Emma Barber Healing Hands Veterinary Physiotherapy

19/09/2024

Sollie in 2014 and now in his retirement 🥰

17/09/2024

Little Eve had her first visit from the dentist today. She was a very good girl (though pretty much unconscious due to the sedation!) and she had her wolf teeth removed at the same time.

Wolf teeth are small residual teeth that have been left over from the evolutionary process, and if not removed can interfere with the seating of the bit , and create discomfort when ridden.

It will take a few days for her gums to fully heal, but she will be back to her normal cheeky self in no time at all! Hopefully the tooth fairy will visit tonight 🧚‍♀️

15/09/2024

It is impossible to 100% rule out pain when dealing with horses that are demonstrating unwanted behaviours.

I hear this phrase ALL the time and every time I do my heart breaks for the horse in question.

It is a very big misconception in the industry that pain can be ruled out in the horse.

What leads to this statement can also vary drastically from person to person.

The horse might have had a quick muscle palpation, they might have just been scoped for ulcers, or they might have had a very extensive (and expensive!) veterinary work up over days or months.

Regardless, you cannot rule out pain. You might not be able to find a source, but you cannot rule out pain.

Ask any human who has not received an immediate diagnosis for their pain or not been listened to regarding their own health concerns.

Pain does not have a blood test or a specific color or feel.

Pain can be obvious, it can be concealed, it can be complex, it can be poorly understood.

There are certain things, like gastric ulcers, that can be definitively ruled in or out as a SOURCE of pain with a gastroscopy.

But it is the horse’s behavior that says whether pain is or isn’t present. And unfortunately, very often pain in the horse is not a simple thing to diagnose and cure.

When a trainer, owner, rider, or vet says “we have ruled out pain” it is often an invitation to train the horse with harsher methods to overcome performance or behavioral problems.

If the horse refuses to do something, doesn’t cooperate, struggles with tasks, has a change in behavior, or exhibits behaviors that have been scientifically studied to indicate pain in the horse (such as the equine discomfort ethogram and ridden horse pain ethogram)….ALWAYS keep in mind that just because it can’t be located, DOES NOT mean a horse is not in pain.

14/09/2024

Ineffective lunging is most definitely ineffective!

Lunging correctly, avoiding repetitiveness and small circles, and including varied groundwork exercises to correct balance and posture during the session is a different story!

For more information on how groundwork and postural training can be a game changer for your horse, just get in touch!

Lunging is a common training technique used by many to exercise horses, improve balance, and establish control. However, this traditional method may be far less beneficial than previously thought and could even contribute to long-term damage if not done with precise care. In this blog, we explore th...

12/09/2024

Not a good start to the day 🚗 🚙 🚗🚙

11/09/2024

We were very lucky with the weather this evening while visiting a clinic held by The Knights of Middle England and their demonstration of “Why is Classical riding essential for bridleless riding”.

A lovely demo with great practical advice. I might build up to trying this one slowly 🫣

10/09/2024

A nice little round up of clicky joints!

If you’re concerned about your horses joints, getting a veterinary assessment is always the first port of call!

Veterinary physiotherapy may be recommended to help support the body and provide remedial exercises that can assist in maintaining the joints.

Why Do My Horse's Joints Click? English Knowledge Base Horse Supplements

09/09/2024

It’s hard work being 16 months old!

07/09/2024

While my work is focused on the horse, you as the owner are just as important! Over the years that I've worked with lots of lovely clients, I've noticed how our emotions and our horses' emotions are intricately linked (This is especially noticeable during coaching sessions).

Horses are hugely perceptive animals, as prey animals they are highly attuned to their environment and as herd members they have complex social structures leading to them being empathetic emotional beings. They can attune to other horses and our emotional states, mirroring each other's and our emotions.

For example, if a fellow herd member becomes stressed due to a perceived threat, or, if we arrive at the yard in a stressed and distracted headspace, our horse will readily notice this and can start to mirror these emotions. This is an evolutionary response that means all members of a herd are ready for flight if needed.

The response has become much more obvious to me after I've spent time working on my own mental health. I didn't quite realise how much my emotions and stress were passing on to the horses I was interacting with. Since working on myself, my relationship with my horses and the horses I work with has deepened, and they are so much more receptive to me and my work.

