On Course Chiropractic

Back to a full schedule this week and feeling good! I am beyond grateful for everyone's patience with the slow in service the past couple of weeks, and the many caring messages and well wishes I received. You are all so wonderful. Concussion recovery is nothing to be trifled with and I'll be monitoring for subtle symptoms going forward and making adjustments to my days accordingly. Speaking of things to be grateful for, the longer days are arriving again! I left an appointment to catch the last of the sunlight today when I'd expected darkness. Hang in there everyone, it may be cold but spring is coming!

Here is a great overview of how animal chiropractors play a part in helping our four-legged friends live their best life!

Patience Please <3 On Saturday I sustained a kick to the face while lunging an exuberant young horse. Amazingly I came away with no fractures or other serious damage, and am feeling pretty much my normal self despite the bruising still very evident on my face*. I do have some mild concussion symptoms that I am monitoring and am thus limiting screen time and taking it easy for a few days. If I haven’t contacted you, your appointment still stands. I’ll be re-evaluating my s...tatus over the weekend so if you have an appointment next week there’s a chance you’ll be contacted to reschedule. I may be slower to reply to messages and inquiries than usual and ask for your patience during this time. If you are waiting for a reply from me and haven’t heard back within a week or so, please feel free reach out again in case your message fell through the cracks. I also want to take this opportunity to remind everyone to take their safety at the barn seriously. If you EVER notice that small warning voice in the back of your head speaking up, please listen to it. Taking extra precautions, deciding not to get on that day, or waiting until you have extra help are all reasonable and smart if you have any kind of funny feeling about what you are doing or about to do with a horse. I strongly believe there are very few truly unavoidable accidents and we need to constantly be present and mindful of our environment, our horses’ mental state and our own body position, posture and actions. Like many of you, my passion for riding, training and helping horses is a driving force in my life. We all accept that there is a risk associated with working with large, powerful and emotional animals and do it anyway, but we can minimize that risk by being sensible, systematic, mindful, and listening to our instincts. Be safe everyone! *(I'll post a photo in the comments for those of you who want to see what a hoof to the face looks like!)

Chiropractors are regulated health professionals and ARE permitted to work through the stay-at-home period announced this afternoon. Here are some considerations for equine care during this time: If you have an upcoming appointment please check with your barn rules to ensure there are no procedure/rule changes that may affect the appointment. No fees will be charged for anyone who cancels or reschedules an appointment for COVID related reasons.... If you are feeling unwell or have been in contact with anyone who has tested positive for COVID in the past 14 days you are required to reschedule or have someone else attend the appointment Wearing of masks, physical distancing and hand hygiene continue to be of utmost importance during appointments to keep everyone safe and healthy. Don't forget, equine video consults are available and are a great way to get advice on managing your horse's issue between visits. Virtual human appointments (covered by your health insurance) are also available through the clinic. Get in touch for details!

Did you know that raised walk poles are a great way to increase your horse's strength, mobility and body awareness? It's also a safe and low impact exercise for senior horses and those recovering from an injury. How have you been keeping arena work interesting and beneficial for your horse this winter? Do you have a favourite pole exercise? Maybe you've been doing some liberty work? Let me know in the comments!

As many of you know, our favourite super hero horse, Harley (aka Super Paint), ended up at OVC last weekend due to colic. He soared through surgery and is conti...nuing to recover and hopefully will be able to come home this weekend. This an auction to help out Sophie Hart and Harley. As we all know 2020 has been a dumpster fire of a year, and what better way to put it out, then by coming together to support this amazing team, and help cover some of the vet bills. Over the next few days, we will be adding items to this page to run an auction, and be posting more details as we good. Until then, invite all of your horsey friends to the page, and keep an eye on the items being posted. Christmas is coming, and you never know what goodies will be posted!!! If you would like to donate an item to the auction please contact Alli Gauvreau or myself!!

Throwback to shiny summer coats and some @grastontechnique myofascial therapy. Did you know fascia - that thin white web-like stuff under the skin and surrounding the muscles - contains all kinds of receptors that signal things like pain (nociceptors), position, and compressive/tensile forces (mechanoreceptors)? Among the benefits of therapies that target fascia are the stimulation of hyaluronic acid production (lubricates the connective tissue layers to assist with mobilit...y) and improved proprioception (awareness of body position). I am currently upgrading my training to become a Graston Technique Specialist for people. If you're curious how Graston can help you OR your horse (or both!), get in touch!

I love getting positive feedback from patient visits... especially when it's straight from the horse's mouth! Take Bear's advice and kick up your heels this weekend!

