4 Legged Physio - Sophie McSharry

19/09/2024

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Argyll Visit 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

I’ll mostly be in the Dunoon/Strachur/Kilchrenan areas but can detour nearby.

23/24th October

I can also add 25th if there is demand.

Physiotherapy appointments for dogs and horses available 🐴 🐶

Let me know if you’d like an appointment 😄

13/09/2024

Archie wants to talk about the importance of listening to your horse!

Bucking, rearing, bolting, napping… all well known and obvious signs that a horse is uncomfortable right? Well usually by the time the horse has had to resort to this level of behaviour they are shouting that they’re in some serious discomfort.
Plenty of people out there are happy to work horses “through” these kind of “naughty” behaviours, and they don’t have the right physical checks being done, but this can end in unhappy, shutdown horses who run to the back of the stable when the tack comes out, or sometimes ever increasing explosive behaviour that leads to the horse being labelled ‘dangerous’.
Did you know there is research that’s been done that lists 64 behaviours which can show that a horse is in pain? Including the ‘equine pain face’. These include really subtle things, like ear position, and tension above the eye. Now, obviously a horse has to be taken as a whole being and a single isolated subtle behaviour shouldn’t be cause for concern - but wouldn’t it be great if we listened when they whisper instead of waiting for them to shout?

It’s so important to have regular checks by qualified professionals who have your horses welfare at the top of their list!

Links to studies for those interested :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7931104/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25082060/

05/09/2024

The Multi-Disciplinary Team involved with your horse is SO important!

Whilst I may be able to spot major flaws with saddle fit, I am not a qualified saddle fitter and will always refer to one especially if your horse hasn’t been seen in the last 6 months.

Proper saddle fit is so important and goes hand in hand with physio and training - if your saddle is causing discomfort I will continue to find the same issues every visit, and your instructor will probably struggle too due to the dysfunction it will cause.

I am always more than happy to collaborate with the other professionals involved with your horse, in fact it makes my day when your saddle fitter, vet, farrier or instructor wants to have a chin wag about any findings! We are all working together for the good of your horse after all🐴

𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗗 - 𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗣𝗨𝗥𝗬 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗬

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗢𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗡 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗙𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗦𝗔𝗗𝗗𝗟𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗦𝗘𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗗𝗢𝗠

Russell MacKechnie-Guire, Jane M. Williams, Diana Fisher and Kathryn Nankervis


𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸 (read without a subscription): https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/17/2495

Thank you to everyone who supported and took part in the study. Thank you to the Worshipful Company of Saddlers and the Worshipful Company of Loriners for funding this research.

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: Horse owners have a responsibility to safeguard their horse’s welfare and are often assisted in this role by various equestrian professionals forming a multi-disciplinary team (MDT). Saddle fit is a complex issue, and the advice given to horse owners by equestrian professionals on matters associated with saddle fit can be influential in achieving optimal saddle fit. This study investigated how equestrian professionals assess, manage, and act upon saddle fit. Participants (n = 483) completed an online questionnaire, which was split into three major sections: (1) participant demographics; (2) saddle fit for the horse; and (3) saddle fit for the rider. Differences in experience and practice between professional groups were analysed. From the UK, 184 saddle fitters, 77 therapists, and 116 coaches completed the survey (n = 377). Significant differences existed between saddle fitters, therapists, and coaches with respect to the number of years qualified, the number of horses seen per week, the frequency with which they ask clients when they last had their saddle fitted, how they themselves assess saddle fit, and the most frequent saddle fit issues encountered. The findings provide insight into MDT working and the interactions of equestrian professionals on matters associated with saddle fit.

Thank you to the Worshipful Company of Saddlers and the Worshipful Company of Loriners for funding this research

04/09/2024

🐶🐴 September Availability 🐴 🐶

18th - Gateshead PM

24th - Durham PM

25/27/30 - Flexible

Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿- 12-15th. Couple of spaces left.

Dunoon 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 - 23/24th October

31/08/2024

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 12-15th September 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

12th - Falkirk/edinburgh + surroundings
13th - Falkirk/Fife
14th - PM Fife
15th - Falkirk/Edinburgh + surrounding

Payment due prior or on day by BACS/Paypal/Card. Please be aware I have a 24 hour cancellation policy (pinned to my page).

🐶🐴 🐶🐴

21/08/2024

Fabulous news on Blair-Eve 🙌🏻 good luck to all my clients competing this year, I hope the weather is kind 🤞🏼

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

Scone Palace is proud to announce, in partnership with British Eventing, that it will host a new CCI4*-L horse trials event from August 2025 – the Scone Palace International Horse Trials.

Earlier this year it was confirmed that the 35th annual Blair Castle International Horse Trials, being held later this week, would be the final such event at the venue. Since that decision was announced, Scone Palace has engaged with the sport to bring a new major event to Perthshire.

