High Caliber Performance

03/14/2025

Looking for top-tier care for your equine athlete?

High Caliber Performance combines over 40 years of vet experience with cutting-edge sports medicine to keep your horse in peak condition.

01/22/2025

🚨🚨🚨🚨ATTENTION BOERNE/SAN ANTONIO 🚨🚨🚨🚨

High Caliber Performance is coming BACK to YOU!

We are a Mobile Veterinary Clinic focusing on injury prevention and athletic balance for your Performance Horses! We offer a Bio-mechanical approach to:
Chiropractic
Acupuncture
Cold Laser (blue and red)
Micro-current (on request)
Cupping (static vacuum)
Shockwave
Mesotherapy
AND MORE!
All services are provided by a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine certified to practice animal chiropractic and veterinary acupuncture.

Our GOAL is to ensure your horse is performing at their HIGHEST Caliber!

We would love to be part of your journey into the ribbons 🐎🥇🥈🥉

To schedule an appointment, CALL or TEXT 📞 (281)743-7549
-OR-
DM us on Facebook or instagram!

01/10/2025

🌟Help us get to 1K Instagram Followers🌟

Here’s the sitch! Let’s turn up 25!

Help HCP get to 1K Followers and be entered to win a set of tendon boots!

Here’s how to play.
Go To Instagram & Follow
Like The Giveaway Post
Tag a friend
Share on your Instagram story

https://www.instagram.com/p/DEqWgmbpUDM/?igsh=ajF6a3hqbmJnNjI3

Get entered today! This will run until we hit 1K followers and then we will do a LIVE drawing party!

01/08/2025

Are you setting yourself and your horse up for High Caliber success?

01/05/2025

Jack Frost has come to play! ☃️
Here’s a few tips to making sure your horses are ready!

❄️Provide Electrolytes to encourage drinking in cooler weather and to aid in colic prevention.

❄️ Check heavier blankets for cleanliness and any damage. Be sure to adjust straps and clips properly.

❄️Order extra hay and feed in case road conditions change before you can get to the store.

❄️ Winterize the barn and all water faucets early! Don’t wait until it hits 20 degrees!

❄️Watch for colic signs and have a pre-game plan with your vet.

12/27/2024

We pause the regular programming for a Holiday break!

will be closed until January 5th.

In case of emergency please call your closest emergency vet clinic.
(If human that’s 911)

12/12/2024

Great read the effects of hay nets on your horse! Chiropractic therapy is a great compliment therapy to aid!

Check out this article below!

How do hay nets on round bales impact the axial skeleton of the horse?

You all asked, and we delivered with more research! And I promise it has been worth the wait!

Last week, the second portion of our study evaluating hay nets was accepted into the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, and this time we teamed up with an equine chiropractor (thanks Dr. Taylor Rieck) to evaluate changes in the axial skeleton!

Introduction: Many horse owners use hay nets. As our last study demonstrated, they have many benefits including a reduction in hay waste and management of bodyweight and body condition scores. Additionally, we were able to explore the impacts on dental health and did not have any concerns regarding soft tissue damage, tooth wear, or dental abnormalities. But that has led us to our next question, can the act of eating hay from a hay net result in changes to the axial skeleton of the horse, specifically relating to the vertebral column?

Materials and Methods: Because I want this post to be able to stand alone (and some of you may have forgotten what we did since the last research post), I will start from the beginning and I apologize for repeating myself. Thirteen mature geldings were used in this study and assigned to treatments based on weight. The study began in September 2021 and all horses received dental work and were assigned to their treatments, seven started on the no hay net control (CON) and six started on the hay net (NET) treatment and all were fed grass round bales. In September 2022, horses received dental work again and switched treatments in the cross-over design. Throughout the study, these horses lived in identical neighboring pens with shelter, ad libitum water, and free choice grass round bales with the only difference being NET horses had their round bale hay placed in hay nets with 1.75”/4.45 cm openings (graciously provided by Hay Chix) while CON horses did not.

