12/08/2017
Great explaination of how, and why, engaging in physiotherapy is important, and how trainings aids such as pole work and pessoa's improve horses way of going! 🐎
A Physiotherapist’s role is to help achieve and maintain optimisation of function following injury, surgery or chronic conditions which may influence normal movement patterns and cause muscle imbalance and gait abnormalities.
We employ a number of techniques including manual therapy (joint mobilisations, soft tissue techniques), electrotherapy, exercise and gait re-education.
It is important that patients (or owners, in the case of animals) are engaged in the rehabilitation process to gain full benefits and the physiotherapist will often advise on a home exercise programme to be practiced in between treatment sessions.
I find that horse owners, particularly those keen to get their equine partner back to full fitness, are usually pro-active and want to know the best way that they can rehabilitate or improve their horse’s performance.
There a number of methods that are commonly employed in an effort to achieve strengthening or improve the horse’s way of going. These may include the use of lungeing, hillwork, poles, or more recently we have seen an increased popularity in the use of water treadmills. But do you fully understand the physical effects that these interventions have on your horse?
I have outlined some commonly used exercises and some of their effects based on evidence based research:
Baited stretches- Used to improve flexibility but also increases core activation. Can be a useful adjunct to help maintain some core activation for the horse recovering from injury on box rest.
Polework- Useful for strengthening flexor musculature by increasing joint flexion when poles are raised. Can also help increase core activation in walk.
Lungeing- The Pessoa training aid is often advocated by vets following spinal surgery for dorsal spine impingement. Research has shown that it can help improve posture and core activation without increasing load on the limbs.
Hillwork- Trotting up an incline can help increase core activation. However walking up hills increases hindlimb muscle activation more effectively than trotting.
Ridden schooling- The position of the head and neck has been shown to influence spinal kinematics. An elevated head position creates extension of the thoracic spine and flexion of the lumbar spine, whilst a lowered head position has the opposite effect.
Water treadmill- Reduces the loading on the limbs and useful for resistance training for the flexor tendon muscles, so useful for horses rehabilitating from flexor tendon injuries. However, high water levels can affect the movements of the spine and pelvis so care should be taken with horses who have conditions affecting the hindlimbs or back.
It is important to remember that all horses are individual and some exercises may not be appropriate for your horse. Any intervention or training aid will also only be as effective as the person using it. It is important to discuss the best methods to use with your physiotherapist and if you are unsure how to use equipment, ask to be shown how to use it correctly.
Visit www.acpat.org or www.rampregister.org to find a qualified practitioner in your area who will be able to fully assess your horse and recommend a suitable rehabilitation/ maintenance programme.
