Francesca Leslie Equine Physiotherapist

09/04/2025

🤔 Did you know......when your horse is, or has been, under the care of a vet 👩‍⚕️🐴 since their last physio appointment, your physio needs to have consent from the vet before they can see your horse?

It’s really important that you let us know before your appointment, if something has changed, so we can speak to the vet to make sure we are all on the same page regarding your horse’s treatment.

Team work makes the dream work! 🫶

Solway Equine Vets
Paragon Veterinary Group - Equine
Frame & Swift Limited
Rowley Mile Equine
Ark Vet Centre
The Stewartry Veterinary Centre Ltd
Fiona Dalgliesh Veterinary Services
Dryfe Vets
Clyde Vet Group Equine Hospital

02/04/2025

Give your physio the opportunity to know your horse with regular visits. 👇

With regular maintenance physio, I get to know your horse and can tell if something has changed from a muscular skeletal point of view. These changes can be an indication of a more serious issue.

Don't forget that horses are flight animals and won't show initial lameness at the risk of appearing weak.

I may be able to feel something that is not immediately obvious ✅.

19/03/2025

🔼 🔼 The Double Triangle Pole Exercise 🔼 🔼

1️⃣ Set out 3 poles in a triangle shape with a small space between each end and then
place a second pole parallel to each pole spaced for walking distance for your
horse or pony.

2️⃣ Ride in walk or lead your horse across two sides of the triangle on a curve. Loop
round and curve the other way.

3️⃣ Perform a circle over two sides of the pole. Change rein and circle in the other
direction.

4️⃣ Once your horse is performing this exercise well in walk, space out the parallel poles to trotting distance and carry out the exercises in trot.

Benefits:

✅ encourages your horse to think about where his feet are (proprioception)

✅ improves your horse’s suppleness

18/03/2025

In the first of a three-part series, Lee Mottershead spends time with The Jukebox Man and the local businesses he helps

14/03/2025

Great fun yesterday demonstrating the Winback 3TX with Christian to a group of fellow equine therapists at Greenlands' Arenas.

Winback Equine Tecartherapy - Equine & Canine Veterinary Physiotherapy
Leanne Redmond Animal Physiotherapy
Helena Carruthers - Vet Physio UK
Lucy Willis Fleming
Sam Arthur-Magennis

04/03/2025

Everyone needs a helping hand 🐾 now and again! 🐈

27/02/2025

Better than Netflix! I enjoyed presenting at this Winback Equine Tecartherapy - Equine & Canine Veterinary Physiotherapy Canine Veterinary Physiotherapy discussing all things TECAR alongside fellow Winback trainiers Victoria Spaldingtoria Spalding Baldwyn @ Physio4animalsharlotte Baldwin 👩‍🎓👩‍🎓.

21/02/2025

🌟 New Blog Post Alert! ✍️🐴

Bringing Your Horse Back into Work - Tips from an Equine Physio

The days are beginning to get longer, the weather is (trying!) to improve and before you know it, the show and competition season will be upon us. If you haven’t already, now is the time to slowly and appropriately bring your horse back into work.

Find out how I start MY horses in my latest blog post 👇👇👇

https://francescaleslie.com/2025/02/20/bringing-your-horse-back-into-work/

19/02/2025

I’ve only got a few appointments left in March and April is beginning to book up too 🐴.

If you don’t think you’re in my diary, or you’re thinking about an appointment, please get in touch via WhatsApp as soon as possible. Thank you 😊

14/02/2025

Good news - my books are now back in stock! 👏.

If you have pre-ordered a book, please get in touch with me to arrange payment and delivery, thank you ☺️.

12/02/2025

I’ve been so busy recently, getting the book 📖 ready and welcoming a lot of new clients 🐴, I have been neglecting my social media so thought I would take this opportunity to introduce myself to my new followers 👋

🔵 I’m a RAMP-Register of Animal Musculoskeletal Practitioners registered animal physiotherapist covering Dumfriesshire and North Cumbria.

