June 6, 2018
by Terry Lidral in collaboration with Dr. Quinley Koch*, DVM, Elite Equine Veterinary Services, LLC
Bucking bulls are athletes. And like all athletes, the stress and demands they put on their bodies can lead to problems that diminish their performance and inhibit their normal physical activity. Veterinary chiropractic treatment can help to alleviate these problems and help the bull gain its full athletic potential.
Bucking bulls tend to have the most problems in their pelvis and at their thoraco-lumbar junction. These problems can present in bio-mechanical abnormalities as well as neural function. Bio-mechanical dysfunction of the spine effects the entire nervous system throughout the bull’s body.
The advantages of chiropractic care for bulls with dysfunction include improved bio-mechanical function, improved neural function, pain relief, decreased muscle soreness, better muscular performance and an overall improved comfort level and function.
Problems can develop in bulls at any age. (Chiropractic care has been delivered to calves as young as two days old after a difficult birth.) There is no set pattern for dysfunction. It is simply a matter of the tolerance of movement and motion in each individual bull.
Bulls from young to old need to be watched for asymmetry, or uneven movement, in their gate and muscular development. Even a small change in their gait or body movement can indicate dysfunction which can cause a decrease in performance.
Chiropractic treatment first involves watching the bull’s movement for asymmetry. Then, each joint of the spine is checked for range of motion. When a reduced range of motion is noted, that specific joint is adjusted by a high velocity, low-amplitude thrust. Once the veterinarian has completed the check of the spine and treatment on affected joints, the bull’s movement is watched again. If asymmetry is still present, further adjustment may be performed.
Because bucking bulls are performance animals, they have an increased tendency to have problems of the spine. These problems will most likely repeat themselves without regular chiropractic adjustments as muscle memory will pull the vertebrae into the same range of motion that created the problems in the first place.
Treatment schedule depends on the degree of the dysfunction and the physical make-up of the bull. Some bulls may need a yearly chiropractic visit to check for any conformational abnormalities while others may need a check two or three times a year.
Chiropractic treatment is a tried and proven method for improvement in the performance of bucking bulls. You can see before and after videos at www.eliteequineks.com under bucking bull chiropractic services.
There are very specific methods to adjusting animals. Specific joint angles and thrust angles must be carefully adhered to or the bull can be severely injured. Chiropractic treatments should be performed by certified veterinary professionals, or certified doctors of chiropractic care, to ensure the well-being of your animal.
*Dr. Quinley Koch received her Bachelors degree in Animal Science from Fort Hays
State University. She then went on to complete a Masters of Agriculture in Animal
Science at Texas A&M University and Veterinary School at Oklahoma State University.
She continued her education by becoming certified by the International veterinary
chiropractic Association and the international veterinary acupuncture society. She
currently owns Elite Equine Veterinary Services in Wichita, KS and teaches Animal
Science online for Colby Community College.
Author: Terry Lidral
Terry Lidral is a western writer/journalist who lives in Idaho. She is the publisher and editor of the online magazine Bucking Stock Talk and the online magazine Western Living Journal. Her publishing credits include Storyteller for Real American Cowboy Magazine, writing feature articles for Humps N Horns Magazine as well as a wide variety of national and international web sites, historical magazines and news publications. She is known for her "up close and personal" profiles of celebrities and industry moguls such as NPR's Tom Bodett; PBR's Wiley Petersen and D.H. Page, PRCA's Sammy Andrews, Cindy Rosser and Julio Moreno to name a few. She has been applauded for her way of making a personal connection between her readers and her subjects. She indulges in her love of rodeo by serving as an associate board member for the Caldwell Night Rodeo. She is also an accomplished trainer and handler in dog agility. Her shelties Amelie and Milo are titled in NADAC, USDAA and AKC.
