Qualified, insured and IRVAP accredited equine and canine massage therapist in West Sussex.
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So much fun at running a physio demo morning. I love teaching so much and to get to combine it with physio was brilliant. Lovely ponies (including gorgeous Candy with her muscles painted on) and lovely people, can’t wait for the next one…!
Another year with IRVAP making sure I’m up to date and registered 🐴🐶 a bit slow to post this as I’ve been mega busy but I have now submitted my dissertation and passed my final OSCE exams! 💪
If anyone, anywhere tells you to pull the horses head down (or uses leverage and gadgets to do so) they have no knowledge of healthy horse biomechanics or of correct training.
The horse's nose must always lead, with the poll highest and the gullet open. The base of the ears mustn't be lower than the withers. The jaw must be mobile. If the horse cannot chew and swallow, the hindlegs cannot operate correctly. If the hindlegs cannot operate correctly, the horse will not be able to jump, or stay off the forehand, or stay sound.
"Don’t be obsessed with the head and neck, learn to feel what the hindquarters are doing." ~ Glenys Shandley
Tendon injuries are a pain, but there’s lots that can be done to improve your chance of a good recovery.
1. Rest - box rest for the first couple of weeks is imperative to reduce pain and reduce risk of reinjury.
2. Cold - cold hosing 2-3x daily reduces inflammation, or treatment with cryotherapy which decreases inflammation even more, and provides pain relief
3. Controlled exercise - in hand walking puts low level stress through the tendon to realign the fibres while the tendon heals. This is important as the more aligned the fibres are the more elastic they can be so the risk of re injury in the future is reduced.
Ensuring that tendon injuries are spotted ASAP and dealt with immediately is so important so that the rehabilitation process can start soon and be as effective as possible. For more info about tendon injury rehab or to book in cryotherapy for your horse, send me a message 🐴
Now that spring is at least pretending to arrive, and the clocks going forward this weekend will bring a little more light, some of you fair weather riders (I don’t blame you 😉) are thinking of bringing your horses back into work, but nobody wants an injured horse that could have been avoided.
1. Always include a warm up: 10-20 minutes spent walking, with some gentle suppling exercises is a great way to begin a schooling session. Horses who have been stabled or are older or arthritic may need closer to 20 or on days when it’s particularly cold.
2. Static exercises are your friend: include some gentle exercises that can be done in the stable in your daily routine. These may be stretching, weight shifting or balance exercises and will help build strength ready for ridden work.
3. Hacking! All the hacking! Don’t be too eager to go round and round in circles in the school. Apart from being boring it puts unnecessary strain on your horses tendons and ligaments especially if your surface is deep. Hacking is great for your horses brain and is generally better for their legs as well - just avoid any seriously deep mud!
4. Whatever you do, introduce it gradually: you can’t just hop on and start where you left off. Begin with 10-20 mins gentle work a couple times a week, depending on how long they’ve had off and how fit they were before. Then increase gradually as your horse is coping with it.
5. Have your saddle checked: your horse has probably changed shape a little either from less muscle or more fat or just the change in season and the last thing you want to do is ride in a saddle that no longer fits.
If your horse is coming back from an injury then consult a vet/ vet physio before starting to ensure that work is introduced in an appropriate way. And if you’re not sure or would like some more exercise ideas….send me a message!
There’s plenty we can be doing to help improve our horses outside schooling them. Taking a good look at their whole week outside of those short sessions is helpful to see how it all works together. If you need help designing or implementing some ground work or static exercises then give me a message, or if you’re interested in learning how to longrein or work your horse in hand then I’d love to help you with that too 🐴🤩
Cold therapy (cryotherapy) has been around for EVER! We all know about ice packs, cold hosing, and ice boots….BUT we are seeing its benefits even bigger and better when we reach even colder temperatures ❄️ the KaasenEquine sprays out at -78 degrees meaning your horses gets the maximum benefit!
These include…..
🧊 reduced inflammation
🧊 increased stride length
🧊 improved range of motion
🧊 improved muscle tone
🧊 increased circulation and lymphatic flow
Plus benefits to skin, laminitis and arthritis, pain relief, improved performance and so much more!
❄️ message today to get booked in and see for yourself what cryotherapy could do for you ❄️
The PhotizoUK team are in full support of the new national campaign.
