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| Ok, I've gone to a couple of people. This first guy I used, I was a skeptic when I went to him, used only his body weight, stood on a block to get above him, adjusted down the spine, hips, poll, neck, checked ribs, never used any tools such as mallets, activators, etc. He told me that if it didn't speed our run up by almost a 1/2 sec I didn't have to pay him, well.... I had to pay him. So I used someone recently again that didn't get above the horse to adjust. worked on the neck and poll, moved to the withers, and then hips but pushed the hip from the side and never got above the horse to check the vertebrates and I didn't see them check the ribs at all or the sacrum.they stretched him out really good, made each shoulder and hip pop, and then used an activator on his jaw and poll. My question is.... Do the tools really do any good? How do I know if they are really adjusting them or just an over exaggerated stretch? I feel like I could of done all the stretches on them that they did and got the same results. What does your Chiro do?
I got a referral for this Chiro and then I made sure they were listed on the AVCA website. I just don't feel like it was as thorough as the first guy I used and I don't feel like they were as knowledgeable... Maybe I'm being paranoid.
ETA: every horse the first Chiro worked on was almost asleep when he was done, this one my good gelding looked a little ****ed when they were working on his hind end, and he never really relaxed after that, the others relaxed but they never had it done before so I have nothing to compare to.
Edited by FlyingJT 2014-05-02 10:25 AM
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 Special Somebody
Posts: 3951
Location: Finally horseback again.... | Ive seen both.
My hubby went to a school for it and they taught the get above them methods. It does work. They end up looking like jello and sleepy. I use Dr David Lowdermilk for chiro too and he can make even the most tense and nervous horse melt and relax.
I personally have not had good results from the over exagerated stretch and yanking methods. Had a great horse end up with a fractured pelvis from it. Also had one with a pinched nerve in the neck. Those too were very crabby about it and I knew it had to hurt. I hate to even watch some of them. And I will not use someone that uses mallets. Saw xrays on a friends horse that the spineous process were fractured from being whacked with a mallet.
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Expert
Posts: 1857
| yea, the more I think about the less I like what was done and the more ****ed off I get. This was the first time they had ever seen any of these horses and to not go over the entire body is crazy to me. I just wasted a lot of money. Called my vet and got a number for a vet from the city that does Chiropractic work and also Osteopathy. I think I'm gonna make a call this evening. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1094
Location: Florida | There are so many different forms of " Bodywork" "Adjustments" Manipulation" there fore you get a lot of different practitioners.
The anatomy is stil the same the principals are the same but everyone has a different take and all develop their own knack.
I have seen lay practitioners I trusted and valued a great deal over DC's or DVM's practicing.
ie: my background is Animal Science undergrad, BS traditional Chinese Medicine, Lic. Naturopath and Holistic Animal therapist.
I am trained in Osteopathy, Craninal Sacral, Soft tissue mobiliation, lymphatic and merdian therapies. I view the body as a whole and the animal as its own individual.
I use long stretching and soft tissue mobilization (hand and pre-cursor/thumper) to warm up. Then do any Bodywork adjustments by hand, Finger tips. For the vertebrae the neck, poll, SI you may have to use more then finger tip force but by no means all my weight/strength. For joints, merely a good stretch and warm up will make it very easy to for you to make your adjustments (in mind the rear end is complex and not easy to manipulate). Using trigger points (Acupuncture points) to release is a huge help. I believe in making it an enjoyable experiene and helping the body heal its self and not working against the body, creating tension leading to scar tissue and possible injury or furthur subluxations.
I look for release after every big movement, cocking a leg, licking, chewing, euphoric, sleeply eyed etc.
There are tools that have merrit and have their place. I for one like an activator for a small animal or the ocassional equine (neck) but other then that it collects dust.
The only other tool I use is a little cap to go over for trigger point/body soreness and my cold laser.
Everything else is by hand, and yes I use a stool or block
Edited by bigbob 2014-05-02 1:43 PM
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Expert
Posts: 1477
Location: In the land of peanuts and cotton | I prefer a Chiro that does it the old fashion way and just uses his body weight. Mine does use mallets for ribs but that's all the tools he uses. I have more luck with him than I have people that use all kinds of tools. Some times just the plain ol fashioned way is the best way. |
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Expert
Posts: 1857
| bigbob - 2014-05-02 1:40 PM
There are so many different forms of " Bodywork" "Adjustments" Manipulation" there fore you get a lot of different practitioners.
The anatomy is stil the same the principals are the same but everyone has a different take and all develop their own knack.
I have seen lay practitioners I trusted and valued a great deal over DC's or DVM's practicing.
ie: my background is Animal Science undergrad, BS traditional Chinese Medicine, Lic. Naturopath and Holistic Animal therapist.
I am trained in Osteopathy, Craninal Sacral, Soft tissue mobiliation, lymphatic and merdian therapies. I view the body as a whole and the animal as its own individual.
