By Dr Donald Funke

After attending the Veterinary Chiropractic seminar in December I thought I would share some tidbits of what I gleaned from 5 days of study on the sacro-pelvic (hip) region.

This area proved to be very interesting because so many of the horses’ problems originate from the rear of the horse. Almost every movement the horse makes starts in the rear.

That means that if the bones of the hips do not move correctly the overall performance of the horse can be dramatically impaired.

Here’s an example. Stand with your hands on your hips. Now march in place. Feel the way your "hip bones" move? When you lift your right leg your right hip should move backwards and at the same time your left hip should move forward. Now imagine if you moved your right leg and your hip couldn’t move. Ouch! Now imagine if you had to jog with a weight on your back. Double ouch!!

I bet you would not enjoy your jog very much. I also bet you wouldn’t be very happy or cooperative. Well that’s exactly how our horses feel. Of course they can’t tell us how much they hurt. What we notice is short striding, lack of collection, choppy stops, and poor lead departures.

As an equine chiropractor my job is to help horses perform better by restoring natural healthy movement. I get goose bumps when I see a horse that was limping trot away pain-free after a chiropractic treatment. Chiropractic is so simple in concept but so profound in results.

Next month I’ll write about the thoraco-lumbar (midback) area. Saddle fit will be discussed along with other hot topics.

---------------------------Dr Funke operates Dryden Family Chiropractic in Dryden NY