Launched by Animal Therapy Media team at , this important campaign will help educate and spread awareness of the serious injuries and long term risks to dogs from uncontrolled ball throwing.
Visit the Photizo stand at Crufts; Hall 1 - Stand 52 to speak to Animal Therapy Media team members.
A full deep dive on ball throwing is included in the latest issue 30 of Animal Therapy Magazine, To Throw or Not to Throw? Ball Throwing Explained, written by Animal Physiotherapist & Canine Hydrotherapist Jemma Cooper.
Get your copy at Crufts or subscribe to the magazine through https://animaltherapymedia.co.uk/membership-account/membership-levels/ to help us share this important information.
Help us to educate dog owners about the risks and prevent unnecessary physical injury and negative behavioural effects for our beloved pooches.
Animal Therapy Magazine
Cryotherapy 🥶
Either whole body cryotherapy, cryo with massage or just specific areas. Get in touch to find out more 📧💬
❄️ prices start from £50 ❄️
We had a great talk and demo today from the INDIBA team on this exciting piece of equipment. INDIBA is a radiofrequency technology which has an amazing depth of pe*******on, allowing the whole depth of the body to be treated, not just the layer under the skin. This is especially brilliant when treating horses as there’s quite a lot of horse not that close to the skin!
Radiofrequency has been shown to help the healing process in tendons, ligaments, and muscles as well as optimise performance. Sprout was snoozing away and enjoying his treatment here, and I could definitely feel the difference across his back afterwards.
animalhealth.uk
Raven enjoying some fine tuning today, to ensure she is feeling and moving her best.
Dogs don’t need to be injured to benefit from physiotherapy. All dogs, but especially those who are working, sporting or showing will benefit from a physiotherapy treatment to iron out any niggles and create an exercise plan to maintain performance, improve strength and fitness, and minimise the risk of injury in the future. Get in touch today if your dog needs a little bit of fine tuning physio to keep them feeling their best self!
👀 it’s data collection time!!
Lots of cryotherapy treatments and a whole spreadsheet full of numbers later and we have begun! Cryotherapy is beneficial to reduce pain, swelling and inflammation, increase circulation and reduce muscle tone, so is brilliant for performance treatments, specific rehab eg limbs, arthritis, laminitis and general maintenance.
If you up are interested in having a cryotherapy treatment for your horse, either as a stand-alone or in conjunction with massage therapy then get in touch!
Such an amazing day with the wonderful Julie at . I am so impressive how much physio can be achieved with lions, a tiger, a lemur, and a goat!
The lions (not pictured) have been clicker trained to complete their exercises for hindlimb strengthening, the beautiful tiger Zoppa has been trained to lie down next to the railings to be massaged with a ‘tiger massage spoon’ 😅 and get PEMF therapy. There’s also a wobble bridge in the tigers enclosure to work on core strength - the usual inflatable wobble cushion probably wouldn’t last long! Just incredible what a little creativity and seriously dedicated owners and carers can achieve!
Despite the freezing weather, yesterday I headed up to shadow and got to treat these lovely ponies.
It was really great to learn a few new techniques and become more confident in using some of the mobilisations that we’ve been taught recently, as well as continuing to improve my assessment and palpation skills. Here is the lovely Harry relaxing into a poll release after working on some of the soft tissue in his neck ⭐️
This gorgeous boy was feeling good after his massage session 🥰 he’s an older boy who is still doing an amazing job teaching children to ride so maintenance massage will keep him feeling his best while he works 💜
If your horse is feeling stiff, ‘showing their age’ or slowing down a little, get in touch to see how massage therapy could help improve their movement and keep them supple.
