Helen Jacks-Hewett - McTimoney Animal Chiropractor

08/09/2025

Backwards walking isn’t just reverse action 👇

The ‘back-up’ is a key exercise used in rehabilitation and now we have new evidence to support its effectiveness!

Eldridge et al. (2025) found unique hip extensor muscle activation and increased stifle and hock flexion with backwards walking.

This results of this study support the clinical use of this exercise to improve hind limb strength, stability, coordination and range of movement 👏👏

01/09/2025

Well who’d have thought it…?! Hopefully not just racing but the wider equestrian industry will take note of this and change.

A new study shows that Thoroughbred foals given more outdoor turnout time and weaned later are more likely to succeed as racehorses, with increased starts and higher prize money during their young careers.

The research followed 129 foals from birth to age four, collecting detailed management data and tracking later racing outcomes.

Results consistently linked more time outside and later weaning to positive results, regardless of veterinary care, bloodlines, or farm differences.

Researchers propose that early activity encourages musculoskeletal adaptation, making horses more robust and possibly better at movement and sensory processing.

Ultimately, while industry focus remains on performance and profit, the evidence suggests that practices aligning with horse welfare—like turnout and gradual weaning—benefit both horses AND the business of racing.

Full study: https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evj.70084?utm_medium=email&utm_source=substack

24/08/2025

This is very promising research! The anti inflammatory drug Firocoxib (marketed as Equioxx tablets) is proving to be a safe choice for long term pain relief in horses.

Equioxx tablets were a complete game changer for my horse when he needed long term pain relief for arthritis, not only did his gut cope with them better than bute or danilon but they also seemed to be a lot more effective too in terms of lameness score improvement and joint range of movement. His quality of life in his last 6 months was so much more comfortable and I can report that many of my clients horses appear to be getting the same benefits. Slightly more expensive than bute but worth every penny and most equine vets are happy to provide a prescription too.

https://thehorse.com/1138535/long-term-firocoxib-use-appears-safe-for-horses/?fbclid=IwZnRzaAMYBhpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHhgWCGk1c7cKPY2fLO6U24DUzFhteLRE1-GdaSmkQiQjG_EC0QXiVDO71N_Q_aem_SUlxx7UDEBbUCNxg4TFHtQ

Researchers say long-term use of this NSAID in horses does not have clinically significant negative effects on bloodwork.

24/08/2025

For those of us that need UV reduction masks for our horses this open access article is very useful! The Equilibrium masks I use have come out very well in the results.

UV blocking, or more accurately, UV reducing, masks are widely available for horses. There are a surprisingly large number of reasons you might want to use one, including Equine Recurrent Uveitis, eye conditions such as cataracts, corneal ulcers, conjunctivitis, eyelid cancer or ocular tumours, phot...

24/08/2025

ENERGY OVERSUPPLY: A SILENT RISK IN SO-CALLED 'SAFE' FORAGE

I'm astounded and very concerned to see advice in a forage analysis report that a hay supplying 9MJ of energy per kilo is suitable for a laminitic horse.

Even if that hay was to be fed at just 1.8% bodyweight intake per day (dry matter) - which is restricted i.e. lower than a normal appetite - this will supply 81MJ of energy.

An overweight laminitis-prone 500kg horse needs about 63MJ of energy per day (to ensure gradual weight loss, we feed 90% of energy requirements), so this hay fed at RESTRICTED quantities will oversupply this horse by over 18MJ of energy!!

That is the equivalent of about 1.5kg (a heaped stubbs scoop) of conditioning mix.

This is disastrous advice.

And if we fed this hay free choice to a normal (not a large) appetite (2.5% of BW), this could supply 112.5MJ of energy...
..which is how much a horse in significant work would need. And it's an almost 50MJ oversupply (about 4 stubbs scoops of conditioning mix), which is going to cause significant fat gain.

(And despite the simple sugar being almost 10%, the NSC is 21% - we all know that we must take into account not just sugar, but the entire NSC content of a hay i.e. the fructan as well).

This is DOUBLE the recommended amount of non-fibre carbs recommended for laminitics!!

(There is agreement amongst nutritionists, physiologists and research specialists that we need to consider fructan in hay and not just sugar and starch, when assessing suitability for EMS, laminitis and indeed obesity).

It is absolute basic nutrition knowledge to consider the dietary energy intake (we also call that 'calories').