🔵 A trainer for Winback Equine Tecartherapy - Equine & Canine Veterinary Physiotherapy

🔵 Previously an Equine Vet Tech in the USA 🇺🇸

🔵 Formally a Vet Nurse 👩‍⚕️

🔵 Mother of 1 Human 👤, 2 Equines 🐴🐴 and 2 Canines 🐶🐶

🔵 Lover of horse racing, 🏇 fly fishing 🎣 and yoga 🧘‍♀️

🔵 Favourite thing to do - help owners to help their horses to be happy and healthy 🫶

10/02/2025

🤩 📖 Anyone who ordered my book over the weekend: there will be a slight delay as we sold out! 🙌 The next batch should arrive later this week and I’ll get them out to you as soon as possible.
👉 If you haven’t ordered yours yet, DM me and I’ll send you info on how to pay.

09/02/2025

“When you put the horse in the situation of increased circulatory demand due to the training and decreased circulatory response due to the time in the stall for months at a time, the required repair response is often inadequate and the damage begins to accumulate in excess of repair over time,” said Bramlage.

Really interesting research from Dr Bramlage
Not always practical but the more turnout you can give your sports horses the better.

Equine surgeon Dr. Larry Bramlage says the type and length of turnout a horse gets when healing makes a crucial difference: https://bit.ly/4gpsMnT

17/12/2024

😁🐎📘 Physio Fun for the Healthy Happy Horse - the perfect book for your 'horsey' friends and family!

🌟 £10 plus postage.👌

🤩 Be inspired! More than 30 tips and exercises to help keep your horse or pony in tip top condition.

What's inside?
🐴 Horse management
🐴 Pole work
🐴 Schooling and ground work
🐴 Hacking hacks

✅ Easy to read
✅ Step by step illustrations (🖌 designed and illustrated by Amy-Dee Creative )
✅ Collated in a handy flip book to save you from scrolling through social media feeds for exercises!

👉 DM me via Facebook or Instagram to order yours.

09/12/2024

One space available for jump lesson at 12.30 on Weds 11 Dec with John Thornton at High Hesket. Height 80-90cm. Contact for more info/to book. Over 18s only. Non members welcome.

15/11/2024

This! 😎💪

Yes, we back our horses at 3. They go up and down the lane with an older horse for a few days and if they’re strong enough they 𝑚𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 wtc in the arena a couple of times before they go back to grass and we won’t do anything with them again until they are 4.

At 4, they come in and out of the field for a few weeks work at a time - mostly hacking with the odd day in the school and the even more occasional jump. We will take them Xc schooling once (or twice if they need to go twice) and they will jump round a small course of fences before the year is out. They won’t be at every 4yo class in the country or going to shows week in week out…

Now by this point we probably no longer own the horse 🤣 because our clients love how we produce them and come looking for them. But if we still have them at 5years old - then they will start to do a few shows but built on the same mantra as their 4yo year - in and out of the field for a few weeks work at a time with lots of hacking and more pole/cavalettis than jumps. It’s about teaching them balance, relaxation and suppleness - it’s not about winning classes or even jumping clear rounds at this stage. The horse needs to have a conscience but it’s your job to get him to the fence in good balance and it’s his job to get his legs out of the way.

A very wise horseman told me many years ago “horses are born with only so many jumps in them - don’t use them up unnecessarily”. And it stuck with me forever. Train and produce for longevity, not a short term monetary or ego goal.

30/10/2024

https://equustelevision.com/watch/3724

Horses and the Science of Harmony, a film produced by UK equine performance specialist Dr. Sue Dyson and US-based Kathryn Lauritzen of Padma Video, is available now on the EQUUS Television Network.

09/10/2024

Super proud of these two! 👏👏🏆🥇

The 2024 HOYS mini M&M championship went to the winning first-ridden pairing of Prestyn Patterson and Welsh section B Celton Avallon...