Equestrians are known for taking better care of their horses than themselves and ignoring their own pain while fretting over the first sign that something is wrong with their horse. You’re probably very diligent with ensuring that your horse sees a horse chiropractor whenever they need to, but are you obtaining the chiropractic care you need too?
Horseback riders face many different chiropractic concerns. It’s important to ensure that you do what you can to keep your spine in alignment, not just for your sake, but also for that of your horse. Here’s what you need to know about some of the factors that impact equestrian spines and how chiropractic care can improve your riding.
Chiropractic Concerns Horseback Riders Face
Regardless of whether you ride English or Western, whether you compete in shows or just hack around the stables, horseback riding takes a toll on your body. It can increase your risk of injury, and impact your spinal alignment. Equestrians need proper alignment for both the sake of their own health and for that of their horse’s, as well as to ensure a smooth ride.
Uneven weight distribution that can result from spinal misalignment can lead to challenges while riding, such as your horse thinking that you are giving them mixed signals. Obtaining chiropractic care as needed reduces your risk of injury and can improve your connection with your horse.
Some of the common chiropractic concerns that horseback riders face are as follows.
#1. Constant Changes In Weight Distribution
As your horse moves, your body does too, and it takes significant effort to stay straight and upright. Your body undergoes constant adjustments even at a walk, and even more when you change gaits to a trot, canter, or gallop. Not only do you need to be mindful of your own body’s position, but your body is having to constantly adapt to the movement and speed of your horse. This can cause changes in your spinal alignment.
#2. Stable Work
Whether mucking stalls or feeding the horses, a lot of stable work necessitates a lot of twisting, turning, bending, and lifting. If you don’t lift properly, you can end up seriously hurting your back. Additionally, much of the work around the stable is one-sided, which puts you at risk for throwing your spine out of alignment.
#3. Not Enough Core Strength
Horseback riders need strong cores in order to hold themselves up straight. If your core is not strong enough, you could end up slouching in the saddle. This not only looks bad, but it also impacts both your own and your horse’s performance. Poor posture can lead to significant chiropractic problems over time.
#4. Injuries From Falling, Being Bucked Off, And More
When you ride horses, you’re well aware of just how dangerous this sport is. If you have a green or more temperamental horse, you could end up being bucked off. If you are new to riding, lose your balance, or are unprepared for a horse’s reaction to something, you could end up falling off. Such instances can result in injuries from whiplash to back pain and more. Chiropractic care can help you recover so that you can get back in the saddle sooner.
Are Your Back Problems Impacting Your Ride?
If your spine is out of alignment, this can cause you to inadvertently send mixed messages while you ride. You may assume that you are sitting up straight, but your weight may be unconsciously shifted to one side, causing your horse to think you want them to turn and then getting frustrated and confused when you reprimand them for doing so.
Just like horses can need chiropractic care do to the impact that riding can have on their spines, riders need to see chiropractors too, in order to ensure that they are protecting their health and doing what they can to ensure a smooth ride.
Chiropractic Care For Horseback Riders
Every rider is different, and as such, your chiropractor will personalize your treatment plan to your specific needs. Some riders really struggle to hold their shoulders back, while others find that they have a tendency to shift to one side over the other. Others ignore their back pain in order to carry on with the ride.
It’s important to take care of your spine and to look after your health so that you can ride better for longer. Chiropractors will work closely with you to uncover your specific chiropractic concerns so that you can find relief from your pain.
Elite Chiropractic provides professional chiropractic treatments for sports injuries and more. We offer spinal adjustment, spinal decompression, and other chiropractic treatments in order to restore you to proper spinal alignment. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and let us help you get back in the saddle.
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