PAYING ATTENTION: Adjusting a horse, as you might imagine, requires a great deal of care and attention. A horse can tell whether or not you're paying attention, and if I lose focus they let me know.

Each exhalation, the expression in their eyes, the twitch of a muscle, or the raising of a hoof let me know about the state and condition of the horse, and I have to pay attention to each one of the little clues they leave me. Horses don't communicate the way people do, and their language is subtler and quieter than ours.

People see a picture like this, or they watch me adjust a hind leg and they often ask, "Aren't you afraid of getting kicked?"

As a Niwot animal chiropractor, if I stop paying attention and go through the motions as rote repetition, the horse doesn't respond so well. They get irritable, and they can kick or even bite. Getting kicked by a horse hurts, and I want it to happen as seldom as possible. To keep myself and the horse safe, I have to listen carefully and pay attention to every little communication.

I have to pay attention to the horse's attitude, it's range of motion, its particular joint angles, and the overall state of its nervous system. The adjustment is a gave of give and take, and I have to observe when to back off and when to move forward. A moment's lapse in attention can lead to an unhappy horse and an even unhappier me.

My adjusting approach is a combination of laser focus unconditional love for the animal or person getting adjusted. I try to get quiet and tune in to ensure that I can attend faithfully to the task at hand, and then I watch as the magic happens between us. It's amazing how the world unfolds when you just start paying attention.

Call top Niwot animal chiropractor Ryan Marchman of The Adjustatorium today to schedule an appointment.

LOVE,
Dr. Ryan