Osteopathie für Tiere - Lisa Trabhardt

Qualified registered practitioner at the German Institute of Equine Osteopathy (DIPO). (http://www.osteopathiezentrum.de/54-1-Horse-osteopathy.html)

Osteopathy works with the structure and function of the body, and is based on the principle that the well-being of an individual depends on the skeleton, muscles, ligaments and connective tissues functioning smoothly together.

Only a creature whose body parts are fully articulated in the physiological context, can get its body functional and healthy.
Movement disorders may cause compensatory mechanisms that lead to incorrect loading or overloading of other parts of the body or dysfunctions of the microcirculation, which damage the tissue.
The osteopath strives to diagnose movement restrictions and to address the problem with manual techniques, in order for the horses body to recover its balance and solve the dysfunction.

The four principles of osteopathy

1. The correlation of structure and function: anatomy and physiology are interdependent and interact with each other
2. The arterial rule: all body fluids (blood,lymph etc.) must be able to flow and all structures of the body must be supplied with blood and lymph. Scars, injuries and inflammation can interrupt the microcirculation.
3. The body as a unity: all body systems form a physiological unit. For example one jamming joint can have various effects on the entire body.
4. Self-regulation and self-healing power of the body: the healthy body is able to adjust and heal itself in some way. It is only necessary to consult a therapist after the self- regulation mechanism are disturbed or the self- healing power is overloaded.


The osteopath does not force any new functions upon the horse; it gives the horses body only the necessary impulse to initiate the healing process. As a result the body puts its own abilities for self-healing into effect.

For prevention it is a good idea to have your horse checked by the osteopath once in a year. It is recommended that after Osteopathic treatment you should have a follow up treatment during the next 3-6 weeks to ensure ongoing success.
Physiotherapy helps to keep your horse in a better condition and you can learn to keep your horse comfortable and preforming at its best.