I use long stretching and soft tissue mobilization (hand and pre-cursor/thumper) to warm up. Then do any Bodywork adjustments by hand, Finger tips. For the vertebrae the neck, poll, SI you may have to use more then finger tip force but by no means all my weight/strength. For joints, merely a good stretch and warm up will make it very easy to for you to make your adjustments (in mind the rear end is complex and not easy to manipulate). Using trigger points (Acupuncture points) to release is a huge help. I believe in making it an enjoyable experiene and helping the body heal its self and not working against the body, creating tension leading to scar tissue and possible injury or furthur subluxations.
I look for release after every big movement, cocking a leg, licking, chewing, euphoric, sleeply eyed etc.
There are tools that have merrit and have their place. I for one like an activator for a small animal or the ocassional equine (neck) but other then that it collects dust.
The only other tool I use is a little cap to go over for trigger point/body soreness and my cold laser.
Everything else is by hand, and yes I use a stool or block
What does the activator do? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1094
Location: Florida | The activator is an adjustment too. Less midevil looking then a mallets, less lbs or forse, less margin or era..
Think of the activator as a finger, a finger that does not give or bend and is quick and swift. for example cervical subluxations.. You can use your hand in conjunction with the horses neck and body to move mild subluxations that go right back into place but in an area you need to have more pin point force or you cant or wont use the horse as leverage. My finger can locate but I can't physically use my finger, it will bend, give and I cant use it swiftly where with the activator I can and it cause much less resistence.
I personally do not feel its benefical for the rest of the equine body and horses usually arent crazy about them eithers. |
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 Legal Beagle
Posts: 2809
Location: Central Okla. | I've used people just like you say, the 2 different methods. I'm with method 1 all the way. Seems to do alot more good. Might depend on what's wrong? IDK. But my personal Chiro never uses "tools" on me either. |
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 Chasin my Dream
Posts: 13651
Location: Alberta | The chiro I use, primary works between the poll and shoulder as all the nerves that run the rest of the body start in that area, no mallets or whatever just his hands and using the horse to help the adjustment. He does move to other parts of the horse. I wasn't sure prior to going to him but his willingness to explain EVERYTHING he did and why, made me very interested in it all (since Id never had a chiro work my horses before). I jokingly asked if he'd now made my barrel mare faster and he answered yep....ya he wasn't lying she found a few more gears! |
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 Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | My chiro is worth his weight in gold to me! He is with out a doubt the most knowledgable person I've ever met about horses. Has an extremely good reputation around here...never a bad word about him. He doesn't use any tools except a large stool to get up above the horse. He moves the body to help do the adjustment and he EXPLAINS everything he does! Through the last few years he has started teaching me things to do before I ride, after I ride and other stuff to do to help keeps my guys in. My girl is always out in her shoulder so he showed me what to do and how to keep it in and it helps a lot. I don't know what I will do when he retires |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| I go to a chiro that uses the activator almost exclusively. I used to go to one that adjusted manually but it was hard to relax enough to let him adjust my neck. He would have to massage my neck for several minutes before I could relax. He never hurt me, I just had a really hard time relaxing. I much prefer the activator for my neck - it is gentle and you hardly feel anything. She gets the job done better, too. I would let my horse chiro use an activator if they thought it would work better on my horse. I did have a chiro use an activator on a show heifer we had. She was a witch and it was the only way he could adjust her. |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| Theremis a highly known body balancer on here my gelding was always out in the rear, he is am 16hand ass dragger, think that was why. He was so rough that the horse would bite and,kick at him. I know he hurt him and truly he wrode no better afterwards. After that i dont use him any longer. What really putmthe icing on the cake i got him to look at my mare which was having stifle problems spent a tin of,money about 5 weeks before,to him hemsaidmshemwasnot out. Then a had a mare everytime i carried that mare to him he saidmahe was good at least 4 times in 2 years. Made me a non beliver. I did yave someone selse look at my gelding.
Edited by daisycake123 2014-05-02 9:17 PM
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| What is a body balancer? What kind of education do they have? |
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Expert
Posts: 2392
Location: TX | I am a chiropractor, I have not taken the animal program and activator is not my chosen technique, but there is more research on the activator technique than on any other technique in people. After I get an activator adjustment, I always want a nap. I imagine horses are a lot like people and some respond better to different techniques. |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| bobandrosie - 2014-05-06 7:38 PM
I am a chiropractor, I have not taken the animal program and activator is not my chosen technique, but there is more research on the activator technique than on any other technique in people. After I get an activator adjustment, I always want a nap. I imagine horses are a lot like people and some respond better to different techniques.
That is really interesting. After an activator session I feel lighter and in a really good mood. After a network session I have to stay on the table for 10 or so minutes or my muscles spasm. It fascinating how everyone reacts differently. |
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Equine Chrio - activator????