As riders, our bodies can't not influence our horses bodies. Let that sink in. Our balance, symmetry, suppleness and alignment affect how the horse must use his body to carry us every single stride. Over time, a rider has the potential to impact the development of the horse's physique and movement patterns, leading to either improved straightness, posture and balance or compensation and discomfort. ... If you've got old nagging injuries, a weak core, or perhaps tight hips from your desk job, caring for your body will help not only you but your horse as well! Here are a few small changes that may have a big impact: 1. Stretch. A daily routine consisting of a few hip and chest opening stretches. Scroll this feed for some ideas! 2. Tune in. Take at least the first few minutes of each ride to check in with your body in the saddle, and really pay attention. For example, check your vertical shoulder-hip-heel alignment, note if the weight in your stirrups and seat bones is even side to side, if the contact is even and elastic, etc. 3. Make some sort of strength training a part of your routine: core, legs and back need to be controlled and independent in all gaits, and that takes strength! 4. Enlist the help of a bodyworker (or several!) to make sure you are as straight, mobile and comfortable as you can be when you climb into the saddle, and to help you recover from injury if it occurs. A good chiro/RMT/PT/Osteo can help you level up your riding performance and thus set both you AND your horse up for success. Don't wait until you have a debilitating problem, take initiative and take good preventative care of your body, just as you do for your horse. #trainforsoundness #trainforthelongterm #ridersareathletestoo #riderrehab #riderbiomechanics #riderperformance #equitation #oncoursechiro #oncoursechiropractic

It's a good day when your patients are this cute, and thank you with kisses! Some preventative check-ups for a couple of growing youngsters (8 weeks old and 4 years old respectively). These visits are very beneficial for young animals as they learn to trust and enjoy bodywork before there is a painful area to treat, and it allows us to get a full picture of their posture, patterns and areas to keep eye on to nip future issues in the bud. Fellow bodyworker Angela at Equine Elevation knows this well. I love interprofessional collaboration almost as much as working with these cuties! Thanks for having me today!

This is a topic I'm asked about regularly. Previous research I've come across has concluded that the use of a sheepskin half pad does not seem to interfere with the fit of a properly fitted saddle, however this study looks into three types of half pad and shows there is a potential to have unwanted extra pressure with a half pad and that the type of pad matters. The bottom line is, no half pad will make up for an ill-fitting saddle, and regular fittings with a professional are the best way to ensure your saddle isn't contributing to back pain in your horse.

It's that time of year again! Here are a few tips to make no-stirrups work beneficial for you...and your horse's back! DO: Do no-stirrups work on a horse you feel safe on, and work with a coach especially if it's something new for you. DON'T: Go cold turkey. Removing your stirrups completely for your whole ride could lead to fatigued riding and bouncing...which could be hard on your horse's back... DO: Take breaks. Unless you and your horse are super fit, an hour of no-stirrups sitting trot is only going to turn in to a sloppy bouncy situation which isn't going to benefit either of you. DON'T: Feel pressured to canter or jump without stirrups if you aren't ready. DO: Ride "toes up" (i.e. dorsiflex your ankles). This helps to stabilize your calf. DON'T: Feel bad if you can only manage a few minutes at first. It takes times for our muscles to adapt to new patterns. DO: Experiment with rising trot with no stirrups. Hello thigh muscles! DON'T: Ignore signs that your horse may not be enjoying the work. Ears pinned, head tossing, nappiness, tail swishing, hollowing the back, etc are all signs that they have had enough for one session. DO: Warm up in walk and rising trot before going into sitting trot without stirrups. DON'T: Expect miracles in one month. It takes a while for our bodies to develop new balance, movement patterns and strength. Use NSN as a launching board for developing your seat continually throughout the year! DO: Have a "holy $#!%" strap in case of emergency. An old flash strap across the D-rings works well! DO: Treat your horse to a chiropractic visit to ensure their back is feeling its best!

I've been consuming these podcasts like candy, and the one concept echoing in my mind is this: As a rider, you CANNOT NOT influence the horse. Whether or not we have lofty performance goals, all riders are faced with the fact that we are having an influence, for the better or worse, on the physical and mental state of the horse beneath us, no matter what "type" of riding we are doing. Crooked, balanced, injured, floppy or tense, aware or unaware, the rider is constantly affe...cting the horse in profound ways just by being up there in the body they have, with the skills that they have. They can't not. In this series, Mary lays out a lifetime of study of the physics, mechanics, learning concepts, and psychology of riding in these fun, eloquent and thought-provoking podcasts. I can't say enough about the depth and relevance of the information here, and we can all listen....for FREE...for the good of the horse (and ourselves). https://dressagetraining.tv/mary-wanless-podcast/

When an injury is sustained, the brain begins to communicate differently with the injured area: the muscles that govern movement in the region may either be inhibited (shut off) or hypertonic (working overtime). This may be useful to stabilize a recent injury, but we don't want these compensation patterns to stick around long term as they limit finer movements and communication between the brain and the body. Stability pads like those pictured can help to wake up that commun...ication between the brain and body by creating a slightly unstable surface, therefore challenging the brain the know exactly where the limbs are in space (proprioception) in order to balance and perform movement. Once it becomes easy for the horse to balance on the pads, exercises involving perturbations to balance (i.e.tail pulls or reaching for a treat) can be added for more challenge. This can be a safe way to re-establish normal limb mechanics before return to turnout or work (or in conjunction). If you want to feel how this works, try balancing on one foot on a stable surface, then try it on a pillow or couch cushion! The better you get with practice, the smaller corrections you will have to make to keep balanced and it's this fine motor control we want to reestablish post-injury. This improved control will allow the athlete a quicker return to performance and reduce the risk of future injuries. #canwejustwraptheminbubblewrap #equinechiropractor #equinerehab #equinebackpain #dressagehorse #oncoursechiro #oncoursechiropractic #stayoncoursetoyourgoals