Why Get Treatment?
You might be thinking, "there's nothing wrong with my horse/dog/pet, so why would I get them treated?", but the thing is, animals are very good at hiding when they are in discomfort and they quickly adapt and compensate. Over time these compensations build leading to increasing discomfort, reduced range of motion (stiffness) and an increased risk of injury. You may be used to hearing people say "oh, they're just getting old" when referring to a stiff, grumpy, even slightly lame animal. In reality most of these things are signs of undiagnosed pain from joint disease and/or tight immobile fascia locking down the body like a restrictive brace.
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Be proactive! its better to just have a check than wait until you can see there is an obvious problem as its more likely to take longer to resolve and that's if the damage is repairable. Prevention is better than cure.
Horses were not designed to carry a rider, so as soon as we sit on them we are impacting the horse's body. Even if we're not riding, the trouble horses manage to get themselves into in the field and stable is enough to cause a problem! If you want your horse to be a willing partner and reduce their risk of injury or breakdown then routine therapy should be part of your armoury.
Young, old, companion or athlete, all dogs can benefit from treatment. Normal everyday activities lead to minor stresses and strains that will build up causing pain and restrictions and potentially damaging joints. Dogs who take part in activities like agility and flyball may be more susceptible to injury due to the high speed and impact.
Cats
We often don't know what cats get up to most of the time. Cats are very agile and flexible so when owners start to see them struggling to jump or climb or act out of character, then that is a definite sign that they should be checked over. I have found cats to generally be very tolerant of being treated.