The Biomechanic Vet

11/02/2024

31/10/2023

Enjoyed my recent travels to Europe so much so that when the opportunity came to join the amazing team at HKF Sporthorse Diagnostic Centre in Europe how could I not?

Very excited to be working alongside some of the best in our field. Once in a lifetime opportunity really and I feel very fortunate!

Follow my journey here on social media, and please note that I will be available and continue to offer support remotely to my Australian clients.

11/09/2023

As always a great stay in the Netherlands. Time spend at Utrecht University, Locomotion in Practice with Equine High Performance Sports Group, SMDC and another stellar ISELP module.

Bedankt Holland, already looking forward to next time 🧡🇳🇱

28/08/2023

22/08/2023

4th year in a row and we are delighted to yet again be part of this fabulous event!

✨20-22nd October, block your calendar for some top class show jumping ✨

Welcome back The Biomechanic Vet ❤️🖤

The Biomechanic Vet, veterinary services with a focus on preventive care and management of your equine athlete.

Find us on Facebook or www.biomechanicvet.com

17/08/2023

”Competition and sport horses need well-researched and balanced nutrition plans, individual conditioning regimens, and regular veterinary checkups to perform at their best. While making sure horses get enough sleep might not be top-of-mind for many owners, trainers, and riders, some researchers say it should be.”

Learn about the importance of ‘good’ sleep and how our management practices can affect horses’ sleep quality and enhance their performance.

10/08/2023

Good luck to all our clients back home riding at the TeleMedVET Wooroloo CCI International Three Day this weekend. Here is some inspiration to get your dressage off to a flying start.

08/08/2023

The first German ISELP module was nothing but a fantastic few days of CPD 🇩🇪

Thank you to the team at Stephansmühle Medizinisches Pferdezentrum for having us, you’ve done an outstanding job making this event happen and we can’t wait to return to Bavaria next year!

01/08/2023

Very excited to announce that Dr Jill has successfully passed her examinations and is now a Member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (ANZCVS) in Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation - Equine.

25/07/2023

Paris, France 🇫🇷 and the 2023 Scientific Meeting of the European College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, what an amazing event!

Lectures and workshops covering the latest research and developments of topics such as imaging, lameness, rehabilitation, biomechanics, exercise physiology and management for performance.
Constructive discussions along with a fantastic social program and an all around fabulous time.

17/07/2023

First stop, Falsterbo (Sweden) CSIO5*, CDIO4* and Longines FEI Nations Cup.

08/03/2023

✨Farrier Services ✨
We have a rare opportunity to take on some more clients for regular farrier services.
Please PM for further details.

02/03/2023

Not always just horses. Too cute not to share 💕

28/02/2023

14/02/2023

Injuries arise in two general categories. The less common cause of injury in sport horses is the acute overreaching injury, when the force applied to the tissue at a moment in time exceeds what it can tolerate.

More common is the chronic, or overuse, injury, which develops due to poor timing of work and recovery; the horse is not getting enough recovery time for the amount or level of work. This can also happen when trainers overlook biomechanical issues, allowing the horse to consistently work his body incorrectly and place excessive forces on tissues not designed to handle them.

Read the full article below:
https://thehorse.com/1120370/understanding-sport-horse-injuries-to-limit-them/?fbclid=IwAR35JRgvgYLryuYnyrefapjPUiqgMMJOPQq_Y_kOYO4UJCaRFhB-DGHROh8&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Understanding how and why injuries in sport horses happen might be the best way to prevent them.

27/01/2023

https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2023/01/26/smartphone-cameras-promise-lameness-horses/

24/01/2023

It’s been a busy start to 2023 with pre-season training already in full swing. Biomechanical assessments, conditioning programs, competition planning… it’s all happening. 🌟

01/11/2022

Exciting announcement 📣

During our recent travels to Europe we came upon Sleip AI, the first markerless equine objective gait analysis system.
Sleip is already used at several major lameness clinics across Europe and USA, and we are incredibly excited to be the first to use it here in Australia!

We now offer this in field system as an additional tool during our Biomechanical assessments, lameness investigations and for Rehabilitation monitoring.

29/10/2022

Sneak peek… exciting news coming soon

24/10/2022

Great weekend at the WA State Showjumping Championship.

Congratulations to Madison at Gielen Performance Horses for taking the win in the The Biomechanic Vet State Amateur Championship.

Thank you to Jumping Promotions Events WA for yet another fantastic event, becoming an annual favourite!

18/10/2022

✨ Equine Rehabilitation ✨

With the start of beautiful Perth summer weather you might be thinking about taking your horse to the beach. We have all heard that water training can be beneficial for conditioning and fitness, and often used in rehabilitation. But there are certain things we must consider, and certain conditions where water training can do more harm than good.

Dr. Jodie Daglish (Specialist in Equine Sport Medicine and Rehabilitation at Newmarket Equine Hospital, UK) recently spoke at the BEVA congress on the most up to date evidence of the use of water treadmill exercise.

