See what science has revealed about equine spinal manipulation

Over the years chiropractic care has become an ingrained part of equine athletes’ wellness routines across various disciplines. Many riders see and feel for themselves the benefits of having their horses adjusted—but does the research back up their observations? Here we’ll look into the science behind chiropractic.

Owners Report Benefits

In short, chiropractic involves noninvasive manual restoration of motility and function in spinal joints through physical adjustments of the body. (Learn what to expect with a veterinary chiropractic  adjustment at TheHorse.com/1128381.) In a U.K. survey conducted 2015 to 2016, more than half (59%) of horse owners reported having used the therapy.¹ “As equine chiropractic becomes more available, it’s being integrated into many horses’ routine care,” says Jordan Calabro, DVM, an equine chiropractor and acupuncturist at Equine Integrated Veterinary Solutions (EIVS), based in Brewster, New York. After earning her veterinary degree from Cornell University, Calabro completed both the Equine Veterinary Medical Manipulation Practitioner certification and the Equine Acupuncture Course at Chi University in 2017.

Calabro and many other veterinarians—and equestrians—have reported extensive clinical benefits from chiropractic. Horse owners tend to put their equine athletes and companions on their chiropractor’s schedule based on the results they see and feel rather than the data (or lack thereof) that support the therapy’s effectiveness. Case in point: In a 2024 study involving 38 horses, riders in a blind trial—which rules out the potential for a placebo effect—observed improved ridden work quality following chiropractic treatment. But in the study, authors saw no differences in the horses’ stride length, stride rate, stride symmetry, or heart rate² post-adjustment.

Evaluating Chiropractic’s Effects

Before diving into studies about the effectiveness of chiropractic on equine-specific biomechanics, performance, and wellness, we asked Calabro how she empirically evaluates the benefits of her work. She palpates and assesses the passive and active range of motion (ROM) of her patients’ joints on each visit before making her adjustments.

“I do sometimes hear riders say they feel no difference in their horses post-adjustment,” Calabro says. “Not every chiropractor follows the same method, and horse owners have a right to seek out a practitioner that works well for them.” In terms of the time it takes to reap the benefits of chiropractic, she says results can often be seen and felt following the first visit, but routine adjustments help keep the horse on the path to better movement.

“Chiropractic should also be part of a holistic approach to horse care,” Calabro says, adding that she often works with other veterinarians and therapists to tailor treatments and get horses feeling their best; chiropractic is a complementary therapy. “As chiropractors, we can help identify problems in the axial skeleton—neck, back, and pelvis—especially well. When we do find back pain, we always assess saddle fit concurrently,” she adds.

Equine-Specific Research

The consensus indicates a need for more research to validate chiropractic as a treatment for equine musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. Let’s take a closer look at four published papers.

• Authors on a 2022 study argued that while owners often employ chiropractic to treat back pain and stiffness in horses, evidence for its effectiveness in addressing lameness remains scarce.³ In the clinical trial they found four chiropractic adjustments significantly improved subjective measures of lameness scores and vertebral stiff ness. However, they noted limited or inconsistent therapeutic effects in objective lameness scores and other measures of axial skeleton pain and dysfunction. These findings align with the 2024 study mentioned earlier, where riders felt adjusted horses moved better but changes weren’t objectively measurable.
• In 2018 a team at the University of California, Davis, found chiropractic had a direct positive impact on muscle function.⁴ This might surprise equestrians who rely on the horses’ chiropractic appointments strictly for spinal health and function.
• In a 2008 Equine Veterinary Journal (EVJ) study, researchers found one instance of chiropractic manipulation resulted in increased flexion-extension ROM in horses one hour after treatment but decreased ROM after three weeks.⁵
• In another 2008 EVJ study, scientists revealed chiropractic care increases spinal mechanical nociceptive thresholds more than massage therapy and the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug phenylbutazone (Bute) do.⁶