QUESTION:  My horse has been thoroughly checked and there is nothing wrong, so why is s/he still exhibiting pain?

RESPONSE:  As we all know, nothing happens without a reason, and the cause of the problem is just as important as the problem itself. 

Unexplained problems, such as the ones listed above, out number explainable problems (i.e. accidents) by a wide margin. 

Often times the culprit will be a knotted tissue of muscle or joint ligament that is unable to perform its normal function, and is, in turn, preventing the horse to move to the best of his ability.  Small knots in a large muscle can cause major problems in your horse's ability to travel efficiently.  Due to the fact that these knots are not visible to the human eye, it is often difficult to determine that they are indeed the cause of the problem just by merely looking at a horse.  Hence, they are often missed entirely, which could prevent the horse from recovering to his fullest capability.

QUESTION:  Why does my horse refuse to take his right, left, or both leads? or Why did my horse start refusing to go to the right or left?

RESPONSE:  Tight muscles lead to spasms (knots), which leads to tears in the fibers.  When this occurs, you start to see short choppy strides, refusals, and resistance in the horse. The tendons become irritated.  Often a drug will be prescribed to alleviate soreness, but this just addresses the symptom and not the real issue.  If the underlying issue is not treated and eliminated, it will cause the horse to compensate and pass the problem to other muscle groups.  It is similar to a human taking an ibuprofen for back pain. While the ibuprofen is a temporary fix, it does not do anything to correct the problem that is causing the pain. 

QUESTION: My horse is not exhibiting any muscle soreness, why would s/he benefit from a massage?

RESPONSE:  Simply a buck out in the pasture, the wrong way, can cause muscular strain.  Most muscle injuries are cumulative,  meaning that muscle trauma can build weeks before there is a noticeable problem.   The best protection against muscle related injuries is prevention.  Preventing an injury before it happens will save you money in the long run!

The progression of muscle problems is:  Trauma or strain leads to tightening which, ultimately, results in a spasm or tear.

QUESTION:   Why is it beneficial to use Sports Massage in conjunction with a chiropractic adjustment?

RESPONSE:  If a misalignment has existed for any length of time, the muscles will have established an incorrect "holding pattern."  After an adjustment, these muscles do not automatically resume correct positioning.  Unless these muscles are released through manipulation, they will only pull the adjustment back out of position once again.