I've said it many times before but I will say it again...

We MUST look past sugar (or worse, just sugar and starch) to assess the suitability of a forage for laminitics or overweight horses and ponies!!

It can be disastrous not to.

I've had countless owners come to me for advice - more than one almost in tears - wondering why their horse has put on weight on 'low sugar' hay.

And sadly, some of them have ended up with a bout of laminitis.

When taking advice on forage analysis results, please check the source is either a qualified nutritionist or the company has a qualified person working for or with them (who can train them).

Please be very careful who you take nutrition and feeding advice from.

Just because they sell products (feeds/supplements/forage/forage analysis) does not mean they have a suitably qualified person to offer nutrition advice (which this case clearly shows).

Feel free to share this

ps the overweight pony in the picture needs an energy (calorie) deficit, because this is the ONLY thing that will cause fat loss (he is not linked to the report I mention)
🐴🍏

21/08/2025

If your horse or pony has little or no grass or is on a hay only diet please PLEASE supplement them with adequate vitamin E!!

The long dry summer is predisposing vitamin E deficiency as is the lack of knowledge around the nutritional deficiencies of feeding a hay only diet.

Does your horse have vitamin E deficiency?

A couple of clients horses have been diagnosed with vitamin E deficiency this summer. One was kept on grass 24/7 since birth and was an immature pony, the other was part grass, part non-grass turnout. Neither was fed a balancer or vitamin E supplement.

In both cases, there was a question over neurological pathology, (wobblers) but in both cases, the symptoms cleared up after a few days on a high quality nano-particle vitamin E supplement. One required selenium also.

Vitamin E deficiency is a serious state and can lead to permanant neurological disability, and even death.

Please consider feeding a quality balancer to ensure minimum nutritional requirements are met. If you have concerns, please talk to your team, including your vet and reputable independent nutritionist.

Photo below of the 3 horses in our care at the CIC who are enjoying restricted turnout time with a muzzle - they all receive a balancer plus the middle horse, with neurological symptoms, has a selenium and vitamin E supplement also.

Receive 10% off Global Herbs Globalvite and other Global Herbs products until the end of August on our site: https://www.holisticequine.co.uk/product-page/global-herbs-globalvite-multivitamin-mineral-supplement

They are wearing our favourite grazing muzzle - Thinline flexible filly, which you can buy with 5% off at Urban Horse with discount code HOLISTIC5

Www.holisticequine.co.uk - supporting and promoting compassionate equestrianism for the benefit of all 💚🙏🐴

21/08/2025

Don’t ride with your phone in your back pocket!

𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗣𝗢𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗧

While on a clinic some time ago, and again at a competition yesterday, I noticed a rider carrying their phone in their rear (right) pocket while riding.

This should be avoided at all levels.

Placing a phone in the rear pocket is likely too:

1) Significantly affect the function of the rider’s seat
2) Compromise the effectiveness of the rider’s seat aid
3) Induce/create rider asymmetry
4) Lead to uneven loading of the saddle and horse
5) Compromise rider-horse interaction

Although carrying a phone while riding can be useful for safety and other purposes (apps), alternative locations should be considered.

Image of a rider sitting on a pressure mat with their phone in their right back pocket.

Note: sharing as an observation. We have not shown this experimentally (yet).

16/08/2025

I’m getting asked about working on hard ground quite a lot at the moment, this is a really good video to help explain the pros and cons..

13/08/2025

In this insightful and engaging webinar, Dr Linda Greening explores the science of equine sleep and what owners, vets, and yard managers can do to better support rest and recovery in horses. From the basics of REM and non-REM sleep to practical, stable management strategies, Linda blends existing re...

07/08/2025

Findings from research on punishment insensitivity in rats can provide a valuable framework for understanding why some horses—often labelled “lazy”—fail to respond to whips and strong leg aids.

In a 2019 study, punishment insensitivity was shown not to result from a reduced capacity to feel pain (aversive insensitivity) or from overwhelming motivation for reward, but rather from a cognitive issue: an impaired ability to detect or learn the contingency between their actions and the punishing consequence.

Translating this to horses, there is mounting evidence and expert opinion indicating that repeated or harsh use of whips and forceful leg aids does not necessarily make “lazy” horses more responsive.

Instead, when horses do not respond, it is often due to either a failure to learn what the punishment is meant to communicate or confusion about which behaviour is being punished.

