Guanacaste, Costa Rica · By appointment
Thoughtful, hands-on bodywork and functional movement for people, horses and dogs.
Understanding animal chiropractic
Animal chiropractic is a hands-on approach to evaluating how the joints of the spine and limbs move and how that movement relates to posture, gait and comfort. It is complementary care—not a replacement for veterinary diagnosis or treatment.
What it looks at
The goal is to identify specific areas of restricted or altered motion and understand how the rest of the body may be compensating. The entire animal is considered—not just the place that appears sore.
What it may support
Appropriate hands-on care may support mobility, body awareness and ease of movement for active, working, senior or recovering animals as part of a broader care plan.
What it does not do
It does not diagnose disease, repair fractures or replace medication, imaging, surgery or emergency care. When signs point beyond a movement concern, the veterinarian is the right first call.
Why consider an assessment?
A horse does not need to be obviously lame before an owner notices that something feels different. The useful question is not “Does every horse need hands-on care?” It is “Has this horse’s normal movement, comfort or performance changed?”
Recurring stiffness, reduced bending, a shortened stride, toe dragging or difficulty with one lead may justify a closer movement assessment.
Knocking poles, resisting transitions, struggling with familiar work or developing a new imbalance can reflect compensation somewhere else in the body.
Changes during grooming, saddling, girthing or mounting—as well as unusual muscle tension or sensitivity—deserve attention rather than guesswork.
After injury or altered loading, the neck, back and other limbs may compensate. Veterinary diagnosis comes first; movement care may then support the broader recovery plan.
Equine mobility & stretching
When the assessment shows it is appropriate, guided stretches may be used to explore comfortable range of motion, reduce guarding and help the horse move with greater ease. The work is informed by equine anatomy, the individual horse’s response and continuing education, including Dr. Mike Adney’s Stretching Exercises for Horses.
Every stretch is selected for the horse in front of us, performed slowly and kept within a comfortable range. Pain, resistance or an unexplained limitation means stop and reassess—not push farther.
What happens during an assessment?
The process is calm, specific and adapted to the animal. Nothing is forced, and the findings determine whether hands-on care, observation or veterinary referral is the appropriate next step.
We begin with your animal’s history, activity, recent changes and veterinary information, then observe posture, balance and movement.
Muscles, joints and relevant landmarks are gently examined. Gait and motion palpation help identify areas that are not moving normally or may be compensating.
When appropriate, a precise, controlled hands-on technique is directed to a specific area—not a forceful manipulation of the whole animal. The approach is adapted to the horse or dog.
Movement is reassessed and you receive practical guidance for activity, mobility or veterinary follow-up. Hands-on care is not performed when the findings suggest referral first.
Does my animal need help?
You know your animal’s habits better than anyone. A single awkward step may mean little; a repeated or growing change in movement, behavior, performance or willingness is more meaningful.
Consider a movement assessmentwhen stiffness, reduced range of motion, uneven movement, difficulty with familiar activities or unexplained performance changes persist.
Begin with your veterinarianwhen discomfort is sudden, severe, worsening, follows trauma, includes illness or neurological signs, or you simply are not sure what is happening.
Coordinate carewhen your animal is recovering from injury, surgery or a diagnosed condition. Veterinary findings help make hands-on support safer and more useful.
Small changes matter
Animals often communicate discomfort through changes in movement, behavior and willingness rather than obvious crying. One sign alone does not identify the cause, but a new, repeated or persistent pattern deserves attention.
For horses
For dogs
For cats
A whole-body perspective
Pain and restriction rarely live in isolation. Sessions look beyond the uncomfortable spot to understand movement, compensation and the demands of daily life.
The work blends skilled touch with movement assessment, mobility work and practical guidance—always adapted to the individual in front of me.
The spirit of the work
“I give with reverence
and gratitude.”
Every session begins with respect—for the individual, the animal, and the intelligence of the body.
For people
Focused sessions for stiffness, movement limitations, recovery and staying active—with a practical plan you can use between visits.
For animals
Calm, observant hands-on work designed to support comfortable movement, performance and overall well-being.
Mind–body wellness
A gentle, non-invasive wellness session intended to identify and release emotional stress patterns that may be holding you back.
Not sure which session fits? Tell Dane what you have noticed and who the session is for.
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Meet Dane
Dane has worked with people internationally for more than two decades. His perspective draws from functional medicine, functional rehabilitation, soft-tissue methods, acupuncture studies and The Emotion Code.
His advanced animal studies include the Options for Animals program and a deep focus on the movement and biomechanics of horses and dogs.
“Good care starts by listening—to the person, the animal, and the movement.”
Begin a conversation
Tell me who the session is for, what you’ve noticed, and what kind of support you are looking for.