I have always been interested in sports and fitness, but horse riding holds a very special place in my heart. I first started riding at 5-years-old in the local riding school in Finland and since then I’ve literally been ‘horse obsessed’. Growing up with horses I learnt early on the old adage of getting on the horse after you fall off. And let me tell you, there were soo many times that I fell off a horse that I stopped counting. They say you have to fall off a horse a 100 times before you’re a good rider and I was pretty close to that…!
One thing that I always struggled with in horse riding was my posture or ‘seat’ on the horse. If you’ve ever ridden a horse you know how important proper sitting position is not only for you, but for the horse. Especially during my teenage years I noticed a dramatic decline in my own posture, and I could feel and see how this negatively affected my riding. The problem was that even though my trainers were yelling me to ‘straighten up’ I felt that I physically couldn’t do this. I thought I was sitting straight upright on the horse but the truth was far from it. The problem was that I didn’t know how to correct it as by this point it was painful to sit up straight let alone hold the position through a dressage test.
It is a known fact that horse riders would rather invest in their horse than in themselves. The logical choice then was to consult an animal chiropractor for my HORSE not for me! Once I saw the dramatic change in my horse I started thinking that maybe Chiropractic could change my own posture as well. My experience with Chiropractic was quite different to many others; as I went to see a Chiropractor purely to be able to horse ride better, not for acute or chronic pain.
I remember my first Chiropractic Adjustment being like I woke up from the darkness and someone just turned the lights on. I felt so light and free in my body, and most importantly for the first time I felt straight and balanced sitting on the horse. I finally understood the value of ‘wellness’ and what it meant to be functioning at 100%. I understood that you don’t have to wait to be in chronic pain to benefit from Chiropractic care. This lead me on the path of becoming a Chiropractor and I haven’t looked back.
Because of my own experience with Chiropractic, and through the changes I see in practice every day, I truly believe that Chiropractic has something special to offer for everyone. Whether it is to get out of pain, change your posture or enhance your performance.
Yours in Health,
Dr. Anna Telford (Doctor of Chiropractic)
Anna and Dorothea “Dottie”