The first Scone Palace International Horse Trials will be held next August in the historic and picturesque Parklands of Scone Palace and the adjacent Perth Racecourse, offering a unique and enhanced setting for this new world-class event. The establishment of this equestrian competition at this iconic location reinforces Perthshire's status as a premier destination for international sporting events and ensures the continuation of top-tier eventing in the region.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 👉 https://news.britisheventing.com/new-scone-palace-international-horse-trials-to-be-held-in-perthshire-from-2025/

16/08/2024

** Dissection footage at 4mins**

The more I learn about anatomy and physiology, the more top level dressage distresses me and this video is a fabulous explanation of why.

It’s also why if you ask me about gadgets/training aids that involve the mouth (especially those that involve solely the mouth!) I’ll have a little rant and maybe tell you to bin it 👀🤣

16/08/2024

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿22/23 August 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

1 space approx 12 noon 22nd August Falkirk/Stirling

23rd FULL

🐶🐴

Payment by BACS prior or on day of appointment

14/08/2024

09/08/2024

A great analogy 🙌🏻

07/08/2024

Safe to say Stetson enjoyed his maintenance session yesterday! It’s the twitchy lips for me 😅🥰

04/08/2024

Sarah noticed, and solved, an issue with my saddle that would have only been picked up with an in depth ridden assessment - I thought I was just wonky from my accident but actually I was sitting straight!

This showed in Iolo’s back with more tension under the right side of the saddle, which I was beating myself up about for not sitting straighter.

Happier horse and happier rider, who doesn’t feel quite so guilty as I’m not as wonky as I thought 😁🐴

Why is the ridden assessment so important? And why should your fitter watch you ride at a fitting?

Horses are by nature dynamic, they often change shape in ridden work - some lift in the back, some drop in the back, some horses shift saddles to the side - these are all things that can only be picked up when a saddle is ridden in.

This is also both you and your horse’s opportunity to have a say in the saddle. Fitters should be looking at your horses freedom of movement and willingness to go forward - this does not mean they have to go like Valegro!
It is also the opportunity for us to see how YOU sit in the saddle, many riders are uneven or maybe they have a habit of tipping forwards or backwards. All these things affect how the saddle sits and there is so many things a fitter can do to help both horse and rider.

Without all of this there is a huge amount of information missing for a saddle fitter to do their job thoroughly!

03/08/2024

🥉🥉🥉

Fry, Hester, Moody, dazzling in the city of light 🇬🇧



📸 Łukasz Kowalski

02/08/2024

🥇🥇🥇

Ladies and gentlemen, your Paris 2024 jumping team gold medallists 🥇

✨ Scott Brash and Jefferson
✨ Harry Charles and Romeo 88
✨ Ben Maher and Dallas Vegas Batilly

01/08/2024

Sometimes you just need a little hug while having your poll/TMJ lasered 🥰😂

01/08/2024

Walking backwards - rein back - step back

This has always been an exercise I recommend and a recent article has used 3D motion capture to explore back and pelvis motion during the movement - Jobst, Zsoldos and Licka, 2024

'A significantly larger maximum and a greater ROM was reached between the withers, thoracic region and sacrum (labelled D-angWmT16S2) in Backwards Walking compared to Forwards walking, indicating a lifting of the back, an effect necessary to facilitate strengthening of the horse’s core and therefore often desired in equine physiotherapy and in equestrian sports (Clayton, 2016; Shakeshaft & Tabor, 2020)'

A few steps backwards - Unmount SD Cardnted - as part of groundwork and before mounting are a really good idea to mobilise your horse's back.

Link to article:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090023324001412?via%3Dihub

30/07/2024

I have some very limited availability left in August:

Monday 5th - PM
Tuesday 6th - Lanchester area

Wednesday 28th
Thursday 29th - Ivesley
Friday 30th

If you’d like seen in August let me know ASAP to avoid disappointment 🐶🐴

29/07/2024

🥇 🥇🥇🥳

It's GOLD for Team GB 🥇🥳

Ros Canter Eventing and Lordships Graffalo, Tom McEwen and JL Dublin, and Laura Collett Eventing and London 52 complete on 91.3 to secure Team GB their first gold medal of Paris 2024 🤩

This also marks a record-breaking fifth eventing team gold for Great Britain and a defence of the title that Laura and Tom helped to secure in Tokyo 💪

18/07/2024

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Upcoming Scotland Dates 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

12/13th August - Clients competing at Blair will be given priority for these dates

22/23/26th August

12–15th September

Here’s Leggy making sure I’ve got my notes correct 🥰

17/07/2024

Well it was a bit delayed due to Ankle Gate but I finally graduated with my MSc in Veterinary Physiotherapy 👩🏻‍🎓

07/07/2024

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Visit

Sorting Scotland times today as I’ve been away so keep an eye out for a message 🥰

30/06/2024

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 11th-14th July 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

This one is shaping up to be busy so let me know ASAP if you’d like a spot 😁

Thursday 11th - Borders/Falkirk/Stirling
Friday 12th - flexible Fife/falkirk/lothians
Saturday 13th - Fife
Sunday 14th - Falkirk/Lothians