Chiropractors have been treating human patients on a professional basis in this country since before the turn of the century, but it has only been in recent years that this alternative form of therapy has been applied to a substantial number of horses and other animals.

The word chiropractic is derived from the Greek words cheir meaning "hand" and praktike meaning "business or to practice." Thus chiropractic literally means to use the hands to diagnose, treat, and prevent disease. Chiropractors use specific, controlled forces or thrusts applied by their hands or with an instrument to a joint or bone to cause a change in joints, muscles, or nerve reflexes.

Perhaps the earliest form of chiropractic adjustment involved Orientals who were skilled in walking on an individual’s back with bare feet. In this country, the "father" of the modality was Dr. D. D. Palmer, who back in 1895 gave his first adjustment to a patient. Convinced that there was a need for this form of treatment, he established the Palmer College of Chiropractic and began teaching students how to apply his methods.

Through the years, chiropractors involved in treating humans also plied their craft on animals, but it was not a widely accepted practice in the veterinary community. In recent years, that has changed, as an increasing number of chiropractors are using the modality both to treat and diagnose animal ailments. This is especially true in the equine community