Cosmo enjoying his treatment today. We’ve been working on improving his hip range of motion and releasing some of the tight and sore muscles along his back and hind limbs with massage and the heat mat. Finished off with kinesiology tape to help lymphatic drainage and pain relief where I’d worked over his lumbar region. He’s also got some exercises for homework and is on a bit of a diet too - which seems to be working! Now for a snooze! 🥰
Our Welfare Wednesdays Webinars have returned! 🐴🐴
On Wednesday 1st November join us for the first webinar in this free-to-view series "Managing arthritis in ridden horses". We are joined by vet and diagnostic imaging expert, Merry Smith. Arthritis is a condition that not only affects older horses, but is increasingly seen in younger horses too. Merry will discuss common areas of arthritic changes in ridden horses, the potential causes, the steps you can take to minimise the risk of your horse developing arthritis and how to effectively manage it should your horse develop arthritis. Register to attend live here 👉https://worldhorsewelfare.zoom.us/webinar/register/7216978066867/WN_N0aNYLnARKavQoWPOvuPVA
Look at those relaxed eyes 🤩
Buddy enjoying some poll traction to relieve tension and create space within the joint to make him more comfortable. To get to this point took quite a while of very gently treating and releasing his TMJ, and stretching the fascia over his poll before he was happy to rest his chin on my shoulder and stretch out.
However long a horse needs to take to trust me, I always think it’s worth playing the long game, never forcing them into anything.
Kinesiology taping for dogs this week! So interesting to learn about different modalities I can use to help my four legged patients 😍 Taping can be used for lymphatic drainage, joint support, proprioception (pic 2), oedema (pic 1) and myofascial release (pic 3), as well as to prolong the benefits of massage.
Interested in knowing more? Ask me at your next appointment or send me a message if you think your dog could benefit from this!
If you’ve ever heard me talk about reducing injury risk, and compensatory pain, you’ll know my opinion on ball throwing. This video brilliantly demonstrates one of the reasons why it’s such a bad idea.
There are plenty of ways to play with, and exercise your dog - please don’t make ball throwing one of them.
Fab day back at uni, this time practising spinal mobilisations on the lovely Dodge. So great to be learning different techniques for relieving pain and improving range of motion in my patients.
Last minute availability for therapeutic massage this week due to cancellation. Message or email to book ✨Horses or dogs, new clients welcome 🐴 🐶
The lovely Norman enjoying his post-treatment kong! 🥰
Treated these two cuties yesterday with massage and stretches. 🥰 Any horse in ridden work will hugely benefit from a full musculoskeletal assessment and targeted manual therapies to keep them comfortable and moving their best. 🐴 DM me for more information or to book your horse in for a full assessment and treatment.
I’m approved 🎉
Did you know that veterinary physiotherapist is not a protected title?
That means anyone can call themselves a veterinary physiotherapist, or animal massage therapist etc. But, not everyone can call themselves an *approved* manual therapist! I have been approved by IRVAP as a Manual Therapist - IRVAP(MT), which means I’m voluntarily part of a regulatory body who have confirmed my current level of training, require me to be suitably insured, and continue to undertake CPD every year to stay accredited.
When you choose a manual (massage) therapist or veterinary physiotherapist for your animal - choose approved!!
IRVAP - Institute of Registered Veterinary and Animal Physiotherapists
Horses are amazingly tolerant, giving creatures.
It unfortunately means they’re often exploited due to the ambitions of the human. After their basic needs are met, you must be very thoughtful in the training of your horse.
Your first duty is to preserve the purity of the paces. What does this mean? Walk has 4 beats, trot has 2, canter has 3, gallop has 4.
ALWAYS.
If not, something is wrong biomechanically, and your horse is at risk of injury. BTW impure paces can usually be detected in a photograph, even though it is only a “moment in time”, AND this applies to all disciplines.
Strapping a horse’s mouth shut with a crank/flash (or other) noseband very often contributes. The fact is, a horse cannot maintain full range of motion with his hind legs if he can’t move his tongue and jaw.
FACT.
For jumping, if the horse bolts off - away from, towards, or after a jump, putting on a bigger bit and a martingale will not fix it. If a horse hesitates or stops, pulling out the whip will NEVER make him more confident.
These are just a few hints that your horse is asking for HELP.
Go back.
Consolidate the basics. Here are some exercises that will help: https://www.classicaljumping.com/next-level-freebie
Another wonderful thing about horses is they're retrainable. If you ignore the hints, eventually the horse will either break down, or will SHOUT to get your attention, and you will get hurt.
After all, horses are dangerous. We tell everyone that. But actually they are not. We wouldn’t be able to ride them if they were truly dangerous. You know what’s dangerous? People are.
