The Mobiliser from BackinAction

The Mobiliser is a medical grade, NATO-approved, portable unit that mobilises the spine by repeatedly moving its facet joints. The pre-programmed session lasts just 15 minutes and can help with aches, pains, stiffness and soreness.
The unit is a portable bed that has sets of ‘thumbs’ that run up and down the spine, slightly pulling apart each joint, providing a greater range of spinal movement. The Mobiliser’s movements are kept below the level of an adjustment, but through repeated movement, it suppresses compensations within the spine and gradually schools the spine into more youthful,
symmetrical movement.

Quantifying effects
For many years, riders have reported that using the Mobiliser has had a positive impact on their horses. Now equine gait analysis experts Centaur Biomechanics have designed a research study to quantify this effect. The results independently validate that using the Mobiliser on the rider’s back measurably and significantly improves the horse’s gait.

The tests were carried out under strict parameters and using Quintic gait analysis software. All the riders performed five passes on each rein in sitting trot, before and after mobilisation. The horses were given 90 minutes between each ride to minimise any overlapping effect of the two rides.

The Centaur study concluded that 11 of the 12 horses showed an improvement in movement after rider mobilisation. The horses had an average of four degrees of increased flexion in their hocks, while some were as high as 10 degrees. The horses were able to stay softer and rounder, covering the ground with more activity.

Scanning the spine
As an additional input, each rider had their spine scanned before and after using the Mobiliser. This was done using a Spinal Mouse System which helped the team look at the flexibility and structure of the spine before and after mobilisation. This unit is used and approved by many leading medical professionals around the world. It is entirely non-invasive and it enables a rapid analysis of the spine.

The results of the spinal scan correlated with the increase in flexion in the horse – those who had greater change in their spinal charts before and after mobilisation seemed to have a greater effect on their horse’s movement.
The area that seemed to have the greatest affect on the horse’s gait was the rider’s thoracic spine. The scan analysis was completed without knowledge of that rider’s horse measurement results. Riders were not shown information from their spine scan before both tests were completed.

From this independent research, it has been shown that the BackinAction Mobiliser treatment for the rider has a positive effect on the equine gait.