During this study, from May through August of both years, changes in the axial skeleton were evaluated. This time frame was chosen as horses were not being worked in undergraduate courses. In May, when the semester ended, an equine chiropractor adjusted all horses to get them to a baseline. Horses were then evaluated for range of motion and pain-pressure thresholds at 4-, 8-, and 12-weeks post-chiropractic adjustment. Cervical range of motion was evaluated using neck stretches for lateral movement as well as chin-to-chest, chin-to-knees, and chin-to-fetlocks. Pain pressure threshold was evaluated at different points on the body using a pressure algometer which documented the amount of pressure applied until the horse moved away to avoid the pressure. Additionally, another chiropractic adjustment took place at 12-weeks and subluxations (misalignment of bones) were documented and rated on a 0 to 3 scale to indicate none, minor, moderate, or severe subluxations. These scores were combined for each location or vertebral region (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral).

Results: There was an average 8% increase in cervical subluxations observed in NET horses (P0.05) and sacral vertebrae were not analyzed as no subluxations were found.

Another finding was that average cervical range of motion was 5 degrees greater in NET horses compared to CON horses for chin-to-chest and chin-to-fetlock measurements (P≤0.05). No differences were observed in pain-pressure thresholds when comparing treatments (P>0.05).

While not the initial objective of the study, we also saw decreased range of motion and pain-pressure thresholds over time regardless of treatment, which suggests the benefits of chiropractic - but I will save this topic for another post when I can dive into into it deeper!

Discussion: Our main findings were a slight increase in subluxations in the neck for NET horses alongside an increase in cervical range of motion. While these findings initially appear to contradict each other, previous research in humans has found that activities which stimulate voluntary neck movements utilizing a wide range of motion and postures can recruit and strengthen cervical muscles. As a result, prehending hay from a hay net may have simulated exercises to strengthen the neck in these horses, however, these movements may have simultaneously resulted in an increase in cervical subluxations.

Conclusions: This study has demonstrated that hay nets do have the ability to influence the axial skeleton of the horse with minor changes. However, the researchers believe that the proven benefits of hay nets, including reduced hay waste, prolonged feeding time, and weight management, outweigh any minor changes in the axial skeleton observed in this study. Additionally, results from this study suggest regular chiropractic work can be beneficial for horses regardless of hay net use!

What Next? While this study gathered some very useful information to create a foundation of knowledge, I would love to investigate hanging net height and hole size to determine how these factors may influence the axial skeleton and time to consumption for horses in the future!

Funding: This study was funded by the University of Wisconsin - River Falls and HayChix.

I hope you find these results as fascinating as we did! There is always so much to learn!

Cheers!
Dr. DeBoer

11/15/2024

Today is the day!

The hard work.
The dedication.
The tears and uncertainty.
Today it pays off.

Welcome to opening day for all of new Futurity Barrel horses! We can’t wait to see this year’s prospects succeed.

What keeps a good horse running? A good team. Look to for a whole horse approach. For all things sports therapy, movement, chiropractic and alternative, we want you to dominate with HCP!

10/29/2024

There is no such thing as perfect confirmation in a horse.🫥

Repeat after me… every horse is an individual. 🤌🏼

This is the foundation to whole horse approach that starts with that individual horse’s biomechanics.

We take the bigger picture of the entire horse and break down their biomechanics in order to develop a sports therapy plan that enhances their natural abilities while encouraging development of their weaknesses.

Looking to clock faster? Jump higher or lope smoother?

——-> DM Us

10/12/2024

We’re only here for a little while so we do what makes us happy!

What makes us happy?

Happy Horses
Happy Owners
Happy Successes
Happy Memories

What’s holding you back from being happy?!

10/02/2024

Give your Vet and Horse GRACE

Having your horse out of the performance pen, not having a definitive answer or one single solution can be frustrating for equine owners.

Give yourself, your horse and your vet team grace. As a team we all want to see you back to the arena!

Now let’s talk steps to getting you there.

STOP listening to TIKTOK trainers without credentials. Finding someone with credentials is imperative to your rehab success. You wouldn’t trust your Lambo with the Prius guy…

START communicating your goals with your vet. If you’re not willing to perform rehab duties that’s fine, but communicate so we can build a plan to suit you!

