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Equine Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy sessions are beneficial whether you're a leisure horse owner or a competition horse owner, to ensure any musculoskeletal issues or problems are detected at an early stage to prevent further compensatory issues arising. This ensures your horse is comfortable and can perform optimally throughout their ridden career. As horses have an innate ability to mask pain by adapting their gait and posture, it can be difficult to notice problems, especially when you see your horse everyday. If left unaddressed for a long time, these compensatory musculoskeletal issues may lead to chronic problems limiting their performance. 

Signs your horse could benefit physiotherapy:

  • Changes in temperament/behavioural changes

  • Resenting being tacked up especially when putting the saddle on/girthiness

  • Resenting and restless when mounting

  • Lethargy

  • Poor transitions

  • Development of bucking/rearing/napping when ridden

  • Poor canter transitions/disunites/favours a lead leg/ incorrect canter strike off

  • Struggles with flying changes

  • Reluctant to work on the bit/head shaking/head twisting

  • Taking shortened strides before fences/knocks/poor technique/refuses/favours landing on LF/RF/ consistently not taking off symmetrically behind 

  • Stiffness on one rein/inability to bend correctly

  • Poor hind limb engagement, struggles to lift throughout the back and wither (hollowing posture).

  • Heavy and on the forehand

  • Trips

  • Saddle slip

Image by Jane Duursma
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How I can help:

  • Release musculoskeletal restrictions, improving overall joint range of motion and function.

  • Highlight and address problematic issues which may be limiting your horse's performance.

  • Release, realign and encourage correct muscle development and posture. 

  • If your horse has suffered an injury or has a diagnosed MSK condition I can provide a tailored rehabilitation exercise programme specific to your horse to help facilitate functional recovery.

Treatments

Manual therapy techniques

  • Massage

  • Myofascial release

  • Joint mobilsations

  • Passive joint range of motion

  • Stretching 

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Eletrotherapeutic modalities 

  • H-Wave Therapy

  • Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy

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Exercise therapies

  • Weight re-distribution

  • Active joint range of motion

  • Strengthening

  • Dynamic joint mobilisations​

  • Dynamic stretches

  • Proprioception enhancement

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Image by Philippe Oursel

Therapeutic Exercise Sessions 

Many of my equine home exercise programmes will involve exercises that need to be carried out effectively and correctly. I am offering sessions to help carry out the prescribed home exercise programme with you and support you, as well as ridden sessions when appropriate to gain greater insight into your horse’s way of going under saddle. This means I am able to make a more effective home exercise plan tailored specifically for you and your horse, and I would be able to advise and demonstrate to you how to improve function through therapeutic exercises both ridden and unridden.

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