Ponder this excerpt from Franz Mairinger’s book “Horses are made to be Horses”:
I recall an incident in Sydney when we had a lame horse with a very bad tendon, and the rider wanted to start the horse the next day. We asked Roy Stewart, the veterinary surgeon, and he said, ‘Yes, that’s the trouble. People always think that horses are made for man, but that’s not true. Horses are made to be horses’. I thought about that a lot, and decided that if I should write a book I would call it Horses are made to be Horses.
(Franz Mairinger was the first coach of an Australian Olympic Equestrian Team, his excellent book is out of print, but can occasionally be found second hand - buy it if you see it)
(Picture credit Art)
Happy International Dog Day 🐶💕 here are just a few of my favourite four legged friends
Billingshurst
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But it would be nice if the rain stopped so I can stuff my face full of chocolate in the sunshine 😅🤞 #equinephysio #equinephysiotherapy #massagetherapist #vetphysio #equinecryo #cryotherapy
Benefits of cryotherapy include: ❄️ reduce inflammation ❄️ decrease muscle tension ❄️ reduce swelling and oedema ❄️ improve tendon/ligament injuries (imagine cold hosing on steroids!!!) ❄️ improve skin irritations like mud fever or dermatitis ❄️ reduce pain from laminitis Combined with a full body massage and 2 cryotherapy sessions all in one big bundle the benefits are too good to miss! If you’re wondering if your horse could benefit, or want to book before the season begins, drop me a message ☃️ @tru_cryo @kaasen_equine #equinecryotherapy #equinephysiotherapy #equinephysio #equinemassage #equinemassagetherapist #studentvetphysio #dressage #showjumping #eventing
A great day at Crufts treating some wonderful dogs with The Vet Physio @starhibbard_ @thrive_vetphysio If you’re interested in performance enhancement treatment for your dog, find out more about how physio could help and send me a message or leave a comment!
What if we focussed on pain prevention, not just waiting for something to go wrong before changing anything?! Try some of these ideas to help! 1 - begin the first 10 minutes of every walk on the lead - making sure they are suitably warmed up before being allowed to run off the lead can significantly reduce the risk of injury. 2 - review their diet - making sure they are not overweight (and reducing their calorie intake if they are) will help, as fat releases chemicals called inflammatory mediators' which increase inflammation and can cause pain. 3 - stop throwing a ball for them! Adrenaline kicks in when they chase the ball which will override any tiredness, pain or overheating feeling they feel, when they stop chasing it (and the adrenaline subsides) the pain will be worse than before. 4 - minimise time spent on slippery floors (especially playing, running or stairs) - this includes tiles, wooden flooring and linoleum. Fall injuries are incredibly common and minimising slippery floors goes a long way to preventing them. 5 - pick walk distance and difficulty appropriate to your dog's fitness level. Avoid doing a long walk suddenly if normally they only walk short lengths of time. Make adjustments slowly and allow time for recovery in between walks.
5 signs of arthritis in your older dog 🐶 Grumpiness when being stroked a lot or in a particular area 🐶 Slowing down during or after walks. 🐶 Stiffness or difficulty when getting up from lying down or climbing out of their bed. 🐶 Licking or chewing on a painful area. 🐶 “Just getting old” 80% of dog over 8 have osteoarthritis (the most common form of arthritis), if your dog seems to be slowing down and ‘showing his age’ it might be worth checking that there isn’t an underlying cause. 🐾 If you suspect your dog may have arthritis, book an appointment with your vet and hit follow for simple ways you can help them stay comfortable 🐾 #vetphysio #veterinaryphysiotherapy #vetrehab #vetphysiostudent #massagetherapy #animalrehab #meldrumvetphysio #dogmassage #animalmassage #osteoarthritis #yourdogmoreyears
🐕 Monty trying out some new therapeutic exercise equipment Therapeutic exercises are so important as they are a more frequent therapeutic intervention than just treatment sessions with a therapist will allow (you could do exercises every day with your dog, but you may only see a physio or massage therapist every few weeks or months!). Therapeutic exercises will be prescribed to achieve a specific goal particular to your dogs stage of rehabilitation or fitness and may improve balance, proprioception (knowing where their limbs are), strength or range of motion depending on the exercises prescribed. Here, Monty is just learning to balance his two front legs on a raised, unstable surface. This is improving his balance, core strength and increasing hind limb loading. If your dog could benefit from a tailored exercise programme, get in touch, I’d be happy to help!
