A horse chiropractor is a veterinarian who specializes in treating a horse's musculoskeletal, neurological, joint, and skeletal disorders. They use controlled force to improve a horse's movement and function, and to reduce pain.

Some signs that a horse may need chiropractic care include:

• Poor performance
• Stiffness or lameness
• Pain in the neck, back, or tail
• Abnormal posture
• Discomfort when saddled
• Difficulty bending to one side

Equine chiropractors use a type of manual therapy called equine chiropractic. This involves applying short, high velocity, low amplitude thrusts to specific regions of the horse's body. The goal is to change the horse's joint structures, muscle function, and neurological reflexes.

To become an equine chiropractor, you must first earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) or a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree. After that, you can attend an advanced education program to become an animal chiropractor.

Horses with heavy workloads or those being shown may need to see an equine chiropractor every three weeks. Horses that are used for pleasure riding or are in less intense training may only need to see a chiropractor every three months.

How do I know if my horse would benefit from chiropractic care?

Horses that may benefit from chiropractic care may present with many signs, the most common of which is pain. Horses with back pain often express this in their posture or in their refusal to work. A horse’s attempts to compensate for the pain by changing its posture and way of going can result in other problems such as joint problems.

The following symptoms in a horse may indicate pain:

• Reduced performance
• Abnormal posture
• Snapping and pinning back its ears when being saddled
• Insubordination when being ridden
• Attempting to free itself by throwing its head back or up or by hollowing the back
• Swishing its tail and pinning back its ears
• Disobedience when jumping
• Difficulties with collected or lateral gaits
• Changes in behavior
• Frightened or painful facial expression
• Sensitivity to touch

Alterations of the spine can affect muscle coordination and mobility of the horse, thereby causing decreased performance. The following signs may occur:

• Unleveled gait rhythm
• Irregularity of gait which cannot be assigned to a particular leg or gait
• Stiffness when the horse leaves the stable
• Stiffness when bending and in its general posture
• Muscular atrophy
• Difficulty engaging the hindquarters
• Shortened stride in one or more legs
• Overall decreased range of motion in gait
• Difficulty flexing the poll
• Lameness
• Horse pulls against one rein
• Rider is seated off center due to the horse
• The back does not swing

Photo credit Dr Dennis Eschbach, CC BY-SA 3.0

By Kentucky Equine Research Staff

Horse owners are often advised to manage obese horses with caloric restriction, which typically includes limiting access to pasture. Because grazing, access to free-choice exercise, and social interactions all allow horses to express normal behaviors, researchers are now wondering if there is a way to restrict pasture access without affecting welfare?^*

Obese horses have an increased risk of metabolic syndrome characterized by insulin dysregulation. In turn, horses with increased levels of circulating insulin are at risk of developing hyperinsulinemia-associated laminitis, a painful and life-threatening condition of the feet.

“Weight management is by far the most important and most widely recommended approach to managing insulin dysregulation and obesity,” explained Ashley Fowler, Ph.D., a nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research. “However, restricting grazing with muzzles or drylots can sometimes be difficult for owners to implement due to lack of available land for sacrifice areas or because some horses are incredibly clever at removing their grazing muzzles.”

When given the chance, horses spend about two-thirds of their day grazing, and according to veterinary researchers, grazing is a “central and innate facet of equine behavior.”^*

Restricting grazing may lead to frustration as well as problematic or abnormal behavior, including aggression and stereotypic behaviors.

Two systems are often recommended for restricted grazing:

1. Strip grazing, which involves limiting horses to a specific grazing area that is increased in size over time by moving fencing to reveal ungrazed grass.
2. Track systems that involve creating a track around the perimeter of the grazing area that can be gradually increased in size.

To determine the effects of these two restricted grazing systems on behavior of outdoor-living ponies, researchers used 24-hour electronic surveillance and GPS data loggers attached to a halter to track activity levels. Data was collected over four weeks.

Key findings included:

• Ponies spent most of their time grazing regardless of the system;
• More ponies showed agonistic behavior (i.e., conflict or fighting) in the strip grazing system than ponies in the track system; and
• Ponies moved significantly more in the track system. “This could be due to a more enriched environment, less competition over resources or improved social cohesion,” said the research team.

“This research highlights the potential benefits of a track system on weight management, by both limiting grass access and encouraging more movement,” explained Fowler.

“Regardless of which method horse owners use to limit pasture access for weight management, horses fed calorie-restricted diets should still be fed a vitamin-mineral supplement or ration balancer to ensure daily dietary requirements are met,” advised Fowler.

^*Kirton, R., I. Sandford, E. Raffan, S. Hallsworth, O.H.P. Burnam, and R. Morgan. 2024. The impact of restricted grazing systems on the behaviour and welfare of ponies. Equine Veterinary Journal:14411.

Read more: Observing Horse Behavior in Restricted Grazing Scenarios