As a result, I've started to engage more fully in helping owners understand this link, with the aim to help build deeper connections in the horse human relationship. I've started to study Mindfulness, and how we can put into practice techniques that will deepen our awareness and connection to our horses.

You might wonder what the link is between Veterinary Physiotherapy for my horse, and Mindfulness for me!

Well, just think, when you're stressed how does your body feel? Tight, tense, clenched, achy, tired?

I know that's how my body feels.

So now your horse, if they are picking up and mirroring these stressors and emotions, how might their body feel?

If we can start to become more aware of our emotional state as we interact or ride our horses, we can help the horse to be more regulated and balanced emotionally in its work. This helps reduce the tension and tightness in the body that can produce sore, achy muscles which then require addressing with veterinary physiotherapy.

This doesn't mean that we all must be in blissful happy states every day around our horses, as that is not going to happen! But we need to be aware that if we aren't in the best headspace and that our frustrations might impact the horse's performance and wellbeing, that its ok to just spend time with your horse, give them a groom, sit and listen to them eat, and let their relaxed emotions help regulate yours!

06/09/2024

Cid having his maintenance treatment before travelling off to Belgium for the European Nation Cup Championships, good luck to all the team!

And one sleepy cat snoozing on the hay nets 😻

29/08/2024

The eye is often called the window to the soul, and it can tell us a lot about what our horses are feeling 👁️

29/08/2024

Another lovely review from Heather who I’ve had the pleasure of working with and her lovely girl Ruby 💕

28/08/2024

This is a hugely important condition that people need to know about! The symptoms of the condition are wide and varied and Sharon May-Davis is working hard to get the condition further understood.

INTRODUCTION ECVM stands for Equine Complex Vertebral Malformation - formerly known as The Congenital Malformation of the 6th and 7th Cervical Vertebrae in Horses. The name change was the result of ongoing research showing that the complexity of this malformation wasn’t justified by the simplicit...

22/08/2024

Another fun session of groundwork training today with Ruby.

Groundwork is a fantastic tool to use to support postural issues that contribute to areas of soreness, tightness and restriction in your horses body.

While veterinary physiotherapy can aid in reducing these physical regions of compensation, without changing how the body is moving and functioning these areas can easily reappear.

Groundwork and postural training is a vital tool for long term health and soundness.

21/08/2024

Sollie can’t be ridden anymore, but that doesn’t mean he can’t find new fun things to do! I’m going to sign him up for the England team 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 ⚽️

15/08/2024

🩷 Ruby being a star pupil this morning 🩷

13/08/2024

NOW LIVE!

My new web page is now live, and it would be great if you could visit it!

The page is still under some development and might not be available on all search engines yet (it's definitely on Google!), but you can find it if you type the name directly in the address bar or follow the link on page which should take you directly there.

11/08/2024

You might have noticed some changes I've been experimenting with in the name of my business and the way my business is moving forwards.

I'm pleased to say I've finally got what I think is the right name and the right logo to move forwards, with a massive thank you to Nica from Nica Draws Nature who produced this fantastic design.

09/08/2024

Been revisiting and picking up a few new skills today, straightness training with Marcia Wakeman.

Got some new exercises to practice, really liked the counter shoulder in and circling away to open and mobilise the shoulders which many horses can be restricted in.

It’s also a great way to start education for young horses, enabling them to learn about contact and lateral movements on the ground before they are expected to learn them with a rider on board.

Anyone interested in learning some in hand or groundwork techniques which are invaluable for improving movement, performance and physical health, drop me a message via messenger, WhatsApp or give me a call. 📞 😃

08/08/2024

I had the privilege of working with Ruby again today, we’ve been doing some groundwork together while her mum is recovering from an injury.

Ruby can suffer with anxiety when going out to different locations, which we feel it’s linked to some past trauma from when she was younger.

So today we went to a location she is familiar with, but not home, to see if we could replicate the relaxation we had achieved in her home environment.

Ruby did fabulously, but needed this moment of processing her emotions. Allowing her the time to relax and process through the nervous system, holding space for her and allowing her to feel safe in this environment will build her confidence and trust, which will in turn give her the ability to relax more readily in unfamiliar surroundings and situations.

This in turn will allow her body to move more effectively without restrictive tension patterns, improving performance and well being.

“Holding space - allowing someone a safe space to work through their concerns, troubles and feelings without judgment”

08/08/2024

🩷🩷