ASK questions. There are no silly questions. We don’t judge your knowledge level. We can all learn from each other!

BE patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day on a supplement.

Go forth, love your horse and take your vitamins.

09/13/2024

✨Abscess care✨

Did you know most abscesses are treatable at home?

Horse’s hoof structure uniquely expands and contracts as your horse moves. In many cases, a small crack or opening along the hoof wall line can allow bacteria to travel and become trapped, thus forming a pocket with gas and possibly purulent material that expands and causes pain.
This is what we call an abscess… 😵‍💫

In many cases, soaking the hoof to encourage softness allows the abscess to work its way back out, or how we like to say it “blow” 💨- some of our favorite tricks include:

- Diaper hoof wrap with a duct tape bottom.

- Hoof boots that can be purchased at the local feed store.

- medical wraps that can be purchased from your veterinarian.

A few options for soaking material are magna paste (a premade iodine salt) or icthamol.

In many cases of acute lameness, abscesses are to blame and treatment can be implemented - but if clinical signs persist past 2-3 days, your veterinarian should be called for consultation.

08/26/2024

Veterinarian

That’s my best friend. The woman standing there pouring her heart into your animal. She’d give up a part of herself to make them all pain free and feel love.

That woman that you screamed at because you chose not to bring your pet in early enough for surgery or diagnosis. She’s my best friend.

She feels every loss and blames herself. If only she could have saved them.
If only she could work for free so every kid got their pet back.

That’s my best friend. The one that feels exhaustion and battles depression and stress. That takes work home and barely has time for herself.

That’s my best friend.

Please be aware of your role as a pet owner and let’s make sure there’s .

08/16/2024

Rehab isn’t just about returning to the show ring.

As horse owners we take an oath to care for our equine partners to the best of our ability.
Rehabilitation and sports medicine treatment plans are about ensuring the horses longevity and comfort.

Rehab is about establishing goals for the horse, the rider and both together. Setting a comprehensive plan to achieve those goals!

08/10/2024

Not all good things happen fast..

Sometimes as horse owners and caregivers we feel that rehab doesn’t happen on our time. Ugh…

It’s really hard to have the patience to find the root of issues and execute a treatment plan.

But remember with rehab all good things come to those who wait and it’s about the HORSE!
It’s much better to have your partner back to feeling and performing at their capacity than continuing to lose ground. We encourage owners to take time to groom, graze and spend meaningful quality time with their athlete while they progress through the stages of the rehabilitation process.

Now’s a good time to clean out that trailer and tack room 🤪

Reminder.. horse first.

08/03/2024

We don’t squirrel around with rehab! 🐿️

What an intensive, yet fulfilling week in California for Dr. Newsham for continuing education! She learned the ins and outs of small and large animal rehab. Focusing on the importance of patience, perseverance and structure in your small, and large animal’s rehabilitation programming, as your companion works through their dysfunction from injury.

Rehab modalities included cold water spa, water treadmill, physiotherapy, and so much more. Working from injury back to normal daily function, the keys of success are learning how to appreciate the journey and take progress step by step.

Dr. Newsham took away the value of your role and responsibility factor in rehabilitation at home as the animal owner. The strength and confidence of the relationship you have with your vet is a key factor rehabilitation plan they have prescribed for your horse, or dog. This partnership entrusts that’s owners will follow veterinary advice from assessment to treament implementation.

We are excited to bring some new ideas, and new perspectives to the future of rehabilitation in your small and large animals!

07/20/2024

Doc is out of town learning about new techniques and technology advancements to bring back to better your performance horses rehab and maintenance. Please be patient waiting for responses while she is out.

We can’t wait to see what new technology she brings back!

07/16/2024

We will be at August 21st!

Haul-in appointments are available.
*Must have coggins*

-Acupuncture
-Chiropractic
-Equine Cupping
-Performance Evaluation
And Many More Services!

Reserve your spot today!

https://www.highcaliberperformance.com