Ritchie isn’t so sure about the big green block in his barn. Flaring his nostrils wide, he chuffs and huffs at it. It’s not a hay bale or a bucket or anything familiar to him at the Farm.

Dr. Kyla Awes lets Ritchie take his time.

Dr. Kyla Awes, DC, gives a chiropractic exam to the Minnesota Zoo’s Clydesdale horse Ritchie as Farm Specialist Gail Roubinek holds the lead rope.

“Good fellow,” she says in a low, reassuring voice. He relaxes under her touch and seems to accept the heavy vinyl-covered blocks Dr. Awes had brought into the barn that Ritchie shares with Frank, his half-brother.

Ritchie and Frank are 15-year-old Clydesdale draft horses who’ve lived at the Wells Fargo Family Farm at the Minnesota Zoo since 2018. They trot in from the pasture on a sun-drenched July morning to be examined by Dr. Awes, an equine chiropractor from Animal Connections Integrative Care.

Dr. Awes was invited to assess the heavily muscled horses’ posture, balance, and range of motion. She would use manual therapy to address any issues she found. As the horses resumed their training and conditioning to pull a wagon, a traditional role of their breed, Zoo veterinarians and Farmkeepers wanted to prevent any muscle soreness or joint problems that could lead to chronic health issues.

Adjusting Animal Athletes

Dr. Awes begins the exam on her tablet, asking about the horses’ health history and recording answers given by Zoo staff, including Dr. Annie Rivas, DVM, DACZM, the Zoo’s Director of Animal Health, and Jim Sandford, Curator of the Farm.

Then Dr. Awes moves systematically through the physical exam. Only her fingertips and blue jeans are visible as she works down the length of Ritchie’s left flank. She takes the lead rope from Farm Specialist Gail Roubinek and gently draws Ritchie’s muzzle toward her to see the curve of his neck.

Dr. Awes acknowledges the elephant—err, Clydesdale—in the room.

“Clearly I’m not as big as him.”

So, the blocks come into play. They’re sturdy, carriable by handles sewn on the sides, and stackable. Without them, Dr. Awes can’t reach Ritchie’s topline.

She stacks the blocks and climbs up to better assess and adjust his muscles, joints, and spine.

Still their size difference is substantial; male Clydesdales like Ritchie and Frank are over 16 hands high and weigh at least 2,000 lbs.

Equine chiropractor Dr. Kyla Awes is barely visible behind the massive body of Clydesdale horse Ritchie during his exam on July 27, 2023 at the Minnesota Zoo.

“I need to use his mass to my advantage,” she says. “I provide the resistance; he provides the horsepower.”

She responds to Ritchie’s body language. His eyelids droop when he relaxes. Licking lips might note a sensitive spot. As she provides resistance, Ritchie’s muscles visibly contract and release, sending a ripple across his mahogany brown coat.

“Animals are really good at giving feedback—as you all know,” Dr. Awes says to the veterinarian and Keepers observing the exam.

She narrates as she works, all while reassuring Ritchie: “I did small adjustments of C4, C5 on his left side… Good boy… Range of motion good… He’s very cooperative… Main area of restriction is mid-neck on left side, left knee adjusted… Nothing serious, all goes with his job.”

Ritchie’s exam lasts 35 minutes, then Frank steps out of the stall for his turn. Large fans keep air moving in the barn and blow through Frank’s lush mane and silky white feathers, the long hair on the lower legs that’s a distinctive trait of the breed.

“He knows he’s handsome,” Roubinek says as she trots him out on his halter and lead rope.  His hooves are loud and rhythmic as drumbeats.

“Yes, our little Fabio,” Dr. Rivas adds.

The chiropractor admires the powerful horse even as she notes his symmetry, balance, and gait.

“Good boy, thanks for showing off,” Dr. Awes says, then begins another methodical exam.

An Ounce of Prevention

Dr. Rivas added chiropractic to Ritchie and Frank’s routine veterinary care because she’s had positive results from offering complementary health practices to other Zoo animals. At a previous zoo, she saw a fennec fox with chronic lameness recover mobility with myofascial release, an alternative form of physical therapy.

“Frank and Ritchie were basically pasture potatoes [during the Zoo’s temporary pandemic closure],” Dr. Rivas says. “As we gear up their activity again, we know that health maintenance, injury prevention,  and stretching are really important for the horses. They’re animal athletes.”

The Minnesota Zoo Clydesdale draft horses and wagon driver Gail Roubinek get ready to roll in the Minnesota State Fair parade on Friday, August 25, 2023. Ritchie, left, and Frank are half brothers who have lived at the Zoo since 2018.

As the chiropractor lifts and flexes each hoof and leg in turn and straightens Frank’s tail in alignment with his topline, Dr. Rivas comments that today’s adjustment is a bit like “horse yoga.”

“An ounce of prevention is so important,” she says. “Therapy like this helps avoid muscle tightness and keeps joints supple to prevent chronic pain.”

Quite a Pair at the Fair

Freshly adjusted and with a spring in their step, Frank and Ritchie headed to the fairgrounds in August for their first appearance at the Minnesota State Fair since 2019. To re-acclimate them to the festive atmosphere and crowds, they had a shorter, 5-day stay. Fairgoers could meet the Clydesdales in their stalls in the Horse Barn or wave hello to them in the daily parade.

Preparing to pull a wagon in the parade took months.

“Overall, it takes 1 to 2 hours a day, 5 to 7 days a week for several months for both humans and horses to be safe and confident about our participation in the State Fair parade,” says Marian Newland, a Zoo Farmkeeper and one of the wagon drivers.

From spring to summer, the horses progressed from being harnessed with the driver walking behind them to pulling a light forecart (Newland says to picture a “chariot with car tires”). Then the team—both horses and humans—were ready for the weight of the wagon.

Before and after the parade, the horses were given the attention of all-star athletes and groomed till they gleamed.

“Grooming is a bit like a full body massage and pedicure, so it relieves tension and any sore muscles,” Newland says. “And probably most importantly for us, grooming is a way for us as handlers to build a strong bond with our equine partners.”

Horse care at the Minnesota Zoo is comprehensive and includes grooming, hair braiding, highest quality feed, training, conditioning, regular vet exams, and now, the addition of chiropractic adjustments.

And that care is always hands-on — no matter how many hands high the horse.