Show Me The Science: Do Equine Chiropractic Treatments Really Work?

An equine chiropractic treatment involves manually manipulating and adjusting the equine body to address musculoskeletal issues. It is often considered in an effort to reduce pain, improve range of motion, or to enhance performance.

While many horse owners and riders believe chiropractic work helps their horses, there’s limited scientific research on the efficacy of the practice. Dr. Olivia Lorello and a team of scientists investigated the effect of chiropractic manipulation on heart rate, stride characteristics, and on rider-perceived quality of work under saddle, reported Equine Science Update.

For the study, scientists used 38 showjumpers that had no performance or medical issues. Each horse was ridden, then had a chiropractic or a fake treatment the next day. After two days off, the horse was ridden again by his regular rider, who was unaware of which type of treatment the horse had.

The horses wore fitness trackers and heart rate monitors during the test. Each horse underwent the test protocol four times. The scientists got complete data on 27 horses.

More riders felt an improvement in the quality of flat work after a chiropractic session than after the fake treatment. However, the wearable technology showed no difference in stride length, stride symmetry or stride rate between the two groups of horses.

Read more at Equine Science Update.