Even polo ponies do pole work! 🐎
Raised trotting poles are a great example of a simple exercise that can help horses with different needs and goals. Here I laid out 4 trotting poles and raised them incrementally as the ponies got used to going over them.
Freya, in the purple saddle pad, is recovering from a carpal joint sprain so we are working on strengthening that leg up by asking her to pick up higher to get over the poles, which will not only strengthen but also increase her range of motion as she is a little stiff through her legs and shoulders.
Lana in the blue saddle pad is a very speedy little pony and has a tendency to rush, so we’re asking her to slow down, pick her legs up and use her core whilst maintaining a consistent pace over all the poles.
The lovely Lana enjoyed her physio session today! We started with a thorough assessment and then moved onto massage and stretches, and finished with some TENS. As Lana is only 4 she can get quite fidgety near the end of a session so I find using the TENS to finish off releases any left over tension and allows her to relax for 15 minutes at the end of her treatment. As you can see she was feeling very happy afterwards!
We love to see licking and chewing during physio sessions, this is a great indicator of a release of stress or tension!
Here Nemo is enjoying some PEMFT (Pulsed Electro Magnetic Field Therapy) over his sacroiliac joint. PEMFT aids the natural repair of injuries by helping to establish the optimum conditions for healing to take place.
PEMFT is most commonly used for:
⭐️ Pain relief (joint & muscular)
⭐️ Pain relief followed by treatment of a particular injury
⭐️ Treatment of new or existing injuries
⭐️ Sports therapy – as a tone up aid for muscles