Some days you’re just goofing off and you find news about somebody who makes a difference. This one is ironic to me, since it deals with chiropractic care, this time for race horses, in particular, for 2012 Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another.
Here’s a link to the article, “Equine Chiropractic Asset to O’Neill Team,” just published in thebloodhorse.com. It profiles Larry Jones, a chiropractor who works exclusively with race horses. Jones’ philosophy is that a lot of physical problems in race horses, especially back issues, can be treated more successfully chiropractically than with medications. It’s his life’s work—a calling and a business.
A lot of people dismiss chiropractic, like they dismiss other holistic modalities, including diet and exercise. So they patchwork a problem. Give a drug for pain. Take some time off to recover. Prey on suffering people with the latest miracle cure.
Sometimes that works. Well, not the miracle cure bit, but you get the idea.
I personally have had better luck in my own life with chiropractic than with most other modalities I’ve tried. My dog, Murphy, also benefited from chiropractic care off and on during her life. And acupuncture, Chinese herbs, diet, drugs, and laughs. I had to work hard to find out what worked for her, and my other animals, Alki and Grace the Cat.
I’ve had to work hard to find solutions for myself, too. Why? Because our current medical system doesn’t like anything that doesn’t benefit a big drug or hospital or insurance company. They’d rather you take a drug, which can mess with your body, than have a chiropractic treatment that both resolves the issue and makes your body, and your mind, feel better.
Case in point: I’ve worked very hard to get well and stay well. Years of work. Now my insurance company doesn’t want to cover a $59 chiropractic bill for anything, including a migraine. They’d rather I pay $100 a dose for a pill. This infuriates me and makes my chiropractor boil. And it should. If we have to pay for health insurance, we should get coverage for what works for us, and not for what some unknown person thinks should work.
So I credit Doug O’Neill for an enlightened approach to his stable’s care. Winning the Kentucky Derby didn’t prove that equine chiropractic care works. But since a winning horse benefited by it, maybe other trainers will look at it for their horses’ care.
After all, we all get out of whack on occasion, and chiropractic works.
Health insurance, not so much.
© 2012 Robyn M Fritz
But how do they know if horses need a chiropractor? I mean it’s not like they can complain or anything.
Like people and other animals, horses get pain. When an animal has sore legs or hips or back, you can tell from their movement and gait what is bothering them (horses will flinch away from having their backs touched, dogs will limp or be stiff, for example). A vet who is also trained as a chiropractor can do manual adjustments to relieve pain and support recovery from injury, just like with humans. It works! Thanks for your comments. And they do complain: just like people, you’ll see grouchy animals, depressed, lethargic, or just ‘off’ enough that an observant person can tell they just aren’t ‘right.’