Out of Balance in the Saddle

            Chiropractic care is not just effective for horses; it is also great for treating people.   Most people assume that chiropractors can only treat back pain, but it can have numerous great benefits on the entire body.  Chiropractic care can greatly enhance a rider’s position and balance, which can lead to better performance overall.  The horse and the rider work as a team, so they both must be moving properly throughout their bodies.  Chiropractors are not just “back doctors”.  We often treat conditions that may be seemingly unrelated to the spine.  The body is all connected, and because of this, chiropractors view the body holistically.  The horse and the rider work as a team, and so both must have all of their joints moving properly.  By adjusting the spine chiropractors can influence the nervous system, and this affects the trillions of cells that make up the body.  This explains why it is common to have a patient who may have a positive result from a condition that would seem unrelated to the spine.  There are numerous studies showing favorable results with blood pressure, ADHD, asthma, MS, ear infections, Carpal tunnel, headaches, knee (and other joint pain), and many others.  Because of the interconnection of the spine and the nervous system both mechanically and physiologically the chiropractic adjustment can have vast effects on the entire body.

People often view chiropractors as spinal specialists, because of the profession’s focus on the spine.  It is true that chiropractic care is great when it comes to musculoskeletal complaints.  In fact, in recent consumer reports survey chiropractic was voted #1 in dealing with low back complaints.  The majority of chiropractic patients survey marked extreme satisfaction with the care that they received, compared to other healthcare professionals (including medical doctors).  Though chiropractors are good at dealing with complaints of this nature, it is a great disservice to the profession to say that is all they do.  Chiropractic is about removing interference from the nervous system, so that your body can heal itself.  After all true healing comes from within, for the horse and for the rider.   Chiropractors commonly use the term subluxation.  The definition of a subluxation as adopted by the Association of Chiropractic colleges is: a complex of functional and/or structural and/or pathological articular changes that compromise neural integrity and may influence organ systems and general health.  So what does this mean?  Well more simply stated, subluxation is when the bones of the spine, or other joints, are not moving properly and the resulting irritation can negatively affect the nerves.   

Chiropractic care and horse riding are connected, as chiropractic care can help improve your proprioception (or sense of balance) by removing or minimizing nerve interference (from subluxations).  Adjustments reduce the nerve interference, allowing the proprioceptors to function more efficiently.  This can lead to an increase in balance and coordination, which can translate to better riding.  Proprioception is the sense of where your joints are in space.  This is the idea that I know where my finger is, despite not being able to see it.  Adjusting the spine affects the reflex pathways, so this can allow for better nerve function and this can directly affect the mechano-receptors at a joint.

 

The horse and rider move as a structural unit, and this is very complex.  The horse is a quadruped, or four-legged creature.  Humans are biped (two-legged), sitting balanced over the horse’s sensitive spine.  All of the rider’s weight is found over their Ischial tuberosity’s when seated, so pelvic obliquity and balance are essential.  Chiropractic care can help ensure a balanced and even pelvis, prior to ever getting on a horse.  The horse is the base or foundation, while the rider and the tack is the load.  How the load functions determines how the base functions, and vice versa. We can not separate one from the other.  We often focus our attention on the horse’s care, when in fact it might be the rider causing the issue.  If we favor one side, and we don’t balance our weight, is it possible to cause the horse to have a curvature in the spine?  Definitely!   Also, we may see other problems with balance and evenness developing in our horses.  Focus on equal distribution of weight in the stirrups and see if you are favoring one side over another.  This is the idea behind using dual scales to determine evenness of pelvic loading.  If there is more weight in one leg than in the other when you think that you are standing evenly, you probably have an unbalanced pelvis.