Manual therapies involve the application of the hands to the body, with a diagnostic or therapeutic intent. In horses, a diverse array of manual techniques, such as touch therapies, massage, joint mobilization, and manipulation (ie, chiropractic), have been applied with a primary therapeutic intent (eg, reduce pain or stiffness).1–3However,all of these therapies also have important diagnostic value in assessing musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction that is not possible with other more traditional physical ex-amination approaches or imaging modalities. In sport horse practice, the primary issues that limit performance are chronic repetitive use injuries associated with long active athletic careers of pushing physical and psychological limits of horse and rider. Chronic, poorly localized pain and stiffness combined with slower reflexes or altered muscle timing contribute to poor performance issues and increase the risk of acute injury and inflammation. Manual therapies can provide detailed soft tissue, osseous, and articular evaluation techniques and unique methods to assess neuromuscular coordination and strength in sport horses that are not possible with routine lameness evaluation or neurologic tests.
