

Realizing everything that happens when your horse gets analyzed for vertebral subluxa�ons will help you understand the need for rechecks. Vertebral subluxa�ons are vertebra that are not moving correctly and causing interference in the nervous system. The frequency of visits will depend on a variety of things that include the goals you have for your horse. High performance or just a high quality of life. Subluxa�ons can be caused by traumas (small or large), thoughts (what’s stressful for your horse) and toxins in the environment. Exercises and other modali�es will help, however once subluxa�ons are present the only way to remove them is via a very specific adjustment.

How can I tell if my horse needs an adjustment?

Use a neck stretch. Check for bilateral symmetry and the ability of your horse to bend the side of its face to its rib cage. Encourage your horse to extend its neck and to flex to the chest for a treat.

This is good flexion and extension and indicates that the top of the spinal column is moving correctly.

Butt tucks are a reflex action that require appropriate communication and proper joint movement from approximately the middle of the back through to the coxofemoral joint.

Look at the top of the hip bones, they should be level and shouldn’t move when you move your horses head from side to side.

Any problems with these movements warrant a visit with chiropractor to improve health and vitality.