With the indoor competition season looming, you want to get your horse and yourself prepared to have the best season ever. You are both just getting ready, his feet are done, his teeth have been checked, the Inoculations are up to date, the saddle has been fitted, and now for the Chiropractor!
Yes your McTimoney Chiropractor should definitely be on both you and your horse’s schedule as you prepare for a busy season. This treatment will keep you aligned and supple and competition ready, with that said lets discover more about McTimoney and what it has to offer you and your horse!
What is McTimoney Chiropractic?
John McTimoney (Picture above), who was originally trained in the Palmer Technique of Chiropractic, developed his own unique style of Chiropractic that worked on realigning the patient’s whole skeletal frame. He believed that this Holistic form of treatment enabled the patient to make a much quicker recovery.
McTimoney developed his treatment to be very specific and he devised a method whereby he was able to deliver very fast, dexterous adjustments that had low impact on the patient’s body. This process meant that McTimoney Chiropractic was relatively gentle for the patient to receive and therefore could be applied to patients of all ages. McTimoney also developed his treatment so that it could be applied to help animals, in particular horses and dogs. After 20 years in successful practice John McTimoney set up his own Chiropractic School in the UK in the 1970’s to teach his techniques to others.
McTimoney For Your Horse.
So why use McTimoney Chiropractic for your horse? Well for starters, horses are genetically designed to graze wide open grasslands, and flee predators at speed in a straight line! That’s right your horse is not designed to work on circles, jump fences, or carry a rider on his back!
True, we have used selective breeding to breed horses that are better able to deal with the stresses of modern competition, but the fact still remains that a horse’s musculo-skeletal system is not designed for what is asked of it.
Therefore, in order for your horse to be comfortable under saddle while being ridden for leisure or during competition, it is a must for him to have regular Chiropractic Treatments to ensure that his Musculo-Skeletal System is able to continue working to the best of its ability.
What Does A McTimoney Chiropractic Treatment Involve?
When your McTimoney Chiropractor comes to see your horse for the first time, they will assess the horse moving in straight lines, on tight turns and circles and also on the Lunge in walk, trot and canter. This will give the Chiropractor an idea as to how your horse is using themselves and it will also highlight any stiffness’s or stride irregularity that may be present.
Once the movement assessment is complete the Chiropractor will ask to see the horse in the stable where they can complete their examination of your horse’s Musculo-skeletal frame, looking for misalignments, and muscular imbalance. (* A Misalignment is when a joint of the body and moved slightly out of its correct natural orientation, this can cause pain and dysfunction within the affected joint, which can also affecting neighbouring joints and or soft tissues.)
Once the Physical examination is complete the Chiropractor will discuss their findings, and work out a course of treatment for your horse. They will complete the treatment by making any necessary Chiropractic adjustments to your horse, often using massage and soft tissue manipulation alongside Chiropractic.
McTimoney After Care Advice For Your Horse.
Once the Treatment is complete, your McTimoney Chiropractor will discuss how you should exercise your horse for the first few days following treatment. This can mean that the Horse may be required to have a day or two off work, followed by hacking at the walk for a day or two, building up the work over the course of a week. If there is Pelvic Misalignment, you may be advised not to jump or canter your horse until the second week after treatment.
If this is your horse’s first Chiropractic Treatment it is always a good idea to have the treatment early in the animal’s fittening program. This ensures that your horse starts out with a balanced skeletal frame that will not be hindering his performance.
Once your horse’s initial course of Chiropractic Treatment is finished, it is a good Idea for him to have a Check up every six to eight weeks. This may be brought down to 4 weeks for horses that are in a high level of competition. Regular treatment, keeps your horse working at peak performance and it is also is a way of catching stiffness, or any early niggles before they become big problems that lead to time off work.
McTimoney for You, the 2 Legged Equine;-)
If you ride and love your horse and your sport, McTimoney Chiropractic is a must for you. As a rider any form of imbalance in your own skeletal frame when you ride your horse, this will have a direct effect on your horse, leading him to develop imbalances in his own musculo-skeletal system.
Unfortunately when working and riding horse’s there can be quite a few spills along with the thrills. This can easily knock your own skeletal alignment out of balance, once this happens and if the imbalance is not corrected it starts to affect more and more of your skeletal frame, inhibiting your performance and leading to pain. This can be Lower Back Pain, Neck Pain, Shoulder Pain or as I have seen with many equestrians, loss of Flexibility and Range of Motion of a joint, or an area of the body.
McTimoney Treatment for Humans is also a Holistic Process. At your first Treatment details of your medical history will be taken, and a treatment plan discussed. The Chiropractor will then check over your skeletal frame, from head to toe, looking for *misalignments(see definition above). As the Chiropractor finds problems he/she will make specific adjustments to correct the imbalance.
The after care for the humans will generally be to take things as easy for 24 – 48 hours and it will also involve some advice on correct posture, both normal posture and your posture while riding.
Some Symptoms that Indicate Your Horse Needs Treatment.
• Sore Back/Cold Backed
• Bucking or Napping
• Your Horse may be resistant in the hand and difficult to ride in an outline.
• Stiff or Irregular in their movement
• Loss of Performance; i.e Stopping, refusing to jump/ Knocking fences especially in the second round of jumping. Having difficulty with collection and or Flying Changes.
• Disuniting in the Canter or Having difficulty pick up a particular Canter lead.
Some Symptoms that Indicate You Need Treatment
• Back Pain, Neck Pain or Shoulder Pain
• Headaches
• Loss of Flexibility; Stiffness in Lower Back, Neck or Shoulders.
• Unable to sit square in the saddle, sitting more to one side.
• Riding with uneven stirrups.
• Unable to keep shoulders square with horses shoulders; i.e. leading with the inside shoulder.
• Collapsing to one side, shoulder not level.
My Top 5 Benefits for Horses.
• The Horse’s Spine and Pelvis are Checked at each treatment, pin pointing any problem areas.
• Gentle and effective way to re-balance the Horse’s Musculo-Skeletal System.
• Relieves Back Pain and Discomfort.
• Improves the Horses Flexibility and Suppleness.
• Allows the Horse to be more happy and comfortable in his work.
My Top 5 Benefits of McTimoney Treatment for Humans
• Holistic, Your whole body is re-balanced at each treatment, as you are checked from head to toe
• Relatively Gentle Treatment, and therefore also suitable for the very young and the elderly
• Particularly beneficial to back, neck and shoulder pain.
• Improves you overall flexibility and suppleness.
• Also regular treatments help to eliminate tension headaches and I have found proved beneficial to those with Migraines.
To Your Equestrian Success
Roma
This Article was originally published in Issue Number 3 of Irish Sport Horse Magazine January 2019