Water treadmill and water training may be considered a method of conditioning exercise that employs resistance and the effects of buoyancy to establish the desired level of exercise intensity. Benefits include increasing joint mobility, restoring neuromotor patterning, postural stability and increasing muscular strength.

Early training sessions usually start at 5-10 minutes and progress to an average of 20–30 minutes. However, it’s important that exercise duration is modified according to patient progress and sessions discontinued prior to evidence of onset of fatigue.

An important factor to consider is Water Depth (WD) and how this correlate to equine biomechanics, in particular in relation to the back and pelvis;
Caudal lumbar flexion is greatest at higher WD. Pelvic flexion, pelvic axial rotation and lateral flexion of the thoracolumbar spine are all increased with WD greater than elbow height. Buoyancy of up to 30% achieved by submergence to the point of the shoulder is additionally thought to produce an antigravity effect on the spine. Postural stability increases following protocols with WD at the point of the shoulder.

Water training is not for every horse, and there are some conditions where it should be considered contraindicated;
Thoracic extension occurs with increasing WD. Deep water training (and swimming) is therefore contraindicated in horses with active mid-thoracic pain. A compromise may be reached with water at knee / hock height.
Where sacroiliac pain is associated with asymmetric pelvic motion, resistance at high WD may exacerbate movement discrepancy and provide additional stresses on the region; increased sacroiliac pain has been observed in clinical cases in this scenario. Resolution may require a reduction in WD and/or further treatment prior to continued training.

27/09/2022

Had the opportunity to spend time at this amazing place - Sporthorse Medical Diagnostic Centre in the Netherlands.

Purpose built lameness centre with all the latest facilities and tools, but more importantly the most fabulous team of people all willing to share their wealth of knowledge.

Now back in Perth, inspired and ready to make use of new skills gained.

11/09/2022

This week we attended the British Equine Veterinary Congress in Liverpool, UK.

It has been busy days of lectures and research presentations where we particularly enjoyed topics such on objective gait analysis, advanced imaging and rehabilitation.
Along with a great CPD program were a busy social program with attending equine vets from all over the world.

04/09/2022

Nothing but blue skies. After three years it’s been fabulous to finally be back, although just for a short stay. Now onto to a couple of busy weeks in the UK and Holland!

26/08/2022

🇸🇪 🇬🇧 🇳🇱 Please note we are away 🇸🇪 🇬🇧 🇳🇱
Back in Perth end of September

Best contacted by email: [email protected]

03/08/2022

The footing beneath your horse’s feet affects his overall soundness. As studies on surfaces continue, we’re finding that the horse/ground dynamic is extremely complex, and there is no perfect surface for all situations.

You want your footing consistent across a training surface, but for optimum orthopedic health you want to switch up the surfaces on which you train. Horses can adapt to these surfaces, provided they have the chance to do so gradually.

“It’s important to habituate horses to different surfaces, from very soft to relatively firm, so that his bones and muscle coordination can adapt and the stresses on tendon are better adjusted by the nervous system,” says Denoix.

A gradual buildup—starting with slow gaits for 10 to 15 minutes at a time—on new surfaces allow the horse’s musculoskeletal system to adjust.

Full article below, great read!
https://thehorse.com/188622/horse-arena-footing-facts/?mibextid=bVmsRV&fs=e&s=cl

Discover what scientists are learning about footing and its connection to lameness and other horse health issues.

19/07/2022

Had a couple of intense but highly rewarding days of further education in Melbourne completing a few of the ISELP modules.
Already counting down to the next one in September, Holland here we come!

🔻What is ISELP?🔻
The International Society of Equine Locomotor Pathology (ISELP) is an advanced educational society for veterinarians focused on lameness in the equine athlete.

Each module focuses on different anatomical regions and involves in depth knowledge and understanding of functional anatomy & biomechanics, clinical examination & diagnostic imaging (radiology, ultrasonography, MRI, CT), treatment & management.

11/07/2022

This equine muscle problem has many different names, but whatever you call it, it is a serious condition that requires urgent veterinary attention

22/06/2022

“Walking over poles appears to be effective at increasing joint range of motion (ROM) via an increase in mid swing flexion, without vertical excursion of the trunk, compared to normal locomotion, which supports the use of poles for rehabilitation.”

**NEW POLE WORK EXERCISE RESEARCH**

Great to work with an exciting group of researchers looking at the effect that pole work exercise has on equine locomotion.

Here is a new paper published in Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, titled “Effect of ground and raised poles on kinematics of the walk”, authors: Vicki A. Walker*, Carolyne A. Tranquillle, Russell MacKechnie-Guire, Jo Spear, Richard Newton & Rachel C.Murray*

For a limited time, this paper is available as Open Access using the link below. Massive thank you to the Petplan Charitable Trust who funded this research.

*lead authors

https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1fD~12dbxqfIqR