For example, if the aids are not timed correctly or are applied inconsistently, a horse cannot form a clear mental connection between its own action and the unpleasant stimulus. This mirrors the deficit in contingency detection observed in the rat study.

Overuse of strong aids can cause horses to habituate or become shut down, essentially learning to ignore them as a self-protection against confusing or inescapable signals.

Some horses stop responding to cues not out of stubbornness or high tolerance to discomfort, but because they are no longer able to associate a specific behaviour with a clear outcome. This is consistent with the research paper’s finding that animals may demonstrate punishment insensitivity—not because they feel less, but because they simply cannot link their actions to the consequences.

The paper titled “Punishment insensitivity emerges from impaired contingency detection, not aversion insensitivity or reward dominance,” was published in 2019 in eLife and authored by Philip Jean-Richard-dit-Bressel, Cassandra Ma, Laura A. Bradfield, Simon Killcross, and Gavan P. McNally.

03/08/2025

🦠 STRANGLES 🦠

I have been contacted by many concerned clients and yard owners about the current Strangles outbreak in the region.

So to confirm…

🦠 I have not visited any yards where there is a Strangles outbreak.

🦠 I am not visiting any yards where there is a Strangles outbreak and have absolutely no intention of doing so.

🦠 I already have robust bio security measures in place at all times, these include thorough hand/arm sanitising, disinfecting my kit and boots, and change of scrub tops between yards.

🦠 As ever in the very rare instance I encounter an unexpectedly unwell horse during an appointment I will stop the session and advise a vet visit, then postpone my subsequent appointments to allow me to go home for a deep clean.

This is a situation that works both ways:

🦠 Please cancel your appointment if your horse is showing any signs of being unwell, not just respiratory symptoms but also if they are a bit “off colour” or quieter than usual. In these instances please call your vet.

🦠 Please learn how to take and monitor your horse’s vital signs, including being able to take your horse’s temperature which not many people seem to be able to do! Any alterations in your horse’s vital signs need to be assessed by your vet before I am able to visit.

🦠 Please cancel your appointment if your horse has been in contact with any unwell horses either on your yard or when at other yards, out hacking or at competitions.

🦠 Please do not expect me to come and see a new horse within the first 10 days of arrival and with no quarantine measures in place.

We can all work together in this situation to reduce the risk of disease spread, not only from yard to yard but also to my own horses at home.

🦠 Thank you! 🦠

28/07/2025

"BUT MY HORSE IS WELL CARED FOR…" A LOOK AT EQUESTRIAN ATTITUDES AND WELFARE

A recent study interviewed riders, trainers, and coaches from the UK, Canada, and the US to explore what equestrians think about performance horse welfare — and why some practices that compromise welfare are still defended.

Participants consistently expressed concern for horse welfare — but some also justified harmful practices as necessary for training or competition.

These contradictions showed up in five key themes:

• Conflicting ideas of a 'good life': Equestrians often have strong opinions on what horses deserve, but struggle to align these ideals with the realities of daily training and competition.

• Objectifying the horse: Horses were sometimes described more as tools or athletes than as sentient partners, making it easier to ignore harmful practices.

• Instrumental care: Management often prioritises performance results over emotional or physical well-being — focusing on what the horse can do rather than how they feel. Horses may be immaculately turned out, well fed, and kept sound, but still expected to tolerate uncomfortable or restrictive training without resistance.

• Traditions: Cultural influence and group norms — “this is how it’s always done” — shaped decisions. Many participants admitted that practices learned early in their training persisted over time, even when their awareness of better welfare practices improved.

• Cognitive dissonance: Even when welfare concerns were recognised, participants often downplayed them. They justified or reframed issues to reduce the discomfort of holding conflicting beliefs and behaviours — for example, believing welfare matters but still using harsh bits or pushing horses despite signs of discomfort.

This study highlights how deeply embedded cultural habits and beliefs can block progress, even when riders want to improve welfare for their horses.

It’s yet another reminder that caring for horses means more than physical upkeep. It means reflecting on traditions and being willing to adapt our practices to support not only their physical health but also their emotional and psychological well-being.

Study: Cheung, E., Mills, D., & Ventura, B. A. (2025). “But my horse is well cared for”: A qualitative exploration of cognitive dissonance and enculturation in equestrian attitudes toward performance horses and their welfare.